A couple of weeks ago, Sorelle and I visited Cartagena for the first time in quite a while, and were reminded of how close it is (only a 40 minute drive from San Miguel) and what a fine place it is to spend the day. In previous visits we´ve been up to the castle to admire the view of the harbour, visited the Roman theatre and also the civil war museum located in the air-raid shelters in the belly of the hill underneath the castle. All highly-recommended, and the civil war museum is an absolute must even if you´re not a massive history buff as it´s absolutely fascinating. This time however we parked for free here (https://maps.app.goo.gl/FfbBSvZu6KCsf2pn7) and walked along the front (past where the cruise liners dock) to the city centre. There are plenty of places to stop for a coffee and a snack, and plenty of elegant historic buildings to admire in the city centre. The café we found (photo and link below) did really good batatas bravas!
Sorelle had booked us on a boat trip to visit Algameca Chica - a ramshackle shanty town further down the coast, but due to rough seas, the trip was shortened to a tour of the harbour, which was very interesting! Why? Well, not only was the captain of our vessel very informative about all the different military installations (eg submarine bases) and types of fishing vessel etc, but we were also witness to the Guardia Civil bringing in a captured drug-running speedboat, and we had to give a couple of guys a tow who were stranded in their tiny boat in choppy waters! All very entertaining.
On the way home we stopped off at the large shopping complex on an industrial estate (Polígono Industrial Cabezo Beaza) just outside Cartagena with an enormous Media Markt amongst many other stores in the Espacio Mediterraneo shopping centre (https://maps.app.goo.gl/4kZe1REPXAA86ndc6).
It was another really enjoyable day out in Cartagena - well worth a visit!
Iglesia Castrense de Santo Domingo (https://maps.app.goo.gl/DZmUaGcUaWNoYUa1A)
Snacks at Kuss Cafetería (https://maps.app.goo.gl/xZcGGocXzDQothgaA) - very nice batatas bravas, and the portions are very generous!!
