Our Journey: 2015
Cartagena: (11-13 July 2015)
After having followed miles of Spanish coast covered in concrete apartment blocks or large
fields of greenhouses, we stopped in Cartagena. Finally, a city that has something interesting to
offer . The harbor of Cartagena is located in a well protected bay and the hills at the entrance
are covered in old fortresses. No doubt this harbour has a rich history due to its unique location
and good protection from bad weather. In fact the harbor of Cartagena was already being used in
the early centuries AD. It is no surprise that inside the city there are numerous archeological
places dating from the Roman Empire. Today, nobody wants to start building in Cartagena because
if during the construction you find any historical artifacts you have to call the archeologist who
may delay your project or simply cancel it because of the historical value of the finding. We
visited a roman theatre as well as the public baths. We learned during our visit that this place
was very important because a lot of deals were made nearby. Next to the baths you had several
meeting rooms and often banquets were organized.
Nearby, an archeologist opened a door and gave us access to a Roman road located under a
building. We could see traces of the wheels on the pavement. The archeologist told us that
nearby there were a lot of artifacts from other periods, such as the Byzantine.Today the city is
full of 4 and 5 floor buildings that were build soon after the war, at a time when archaeology was
not important.
The city also has an interesting underwater archaeology museum where the whole process of
discovery and protection of wrecks is explained. Often, once the archaeologists have finished
inventorying a wreck, they will bury it in sand and protect it with a cage for future generations.
Only a few wrecks are brought to the surface because of the cost involved. Catagena is also a big
military base of the Spanish army including a submarine base. However, today the major activity
in Cartagena is the loading of ships with ores. Containers are also handled in this harbour.
fields of greenhouses, we stopped in Cartagena. Finally, a city that has something interesting to
offer . The harbor of Cartagena is located in a well protected bay and the hills at the entrance
are covered in old fortresses. No doubt this harbour has a rich history due to its unique location
and good protection from bad weather. In fact the harbor of Cartagena was already being used in
the early centuries AD. It is no surprise that inside the city there are numerous archeological
places dating from the Roman Empire. Today, nobody wants to start building in Cartagena because
if during the construction you find any historical artifacts you have to call the archeologist who
may delay your project or simply cancel it because of the historical value of the finding. We
visited a roman theatre as well as the public baths. We learned during our visit that this place
was very important because a lot of deals were made nearby. Next to the baths you had several
meeting rooms and often banquets were organized.
Nearby, an archeologist opened a door and gave us access to a Roman road located under a
building. We could see traces of the wheels on the pavement. The archeologist told us that
nearby there were a lot of artifacts from other periods, such as the Byzantine.Today the city is
full of 4 and 5 floor buildings that were build soon after the war, at a time when archaeology was
not important.
The city also has an interesting underwater archaeology museum where the whole process of
discovery and protection of wrecks is explained. Often, once the archaeologists have finished
inventorying a wreck, they will bury it in sand and protect it with a cage for future generations.
Only a few wrecks are brought to the surface because of the cost involved. Catagena is also a big
military base of the Spanish army including a submarine base. However, today the major activity
in Cartagena is the loading of ships with ores. Containers are also handled in this harbour.
