This morning, Carlos and I decided to visit Castillo San Felipe de Barajas and walked there from El Centro. Castillo San Felipe is located just outside the city and was the largest Spanish fort in the New World. It was built between 1536 and 1657 to defend the rich port of Cartagena from invaders. I really loved the Castillo (it may be one of my favorite places that we visited in Cartagena); it was huge with lots of ramps and tunnels used to transport cannons, ammunition, and soldiers. The tunnels were really fun to explore, but very easy to get lost in! It was fun to explore all the aspects of the Castillo and to peek out of the many thin slit windows over the harbor imagining what it was like to be on the look-out for pirate attacks. Although we only spent the morning and early afternoon there, Castillo San Felipe also looks beautiful at night when all the walls are lit up with spotlights.
After returning to the walled city, we headed to Crepes & Waffles (again!) for lunch. I had a waffle deleite de fresas (waffle covered in strawberries and ice cream), which was really nice and tasty.
In the afternoon, Carlos and I walked to the Plaza de Bolivar area to visit the Museo de Oro y Arqueología (Gold and Archaeology Museum). Entrance was free and we both thoroughly enjoyed this museum. The exhibits were well-presented and they had an impressive amount of fine gold artifacts on display. Most of the gold items were from the Sinú culture.
Prior to dinner, we explored the city at night a little more before deciding on a simple meal at the pizza and pasta restaurant next door to our hotel. I think that the night is one of the best times to explore the walled city -- there are lights everywhere shining on the beautiful buildings, many people walking around, and the temperature is nice and cool (contrasting to the sometimes overbearing heat and humidity during the day).
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