Sydney to Brisbane via Suez and Panama Canals

15^th July 2015 – Dublin

‘Dublin has experienced a renaissance. Today, this gracious and cosmopolitan city on

the Liffey is one of Europe's premier destinations.

The capital of the Republic of Ireland, Dublin is an intimate place that is easy to explore. Stroll past St. Stephen's Green or survey the gray, stone façades of Trinity College, Ireland's oldest university.

The city is also remarkably well-preserved - every June 16, scholars retrace the paths of James

Joyce's characters in the novel "Ulysses," set in Dublin on June 16, 1904.

Dublin possesses a storied history. A settlement has existed on the banks of the River Liffey for at least a millennium and a half.

Succeeding waves of Gaelic, Viking, Norman and English invaders have left their mark on the city.’

- tourist brochure

Having visited Dublin a few years ago we only wanted to join a small city tour that included the Guinness factory and wander around a bit. It’s twenty years since we were here last and we noticed a few changes with buildings and new bridges, one in particular was an opening cantilever bridge over the Liffey that we hadn’t seen before.

While partaking of a pint of Guinness at the factory we got talking to a couple of nice young blokes one who turned out to be a pilot with an Irish airline and had spent quite a bit of time travelling in Australia. How the world has shrunk we have come across so many people that have been to or travelled in Australia particularly young people, it is no longer a novelty or something that becomes a particular talking point, perhaps something that is just mentioned in passing.

The weather in Dublin was kind to us compared to yesterday in Cobh.

Cartagena or Cartagena de Indias (Spanish pronunciation: [kartaˈxena ðe ˈindjas] "Cartagena of the Indies"), is a city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of the Bolívar Department. The port city had a population of 892,545 as of the 2005 census. It is the fifth-largest city in Colombia and the second largest in the region, after Barranquilla. The Cartagena urban area is also the fifth-largest urban area in the country. Economic activities include maritime and petrochemicals industry, as well as tourism.

The city was founded on June 1, 1533, and named after Cartagena, Spain. However, settlement in this region around Cartagena Bay by various indigenous people dates back to 4000 BC. During the colonial period Cartagena served a key role in administration and expansion of the Spanish empire. It was a center of political and economic activity due to the presence of royalty and wealthy viceroys. In 1984 Cartagena's colonial walled city and fortress were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (Wikipedia)

The city was the first Spanish colony on the American continent and one of the first sanctuaries of freed African slaves in the Americas. It is currently populated by an ethnic mix representative of Colombia's own variety.

Cartagena, located on Colombia's northern coast and facing the Caribbean Sea, is the most visited city in the country by tourists. It gets extremely crowded in the December holidays and the holy week, when schools are out and most Colombians take their vacations. The city has basically two main parts where tourists go: the walled colonial city ("ciudad amurallada"), which is truly amazing and has many fancy restaurants, clubs and hotels; and a long strip of hotel towers and condos fronting onto the beach, known as Bocagrande. It is also nice to visit the exclusive neighborhood of Castillogrande, filled with recently built condos, places to jog, and a quiet beach to soak up some sun.

(Wikitravel)

Cartagena is considered to be one of the safest cities in South America and is also the outlet for the renowned Colombian Emeralds (much to Nancy's delight). We toured the city and did a comprehensive walking tour of the old walled city.

The walls were metres thick to stop cannon ball penetration. You could almost picture swashbuckling pirates cavorting through the old streets