The Hixson Holiday Headlines: Cartagena, Spain

Cartagena, Spain Tues, March 17, 2026

We left the ship to find a crisp cool morning that turned into a gorgeous day.

Walking into town we had a couple of spots we wanted check out.

Paintings appeared on outside walls

Our first stop was the Roman Amphitheater. Built between 1 and 5 BC, the theatre was discovered in 1988 and opened to the public on 2009.

It was a well preserved piece of history.

Archeological exploration and restoration continues in the area. You can actually smell the ancient earth that was being excavated….it reminded me of the smells on the farm....silage, manure.

My man loves these historical sights.

Next we walked up many stairs to reach the Concepcion Castle.

Perched above the city, this medieval fortress offered panoramic views of Cartagena’s harbor and historic streets.

The marina indicated a lively sailing portage

Our ship, the Sun Princess

View of Harbor coming into Cartagena

The Roman Amphitheater from the castle

The modern new Amphitheater

The old bull ring, being excavated and renovated.

Flag poles with toppers were on display at the castle.The symbols on the top represent different aspects of the city's rich history which spans from Carthaginian and Roman origins

to its medieval and military past.

Climbing a narrow circling terret led us to the top of castle and some cityscape views.

Low entrances kept us bending over to enter the small rooms. Interesting displays were throughout the castle.

We enjoyed a couple of short videos that shared the history of the area. I am always in awe at the' size and amount of huge stones that had to be carried up this hill to make the walls of the castle. It was hard enough getting myself up the hill without thinking about carrying anything.

Magnificent peacocks were around the castle.

The Town Hall was built between 1900-1907.

After a nice lunch we walked up Mayor Street through a modern plaza.

The architecture was phenomenal with little balconies overlooking the stores below.

Soft soothing music filled the air.

We enjoyed watching folks go by. Several of our new ship friends stopped to chat during the final hour before returning to the ship.

Time indicated we needed to start heading back toward the ship so we walked along Real Street passing the Military Arsenal walking through the plaza del CIM with so many palm trees.