Cartagena

1st-4th July

We had to change tack a few times but the wind kept up, we sailed all afternoon and eventually arrived at Cartagena around five o'clock, just as a submarine decided to emerge from the depths. It was quite close. And then, it seemed to us, it appeared to be racing us to the entrance. I wasn't sure I liked this. It won, of course. Well, Tony wasn't taking chances. If that submarine wanted to get ahead of us, he wasn't going to argue with it. It wasn't a big submarine. In fact, it was amazingly small. As it neared the harbour the crew got out and stood on the deck, a long line of sailors, whether to be ready to throw lines ashore and help with the berthing... or whether they desperately needed to get out, get a breath of fresh air... who knows.

We headed for the marina. I had telephoned that morning to reserve a place but when Tony called on the radio the wrong marina answered, so we went to that one instead. It was very new and the people seemed friendly. However, the wind was blowing quite strongly and we had to go in alongside the pontoon instead of stern-in as we usually do. Well, as you know, I am not good with last minute changes of plan when we are 'parking' Ganymede and suddenly I was having to change all the fenders, lower them, get out an extra mooring line... and, as I said, the wind was blowing. I lost it. I rushed around, here, there and everywhere, achieving little. Tony kept his cool, as usual, and after a lot of shuffling, dropping mooring lines, catching them again, bow-thruster, reverse gear, forward gear, a few more panics from me... we were all tied up and could sit down and relax. And watch the boat crew that had been hanging around watching us, waiting their turn show us just how it was done. Of course, they didn't have a boat behind them, pushing them on. Well, that's my excuse. It certainly didn't make life easier.

First priority was to fill up with water. The tanks were empty. The water-maker hadn't been working well in Torrevieja, had been even worse in the Mar Menor and I hadn't been paying attention and made good use of the washing machine until suddenly we realised there was a crisis. So, tanks filled, showers...

... and on to the next thing - get a WiFi access organised so a mad rush to the office before it closed. And then we were free to wander into the town.

We weren't sure what to expect. None of the guides we read seemed to have anything good to say about Cartagena and we hadn't talked to anyone who was willing to recommend it. So, let me do justice to Cartagena: it is well worth a visit!

Although built on a plain, the town is surrounded by hills and even in the town itself huge rocks seem to pop up all over the place. Large edifices are built around them, sometimes right up to the rocks themselves. There is much regeneration going on and we were often surprised, peering round the facade of an otherwise totally demolished building, to see nothing but rock. Many buildings have already been renovated or preserved and there are some beautiful examples of late 19th century architecture. Wandering round the town it seemed obvious that Cartagena has enjoyed an immensely rich past.

The town was apparently founded by the brother of Hannibal, Cartagena meaning 'New Carthage'. Did Hannibal ever unload his elephants here, I wonder? A 16th century Genoese admiral apparently remarked that there were only three safe ports in the Mediterranean: June, July and Cartagena. Certainly, the harbour and the bay are impressive and we had no idea just what was happening out to sea in the few days that we spent there.

We enjoyed a visit to the castle. Not interesting in itself but there was a lovely park, peacocks everywhere and spectacular views over the town and the bay. A lift is available for those who do not want the steep hike up to the castle, with a reduction from €1 to 80¢ for pensioners. I wasn't sure how I felt about being so old... but Tony had no such quibbles!

Walking into town at dusk we noticed the figure of a man carrying what looked like a heavy sack on his back... a bronze statue of a sailor home from the sea. On a bench we saw a man and a woman deep in conversation... a 19th century bronze couple. We were to see more of these bronze statues over the next few weeks, always when least expected, always requiring a second glance.

During the time we spent there we wandered round the town, enjoyed the attractive pedestrian shopping street, found the train and bus stations but no easy way to get to Valencia so abandoned that idea once again. Nor did we take a bus to Murcia making the excuse that at this time of year it would be unbearably hot. But we had a pleasant time, a few good meals and made a decision: We would go back to Moraira and wait for Charlie.