Rythmic Waypoint of Cartagena, Colombia

The rythm of this place is amazing! Where do I start? With the food, perhaps, because I think it’s one of few places where the food was great wherever I went. Every single place presented a feast that made me want to go back one day, just for the food!

La Cevicheria – oh, the ceviche here is to die for!

Marzola is another beautiful place! That cheese!

La Mulata – Excellent lunches!

La Cocina de Cartagena – Mmmm, that crab starter!

Another place I have to mention, is the absolutely wonderful place where I stayed, the boutique Hotel Casa Quero. It’s an oasis in the middle of it all. Cosiest atmosphere possible, helpful and friendly staff, convenient location, beautiful rooms, a splash pool with a view from the rooftop, and I could go on and on…

So, where to end a perfect night? Well, at Café del Mar, of course! On top of the old wall, with a breeze from the ocean, with rythms that make you want to dance all night, and drinks that are simply delicious, and a view over both the old town and the skyscrapers of Bocagrande. Can’t go wrong!

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Playlist for some waypoints

I thought to myself the other day, isn’t it funny how music can forever become connected to a certain place! Going through some of the songs that got stuck in my head, I noticed how quite a few were also connected to funny stories, not a few in connection with serpentine roads…

This is my playlist for some of the waypoints (and the stories behind it all):

1. “Cecilia” by Simon & Garfunkel
2. “Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz
3. “Unforgettable” by Nat King Cole
4. “Popcorn” by Gershon Kingsley
5. “Happy” by Pharrell Williams
6. “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5
7. “I Feel Good” by James Brown
8. “Illit minillutit” by Stinne Jacobsen
9. “Tu Quieres Volver” by Gipsy Kings

1. In 1995 I went to Italy together with my dear friend, Joanna, and as it were I ended up in hospital – though not because of a skiing accident, but because I suffered from pulmonary embolism. I was sent to two different hospitals and was taken care of in an excellent way. During one of the ambulance rides (on winding roads at high speed) a very cute guy held my hand and sang the song “Cecilia” to me. I was in great pain, so it was a great distraction even if also somewhat surreal.
2. Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly away” was the background music played by the taxi driver, Rocky, who brought us into the Moroccan desert, when Joanna and I went on a walkabout which involved everything from sleeping in the Saharan desert next to a camel to skiing in Oukaimeden at an altitude of 3200 metres (again reached on winding roads at high speed).
3. “Unforgettable” is my favourite request at any Japanese karaoke bar.
4. “Popcorn”: to me, this song means revisiting my childhood winter holidays in Norway. In order to reach Dalseter, one has to drive on winding roads.
5. “Happy” was the preferred choice of song for the serpentine roads of Liguria when on holiday in Cinque Terre together with my boyfriend, Michael.
6. During my stay in China, to work as a volunteer with pandas, I went with some friends into the city of Ya’an. I think that we were all in a state of delight mingled with terror when the driver who took us there seemed to think he was in some kind of race against time. He was equally intent on managing the sharp curves as handling the back scratcher.
7. In Nikko, Japan, in company with fellow exchange students, I remember waking up and feeling in a very good mood. So, I couldn’t help but singing James Brown’s “I feel good” out loud – waking up the others to a not so fantastically good mood because of it.
8. Stinne Jacobsen’s song in Greenlandic is simply the perfect match to the fantastic holiday I had in Apussuit Adventure Camp – a story well worth telling separately…
9. I end this playlist with Gipsy Kings just because it reminds me of my 30th birthday, celebrated in Tokyo, together with great friends. Thanks Marleen, Mia, Jon and Örjan!

Cinque Terre, Italy

The Sahara desert, Morocco

Norway

Apussuit, Greenland

Japan

Ya’an, China