Cartagena |
Eat and sleep
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Useful ideas
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Other opinions
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Roman Theatre
The rich history of Cartagena is well exemplified by the Roman theater. Discovered in 1987, and rebuilt until 2003, this theater was started in the 5th or 3rd century BC, and used until the 3rd century AD, when a market replaced it. In 435 the whole city was destroyed by the Vandals. Later on, after Byzantine, Visigoth and Muslim occupations, in the 13th century, a cathedral occupied the place, using stones from the theater, that burnt totally in the 16th century. In 2008 a museum was opened, in a complex solution to take people from the entrance at sea level to the high location of the theater. The ingenious museum passes underneath a palace and a church until revealing the theater at the end. |
Amphiteater
Castle
Carlos III walls
Torres park
Santo Domingo church
Asdrubal
Cavite heroes
It's nice, this simple monument to Cavite heroes. "Cavite heroes", don't you know? Let me explain...
Ayuntamiento
Cartagena's city hall is a modern palace, built with a triangular plant about hundred years ago. The unstable soil, and errors in the construction quickly ruined the building that was closed to recovery, only finished in 2006. Located in a central area, by the sea, its marble facade is really pretty, and, it seems the interior staircase also deserves the visit that... I skipped. |
Nautical Museum
Arsenal's door
Peral submarine
In my visit to Cartagena I had no idea about what meant a submarine in display facing the harbor. Afterwards I read that it was a prototype conceived by Isaac Peral in 1885, propelled by electric energy. It failed some tests and didn't reach the needed autonomy, the project being abandoned. The sub was forgotten until 1965, when the naval commander decided to expose it in front of the submarine base. |
Moors Castle
La Manga del Mar Menor
Cartagena was never in my plans. However, I spent a week in La Manga del Mar Menor and, being so close, I couldn't skip it. Well, it was a good surprise, and now I don't know how to mention it: Is it Cartagena a nice visit to those who stay in La Manga de Mar Menor beaches, or is La Manga a great beach for those who visit Cartagena? |