Still in Cartagena, Spain for today’s article, and now on foot headed south toward the waterfront. The pedestrian walkway to see above is Calle Mayor, which is the main retail area for the city. At the north entrance to Calle Mayor, still in Plaza de San Sebastián, is Monumento al Procesionista (Monument to the Processionist):
Monumento al Procesionista
Continuing south you’ll find street views such as:
Calle Mayor
Calle Mayor
At the south terminus of Calle Mayor the vista opens up into two adjoining plazas — Plaza Ayuntamiento and Plaza José María Artes:
Plaza Ayuntamiento, Cartagena, Spain
Plaza Ayuntamiento translates to Town Hall Square, and it’s here that you’ll find the magnificent Palacio Consistorial de Cartagena (Palace Hall of Cartagena). This is a massive, triangular-shaped structure that dominates Plaza Ayuntamiento.
Palacio Consistorial de Cartagena
And, yes, we completely circumnavigated this Cartagena Modernism masterpiece from 1907:
Teatro Romea on the Plaza Julían Romea in Murcia, Spain
Our next Murcia destination on foot was Plaza Julían Romea, where we walked by the Teatro Romea. Queen Isabella II inaugurated this old theater in 1862. After two devastating fires, the theater was inaugurated a third time in 1901, and Queen Sofia reopened it in 1988 following a rehabilitation. So, this place has had more reopenings than an Atlantic City casino!
Teatro Romea
In the Plaza Julían Romea, across from the southeast corner of the theater, is a monument to composer Manuel Fernández:
Manuel Fernández Caballero monument
Just east of the theater is the Church of Santo Domingo, where you’ll find this interesting architectural detail above the main entrance:
Church of Santo Domingo, Plaza Julían Romea, Murcia, Spain
After our foot tour of Murcia, we boarded the bus and headed back into Cartagena.
Street Walking in Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena has a long-ago connection to the Roman Empire, and Roman ruins are in abundance here. So, on foot, we set out for Barrio y museo del foro romano de Cartagena (Neighborhood and Museum of the Roman Forum of Cartagena). Along the way we passed some interesting ruins of a more modern era:
Decrepit buildings in Cartagena
But six minutes’ walk later we were in Plaza de San Francisco, where we found this statue to Spanish actor Isidoro Máiquez:
Plaza de San Francisco
There are some really neat buildings in this area, and this one reminded me a little (very little) of Antoni Gaudí:
Near Plaza de San Francisco
Alas, the Roman Forum photo opportunities were a bust because the ruins are beneath a protective cover, and the view is camera-obscured behind fencing. You’ll have to content yourself with this:
Roman Forum Museum (archeological dig site)
Leaving behind the Roman Forum and heading west along Calle Hondo we reached Plaza San Sebastián and Palacio de Capitanía General:
Palacio de Capitanía General on Plaza San Sebastián
Wednesday we’ll continue our foot tour of Cartagena.
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R. Doug Wicker — Author 