Moving to Cartagena city

We enjoyed a last breakfast cooked by Kathleen and then got packed up ready for our move to the city. We checked out of our room by 11am, so Kathleen could clean it, and then spent a couple of hours up on the roof as we were too early for our next hotel. We spent the time reading and catching up on the news, which was all about Liam Payne (ex One Direction) falling to his death from a hotel balcony in Argentina after a drink and drugs filled evening. He was only 31 - tragic.

We took an Uber into town. Leandra came to say goodbye. She has a great business, and we wish her every success with it. After a couple of wrong turns into dead ends, the Uber driver managed to find the right track off the beach and join the road into Cartagena 😂. He quickly dropped us off at our hotel in the old city.

Casa Lorenza is a lovely, quirky hotel with rooms set around a courtyard where we will have breakfast. Our room is clean and comfortable with great air-conditioning and WiFi. The view is of attractive red-tiled roofs all around.

After settling in, we ventured out to explore locally. The first thing we did was to buy a hat for Mark - this trip has really begun now! 😂  We found an ATM and then went in search of somewhere to eat.

Cartagena is a port city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast.  It was founded on June 1, 1533 by Pedro de Heredia.  Its historic centre is the walled Old Town, founded in the 16th century, with squares, cobblestone streets, and colourful colonial buildings.  This area was declared a National Heritage Site of Colombia in 1959 and by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1984.  With a tropical climate, the city has become one of the most important tourist destinations in Colombia and the Caribbean as a whole. 

The walled city is so pretty! I took quite a few photos today, and I'm sure I'll take plenty more on our walking tour tomorrow. The street views are enhanced by the number of horses and carriages driving up and down. The brightly painted buildings, numerous flags, and vivid costumes worn by the local ladies all add to the vibrancy of the city. I'm sure we're going to love our few days here.もっと詳しく