But the lure of the Old Quarter was quite strong so about 4:30 pm, when the weather was slightly
cooler, we took a taxi to the Clock Tower—about a 15 minute drive—and started to explore the narrow
streets and beautiful colonial buildings of the walled city that was designated as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1984. Not far from Plaza de Bolivar, the central square, we discovered the Hotel Sofitel
Legend Santa Clara, a beautiful building located in a former convent. The plants in the lobby are lush,
the couches and chairs are plush and the calm, meditative atmosphere takes you away from the tourist
crush outside (although there was not too much of a crush on this day). And amidst the plans and
flowers is one of Fernando Botero’s statues. Afterward we rounded the outside of the building to the
city wall and like many locals and tourists, just sat and enjoyed the views of the ocean on one side, the
old city on the other, and eventually, the beautiful sunset.
We repeated this routine a few times during our stay. With no specific agenda in mind, we would just
amble along the streets, duck into old convents, art galleries, museums (the gold museum rivals the
one in Bogota for its displays), shops and cafés. There are town squares where you can sit and cool
off, amusing street buskers, street statues that look like buskers, outdoor art displays, colourful houses
with colourful doors, graced with intriguing door knockers. We visited ‘candy alley’ which is full of
confection vendors, and just outside the clock tower arch, there are flower markets, restaurants, small
parks and the hustle-bustle of the city.
You never know what you’ll find on the streets of the Old Walled City