One of my favorite parts of the city is the incredible number of street vendors! You can get pretty much anything you can think of food or otherwise right on the street. Fresh Watermelon, fried plantain chips, shrimp ceviche, "arepas" (fried biscuits with cheese), coconuts, "paletas" (homemade ice creme), any fruit you can think of and much more. One really exotic fruit that I ate (which was completely new to me) is called a "granadia". It is round and orange with a small stem. You knock on it with your knuckles and the hard skin breaks just like an egg shell (totally weird). Then you break away the shell to find a spongy white sack that you make a hole in and use to suck out the seeds inside which are small, black, crunchy, and surrounded by clear slimy sweet nectar which is delicious. When you suck out all the seeds you peel off the rest of the "shell" and eat the spongy white sack part TOO! What a weird fruit but so good.
I also really enjoyed the Colombian culture. We saw that people in Cartagena eat a large lunchtime meal which was the largest meal. Afterward, shops closed for a few hours around the middle of the day for "siesta" which is a fancy name for nap time (what a great idea). Then people just snack for the rest of the day which is easy with street vendors everywhere before having a late dinner. The atmosphere in the city is incredibly relaxed. There are beautiful parks all over the place most with large shade trees and fountains. Historic statues and comfortable benches to sit and relax are also easy to find. Later in the day the streets are bustling with people going to dinner or shopping. The markets open up with beautiful crafts and jewelry. Street performers come out and musicians play in the squares. There was never a dull moment and I can't wait to get back to Cartagena!
