Sunday, 16 November 2025
Cartagena, Spain 

Those of you who have been following LFLatSea for a while know that Cartagena is a city I have visited more than a few times. I won't rehash the story of my broken hip and 12-day hospital stay here in October 2016; you can find all the bloody details by linking back to the dates at the bottom of this or any page. The three other times I have been here, the city has been a calm and beautiful collection of relics of Spanish history. Today, however, Cartagena is a very different place.

Everyone seems to be out on the streets (paved with marble, by the way), enjoying the fabulous weather, running in two different city marathons and their after-parties, or joining a large, raucous political rally outside the city walls.

Shopping on Marble-Paved Streets

From the Phoenicians to the Romans to the modern Spanish Navy, Cartagena has been an important naval base, with one of the deepest harbors on the Mediterranean. All have left remarkable evidence of their cultures and civilizations. The most remarkable remains are in the Roman Theatre (constructed from 5 to 1 BCE), which is worth repeated visits.

The entrance to the pedestrians-only central city is guarded by a naval war monument--Cartagena is very devoted to its naval history.

The City Hall (Juan Antonio Molina Serrano, 1907), stands directly behind the monument at the start of Calle Mayor, the city's Main Street.

There are many other fine examples of early 20th-century architecture and decoration along the Calle Mayor.

Near the harbor stand several other important monuments.

                      The Arsenal Gate (1862)

"To the Victims of Terrorism" (2009)

The Plunge of a Whale in the Waters of Cartagena
(Fernando Sáenz de Elorrietae, 2022) 

And the Encore awaits our return in the harbor of Cartagena.