COLOMBIA: CARTAGENA, PART I

 March 15, 2023

Bob had arranged in advance for a private city tour in Cartagena, and after we dropped off our luggage at our hotel, we were joined by what turned out to be our best guide of the trip, a young woman named Carolina. She was excellent in perceiving our likes and dislikes and adjusting the tour accordingly.

Cartagena, founded by Spain in 1533 and located on the Caribbean coast of northern Colombia, is a city of almost a million people. It is a major port (one of the largest in South America) and historically part of world exploration and trade. 

Our hotel was kitty-corner from the Castle San Felipe de Barajas, a fortress built in 1536 by African slave labor under Spanish rule. It is an imposing presence and defended the city from attacks many times in the past. Along with the historic city center, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. These days it is used for social and cultural events. 

Our first destination was the Convent of Santa Cruz de la Popa, a convent built by the Spaniards atop Mount la Popa, the highest hill in Cartagena (about 500 feet high). From that spot we pretty much had a 360° view of the city. 

We could see the downtown/business district skyscrapers, which are almost all white. The contrast to the poverty-stricken areas full of cardboard shacks on our way up the mountain was pretty stark. 

PORTUGAL, LISBON: NATIONAL AZULEJO MUSEUM AND THE TIME OUT MARKET

 June 24, 2022

We had a little extra time before dinner and decided to visit something that was on our "B List" for Lisbon: the National Azulejo Museum. Azulejo is the Portuguese word for "tile," and as the word is used in Lisbon, it refers to a specific painted tin-glazed ceramic tile. Azulejos are everywhere in Portugal; in fact, they are probably the most iconic image of the country (at least for me). The Azulejo Museum houses one of the largest ceramics collections in the world.

If we make it back to Lisbon, I want to spend more time using the metro system. I've read that almost every station has a unique azulejo mural. 

The National Azulejo Museum was a nice blend of old and new. One of my favorite modern pieces is this whimsical blue bird with a terribly unimaginative name.

Wall Plate by Ellen Jensen (1977)

These are typical 18th century azulejos:

Gold framed azulejo: Devotional tile panel: Our Lady of Conception, St. Marcal,
St. Francis of Borjia, and Souls in Purgatory (1758)
Lower border azulejo: Ashlar with Hunting Scenes (c. 1740)