After Requena wine caves on a day Valencia didn’t cooperate, Cartagena was next.

A Ship-Sponsored Tapas Tasting Tour

We chose a ship-sponsored Tapas Tasting Tour, a walking tour through this lovely Spanish town right off the pier. We broke up into groups of about 20-25 people, which made for a wonderful change of pace — no loading and unloading from buses.

Five Stops, Perfectly Timed

The tour was timed beautifully, moving from tapas bar to tapas bar — five altogether. Each stop served alcohol, usually a glass of wine (a real glass, not plastic), and the last stop was dessert: a coffee with alcohol in it. It was a buzzing good time.

Some paella

Spanish tortilla

Fried fresh anchovy balls

beans in a spicy broth

a hazelnut meringue for dessert

A Little More Wandering

After the tour wrapped, we stayed and walked around town for a bit longer, picking up one more glass of wine before heading back.