Day 4: Orange you Glad for Valencia!?

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Morning at the Hotel Rincon Sol found Mike and Bone slow to rise! The prior 36 hours had become of blur from flying overseas, pushing their limits in Tunisia, flying overnight to Madrid, then Malaga, driving to and back to Gibraltar!

A Beach Breakfast in Malaga!

Fortunately, the Hotel had a great breakfast buffet (well it was alright) with open air seating right on the beach of the Mediterranean! There, Mike and Bone enjoyed a light breakfast with multiple cups of coffee to balance them out!

Around 9:00 AM, they walked the four blocks to the car and started the 3 hour 44 minute drive to check out Roman Cartagena!

Driving along the Southern Spanish Coast!

Driving along the glittering Mediterranean shore, Mike and Bone drove through numerous little towns and acres and acres of farmland covered in white plastic. The Boys were driving through Almería, which is the driest region in Europe, receiving barely 200 mm of rain per year. The white plastic sheets create a sealed microclimate that traps precious humidity and warmth. The white plastic roofs reflect intense solar radiation, protecting crops from overheating and cooling the local microclimate (even reversing local warming trends recorded by NASA).

Spanish farmers cover over 30,000 hectares of arid land with white plastic greenhouses—known as the "Sea of Plastic" or Mar de Plástico—to transform a harsh desert into a hyper-efficient, year-round agricultural powerhouse! After a few hours of a delightful drive, they came upon the famous Roman Town of Cartagena.

Carried Away in Carthago Nova (Cartagena!)

Finding the Roman ruins downtown, Mike and Bone parked on the steep Molinete hill, and trudged in the 90 degree temps to the top to ancient Carthago Nova, which was the Roman name for the city of Cartagena which lasted from the Roman conquest until the Byzantine domination ended in the 6th century. As they topped the hill, Mike and Bone saw the undisputed star of the show, the Teatro Romano! One of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the whole of the Iberian peninsula!

Cartagena is older than then just the Roman period, "Carthago Nova" was founded around 227 BC by the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal the Fair, son-in-law and successor of Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal. Carthago Nova became the most important of the Carthaginian cities on the peninsula, owing to its strong position and a well-built wall, and it was provided with harbors, lagoons, and silver mines. It has always and continues to be important for the fishing that could be salted for export, and it was the principal emporium both for goods arriving by sea destined for inland residents, and for inland products intended for overseas trade, as well as the silver mining in the area.

The Re-Discovered Teatro Romano!

Walking around the top of the Roman Ruins, Mike and Bone learned that there is evidence of commercial exchanges with the Phoenicians dating back to the 8th century BC along the entire coastline. In addition, Cartagena has traditionally been associated with the city of Mastia mentioned by the Greco-Latin poet Avienus in the work known as the Ora maritima, which contains the oldest preserved accounts of the Iberian Peninsula, and also cited in the Second Treaty of Rome-Carthage in 348 BC as "Mastia Tarseion" (Mastia of the Tartessians).

All of the present coastline of Cartagena and Mazarrón was highly coveted in Antiquity for its important mineral deposits of lead, silver, zinc, and other minerals. Exploitation and trade in minerals from the Cartagena mines and Mazarrón are documented from Phoenician(Carthaginian) times.

Mike and Bone in Roman Carthago Nova!!!

After the First Punic War, the Carthaginians lost their main stronghold in the Mediterranean: the island of Sicily. The only undefeated Carthaginian general in this conflict with the Romans, Hamilcar Barca, went to the Iberian Peninsula with the intention of forming a personal dominion for the Barcid family—of which he was the head—somewhat apart from the direct control of the Senate of Carthage, making Carthago Nova the center of his military operations and enabling him to control the mineral wealth of the southeast of the peninsula. Following Hamilcar’s death in a clash with local tribes, his son Hannibal assumed his position, intending to raise an army powerful enough to face the Romans. From there, Hannibal departed with his elephants on his famous expedition to Italy; he crossed the Alps at the start of the Second Punic War in 218 BC.

The Natural Port that Created Cartagena

The Roman general Scipio Africanus conquered it in 209 BC and renamed it Carthago Nova (literally "New Carthage") to distinguish it from the mother city. Under the Roman’s it became the capital city of its region of Iberian Rome. Finding a place to park on a hill, Mike and Bone checked out the undisputed star of the show, which is the Teatro Romano, one of the best-preserved Roman theatres in the whole of the Iberian peninsula! In true Roman-style, where the used Cartagena's five hills collectively call "Molinete" to craft the Roman Theater and Forum.

Astonishingly, no-one knew it was there for more than 1,500 years. The invading Moors built their fishing quarter on top of it. Generations of people lived on the site after that. Part of it was covered by the city’s old cathedral. The theatre only really re-emerged after a dig lasting from 1996-2003. Today, the Boys were able to walk a good bit of the grounds and see that the excavation is still underway. The City is slowly restoring the Forum.

"Miguel" in the Teatro Roma!

The "Mean" Streets of Cartagena!

The Boys next wanted to check the city out a bit and peruse the Museo and Barrio del Foro Romano!

Museo and Barrio Foro Romano

The Roman Forum & Theatre Recreation

The Museo and Barrio del Foro Romano ( or the Roman Forum Museum) stands as the entrance of the Teatro Romano (BTW, one of the largest urban archaeological parks in Spain!) Mike and Bone wandered throughout its various halls, checking out the various Roman pieces found in during the archeological excavation of the Molinete Hill dating back to the old Carthago Nova!

The Roman Forum from the Top of the Molinete Hill

Mike and Bone had to hike back up the Molinete Hill to get back to their car in the 90 degree heat , on the way they got a 360 view of the Theatre, the Forum, and the whole durn city!

Accomplishing their objective for the day, the heat of the day made the boys very thirsty! Fortunately Bone knew of a place and a drink to quench that thirst, Valencia!

"How the heck to we get to the Hotel!"

Next stop was Valencia, where the Boys planned to put in for the night. It was just shy of a 3 hour drive from Cartagena to Valencia. Enroute, Bone booked a Hotel in the tourist-heavy resort town. Booking a room at the Hotel Valencia, based on its location near the El Carmen Town Square Boys entered the city using the Google Maps.

Unfortunately the Google maps was more drunk than the Boys because it kept directing them into a dead end in the city!!

After twenty minutes of driving AND walking around, Mike and Bone found the Hotel on Foot. Bone drove the wrong way on a one way street to deftly get them safely into a Parking Structure right next to the troublesome Hotel.

Mike and Bone had driven for over seven hours, hiked all around Cartagena in the heat, and just spent a frustrating 20 minutes trying to find the Hotel to park,,,,,,, only to be told there was a problem with their reservation!!!!

The Hotel Clerk astutely figured out the frazzled Boys needed sustenance, and asked them to sit down and enjoy ,,,, a free ,,,

Aqua de Valencia!!!!

A Just Reward for the Hassle!

What is this wonderful elixir you ask? Well it Valencia's version of the Key West Margarita! Damned near the National drink! It starts with the sweetest oranges ever, the Valencia Orange, with a shot of Vodka, a shot of Gin, a touch of Cointreau, and a pinch of Guava! Or 100% awesome refreshness!

As the Boys sat and sipped and sucked on their pulpy magic drinks, the clerk quickly settled the reservation silliness (that by now just didn't seem that big of a deal!!) Checking into their Room, they dropped their baggage and headed down to the Town Square, El Carmen!

Mike and Bone Enjoying a Aqua de Valencia in El Carmen!

Mike and Bone headed the few blocks to El Carmen and were immediately impressed! What an enlightened Town! There are Aqua de Valencia stands, where you can buy one of the frothy drinks and wander through the many plazas of El Carmen!

Mike in the Home of the Holy Grail !?!

Getting into the hear of El Carmen, the Boys could see that it is a neighborhood that a series of plaza's filled with restaurants and bars. In one of those plaza's is the Valencia Cathedral, which is one of the city’s most iconic landmarks thanks to its emblematic bell tower: El Miguelete. It was built between the 13th and 15th centuries on the remains of a Roman temple that later became the mosque of Arab Balansiya.

The cathedral features a rich blend of architectural styles: from Romanesque elements at the Almoina Gate to the predominant Gothic style, with some Baroque touches. What truly makes it special, however, are the treasures it houses, ranging from paintings from the early Spanish Renaissance to the supposedly the Holy Grail.

The Cup Runneth Over !?! Was it an Aqua de Valencia!?!

The local legend is that Peter kept it in Rome, Pope Saint Sixtus II took it to Huesca, and Alfonso the Magnanimous brought it to Valencia after the Reconquest from the Muslims. Since the 15th century, it has been kept in the chapel that was named after it inside the Cathedral. Bone recently saw a Discovery Channel show that Archaeologists date the reddish-brown agate stone bowl to between the 4th century BC and the 1st century AD. This matches the time and place of the early Roman Empire. However, the base and handles (the ornate gold, gemstone, and handle additions) were made later during the Middle Ages. There is no evidence that that bowl was in the room the Mike and Bone visited in Jerusalem that the Last Supper supposedly held. Or, another myth-on-myth crime! Unfortunately the Cathedral was closed and the drinks were having there effect, time for dinner and another drink!

The Source of the Problem: Valencia Oranges!

Growing up in the States, Mike and Bone tended to think Florida oranges are the best, not even close! Valencia oranges have an ideal balance of high sugar content and low acidity, making them exceptionally sweet and juicy, and they are everywhere in Valencia! Mike and Bone found a little outdoor restaurant in the Plaza del Reina, next to Valencia Orange Trees.

The Cant Go Wrong with Aqua de Valencia and a Plate of Paella!

Sadly, their drinks were empty, so they promptly ordered two more at the restaurant and a big ole plate of Paella for their dinner. The driving and walking around Cartagena worked up heckuva appetite in the Boys, so they scarfed the Paella like two starved lions. Sated, they both agreed, the best Aqua de Valencia's were at the Hotel, so they headed back for a nightcap.

The Source of the Problem Valencia Oranges!

Turns out that the Hotel has a very swanky outdoor rooftop bar, and despite the number of Aqua de Valencia's that been already consumed, Mike and Bone had room for one more, especially from the Bar that produced the first Aqua de Valencia!

The last was as good as the first as the Boys savored the sweet pulpy juice, as they recounted the day in the hot evening haze on the out door deck. Since the Bar was about to around 11:00, Mike and Bone slurped down the remainder of the liquid of the gods and retired for the night!