cruisin', part four: colombia.

Prior to my trip, what I associated with Colombia were drug cartels. Terrible, I know, but that is what is proliferated in the media! However, I must say that our day in Cartagena was my favourite of the cruise. The city is the fifth-largest in Colombia and it is just so beautiful. I couldn’t help but fall in love with the gorgeous architecture in the historic centre and vibe of the city. The only downside was how hot it was when we were there. I do love the heat, but when it gets above 30 degrees Celsius and there is +70% humidity, I can become very irritable (and very sweaty). That being said, I highly recommend visiting Cartagena if you’re keen on visiting Colombia.

Our first stop was the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the strongest fortress that the Spaniards ever built in their colonies. We ventured through the fortress’ tunnels and got some great views of Cartagena from the top of the fortress. After that, we drove around the Bocagrande peninsula, stopping in the historic centre of the city. We checked out the naval museum and the Cathedral de San Pedro Claver. According to our tour guide, Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral and sat in one of the chairs located inside, so I may or may not have sat in the chair when no one was looking just for kicks.

We also visited the Palace of Inquisition, which only seemed to have torture equipment on display. So strange. I’m not a huge fan of those kinds of museums, so I don’t have photos of our visit there. But otherwise, we had a splendid time in Cartagena! As you’ll see below, the colours were so vivid and beautiful, and I couldn’t resist taking a bunch of photos.