Life in Cartagena

Yesterday, after the haircut I was wandering around town and I came across the army museum. It was free to go in so I did. Interesting spot. There was a gun there that had been part of the town's port defences in the Spanish Civil War. The notice alongside said that particular gun had been involved in a duel between the shore batteries on opposite sides of the harbour in March 1939 (the end of the Spanish Civil War) and that it had sunk a ship called Castillo de Olite on the morning of 7 March killing 1476 people and injuring 342 - the largest loss of life in any Spanish Naval engagement. I didn't understand; why were the shore batteries shooting at each other? Cartagena had remained loyal to the Republican (Socialist) side right to the bitter end so far as I knew. So I checked. It seems that the various Republican factions within the city, Communists, Anarchists and what not, got to squabbling as General Franco's troops closed in on them and as the war moved towards its ...

Since the last entry about this huge festival in the town we've seen a Roman Circus with gladiators and beheadings and dancing girls and chariot races, a procession of all the Roman and Carthaginian troops and a battle between the two armies for the city. It's been OK but it hasn't really caught my imagination in the way that Moors and Christians did the first time I saw them. We have just been down to the camp where there are fifty eateries and bars based on each of the different groups. We hoped for a Bacchanalian or at least Epicurean orgy but all we managed were overpriced drinks in a sea of special deals!

We were in Culebrón for the weekend so we missed the start of the Carthaginians and Romans Fesival here in town. This evening it was the wedding of Hannibal and Himilce and we went to see if there was any cake going. We were too far from the stage to enjoy the spectacle so we didn't stay long. Neither did we go on to see the wedding celebrations at the encampment - too old, what with being up at 5.30 this morning and with Maggie wanting to get up early tomorrow morning to prepare some school stuff  - but just being in town surrounded by people wearing togas, leather breastplates, those little metal skirts and carrying spears was pretty good fun. More to come I'm sure.