# Day 16: Cartagena, Spain
Source: https://sumnerevans.com/posts/travel/2012-transatlantic-cruise/day-16-cartagena-spain/
Published: 2012-05-15
Travel, Transatlantic Cruise and Europe
## Sumner
Today our port was Cartagena. Cartagena means little Carthage (I think).
Whatever the meaning it was the port for the day. We didn't have a tour
for this city so we went to walk around after we had had our breakfast.
We made our way on a pedestrian street and then down a side street to
get to a Roman theatre. We couldn't figure out how to get into the
theater area so we satisfied ourselves with just taking pictures from
the top. The theater was pretty big, probably fifty to seventy-five
metres (and about the same in yards) across. The structure was very
incomplete but it was the first Roman theater that we have seen so far
on this trip. Even though you can't see it now it must have been the
coolest thing in the time of the Romans. Just the scale of the project
must have been awe inspiring. We then made our way to a castle. I was
more just walls that used to be something but we did find a neat little
playground and stayed there for a long time swinging and see-sawing. It
was really nice because it was breezy and cool up there on the hill (the
theater was built into the hill and the castle was on top of the hill).
From this vantage point we could not only get a good view of the city
but see many other sites of where ruins of Roman or even Carthaginian
buildings still are. All around almost wherever you look there were
ruins. Of course we didn't have a guide to tell us what the ruins where
from but it was just neat to see them. After staying at the castle for a
while we went to go find the cathedral. We walked to the place where it
showed it on the map but it was not there. We gave up because we won't
have any shortage of cathedrals on our trip. We then made our way back
to the ship for lunch and after that we went back off to go to Burger
King for free wifi. Unfortunately it didn't work but we went back up the
pedestrian street to see how much a museum that held some ruins of the
city. It wasn't worth the cost so we went back to the Burger King and
this time the wifi worked, maybe it had less traffic but regardless we
used it because anything is cheaper and faster than on the boat. We
decided then to go back to the boat for a swim. I swam for about two
hours actually, the last part of that time was with the Balderson boys.
After we were finished swimming Colton and I played some ping-pong. We
had a lot of fun but then we went back to our rooms to get dressed for
formal night. After dinner we came back to the room, Hannah went to Club
HAL and mom, Oma, and I watched some of Ben Hur together. We didn't get
very far and I don't know where it's going but I do know that it is
about chariot riding and that there as been no mention of that activity
at all during the first fourty minutes of the movie. I decided to go up
to the theater to try to catch Colton as he was coming out and then we
nt to go play ping-pong. Of course we were still in suits but hey, a
very formal game of ping-pong it was. After that we went to bed.
\~Sumner
## Hannah
Tday I got up rather early. I got ready and then everyone except oma
went to breakfast. We a hurried breakfast, and went back to the room to
get ready for the day. I was wearing a dress today, so I did not have
any pockets so I put my money in my shoe. NOt in my sock, but in my
shoe. BAD IDEA! Why??? Because if you want to buy something, (such as a
postcard) you have to literally take off your shoe, ddig through your
shoe to find the money. It was VERY hard to get to my money. Anyway, we
got off the boat no worries. At this rt, mom was not able to find a tour
that was not a tour booked with the cruise ship. So we just went on our
own around the city of Cartehena. (Cart-uh-hey-nuh) As we walked along
the port's shore, we saw LOTS of boats, and yachts. (NOTE: yacht is
pronounced 'yah-t' not 'yah-ck-t) there was this "magic" man that had a
wire/metal head. To tell you the truth, the man's head was in the boday
part of the costume. It wasn't that sneaky. We walked a ways until we
got to the main pedestrian area. We had a little family argument on
where we were supposed to go. Sumner said to the right, mom said to the
left, Oma was taking pictures and not participating in the conversation,
and I said don't know. We all had DIFFERENT oppinions. In the end, MOm
ended up winning. What we were trying to find was a roman ruin of an
amphitheatre. On the way to the amphitheatre, we stopped by a farmacia.
AKA a farmacy. We had to get sumner some itch cream, and me some eye
drops. (Sumner was REALLY itchy, and I was having allergy problems and
my eye was all red.) After walking A MILLION miles, we FINALLY came to
where we could SEE the amphitheatre, but we couldn't get IN it. (We
actually never got in) We had to climb A BUNCH of stairs, but we made
it. We took pictures and then headed on. We ended up in this REALLY nice
playground. The playground was on a hill where you could see ALL of
Cartehena. It was SO pretty. There were swings, so I swung for at least
45 minutes. (While I was swinging, everyone else was either enjoying the
scenery, or enjoying the breeze.) After that little rest, we headed back
down to the main part of town. It was about time for lunch, so we headed
back to the boat for lunch. We just had the buffet lunch. After lunch we
headed back out. Actually, heading back out REALLY meant finding an
internet cafe. We got internet. SUmner and I got what we needed, and
headed back to the boat wiith Oma, leaving mom at the internet cafe.
(Also known as Burger King.) We got BACK on the boat a immediatly went
swimming. (Of course, we had to get changed first :D) A friend of mine
was SUPPOSED to meet me at the pool, but of course they did not come. So
I gave up and went to the room to finish my pearls. I finished the part
I know how to do, but when I went up to get help from the "pearl
stringing expert" she was not there. After a couple of tries, I finally
gave up and wnet back to the room to change into my formal dress. As you
can tell, it was formal night. When everyone was ready, we went a little
early so we could get PROFESSIONAL photos made. I was fun but we were
late to dinner. We made it just in time. I decided to be adventurous (I
can be as adventurous as I want to be because anything you want is
already paid for) Anyway, I was REALLY daring to try
***SNAIL***
!!!
It actually wasn't that bad. It felt like simpy mushrooms. I liked it.
After snails, dinner was basically normal. It was SO nice of our
waiters. Why? because George, the wine bar perosn, mad me a chair out of
the lid off of a wine bottle, and LOTS of wire. He was SO nice! I went
to Club HAL after dinner. We started off with baloon toss, then we
played monkey in the middle balloon version, then a boy popped the
balloon. I intended to color a picture, but by the time i started, Betsy
(A Club HAL leader) said it was time to clean up. We got to play for
free in the arcade room that is right next to the Club HAL room. It was
fun. There was animal hunting and car racing. That was all but it was
fun. (There was more stuff in the room, but the games I listed were the
only games that could be put on free play.) After arcade games. We had a
little bit of free time. I played with a girl named Anastasia. but
EVERYONE calls her Anya. I think Anya is a REALLY pretty name. After
free time, we played a HUGE game of Bingo. We first played regular
Bingo, but then we played **blackout**. Me and my partner, a little girl
from either China or Japan, won the blackout. It was fun. After that, I
went to go get Sumner. When we got back to the room, we HAD to go
STRAIGHT to bed. NO passing GO and NO collecting 200 dollars.
***-Hannah- :P***