Cartagena
Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Tue 25 Jun 2013 14:44
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We had several days in Cartagena waiting for a gale
to blow through and the wind to turn easterly. A good marina and very helpful
and friendly staff. We arrived on Saturday afternoon race day when the fleet
were becalmed.
 and tied up alongside the pontoon---made a pleasant
change from going stern to.
 There was a dance festival taking place and they
had the tent up with bar, tables and food---all a bit like the old Falmouth
Regatta days!
  The town was lovely with an interesting mix of
shops and architecture and no cars in the centre so very easy and
safe.
 they had some lovely bronzes--- a sailor returning
home
 a young boy with a fish
 and a college professor and students
 there was a very good naval museum with some
detailed and interesting model ships
  and much was made of how the Spanish were the
pioneers of the submarine (some may disagree!)
  In the middle of the town was a Roman amphitheatre
which was only unearthed in the 1990's when they removed many of the buildings
that had been built on top of it.
  even the existing access was a
tunnel underneath remaining more modern buildings
 we caught a train out to Los Pietos the beach
town/village out on the coast.
 We arrived and it was like a ghost town. There
were a few 'older' English people sitting at a bar who looked as though
they had been there, living and drinking, for several years. Many of the
properties were for sale or barricaded up and we have since heard that even in
the height of the season nothing much changes.
 We set sail (or rather turned on the engine) and
departed for Gibraltar on a forecast of little wind but increasing later from
the east.
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