Christmas Day 2014 - exactly three months before Anzac Day

One of the interesting places that we are going to visit on our cruise is Cartagena in Spain. The city has a large natural harbour, and is a Spanish naval base.

The city was part of the Carthaginian empire, and was founded in 227 BC by Hasdrubal, the brother in law of the Carthaginian general Hannibal. It became the main Carthaginian base in Spain.

While Hannibal was ravaging the south of Italy in 210 BC, the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio, later given the title ' Africanus', captured the city. By 205 he had expelled the Carthaginians from Spain, and in 204 he landed in North Africa with an army and threatened the city of Carthage itself. This forced Hannibal to abandon his campaign in Italy and return to defend his own city. Scipio defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, and thus ended the Second Punic War. Cartagena became a Roman city with the name of Carthago Nova. Among the sights to be seen today are the original Punic walls from 227 BC and the Roman theatre.

The remains of the city of Carthage may also be seen in modern Tunis, which we shall visit later in the cruise. Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians from Tyre,and the name is derived from its Semitic name 'Qart Hadash' or 'New City'.