Down the coast of Spain

We are now taking other people sailing with us. Our first two were Aurelio and Iona. Aurelio is one of our best friends from Mallorca and it was a great pleasure to have him on board. He and Laura took a walk around Altea while I tried to contact Iona to help her with getting from France to Altea.

Aurelio resting on church stairs.

Laura, last train already gone...

Next was Cartagena. It was so damn cold there that I was sitting over the stove to keep warm.

Iona, Aurelio, Laura and I taking in the local cuisine at lunchtime Cartagena.

Just two old sailors chatting.

A highlight of our visit to Cartagena was the Marine Archaeology Museum...Cartagena was originally called Carthage and was the trading hub of the western Mediterranean since before 150 BC.

..where they have these wonderful hull sections of typical Phoenecian trading vessels.

The inscription under this exhibit reads "Para evitar las maldiciones durante la travesia, los romanos pintaron sobre el casco de sus barcos grandes ojos protectores que se polichromaron con tonalldades llamativas. (Translated "The Romans painted eyes on their boats to ward off evil" Basically)

If you ever get a chance to pass by Cartagena in Murcia Spain, DO NOT MISS THIS MUSEUM! The lady said it would take us 45 minutes to complete the circuit. It took us four hours, and we were not bored ever. It is a gem.

Gilana's motley crew resplendant with our guided tour headphones.