It has taken us three years to visit
Cartagena, and then only because our friends David and Rosemary suggested that we go together for a long weekend.
David booked three nights at one of the villas on this urbanisation in Mar
Menor for the bargain price of just 150 euro for four of us for three nights. We had everything we needed, though it has to be said that the
urbanisation was very quiet as it was now out of season, and all of the facilities - including the supermarket - were closed for the winter.
David noticed that there was a train line on the map at a little village called Los
Nietos which seemed to go to
Cartagena. On our first afternoon we drove the few miles to the village and found the station. No time table or booking office, just a station. However a visit to the cafe confirmed that the trains ran every hour to
the city.
Friday morning found us waiting at the platform just in time to catch the 0940, and having paid 8
euro for the four of us return, we arrived in
Cartagena for 1000. We soon found the tourist information office, where a very helpful lady gave us maps and timetables and told us everything we needed to know to explore the city. First stop was the town ramparts, which provided excellent views of the city and harbour.
Then on to visit the civil war shelter museum, where the locals found shelter from German bombers during the Spanish Civil War. You reach this museum by lift, which then takes you up to Conception Castle, with its excellent views over the city and harbour. And also of the bull ring. Now unused, and apparently waiting for restoration as it is held together by a sort of frame which makes it look like a piece of scenery in a stage play. We were to see quite a few examples of this throughout the city.
Then it was back to the city ramparts (or city wall) and on to the city centre.
Like many Spanish cities,
Cartagena has many examples of street statues, including this one of a sailor with his pack. The city is a major naval centre, so this subject was not too surprising. Rosemary obviously cannot resist a naval man!
The highlight of our first day was a visit to the Roman
Theatre Museum. The whole area was recently recovered, and has the most
magnificent modern museum build alongside the ancient theatre. It would be hard not to be very impressed. We were also surprised to find that all of the exhibits had English as well as Spanish explanations.
We were spoilt for choice for lunch, but settled for one just outside the Roman Theatre Museum, right in the middle of the square. We were surprised, and pleased, to find that the menu
del dia was only 11 euro each for a three course meal and half a bottle of wine.
It was mid afternoon by the time we finished lunch, and we decided to return to the city on Saturday, which left us with the rest of Friday to look around and get a feel of the city. And the harbour was an obvious choice.
This is the original first
submarine ever built. It was invented in 1884 by Isaac
Peral who was born in
Cartagena, and was built in Cadiz.
The harbour had many interesting boats, and of particular interest to David and Rosemary who are keen sailors. Jan and I were glad of any excuse to stop walking around, even though we have little knowledge of boats.
Saturday found us again in
Cartagena, after yet another trip on the little train. We started the day with a tour of the city on the Tourist Bus. Surprisingly cheap at less than 4 euro each, and perfectly adequate to give us a broad introduction to the city and a feel for its layout. We also spotted this large statue, indeed it would have been difficult not to spot it!
The harbour also provided this second statue, which looked just like s whale tail.
And once again everyone was more than ready to take any opportunity to sit and watch the world go by.
Sunday morning we set out to explore the area around Mar
Menor, and we were pleased to find that there was easy access to the long empty beaches. We also found quite a few villas designed to look like castle's, and this one right on the beach was a particularly fine example.
As
well as beaches, there were plenty of walk ways along the side of the sea, including this one with its collection of sail boats.
We explored the sea front for an hour or so, and then had a light lunch before setting off back home. It was a very pleasant break and one which convinced us that we should plan another one soon.
Winter has finally arrived on the Costa Blanca. On our walk last week we were in shirt sleeves, but this morning was bitterly cold and very windy, though still blue skies. Today it was not only warm coats, but even gloves.
We made David take this group photographs because he was wearing shorts - and we didn't want him to show the rest of us up as a load of wimps.
We only had a couple of very short stops to catch our breath on the way to the top of the Green Horse, but everyone was still keeping their jackets on - except David of course who set an example to us all in his shorts and body warmer.
The best thing about the Green Horse is that there is a relatively easy climb, followed by some of the best views in this part of the Costa Blanca. Not only to the coast at Denia, but also down the Jalon, Orba and Castells valleys.
Margaret very wisely put on her waterproof. There was no danger of rain, but it does help to keep the chill out and (equally important) keep your hat on in the strong winds.
The route over the Green Horse goes from one side to the other, with constantly changing views of the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately the going is quite rough so it is necessary to keep your eyes on your feet rather than on the scenery.
We usually stop a couple of times to admire the views, but it was too cold today for more than one quite short stop. We managed to get out of the wind, but it was still pretty cold and most kept their warm jackets on.
Then it was on again and more spectacular views. There was not as much chatting as usual today, because it was quite difficult to hear with the strong winds. Not strong enough to be dangerous, but too strong to hear what the walker behind was saying.
And soon it was time to make our way down from the top. This track always takes longer than I remember, but is very pleasant as the paths are better and there is more opportunity to look around at the scenery. We were also less bothered by the wind once we began to lose height.
We always have our picnic lunch at the cafe, which is always closed on a Monday. But today the owner was there as they were doing some work indoors. But they had no objection to us using the picnic tables.
After lunch we did an extension to the walk which we had not done before. It added about an hour to the walk, which some feel is a little too short for a Monday Club walk anyway.
As it was windy and cold it was decided to walk back along the road rather than the usual track along the side of the hill. This was quicker and made up for the extra time spent on the extension to the standard walk.
