two towns

We spent Thursday driving from Almuñecar to Cabo de Gatas, a natural preserve a mile wide and 20-some miles long along the eastern Spanish Mediterranean coast before it turns northward at Almería. We had expected a rather unpopulated area, since we only knew that the terrain was dry and desert-like and that various movies (Lawrence of Arabia, El Cid, and many oaters) had been filmed there for that reason.

The land is reminiscent of the Mojave or Sonoran deserts, making us feel right at home except that everything to our right was glorious Mediterranean seascape. Still, the drive was a bit of a disappointment, since every arable patch of land is planted and covered with greenhouse plastic, so that rather than vistas of natural ruggedness we saw an eerie landscape covered in white sheeting. See http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/sep/21/spain.gilestremlett for a good description -- and explanation -- of it.

A good thing, then, that Cabo de Gata has been set aside, and we approached it with high expectations. Unfortunately, our arrival was on a day of gale-force winds, accompanied by dust, so that not only were any walks out of the question, we couldn't see very far! A nice overview of it is at http://www.degata.com/eng/ .

Our hotel reservation for the night was around the cape itself, in the town of San José. The winds abated to breezes, the temperatures rose, and the white village welcomed us. Our hotel was new, upscale, and upbeat. We settled in, and went to find lunch. The town was still in off-season mode (this will change drastically all across Spain next Thursday, when Semana Santa travel opens the tourist season), but we found a pleasant-looking small restaurant. Thus began a highlight of the whole trip.

The cook and the sole waiter are a sister and brother from Morocco who have been in Spain for eight years. They run, but do not own, the small pizza and pasta storefront restaurant. All this we found out as a result of asking the waiter what he would recommend that we eat, and then taking his suggestions. At the end of the lunch, we asked what pizza he would recommend if we came back for dinner, and after replying, he asked if we would like to come for a Moroccan couscous dinner, his sister's specialty (and not on the menu). How could we not? So, after wandering the village and having a rest, we returned to a feast that evening. The couscous was delicious, basically a veal-and-vegetable stew over the grain, which had been cooked in a broth, but the best part was the pleasure that the whole affair clearly gave to the brother and sister. As I write this, I realize that we never even learned their names, but it was an occasion that we will never forget.

So: finally, good weather, lots of sunshine and blue sky. Friday morning we headed out toward Cartagena, with a brief stop in the picturesque town of Nijar, on the mountains inland from the Cabo. Pictures to follow.

Almuñecar

Compared to Sevilla, Málaga felt like a small city. Compared to Málaga, Almuñecar feels like a town, although it has 28,000 inhabitants. Everything is on a smaller scale, from the historic district to the beach district to the market and town hall. The town proper can be walked in an hour or so, with plenty to see. There are 10-12-floor apartment developments along the main beach, unfortunately, but most of the buildings in the older part of town are 3- and 4-story, with shops and restaurants at street level. The mountains come right down to the sea, and the town is built along the beachfront and back up the river. The Phoenicians settled here nearly three thousand years ago, and it has been inhabited ever since.

We have settled in for two nights in a charming room on the third floor of the Casablanca Hotel. Our balconey/patio looks out over the Mediterranean, past a local statue of Abd ar-Rahman, the Damascan who landed here some 1,259 years ago and ended up establishing the Moorish empire in Spain that came to be known as Al-Andaluz. The Phoenicians, Romans, and Visigoths all preceded him, and in the hour's walk referred to above, remains from all of these cultures are seen.

Still, the town feels primarily like a seaside fishing and tourism center.

It is still off-season, so the place is pretty quiet, but the stores and restaurants are open and welcoming. We ate lunch yesterday at a small place whose owner, a soccer fan, alerted us to a Barcelona-Atlético Madrid game last night (these are two of the top three Spanish teams). After an afternoon exploring the town, we watched the game in a restaurant-bar on the beach a block away from the hotel, cheering and groaning along with the wait-staff. The game ended in a tie, with the return game next week (all Spanish soccer games are played in pairs, first on one team's home field, then on the other's).

The local castle on the hill above our hotel was first built by the Romans (who named the town Sexi), then fortified by the Visigoths, improved by the Moors, and used by the Christians after the Reconquest. Finally, the French defended it during the Napoleonic wars, but it was so badly damaged that it was left to disintegrate. Its ruins house some good historic descriptions along with old walls and passageways, and provide excellent views along the coast. There is a nice overview of it at www.almunecartoday.com/san-miguel-castle-and-archaeological-museum/.

In between the castle and our hotel is an ornithological park whose resident parrots make a constant noise, especially when pestered by the gulls. Bright flashes of reds, blues, yellows, and greens among the foliage against the brown cliffs are about all we can see; for some reason the park is closed.

Our other principal stop was at the archaeological museum, a small but beautifully presented collection of items removed from excavated sites of the four cultures that have inhabited this place. It is housed in the storage cellars of a once-Roman building, tucked under now modern houses. The prize piece, oddly, is a beautiful large 16th-century BC Egyptian vessel sculpted from solid quartz, with a hieroglyphic inscription dating it to the pharaoh Apophis I. Amazing how close the ancient Mediterranean world seems to be.

We scouted the town again this morning, ending up at the municipal market, with its attractive stands of fresh foods. 

We had a lovely lunch of grilled fresh sole, and a relaxed time unwinding from all our more urban explorations. Tomorrow we will head a little further along the coast to Cabo de Gata, a prime environmental preserve that promises even more open country and sea.

Cartagena

We pulled into Cartagena early on Friday afternoon, and the driving gods somehow took us across town directly to our hotel, located on a side street off of a main boulevard near the university. It is a very pleasant neighborhood. After checking in, it was a simple six-block drive to the bus station to drop off the Polo at the Europcar office, and we could relax.

Cartagena is a lovely small city (about 220,000 inhabitants), with broad avenues and many squares and parks. It is located on a beautiful protected bay in the coastal mountains along the Mediterranean.  The bay has defined its history and still defines its present. A refurbished waterfront centers at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento (city hall), which turns into a pedestrian shopping and restaurant district leading back from the water up to the Plaza de España, where all roads come together. The weather is sunny and mild, with ocean breezes keeping the air fresh.

The Old Town of Cartagena is defined by five small hills (Molinete, Monte Sacro, Monte de San José, Despeñaperros, and la Concepción, where the castle stands). In earlier times, an inner bay or estuary surrounded the hills on the west; as it dried up, the "New Town" was built on its site, starting at the Plaza de España and heading inland.

Cartagena lies within the Spanish province of Murcia (between Andalucia and Valencia provinces), and its municipality extends some thirty miles along the coast and inland to encompass a very fertile agricultural plain. Its heart, however, is the city and its port. There is mining in the mountains nearby, which would suggest early settlement, but all reports are that Cartagena was founded in 229 b.c. by Carthagineans (Phoenicians) led by a general Asdrúbal, who wanted the natural defensive port for his empire. He named it Qart Hadasht (say it quickly). The Romans took it soon after, renaming it Cartago Nova.

Some research finds that Asdrúbal probably built on top of a Tartessian city named Mastia, populated by the same Iberian tribe that founded Sevilla/Betis back some three thousand years. It is curious that Cartagena itself doesn't talk about that earlier history. The German archaeologist Adolf Schulten, who was a significant player in the development of modern archaeology in Spain, proposed the theory, but it would seem that no archaeological remains to support it have been unearthed. Still, Cartagena is a place begging for archaeological research. For example, the five hills within the center city are each topped with layers of walls and buildings, but only one -- the castle -- has been spiffed up as a museum. Two of the others are designated as parks, but have not been developed. The other two seem to be unpaved, unregulated public parking zones.

After lunch at Restaurante Tasca Tío Andrés, an excellent traditional restaurant around the corner from the hotel, we walked to the waterfront, around the castle, and back up the pedestrian shopping area, orienting ourselves to the town. That was pretty much it for our first day, but we have four more here!

a perfect day in Cartagena

Today was one of those magical days on a trip when every minute feels special. Actually, the day didn't start out that well, since intuition led me to log on to Delta to check our flights home. I told myself that I was being overly anxious, but, lo and behold, there was a new itinerary for us, leaving a day early, and from Valencia rather than Madrid. We had called last week, when our route plan changed, to investigate the possibility, but had not completed any transaction. So it was a bit alarming to see a notice of "change to your itinerary." A phone call after breakfast straightened things out, and we are back to our original flights and seats next Thursday.

We rested for a while, having both had rather uncomfortable nights of sleep (is this part of getting older and finding travel more difficult?). Jerome especially is still suffering from a lingering cough, and doesn't have a lot of energy. About 11, we headed out to take the tourist bus around town. But it is such a gorgeous day -- bright, sunny, clean, mid-70's, mild breeze -- that we ended up strolling and enjoying a Sunday morning along with many other Cartagenos. We passed a municipal market, closed today but on our list for tomorrow, and then as we approached the pedestrian streets of downtown, we heard a marching band. Sure enough, here they came, probably about 60 men in all, complete with 18th-century-style marching uniforms, playing stirring tunes. They were quite proper and formal, but we couldn't tell what it was all about. A big green wreath of leaves carried by the leaders reminded me of a funeral, but the whole event, while solemn, didn't seem that mournful. I saw the wreath, later, and all it said was, "Granaderos Californios." They seem to be a brotherhood descended from and celebrating the legacy of a division of the Royal Armada of the 18th century. Whew. Our waiter at lunch, a couple of hours later, told us that it was just a practice march for Semana Santa events next week. Anyway, it was a treat.

When we reached the waterfront, it was still such a lovely day that we decided to take the harbor tour, included in our Tarjetas de Cartagena that we purchased yesterday. The next tour left in 45 minutes, so we filled the time by going to the Marine Archaeology Museum. Here, in an exhibit divided into two parts, we learned about both the modern techniques for finding and preserving underwater treasures such as sunken boats, and the maritime history of Cartagena from the days of the Phoenicians in their *tiny* boats, through the Greeks, Romans, Moors, and Europeans who have used the natural port here.

The harbor ferry tour was a logical next activity, and so we can now say that we have been on a Mediterranean cruise. We explored the bay in a big counterclockwise circle, even going outside its entrance by a few kilometers for views of the coast to the west of here. It is a small ferry, and the ride was a lot of fun. Definitely a highlight.

Once back on shore, we strolled up the pedestrian district looking for a place to lunch, and we were lured into a small restaurant by the owner's insistence that he makes the best paella in the world. Perhaps too big a boast, but it was truly delicious, and I think my favorite, ever. A green salad before and a regional flan called pan de calatrava -- a sort of bread pudding with a burnt sugar sauce like flan has -- completed the meal, along with a bottle of Barbadillo wine. Another "one of the best" meals of the trip.

We rested in the late afternoon, then went out again about 8, as has become our pattern. The late Sunday afternoon paseo was in full swing, with families, friends, couples, and individuals strolling in the mild air. We had drinks on a small plaza, watching infants bounce on a big soft mattress surrounded by fencing, older children chasing around, boys playing soccer in a sunken area that kept the ball contained, couples strolling, moms chatting, fathers out with the kids. From there we kept strolling, back again to the Carmen pedestrian area, looking for something light for supper. The Tobiko sushi bar offered the perfect combination of Japanese soup and a few pieces of sushi. A tiny place, perhaps twelve feet wide and thirty feet deep, open to the pedestrian street.

All in all, it was a lovely day in a fascinating city. I could spend more time here.

leaving Cartagena

It is (relatively) early on Wednesday morning, and we are sitting in the Cartagena train station on the train to Madrid, awaiting departure. The five-hour trip will put us in a little after 2:00, in time to get to our hotel near the airport and then find a mid-afternoon meal. The final soccer game between Atlético Madrid and Barcelona (follow-up to the game I mentioned last week) is at 8 o’clock tonight, so we also will want to scope out local bars in case our hotel television doesn't carry the game.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our days in Cartagena, with so much to see and do that I divided my journal entries not by day but by category: historic Cartagena, gastronomic Cartagena, touristic Cartagena. I am behind in writing, but hope at least to get them drafted before we get home. I have organized my photos along similar lines, and Jerome says I could publish a book at this point.  Actually, we lingered over our leisurely meal yesterday afternoon and fantasized about leading a small tour here, a week or ten days, with focus in the mornings on archaeology and in the early afternoons on gastronomy (lunch), followed by free time and optional evening touristic entertainments. We figure we could do it about three times, to iron out the wrinkles, then once or twice more, and then we’d have had enough. But it is fun to fantasize.

What makes a place so compelling that we want to come back? The answer is a bit different for each of the two of us, I think, but we agree that Cartagena is compelling. Part of the reason is its small size and its sense of isolation: It is not on the main tourist track around Spain, much less around Europe. We see people living their lives, not tourists taking pictures. Because it is the principal naval base for the nation, there is a level of purpose and prosperity that prevent it from being a backwater. Then there is its beautiful geographic location, on the Mediterranean that we both love, and its well-planned urban avenues, parks, plazas, and low-lying buildings (even the newer apartment buildings don’t top twelve floors). Its historical complexity is fascinating to us, with the typical layers of human culture that we have found elsewhere in Spain being carefully and selectively uncovered and documented. And the food: As Jerome said in his TripAdvisor review of Restaurante Magoga (about which I’ll write elsewhere), we have not had a mediocre meal here, and four or five have been simply outstanding.

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We pulled out of the station and soon were crossing the fertile plain that surrounds Cartagena, fields and orchards resplendent in the morning light. Artichokes and oranges, among other crops. Some beautiful haciendas nestled among the trees in the distance; closer to the tracks, we passed fruit packing facilities and warehouses. We climbed up into the coastal range, and said farewell to a place that will remain in our hearts. On across the meseta, now, to Madrid and, tomorrow, home.

more Cartagena

Cartagena notes (unfinished)

Saturday
train station to see about tickets for next week
Museo de la Muralla Púnica up the street
tarjeta de Cartagena to get us into city museums, etc.

outside elevator up to castle, museum in castle tower, peacocks
beer and aioli/potato tapa, wedding in square
Mozart concert in church

tapas and soup at Tasca near hotel

dinner at La Marquesita (www.lamarquesita.net), Plaza Alcolea

Sunday
Mediterranean cruise
sushi dinner Tobiko

Monday
supper restaurante Magoga (Miguel Adela Gomez Garcia)

Tuesday
midday meal at Magoga
barrio del foro romano
coliseum
sushi dinner