Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

“Nothing is better for your soul than to visit Puerto Rico.”

Lin-Manuel, Miranda

Castillo San Felipe del Morro 

We arrived in the Old San Juan and by the time we were allowed to leave the ship, it was after five pm on a Monday night with dark stormy skies threatening to rain on our parade. We headed straight to the Walgreen's across the street for a few supplies and when we came out of the store, Joe was holding a map of Old Town San Juan. Our plan was to walk the city but a young, man named Will, who gave Joe the map asked if we wanted a tour of the city for $15 and with the weather threatening, our group all agreed so we got on the bus. He kept hustling to get his bus full and when he did, we took off like a flash.

Castillo de San Cristobal

As were were rushing to get to see Castillo San Felipe del Morro before sunset, we passed this beauty.   This is Castillo de San Cristobal which I quickly took pictures of from the bus.   This fortress was to protect the city against attacks and was opened in 1783 and is the largest fortification built by Spain in the New World.   

Cute sign in our bus on the tour.   

Will had lived here in Puerto Rico for sixteen years after leaving Bronx, New York and spoke perfect English. He was an exceptional good, knowledgeable, and very funny tour guide. I haven’t laughed that hard in years with all his stories. We all loved him. The first thing he said is I will get you up to the fort, the main attraction, so you can see the sunset. So he drove us up to the fort doing some crazy driving moves and got us up to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, which is a six level fort before the sunset. It is also known as El Morro and is a citadel built between the 16th and 18th century.

Sailing into San Juan earlier that day, this impressive fort seems to be greeting us and welcoming us to Puerto Rico. Unfortunately, the fort closed at six so we were unable to get inside and only had a short time to view this incredible fort but where thrilled to get to see it.

Santa Maria Magdealena de Pazzis Cemetery

When we arrived at the fort, we could see lots of people milling around the large open grassy hill that leads up to the fort. The majestic fort is the most recognized landmark in Puerto Rico. It stood proud and beautiful with the sun setting in the background of this incredibly scenic and historic location.

This fort was built under the order of King Charles in 1539, but wasn’t finished until 1790. This fort had seen many battles over the centuries from Sir Francis Drakes attack in 1595 to the 1898 Bombardment of San Juan by the US Navy during the Spanish-American War. It became an important military outpost for Spain and then later on, the US. On the upper level, is a lighthouse that was restored by the US Coast Guard in 1908.

The three flags that are flown here are the USA flag, Puerto Rico’s Flag, and the Cross of Burgundy Flag which is an old Spanish flag that was flown here from 1539 to 1785. The US Army officially retired from El Morro in 1961. In 1983, this was declared at World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is under the control of the National Park Service. We wish we could have gotten here earlier so we could have toured the fort but it couldn’t happen on this visit. The fort is open from 9 – 6 and adults pay $7 and under 15 years old are free.

Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

Santa Maria Magdelena de Pazzis Cemetery rests up against the city walls and the Atlantic Ocean. This is a beautiful colonial Era cemetery that was built in 1863 and has many prominent natives and residents buried here. Standing there looking down at all the statues in this historic cemetery was a beautiful sight.

When this cemetery was built is was administered by the Carmelite nuns. It was a Spanish superstition and fear of dying that made them build this cemetery at the oceanfront location was symbolic of the journey to the afterlife. It couldn’t have been located at a better location with the fort and ocean in the background.

Court in La Perla, San Juan 

On our ride, Will told us about his wife who looks like Jaylo hot coochie moma but can not cook. Then he told us about the coconut drinks here on the island. He said drink and enjoy one drink. If you have two or more, you will end up the Penguin squirts. He also talked about the politics of the island and how they are backwards and  do not trust of women. The last female governor, Sila Calderon, the Puerto Rican people got rid of because of money that was said to be diverted to other funds instead of going to the special communities. There is an ongoing investigation about this. The Puerto Rican community wanted nothing to do with her and got rid of everything they could that they felt represented her on the island including the umbrellas. They recently put them back up as the tourist kept requesting them to be put back up. There is now another female governor, Wanda Vazquez that was sworn in August 2019 and he states he will see how she will do. Will gave us a good perspective of what is happening in Puerto Rico now.  We appreciated his candor and honesty.

Capitol Building in San Juan

After our brief visit at the fort, we loaded back on the bus and Will took us to see the Capitol Building of Puerto Rico which is commonly referred to as the Palace of Laws. It is a large neoclassical style building that was built in the 1920’s and located just outside the city wall. The building was opened on February 11, 1929 and the first Legislative Assembly met just three days later. It was closed when we were there but it is open Monday – Friday 8:30 – 5:00. It is a gorgeous building.

Walkway of the US presidents who visited Puerto Rico

Right across the street from the Capitol building was Paseo de los Presidentes (Walkway of the Presidents) in a linear park. There are life size bronze statues to honor all the US presidents who visited San Juan. It was a very nice tribute. There were statues of Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, Barack Obama, and soon a Donald Trump statue. Will told us the Franklin D. Roosevelt statue is the only statue with him in his wheelchair and with his dog, Fala.

Plaza de Colon - Statue with Christopher Columbus 

We ended our tour at the Plaza de Colon which was named for the explorer, Christopher Columbus and was built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the island. During the day, this square is a bustling area with places to eat outside, entertainment, and lots of items for sale. Since it is Monday night, all is quiet. We said our goodbyes to Will and truly the tour. We walked around the plaza and then looked for Raices, (meaning Roots or traditions) which was a restaurant recommended by Will and a friend from one of the group.

Raices Restaurant

Carlmarcus, our waiter

Joe and I enjoying our feast

We walked down this one busy street where there were still shops open and we found the restaurant. It was different in that all the wait staff were dressed up the old Puerto Rican dress. We only had to wait about 10 minutes to get inside and get a table. We were looking through the menu that carried traditional Puerto Rican foods and discussing what we should order when the ladies at the table next to us told us what to order. W e ordered the Monfongo, a native meal with fried green plantains are mashed with seasonings and I ordered the surf and turf, and Joe ordered the paella. It was wonderful flavorful and a huge meal. Our server, Carlmarcus was very nice, attractive, and helpful. Our drinks were served in a metal cup which kept our drinks nice and cold. We enjoyed everything about this restaurant and would recommend it. Raices was first opened in May 2002 in the town of Caguas but did so well, they have grown and now have restaurants in three cities including Old San Juan and Hato Rey.

Umbrella Street 

Tonya under the umbrellas 

Leila under the umbrellas

After dinner our goal was to see Umbrella Street which is on Fortaleza Street to see what everyone was talking about. This is where they had taken down all the umbrellas from when that last female governor was in office and prior to a storm. They used to be all different bright colors. Now it is not as fancy but still interesting. The street is right in front of La Fortaleza (the fortress) also known as the Governors Palace and is police controlled. Only two people can go to the gate of the palace at a time. We walked down the narrow cobble stoned street to see the umbrellas and palace and being it was night time it was a little spooky but fascinating.

Governors Palace

When we got to the ornate iron gate of the La Fortaleza, we saw the Governors palace was lite up in Pink, I assume for breast cancer awareness. It is a pale blue and white facade and a very impressive large building. La Fortaleza began construction between 1533 and 1540 and now serves as the Governors mansion. It is the oldest executive mansion that has been in continuous use in the New World. It was the first defense for the city authorized by Charles V, the Roman Emperor and used as defense against attacks from the island Caribs and European powers. It is open from 9 – 4.

Capilla de Cristo

Looking down the street we could see the Capilla de Cristo (Chapel of Christ the Savior). It is an amazing structure that was built in the 18th century. It is a small chapel that has become a cultural icon when it was saved from destruction in the twentieth century. The alter is dated 1753. There is a folklore story that a man named Baltazar Montanez was in a horse race and was thrown over the wall and survived it. Because of that miracle, they built this chapel in his memory.

Joe hanging out with a local statue

Rum store near the port

Pretty fountain park near the cruise port

Senor Frogs Restaurant

The bull

Walking back to the ship we saw many historic buildings, fountains, and even a bull. We would love to see this town in the daylight as they is so much we were not able to see since our ship arrived at this port so late. Old San Juan is a very beautiful and historic town. We hope to get back here someday. Good bye for now.