I love the Spanish cities I have visited in the past-all
unique and all beautiful, and Cartagena, located in the Region of Murcia was no
exception.
A long maritime past and many cultures have left an imprint
and a rich heritage that the locals are very proud of, and are hoping the rest
of the world will soon discover. It is a city with a spectacular waterfront, and
recently discovered Roman ruins that date back about three thousand years.
The Roman Theatre is a must see, along with some terrific Art
Nouveau architecture, like the Grand Hotel, the Casino and City Hall to name just
a few. According to our guide, the ruins
have seriously put Cartagena on the tourist map, and that is excellent news.
Funds are needed for additional architectural digs and
discoveries. As recently as 1987 they found remnants of the Punic wall, and
other treasures that date back to Hannibal.
The question of further digs is twofold, there are houses,
businesses, and parks that rest on potential archeological treasures, and many
who live on those sites would prefer to continue to do so, while others want
the excavations to continue. It is not so easy to start digging, yet the sense
of history and preservation is desirable, and besides ancient ruins tend to
bring tourists in, and of course that builds the economy, but as always there
are many sides to every issue.
Along with the recent discoveries, fortunately for
Cartagena, they have a wonderful moderate climate, reasonable prices and lovely
beaches to motivate the tourist industry.
The development of the industry is still a work in progress,
few tourist shops, except for the usual Flamenco dolls and the obligatory
Cartagena stamped stuff.
However, there is progress if the one shop I visited is
anything to go by. Our guide mentioned that the wine produced in the region was
quite good, and recommended one store that would carry it. I looked for others
in the main square but couldn’t find any. What I found instead was the glorious
paseo, the wonderful Spanish
tradition of a leisurely stroll on the boulevard. It seems everyone was out and
that included the family pets.
The Submarine Shop sold some excellent local wines, tomato jellies,
along with beautiful locally made pottery, and a few wine related trinkets. That
was the only store I fund that sold locally produced items, reasonably priced
and the pottery made for some beautiful gifts.
I also discovered a local liqueur, simply called Licor 43. The secret formula has 43
ingredients, chief among them is citrus,
fruit juices, with a hint of vanilla. It is luscious, and it is available on
Amazon. I’m beginning to think everything is available on Amazon.
The owners were friendly and eager to expand their tourist
trade, and were excited about their product. I was told that soon they will
ship wines internationally, and they looked forward to growing their business.
Our tour guide went beyond the normal tourist offerings, and
made sure we learned about his city’s important heritage and recently
discovered ancient past.
There is a plaza just down the street from the beautiful waterfront, and I sat down in a cafe and enjoyed my obligatory coffee and the view.
Cheers,
Margot
Justes
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