TAPAS TRAIL UPDATE

Well, we went down on Sunday to try the Tapas Trail (in the interests of keeping you informed of course!) And what a superb idea, loved it. Unfortunatly it was Sunday and some of the bars were closed. See my blog earlier for more info running from 20th August to 29th August, alongside the Audi Med Cup Regatta.
http://polarisworldandbeyond.blogspot.com/2010/08/audi-med-cup-and-tapas-route.html
You can print off the trail below by clicking one of the pics which will take you to the page.



As you can see each bar and tapa is numbered and this correlates to the map. Once you go into the first bar, you can pick up a proper smaller version.

We started at Number 18 - El Barril del Tapeo. And I must say this was my favourite, due to the food, ambience, and decor.

Located just down from the roman ampitheatre, this is a picture taken from the door to the ampitheatre (above)
A Place I would have never have found, had I not gone on the trail.
Busy with local people and service was great. The bar was laden with Tapas.
An amazing looking coffee machine!
These were the best Tapas we had, aubergine slices which were sandwiched with a tuna mayo filling and gratine on top! And a couple of beers to wash it down! all for 5 euros (2.50 each! I couldn´t reccomend this place highly enough. And will go back again and again.

Our next stop was number 16 which is "La Vieja Taberna"

Where we had a Meat and vegetable croquette on top of a carrot puree with cherry toms.

We did gobble this one down too quickly that I had forgotten to foto it! So asked lady next door and she kindly held hers up to foto!

Just along from this was the number 17 - restaurante Casino. But we decided not to have one in here, as needed a walk first.

So we continued on and ended up in Restaurante La Marquesita, which was just simply gorgeous,
Here we had a cannelloni filled with duck confit and mushrooms in an almost sweet and sour sauce.

This was a restuarant and not a tapas place, but very very nice and quaint, the food coming out to the diners looked sublime and extremely well presented. I will definatly go back and try their restaurant menu next time I am in Cartagena, service was great and friendly.

We continued on, but by now were actually not that hungry, so spent a while walking the streets staring upwards at Cartagena bulidings because they are incredible
Churches and the most fascinating buildings!
We walked by number 4 "Cerveceria Azafran" which unfortunatly was closed on a sunday.

Other wise I reckon we could have been tempted into another! As each participating place has a Poster in the door with the Tapa on it and check this one out!

Yummy looking or what!

I Have also been reccomended EL PINCHO DEL CASTILLO (number 34) and BARRIO DE SAN ROQUE (number 6) but unfortunatly both were closed on Sunday. So I will have to go back and try them.

This trail runs alongside the Audi Med Cup Regatta where there are also loads of concerts, parades, kids entertainment on, I have added pictures of the Village area to the Earlier blog post

http://polarisworldandbeyond.blogspot.com/2010/08/audi-med-cup-and-tapas-route.html

AUDI MED CUP AND TAPAS ROUTE

The Audi Med Cup 2010 will be held in Cartagena from the 24th August to the 29th of August. Click foto below to go to Audi Med Cup homepage.

The "Public Village" will open though on Satuday 21st through till Sunday 29th and this is open to everyone from midday to 10pm, they will have an intense programme of activities, concerts, competitions, exhibitions, parades, carthagians and roman spectacles and things for the little ones to do.

Saturday 21. Children´s activities. Parades and Gala carnaval.

Sunday 22. Children´s Activities . International Festival of improvised music and poetry.

Monday 23. Regional Championship of the Optimist teams. Children´s activities. piragua. Exhibitions of rythmic Gymnastics, table tennis and Taekwondo.

Tuesday 24. Children´s activities and Roman spectacle.

Wednesday 25. Regional Championship of the Optimist teams. Children´s activities. Prize giving. Magic show

Thursday 26. Children´s activities, Jazz Concert.

Friday 27. Children´s activities. Running competition(La Milla de los Pisionarios) Cuban party.

Saturday 28. Children´s activities. swimming across the port. Classic motorbike congregation. rock Concert.

Sunday 29. Children´s activities. Audi med cup prize giving. Acrobatic exhibition.

Some pictures we took while down on Sunday 21st
A Huge inflatable area, all free for kids and supervised.
A Funzone, which had simulators
And things like learning how to tie knots!

There was also obviously many an Audi parked around!



There will also be a "Tapas Route" throughout Cartagena, lots of bars and restaurants are involved and each one will be preparing a special Tapa. So the idea is that you walk the route and have a different Tapa and drink in each bar. The cost in every bar will be 2.50 euros for a tapa and a drink.

20th - 29th August

Rules Below.



You can pick up the route and a passport with details of each tapa and restaurant, in any of the bars participating, or at the tourist office.
Also if you go on their webpage http://www.rutadelatapadecartagena.es/ you can download the guide and see pictures of all the tapas in each restaurant,bar, bodega. Below are a few pictures to entice you!




This is a really fun idea which gets you to taste tapas the way you should.

Enjoy.