cartagena


F


amous for its flower-laden city streets, cobbled walkways and colorful homes, the walled center


of Cartagena de Indias attracts thousands of travelers to Colombia’s northern shore each year. Its bold architecture is matched by its electric nightlife, thriving culture and ever-busy city streets, cherished by the energetic costeños that call Cartagena home. Visitors typically stick to the walled city — the maze of historic haciendas in the city’s oldest section — or the lively adjacent neighborhood, Getsemani. But the city doesn’t end at its ancient ramparts — a trip to Cartagena takes in the Miami-style skyscraper strip of Bocagrande, the sleek white boats bobbing in the harbor and the buzzing beach bars of Marbella. Ever exciting, rich in culture and offering easy access to the Caribbean’s deep cerulean sea, Cartagena embodies a unique slice of Colombia’s coastline.


66 • postcards


CULTURE Colombia’s rich and diverse culture is best experienced in Cartagena, a city of musicians, dancers, authors and artists. Stop to watch performances and admire street art or follow in the footsteps of Colombia’s most revered writer, Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, who called Cartagena home. Visitors can head out on a literary tour of the city to peruse the plazas where ‘Gabo’ found inspiration for his characters, visit his hacienda home on Calle del Curato and pay respects at the site where his ashes are buried, La Merced monastery. Culminate with a restorative coffee while browsing the books at Ábaco Libros y Café, or enjoy some Cuban fare and rum cocktails at Márquez’s favorite haunt, La Vitrola. When exploring during the day, however,


be sure to save some energy for nightfall, as this is when Cartagena truly comes alive. While Colombia is synonymous with salsa,


Previous pages: A local fruit seller


Clockwise from above right: Hats on sale in the old walled city; Calle de las Sombrillas also known as Callejón Angosto in the neighborhood of Getsemani; a basket vendor walking through the old town


images: alamy; awl images


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