Today we drove west for 40 minutes on the winding road through the mountains to Cartagena, a port fought over by the Romans and Africans for centuries therefore full of references to the two cultures. The Roman theatre, the Moorish castle keep and 1970s flats jostle in the centre, and every so often there is a bit of archaelogy exposed in between.

More recently, in 1937 Cartagena was supporting the Madrid government with arms, so was bombed by the Fascists - Italy & Germany supporting Franco. A large air raid shelter was dug into the hill under the castle, which is now a museum. 5,500 terrified civilians would have crammed in there during a raid, as usual the bombs damaged homes and hospitals more than military targets in the Port.

The castle grounds are beautifully landscaped and give a breathtaking view over the port. The Roman theatre is close by, entered via the crypt of a XVI century church, and has been reconstucted in parts to give a good idea what it would have been like, but the very efficient security guards didn't like us sitting on the reconstructed seats, although quite happy, on this visit, for everyone to be on the stage. Last visit it was the other way round!

Spring is a good time to wander round in the sunshine in the old city, looking up at the ancient balconies, some glazed with elaborate Art Deco carved wood or cast iron, so elegant compared to the flat, straight modern buildings. These are slotted into narrow gaps where a building has been demolished apart from the main joists propping the walls either side. Electricity cables festoon the gap in a swag, often embellished with a junction box or two swaying gently in the breeze.

We returned on the motorway, €5.40 for 20 minutes driving at 100Kph on an almost empty motorway. We saw no more than 20 cars in total - the answer to Britain's transport problems is road pricing?