CARTAGENA CIT Y PROFILE
CARTAGENA COLOMBIA’S CAPTIVATING BY LAURA GELDER Plaza de Bolivar
Next to the Palacio de la Inquisicion, the little park at the centre of this square is shaded by cool trees. The tinkling fountain is surrounded by benches where Colombians eat lunch under the gaze of revolutionary hero Simon Bolivar, whose statue depicts him on horseback.
Plaza de Santo Domingo
S
lipping into Cartagena at night by boat, my first view of the city was of the Miami-style high-rises of Bocagrande.
Ahead glowed the pink dome of the Cathedral, a beacon of its colonial heart.
Cartagena de Indias was founded in 1533 by the Spanish and became an important port for storing gold looted from the Indians. It was attacked by Sir Francis Drake but recovered and went on to be a centre of the slave trade. Today it is Colombia’s biggest tourist attraction and its colonial buildings are protected by UNESCO. Inside the thick city walls are a labyrinth of streets lined with houses painted mint green, cornflower blue and warm terracotta. Hot-pink bouganvillea tumbles from every balcony and around each corner is a new plaza, hiding a crumbling church, boutique shop, or a pavement cafe for stopping to watch the world go by.
What’s hot
When the cruise tourists land in Old Town, head to the more edgy Getsemaní. Once a district plagued by drugs and prostitution, it’s now packed with funky bars, fusion food cafes and Banksy-style graffiti art. Plaza la Trinidad is dominated by a yellow church and a group of curiously animated statues which depict the veterans of Colombia’s War of Independence from Spain. At night the square comes alive with food stalls selling greasy arepas (a fried corn snack filled with cheese) and fruit cocktails laced with lethal Aguardiente; old men play dominos and the young sit sipping cans of Aguila beer.
Cool hotel
Sofitel Legend Santa Clara was originally built as a convent in 1621 but its terracotta cloisters are now a
50 July/August 2013
refuge for weary tourists. The hotel has an oasis-like pool surrounded by palms and two restaurants serving Old World and French cuisine in distressed New World surroundings. There’s also a spa. Boutique options are abundent in Cartagena. Hotel LM has just seven rooms and mixes minimalist with colonial. Its pool terrace has stunning views of the Cathedral dome.
Eating and drinking
Ceviche stands are all over the city, selling portable pots of prawns, octopus and snails with finely-chopped onions, chilli and lime juice. Alternatively, La Cevichería does a more upscale langosta ceviche. Gelateria Paradiso sells wonderfully fresh homemade
ice cream in classic Italian and local flavours, like the citrusy lulo fruit. The setting is English tea room, with clashing florals and wicker armchairs. Sit atop the city’s ancient ramparts and take a
sundowner at Café del Mar while you watch the lights from the modern beachfront hotels of Bocagrande coruscate across the water. Getsemaní’s Demente on Plaza La Trinidad has rough brick walls, rocking chairs and monochrome mirror portraits of famous figures ranging from Karl Marx to Michael Jackson. Tapas, mojitos and cigars are on the menu while the local patrons break out into spontaneous salsa dancing as the night goes on.
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Swirls of pigeons flutter outside the imposing church and there are a number of wrought-iron street sculptures depicting street sellers and artisans.
Islas del Rosario
Dominated by the distressed ochre walls of the church of Santo Domingo, this plaza is packed with cafe tables that are great for people watching. Look out for Colombian artist Fernando Botero’s sculpture of a rather fat-bottomed girl.
Plaza de San Pedro Claver
Just half-an-hour from the city these lush islands framed by turquoise waters are a respite from the sticky city. The white crescent of Playa Blanca is stuffed full of partying Colombians by day, but walk left and you’ll find hammock hotels swaying in the breeze. Stay the night and see cows wander past the rustic candle-lit restaurants.
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The Cathedral of Cartagena
CITy HIGHLIGHTS
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