Murcia and Cartagena

The blue dot there is Cartagena, just to give you an idea of where we were, you can see Murcia on the map to the north.  Only one more stop on the Mediterranean in Malaga before we leave this lovely body of water and venture out into the Atlantic once again.

Currently Cartagena is one of the principal ports of the Spanish Armada, as the Spanish Navy is still known by, so I wasn't surprised to see a group of what appeared to be sailors out for a morning run as we headed out of port on our bus.

During the 17th century these walls were erected around the city, linking its five hills, to help keep one of the Mediterranean's best natural harbors safe from pirates.

Windmills were introduced to the area in the 18th century for milling grain and extracting water.

As I looked back to towards the harbor I could see three of the hilltops with fortifications on them.  They were too far to get a good photo so I put the arrows in so you could see how close they were.  These too were built to warn and thwart pirates.  Today they are military installations and off limits to the public.

A few views along our ride, homes, fields, vineyards, citrus orchards, apparently Spaniards really love their lemons, and acres of solar panels in one area.

Our first destination of the day was the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Holy Fountain in Murcia, 

which sits on a hilltop overlooking the city.

The church was begun at the end of the 17th century.

It's really hard to get a photo these days without having people in it, or editing it to take them out.  As we arrived at the Sanctuary we walked through this arch for the view of the valley below.

Another of the buildings on the site.

The story goes that during a terrible drought in the area

an image of the Virgin Mary was carried on foot from the church here on the hill

down into the valley to the cathedral there.  You can see where it is in the distance where the tall clock tower is.

As the Virgin arrived at the Murcia Cathedral the skies opened and the rains poured down, ending the drought and saving the people.  From that time on Mary has been the patron saint plus protector of Murcia and twice a year her image is still carried down the hill, on foot, to the cathedral below.

The inside of the church is lovely, lots of wood and some gilding, not overdone.

There are multiple paintings of Mary positioned on the walls.

The altar at the head of the church.

This image of the Virgin Mary stands above the altar permanently, except for those two days a year when she is carried into Murcia.  Here she is attired in her summer dress, depending on the time of year she may be in white, blue, or purple.

The ceiling is a pretty blue

and there are some beautiful pieces of stained glass in some window spaces.

Outside there is a small metal model of the church.

I ducked into the gift shop for a look and came out with a Christmas ornament, two small nativities, and a bag of candied almonds that I bought from two sweet nuns.

As we drove towards the old city center we passed this random sculpture that looked to me like a tooth, and a Murcia sign with the sanctuary  on it.

Our first closer look at the clock tower.

These metal palm trees are a good option for a place that doesn't have a lot of water.  On the right is just an artsy photo of a small plaza.

The Town Hall of Murcia sits on what is called La Glorieta Square.

Not far away begins what was the ancient city, the medieval Murcia.

The Murcia Cathedral is currently being refurbished so the main entrance on the plaza is covered by a cartoon facade.  A little odd but entertaining.

There on the plaza is one of the lovely old houses, now apartments, with the traditional balconies.

The old Bishop's Palace also flanks the cathedral.  Our guide, Juan, has hopes that it will be the next building to be refurbished as its facade is definitely in need of repair.

Coat of arms and the Spanish flag at the Bishop's Palace.

The clock tower is the tallest building in Murcia, nothing is allowed to be built taller than it as it is believed that it offers a protection to the city as it towers above it.

Note how the colors of the tower differ as it grows taller.  It was begun in the 16th century, the bottom a Romanesque part, then the style changes as each successive layer/story was added.

Here too was a model of the cathedral, a large complex that also had additions made to it over the centuries.  Unfortunately we were not able to go inside.

Across the square from the cathedral is a modern looking cream colored building.  It really doesn't lean, not sure why my pictures turned out that way, but it is rather jarring to see it in comparison with all the more traditional buildings along the square.  Murcia residents aren't too happy about it.

The cathedral continues to tower even on the streets that lead away from it.

One of the best known spots in the city is the Murcia Casino.  However, this casino isn't what you think when you hear the word "casino".  When it was built in the 19th century such places were what men's clubs were called.  This one has restored rooms on the lower level but still has a private club on the upper story.

Once you enter the vestibule behind the glass entrance you are greeted by the brilliant stained glass doors..  The photo on the right is from the inside looking out.

The first room is one that harkens back to the days of the Moors, tile walls covered with Arabic writing and keyhole doorways.

A few more sights from the colorful first room.

There are multiple rooms along this hallway that were set up for the members.

I think the library was my favorite room in the casino, wood and burgundy leather everywhere, 

with the beautiful wood balcony reached by a spiral staircase.  Students are still allowed to use the library today.

To the left is the ballroom and on the right is what would have been the ladies waiting room, a holdover from the days when women weren't allowed in the casino itself.

The ballroom floor had a gorgeous design.

A room was added for the women that contained lots of mirrors and some bathrooms.  

The painting on the ceiling had an interesting story.  Somehow the painter's wife overheard a conversation about him having a mistress.  Her terms for staying with him required him to dump the mistress, and when he did this painting he was to portray is wife as the most beautiful woman in it, and the mistress as a witch.  The wife is there on the lower left while the witch is on the upper left.  The really weird thing about it is that no matter where you stand in the room, when you look up the witch looking at you and it appears that she is coming at you.  It's really bizarre and I didn't believe it until I moved around the room, seeing that it really did happen!

This room was created as a Fencing Room but only remained so for a couple of years as fencing became a passing fad.  It was then used for other kinds of games.

The lovelies paintings in the casino are located here, Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter.

The Tea Room remains a venue that can be rented for events,

while the Blue Room nearby is currently a restaurant.

The casino's rotunda is an elegant space with multiple statues.  Overall it was an interesting place to visit.

Another old structure with the pretty balconies.

We were then treated to a Murcia meat pie from a local bakery.  It was massive and delicious.  The crust was super crispy and flaky.  Inside was ground meat, as well as some chunks of onion and cooked egg.

One more fountain before we left Murcia, one where my friend Kim Kissick struck a pose for me!

After dozing for a bit on the drive back to Cartagena we arrived in town for a visit to the old punic wall, discovered in 1987.  Cartagena has a history that goes back  to 229 BC when the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal decided to extend Carthage’s territory and create a naval base here that he called Qarthadast.

Now you might wonder, who was this Hasdrubal and who were the Carthaginians? You probably have heard of Hasdrubal's more famous brother, Hannibal, the general who crossed the Alps with his troops and 37 elephants, the one who waged a war of annihilation with Rome for many years.  Well Hasdrubal, who was almost as good a general as his brother, ventured from the present day shores of Tunis, then Ancient Carthage, in North Africa, to expand their holdings onto the Iberian Peninsula.  Things worked out pretty well for him until he was ordered to go to the aid of Hannibal in Italy and ended up dying in battle.  To add insult to injury when his body was found his head was cut off and thrown into Hannibal’s camp to show that Hasdrubal had been utterly defeated.  

And eventually Carthage, and Quarthadast, were defeated too.  Rome’s fortunes continued to rise.  The Romans liked this spot of ground, saw its strategic value, and renamed the city Carthago Nova when they took over and starting mining operations in the area for silver, copper and iron.  They hung on until the city was sacked by the Goths in 425, then came the Moorish conquest followed by a 13th century re-conquest by the Christians of Castilla.  By the 18th century Cartagena had become a grand military port and the next century mining came into prominence again.

With that history out of the way, you can look at these walls that were created by the Carthaginians beginning in the 3rd century in an effort to protect themselves from the Romans.

There were actually two walls that surrounded the city, with a space of about 16 feet between them, and two levels high.  On the lower level they could keep their horses and their stores, while on the second level the soldiers would live and keep their weapons.  They would then patrol the walls on the roof above their rooms.

You can see here the walls between the small rooms within the walls.

The walls were made of a combination of local limestone and bricks.

A later addition to this spot was. a Christian burial crypt.

These slots in the wall would have held the remains of wealthy Christians.

Decorations on the opposite walls included skeletal bodies.

We then walked through a small bit of Old Town Cartagena, seeing the City Hall,

from different sides.  It was an impressive building.

I saw this sign in the window and just had to take a photo as it made me smile.

The white building down this street was the home of the wealthy Cervantes family once upon a time.  We passed by on our way to a cafe where most of the group tried Asiático coffee, a sweet concoction with sweetened condensed milk, a special Cartagenian liquor, coffee, cream and a bit of cinnamon.  Everyone who tried it enjoyed it, even though hot coffee on a hot day wasn't the optimum drink choice.  I had a limonada (slushy lemonade) and Karl had a Coke.  

We had time to wander around after the tour as the ship was just a short walk away but we opted to give ourselves a rest, get out of the heat, and go back to Serenade.  It was another enjoyable day in Spain, lots to see and learn.