1 We continue walking towards the clock tower, the entrance to the

We continue walking towards the clock tower, the entrance to the walled city. Sometimes we
were able to walk on the ramparts of the wall, and sometimes we had to walk either on the
street beside the wall or inside the historical district near the wall.
The Clock Tower (La Torre del Reloj), a neogothic style building from the 19 th century. It was
the city’s main gate since 1631, and it was built by Luis Felipe Jaspe, a native of Cartagena.
1
La Boca del Puente. “The Mouth” (or opening) within the Clock Tower to the Plaza de los
Coches, where the statue of Pedro de Heredia greets the tourist to the historical district.
Pedro de Heredia Monument. The statue of the Spanish conquistador, who founded the city of
Cartagena on June 1, 1533. The statue was designed by Spanish sculptor Juan de Avalos.
The statue on the right is of Christopher Colombus (Colon).
2
In certain sections there was no wall to walk on, so we walked through the historical district to
the next rampart. We discovered that each block had its own name, so it was confusing to
know what street we were actually walking on.
Back on the wall as we approach the end of our trip around the wall.
3
We come to the end – near the Caribbean Sea, where we started our 3-mile walk.
A view of the Caribbean Sea through one of the lookout “windows” built into the wall.
4
We were near the house of Rafael Nunez, so we decided to take a short detour and a short tour
of the house of the four-time president of the Republic of Colombia. The constitution of 1886
was signed here and remained in force until 1991, being one of the pillars for the development
of national democracy.
Statue of Rafael Nunez, across the street.
Inside the house (presently a museum).
5
I pose as a person pulling the “presidential carriage.”
Alcatraces Monument. On the city’s boardwalk next to the sea, the work of Spanish master
Eladio Gil shows a 5x12 meter (15x40 feet) sculpture of a flock of pelicans rising up with a view
of the sea. The pelican is representative of one of the most popular animals around
Cartagena’s sea coasts.
6
The San Pedro Claver church was open for mass in the evening. I went inside to witness the
mass and to see the interior of the church.
A statue of an angelic being holding a fish intrigued me, as did a mural of the saint.
Tiled street sign, indicating Plaza de San Pedro Claver.
7
In the evening, we enjoyed watching Caribbean dancers perform in Bolivar Square.
http://youtu.be/q2-AV15xMZU (YouTube video)
http://youtu.be/6Legfw4ZdYg (YouTube video)
http://youtu.be/4gx0v7q6JLk (YouTube video)
8
The next day we took a walk across the street from the historical district to visit Centenario Park,
constructed in the year 1911 to commemorate a century of independence of Cartagena.
A large obelisk rests in the center of this public area on which stands a five-ton bronze condor
brought from England, built in an English style by engineer Peter Malaber.
9
Afterwards, Elsa and I went to visit the Castillo de San Felipe. Susie was not feeling well that
day, so she returned to the apartment while Elsa and I toured on our own.
The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is a fortress in the city of Cartagena, Colombia. The castle
is located on the Hill of San Lázaro in a strategic location, dominating approaches to the city by
land or sea. It was built by the Spanish during the colonial era. Construction began in the year
1536, and it was originally known as the Castillo de San Lázaro, It was expanded in 1657.
(Wikipedia)
10
The fortress was built in a triangular shape on top of the hill, with eight guns and a garrison of
20 soldiers and 4 gunners. Its name was given in honor of Philip IV of Spain.
11
The fortification consists of a series of walls, wide at the base and narrow toward the parapet,
forming a formidable pattern of bunkers. The batteries and parapets protect one another, so
making it practically impossible to take a battery without taking the whole defense system. The
guns of the castle commanded the whole bay, so that any suspicious vessel attempting to dock
could be attacked.
The castle is striking for its grand entrance and its complex maze of tunnels. It is the most
formidable defensive complex of Spanish military architecture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castillo_San_Felipe_de_Barajas
12
Susie and I pose with a Palenguera lady -- the famous ladies from the city San Basilio De
Palenque -- balancing a fruit basket on their heads. We bought some fresh mangoes from her.
This beautiful building – located in the traditional neighborhood of San Diego – used to be a
convent. Now it is the home of the University of Fine Arts and Sciences Bolivar.
13
We watch two people working in a candy-making shop named Swikar. The process includes
rolling out flat layers of “sweet stuff” (sugar syrup), then rolling the layers up into long cylindrical
shapes. Several colorful cylinders are rolled together into one large cylindrical shape, which is
stretched and cut into thin sections. The thin sections harden and are then cut (with a spatula)
into small pieces of hard candy.
[Note: see my video of the process at: http://youtu.be/oZssLCPxFJw ]
14
The city of Cartagena comes alive with the lights of Christmas (and other decorations) at night.
Elsa gets some morning sunshine on top of the terrace of our building. Today she will rest while
Susie and I go to explore a neighboring island and its fortress.
15