THIS and THAT

domingo, 10 de agosto de 2014

Golden sand beaches?...Go to Portugal

In April the The Huffington Post wrote about a beach in the Algarve, Ponta da Piedade, considering it could be the most beautiful beach on earth.

Today I read CNN listed Praia da Marinha, Algarve in the 20 stunning Cliffside beaches.

Last year Quercus (environmental organization) identified 336 Golden Beaches in Portugal. My country is a wonderful place for holidays if you are looking for beaches, sun and delicious food.

Bocagrande, Cartagena

I am now in Cartagena de Índias, Colombia, a very beautiful historic city that is considered the jewel of the Caribbean. Many of its historical sites are included in Unesco World Heritage.

Playa Blanca. Barú island

However if you are only looking for beaches, this is not the best place. Go to Porto Santo (Madeira island), the Algarve, south of Portugal or to Meco (Sesimbra area) …

Museum of Modern Art, Cartagena

The museum is housed in a part of the Royal Customs House, which was very well restored. Although the collection is small it contains works by Enrique Grau (1920-2014), who is considered a pioneer of modernity in Colombia, and other important Colombian artists.

I am glad some curators allow phtographs with no flash in the museums. It is a way of promoting the museum, the artists and their works.

Enrique Grau

Cristo Hoyos

Maria Cristina Cortes

Luz Helena Caballero

Guerrero Alfredo. Auto retrato. Pintura sobre fragmento de muro.

sábado, 9 de agosto de 2014

Barranquilla

As Cartagena was cloudy and wet we decided to explore the nearest city, Barranquilla , 115 km from Cartagena.

On the way we stopped at Volcán de Lodo El Totumo, a volcano that spews mud instead of lava.

Legend says the volcano used to produce fire but the local priest, seeing it as the work of the devil, frequentlly sprinkled it with holy water. As a result he managed not only to extinguish the fire but also to turn it into mud.

They say the mud contains minerals that have good therapeutic properties.

El sombrero Vueltiao

El sombrero Vueltiao is a restaurant built in the shape of a Colombian hat, a national symbol.

The cathedral is a huge structure with capacity for 4000 parishioners. It was completed in 1982.

Casa del Carnaval explains the importance of this festival which started in 1914

This charming building represents the importance of the harbour for international trade

The Museo del Caribe is a modern museum that shows the history, geography and cultures of the people of the Caribbean region using the latest technologies.

The beautiful 19 century church of Saint Nicholas

On the way back to Cartagena we could rest in Castillo San Antonio de Salgar, an historic building that keeps the colonial architecture and has a bar/restaurant with a nice view of the ocean.

Vallenatto is the typical music of the coast ( it includes accordion and local instruments), a different sound from Shakira´s music. The artist was born in Barranquilla.

The Fortifications of Cartagena de Índias

Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas

The original fort was built in the 17th century but it was a small one. In 1762 it was enlarged and became the greatest and strongest fortress ever built by the Spaniards in their colonies.

It was never taken, despite numerous attempts to conquer it by the enemies of Spain. Antonio de Arévalo was the main military engineer, who finished its construction.

A complex system of tunnels connected strategic points of the fortress to distribute provisions and to facilitate evacuation. The tunnels were constructed in such a way that sounds echo all the way along them, making it possible to hear the slightest sound of the approaching enemy fleet.

Alarm bell

Cartagena de Índias was born as a military city.

Its awesome defenses can be explained in geopolitical terms as a vital link between Spain and the kingdoms of Mexico and Peru both rich in silver.

Antonio de Arévalo worked in the fortifications of Cartagena for almost 50 years but the work started 300 years before during the reign of Phillip II.

In the XVIII century, their final cost was so high that King Charles III of Spain said: “ they should reach the clouds and be seen from Spain”.

In front of the fortress there is a statue of Blas de Lezo, a Spanish admiral who is best known for his defensive tactics at the Battle of Cartagena de Índias (1741), where Spanish forces won a decisive victory against the British. In his life he was known as "Patapalo" (peg leg) and later as "Mediohombre" (half-man), for the many wounds he suffered in his military life.

Cartagena, 7th August 2014