Wellllll … it was cold again. I mean, really cold. When I stepped out on the balcony to take some sunrise pictures, it was 49 with a wind chill of 36. The anticipated high for the day? 59. Skies were beautiful blue (as was the water). Meanwhile, in Galveston, how about a high of 75? Stay cool, my Island friends!
Our excursion was a walking tour of Cartagena. Our guide was a young guy very well-versed in all things Cartagena. He was born and raised there. The other part of the tour was the opportunity to sample 5 different tapas. Best I can tell, that means something along the lines of snack foods. The things we ate ranged from tuna fish on a breadstick to fried chicken salad (my favorite) to a bowl of rice with some kind of mystery meat to pork in a tomato sauce to some diced French fries with spicy mayo. Weird. Fortunately, we could get a Coke or sparkling water with each one. The cokes there tasted like Pepsi.
Our guide Dani (who, by the way is a big fan of Real Madrid in soccer) explained lots of historical and cultural fun facts. Remember that parade? Did I mention a bunch of the people walking by were wearing really tall, KKK-like hats that covered their faces? Dani explained that the hats’ point represent the prayers of the people going to heaven. The covered faces indicate that the human is nothing before God. Now that makes sense.
He also took us to the local Roman amphitheater. It was discovered only recently, so it was really in a shambles. Completely covered in dirt. Even had a neighborhood perched upon it. Now the neighborhood is gone. Kaput. Razed. That’s when they discovered the amphitheater within. It was dedicated to Lucius and Tiberius, sons of Caesar Augustus, grandsons of the Divine (Julius Caesar) that was a pretty big deal.
From there he (Dani, not Lucius) dropped us off at a local artisans’ souvenir shop. We bought a really cool nativity set, and Chris actually found a thimble.
Finally we made our way back to the boat on our own. Not that hard. Cartagena is a nice little town. Reminds me of Galveston.
John 1:29 says, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”
Father, thank you for our guide Dani. Bless him and his family. Amen.
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