For once I was not traveling for profesional purpose and I took the opportunity of a long weekend to walk along the shaded streets of Cartagena, on the shore of the Caribbean sea.
Cartagena de Indias (Cartagena of the Indies !!) was founded on June 1533 by Spanish colons and named after Cartagena, Spain. The city served as a center of political and economic activity and became a “must to visit” place for pirates and corsairs. In 1563 the city erected its defenses which can still be seen today. In 1586 Sir Francis Drake attacked the city and negotiated a ransom of a today’s equivalent of 200 millions US$.
Today Cartagena is the 5th largest city of Colombia, its busiest commercial port and one of its major touristic attraction. The colonial walled city and fortress became part of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1984.
More info on Wikipedia
