If the old walled city is the Cartagena of history and the past, then Getsemani is the Cartagena of the here and now.

We left our hotel around 4 pm and walked out the main gate of the walled city and the short distance to the Getsemani neighborhood. I wanted to see the area in both the day and night.

I had read about the street art and had questioned Raphael about a tour. But you don’t really need a tour. Raphael suggested we just walk each and every street in the neighborhood. So we did just that. Raphael called this part of the city “the real Cartagena.”

We found a neighborhood full of life, art (some signed), graffiti, families, groups of friends, music and good food. This neighborhood was lacking the hawkers looking for tourists and we were approached only twice. Peddlers are a constant presence in the old town. It’s also known as the home of backpackers with many hostels.

This painting is right in the Plaza de la Trinidad, a popular gathering place.

We wandered the streets without a map and marveled at some impressive artistic talent.

We found a street of both an innovative shade idea and beauty.

We stopped for a cool sangria break at a Spanish cafe, then continued our self guided street art walk.

As the sun went down the streets became more lively. I stopped for a photo of a parrot and a young man jumped up from his group of friends and claimed he was the artist. They were a friendly group, and I praised his talent and got a fist bump.

we stopped at a tapas restaurant on the main plaza, Demente, and had a wonderful dinner.

After dinner we continued our casual tour of the neighborhood.

It would have been a mistake to miss seeing this incredible part of Cartagena and I highly recommend it to all who come here. It was one of the highlights of our trip so far.