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.
~~~~
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.
