Cartagena is Colombia's Charming Port Side Gem
BY Lauren Lascher
Sunday, March 1st 2009, 4:00 AM
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Walking through Cartagena de Indias, the enchanting port city on Colombia's Caribbean coast, is like stepping into an old painting.
The city's textures and images drench your senses at every turn. Brilliant flowers drape the balconies of the 16th- and 17th-century Spanish colonial architecture lining the streets. The buildings are awash with oranges, purples, pinks and yellows, as they have been for hundreds of years. The sea crashes in shifting shades of blue at the feet of La Muralla, the weathered Spanish fortifications that encircle the city.
Youngsters in vibrant folkloric garb dance in the plazas. The girls wear flowing white skirts and red scarves on their heads, while the boys don matching white linens and twirl fake machetes.
Rich in color and steeped in history, Cartagena's centuries-old fortifications pepper the landscape, a reminder of generations of Spaniards who fought to defend this coastal jewel, where riches plundered from the natives were stored for shipment to the king and queen of Spain.
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Kerry/Getty/Getty Images/Axiom RM |
Colonial achitecture along a winding street in Cartagena. |
The churches, museums, plazas and houses emanate a grandeur befitting their heritage. Thick stucco walls and vaulted entryways speak to a time when aristocrats entered on horseback. The facades open into oasis-like courtyards, replete with gardens and pools. Interiors are built with stone, brick and mosaic tiles, while the archways and courtyards create a light, airy feel.
Outside, horse-drawn carriages click down winding roads. Midday heat is heavy, so afternoon shade and a sea breeze make late-day walks through the Old City a heavenly treat.
If not for La Muralla, this Old World feel might not have survived. In recent times, the same defenses that once deterred British invaders have been busy fending off modernity. Starting in the 1960s, the local elite and moneyed tourists migrated to the neighboring Bocagrande Peninsula, a booming district of condominium developments and beachfront hotels. In the process, they abandoned the Old City, which, apart from some isolated areas anchored by government buildings, deteriorated as poor families moved in.
In the mid-'90s, however, the Old City gradually returned to prominence as Cartagena's most alluring feature. House by house and street by street, Colombians started buying neglected properties and restoring them to their previous grandeur. This gentrification has turned the Old City into one of Latin America's most glamorous, yet affordable, destinations.
For more information on attractions and hotels, go to www.cartagenainfo.net. |