CARTAGENA: FROM TILED STREETS TO BANYAN TREES, WITH ROMAN RUINS AND THE SPANISH NAVY TOO!

Monday, October 19, 2026
Cartagena, Spain
72F, sunny

 

Port of Cartagena, 3000 years of
history ahead!

Today’s port, Cartagena, was a visual delight.  From the ship, it was a short walk to the blue marble tiled sidewalks and streets, tall buildings, and balconies with character. We also noted the heavy stone city wall to protect its vital port, massive colonial wealth, and treasure routes from Caribbean pirate attacks and rival European powers in earlier days.

What would we do with stairs and

hills to climb?? Actually,

we found away around these stairs!

Cartagena, Spain has a population of approximately 219,000 residents, with a wider metropolitan area of around 410,000 people.  Located on the southeastern coast of Spain in the Region of Murcia, it was founded in 227 BC by the Carthaginians.  It serves as the primary maritime base for the Spanish Navy on the Mediterranean Sea.

 

An fortress on a hill. I counted 5 such 

structures on hills overlooking the port!

This port was valuable!

Cartagena has ancient roots, over 2,200 years of history shaped by Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Moorish, and Spanish rulers.  I think the Phoenicians fit in somewhere too.

I hope you can see the tiled street

and sidewalk

We walked along the beautiful streets, amazed by how decorative they were. After a stop at a café for our morning coffee, we looked for the Roman coliseum and forum, first discovered in 1988. Treasures!  I opted to visit the Museo Foro Romano, which was full of artifacts found during the archaeological dig, important vestiges of the Roman era. My Latin teacher, Mrs. Michael, would be very proud.  I am really so glad that I studied Latin and French, both help me, even in Spain and Italy.

 

Come with us as we stroll along!

We both loved this sign in

a restaurant. Sorry, Jim, too 

early for paella!

This photo does not do the 

beautiful white balconies justice

To prove that vehicles drive on the tiles!

This would not work in Erie--

Our coffee  here--and again we forgot to take

photos--TK tries the local specialty pastry

OK--to me this looks like an electrician's nightmare.

Son Brian, in a quick early morning text, said, 

"I would think so."

Closeup--we saw such setups everywhere

Friend Paul C chimed in too--not good!  

and Paul is an electrical engineer

TK said, "There are Roman ruins 

right behind you" as I sat at the cafe. 

Very observant I am.

Tile depiction of what the ruins might have represented

Somehow candy shops are like magnets to us

Candy Shop

From a slide show at the Museum of the Roman Forum-

both the forum and the colisseum 

were discovered in 1988

Glass bowls--3rd century

Frying pan--3rd century

Wall fragment--3rd century

Depicts a hunter

Amphora

Sanctuary of Isis--even though Isis

was an Egyptian goddess, her worship 

spread widely to Greece and Rome

Roman Colisseum being 

uncovered in Cartagena

This is what the area looked like in 1983 before

the Roman ruins were discovered

Fishermen and families lived here

Banyan trees, probably the largest we have ever seen

Not sure of the species, generally

Ficus benghalensis

TK's Takes:  He did a good job of reading the map of the city so we could find the Roman ruins.  He also saw a Spanish Navy submarine in the sea near the port, as well as a transport ship that carried equipment for the Army.  This was a very easy port to "navigate." 

Spanish Navy transport ship

Another gem TK spotted

on the sidewalk.

Finding out it what it 

means is another story...