Is Cartagena on your list of destinations? 

It was a corner of South America I’ve heard in songs and read about in wedding guides. My vision of Cartagena had been a fabulous one, but as so happens with many radiant corners and pockets of the world, my mind couples places into categories of “unique must see’s”, and “would go if I had an excuse.” A wedding invitation was my excuse, but after arriving I was ashamed of my misconception. It was a gem, distinguished and unmatched.

Online reviews – meh.

I took a sizeable chunk of time planning for the extended weekend but wasn’t completely sold on the content I was finding in travel reviews. For example, I pulled some information from the New York Times article on Cartagena. I added some of their notes to my itinerary but had second opinions once I arrived. Firstly, these “horse-powered taxis” they recommend for getting around the city are a terrible idea. The streets are so small that going anywhere in a carriage is chaos. More so, it’s easy enough to tell that the horses are starved. One young and skeletal horse tripped and fell on the cobblestone streets while carrying a carriage crammed of 8 people. Even the locals were screaming at the driver to feed him. Instead, the driver pulled the horse back on all fours and continued, all in the name of pesos.

The other problem I had was that the author of the NYT article stayed at the Santa Clara Sofitel, and then recommended a restaurant less than a block away. Did you get out much? I must be fair and admit that I tried the restaurant, El Santisimo. I have nothing but good things to say. The food was eclectic and inspiring. The desserts were all sorts of culinary artistry, and as delicious as they were intricately designed. You also can’t beat the two hour “all you can drink” when you agree to a fixed menu for 75,000 pesos (~USD35).

In terms of hotels, most reviews on-line were pointing to the Santa Clara. Well, it’s spectacular, indeed, but similar to every Sofitel you’ll find around the globe. There are several boutique hotels throughout the old city that allow you to feel further integrated into the culture of Cartagena. If you’re willing to pay as much as you would for Santa Clara, stay at Casa Pestagua instead, or it’s sister hotel Casa Pombo (which are more like apartments than rooms) for around 600,000 pesos a night (~USD300). The wedding party stayed at Pestagua, and you can get a small glimpse here of the enchanting, castle-like feel of both of the hotels. The rooms are massive with ancient interiors but captured some modern styles. The court areas feel like your own private oasis.

Casa Pestagua:

Casa Pombo:

We stayed at Casa Pombo, after spending Thursday night  at Hotel San Martin in Boca Grande. USD85 seemed like a great deal. But my advice after staying there- Cartagena’s beaches in Boca Grande are not white, sandy and tropical. Find a hotel in the old city because that is the most enchanting part of Cartagena. Boca Grande had a hustle similar to Bangkok. The buzz and honks of the cars, the dust coming in from the small strip of beach and the constant stream of vendors made things feel naturally stressful.

Everything about Casa Pombo was serene. We felt like Kings and Queens. We had a door master, Pedro, who had such a warm and inviting attitude and helped us with everything. Breakfast was served whenever we decided to wake up. Fresh orange juice, papaya, mango, watermelon, cantaloupe and coffee started us off. Then eggs, ham, feta cheese, bread and butter, jam…. Breakfast heaven, I tell you!

What a comfortable apartment work has found me. And also the most unique. Let’s play a little I spy….

Can you find the mushroom? What about Christopher Columbus? What about a Jaguar emblem/part? Buddha?  Turtle? Tin Tin?

The opposite wall includes a (fake) elephant head over the TV, a Rhino statue under a glass table, a Nutcracker, a sailboat, an abstract painting… What an interesting place to be living.

Lately I’ve been in a quirky mood. I’ve been moving my furniture around, eating one too many blueberry bagels with butter from Crumbs and Coffee, and missing warmer weather. I’ve realized that there are a lot of special moments I haven’t caught up on in my blog, and perhaps my lack of writing has also made me restless.

In May of this year I ventured back to my roots, and missed the opportunity to write about Spain. Despite my unforgivable tardiness, I’d like to offer photographs of Madrid and San Sebastian to you, for eye candy and inspiration. It was another glorious two weeks of Spain, where I celebrated my college graduation and revisited old dear friends. I revisited Barcelona for the third time with my beloved Daniela Reyes, watched several sunsets, uncorked many wine bottles, felt the beach sand of San Sebastian in my fingers and toes, and even took a train ride into southern France for a long stroll down the Andalle southern beach.

It was all surreal, really.  Everything was so unchanged, and yet here I was, so different. My largest fear leaving Madrid was that I would return to Spain and it would be a completely new place. It would have already forgotten me. The truth was, I was different. I had evolved. Madrid was still the same, and I was a new person. To look inward like this, and see your new reaction to things that were once so puzzling is a feeling I cannot explain. The only thing left to be the same in Madrid was my solidarity, walking on foot through the same streets I had come to love. I understood Madrid in a new way, but to this day am not so sure if I answered all of my lingering questions or unfulfilled memories there. I’m not so sure if I ever knew what those lingering questions or unfulfilled memories even were.

To sum it up, my most favorite parts of Madrid were: seeing old friends (my Spanish was rusty though! Eesh!), sneaking my way into Madrid’s Senate Chamber, and making big pasta meals with strangers in the hostel. My curling iron died here, however. RIP my sacred hair miracle worker…you have already been replaced, but I will miss you.

San Sebastian was a relief from my mixed feelings of Madrid. There is something about the ocean there and the tiny mountain bumps popping out of the water that enchanted me. I stayed in the warmest Hostel- Olga’s Place, and felt right at home. The beach was only a block away and Olga herself was a dear sweetheart. I met a few Australian guys that made me laugh endlessly. They were a bit younger than me, with an energy so addictive you couldn’t say no. The nights were carefree and hilarious. One evening we decided to race up el Monumento al Sagrado Corazon to catch the sunset over the ocean. We had all found straw hats in Olga’s house and each carried a bottle of wine on the way. Dan had spotted a large rock wall with small divots up the side and shouted, “AW MAN, it would be so Aussie to climb this rock right now,” instigating his inner native stereotype. After a failed attempt, it ended in erupting laughter. The night ended with a crowded Tapas bar full of locals and fresh seafood. 10 euros in and I could no longer breathe.  I can honestly say I went Pintxo delirious in San Sebastian!

After San Sab, it was off to another familiar city.

Although I had been to Barcelona twice before, this was the first time I had ever actually done the tourist thing. I made sure to see everything. The last two times I traveled here were weekend trips and to visit a good friend, whom wanted to share with me the local side of Barcelona. I didn’t mind, but it was time to see some tourist glitter. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos of this. My camera died in San Sebastian, and like a very unprepared traveler, I forgot my camera battery.

My favorite moments in bcn:

1. Going to La Champagneria: You are only allowed to order una botella de cava here. Something like 3 or 5 euros buys you an entire bottle of pink champagne and two tapas. However, these aren’t like usual tapas. These are enormous sandwiches full of meat and peppers, enough to fill you whole. It is a local scene, and there we met the craziest Catalans that I’ve ever talked to. After about 3 or four bottles of champagne we almost burst. It was time to lay down.

2. Beach with Daniela: This girlfriend of mine will keep me laughing for hours. We met a man selling temporary tattoos and Daniela, being the most convincing woman I’ve ever known, persuaded the man to give us all free tattoos, and let us even give HIM a tattoo (which were her initials on his wrists, turning out to be two tipsy black blobs of ink). After telling us it was free he insisted that we pay for them, and by that time we were all entirely too confused so I just gave him whatever I had in my pocket.

3. Random Absinthe bar: After bouncing around to a few different places one night, Daniela remembered a random Absinthe bar in El Raval. “Here it is,” she said, as we walked up to a deserted metal pull down door. I thought to myself, what on earth? It’s obviously closed. She is trying to pull up a roller door…. Well, as the steel door rolled up, there sat a bright a lively bar, full of gente and tables, paintings and golden chandeliers. This bar was hands down the most obscure place I have ever been to in bcn. I believe it is Bar Marsella. Many websites say its been open since 1820 and gents like Picasso, Gaudi, Dali and Hemmingway have frequented there. One absinthe drink and the night was also over for me…

So, onward to some more photographs?