CARTAGENA
In the fall of 2009 some close friends, Jane and Al Lievano, asked Dale and me and another couple, Judy and Ed Hales, to visit them at their second home in Cartagena. Al is a retired orthopedic surgeon and native of Colombia. He came to the United States during his residency. His future wife, Jane, was a nurse and took pity on him because he spoke very little English. He maintains a home in Cartagena in addition to their home in Atlanta, and they go down there a couple of time a year for several weeks.
Anyway, the four of us travelled to Cartagena in November of last year for a four day stay. From the pictures, you can see we had a busy and really enjoyable time. Cartagena is a historic Spanish fortress city, which was second only to Havana in the Spanish system of fortified cities in the New World. The Old Town section has been preserved beautifully, and reminds me of the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Although this is a third world country, we were very comfortable and relaxed the whole time. The native residents were friendly and welcoming, even in the poor sections of the city. I will tell you the humidity was the most powerful I’ve experienced, and I grew up in Louisiana and spent a year in Saigon.
This photo album is one of my favorites. I had excellent light and many colorful scenes and interesting people to photograph. The music is probably the best of all my albums.
