San Juan Treasures

Cruise - Day 5, September 2

Rise and Shine in San Juan, Puerto Rico! Our ship arrived at 8:00 am and it wasn't long before the ship was ready for debarkation. We had planned to explore the city on our own so knew we had to get off the ship fairly early. We quickly grabbed a bite to eat and then set off. 

As we exited the Cruise Port Center, we were greeted by many tour agencies all wanting to take you around the city. We wanted to visit the old fort, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, which is not only a National Historic Site, but also a World Heritage Site. We had planned to take a taxi there, but asked one of the tour guides where the city tour would take us. He told us the last stop on his tour was at the fort before heading back to the Cruise Port Center. We decided we would join the tour group, stay at the fort, and then take a taxi back.

The tour bus was air conditioned, which provided relief from the heat and humidity which were already at high levels so early in the day. Our first stop was at "The Walk of Nine Presidents," across from the back side of The Puerto Rico Capitol Government Building. This row of 9 bronze statues pays tribute to the 9 sitting U.S. Presidents who visited Puerto Rico during their presidency. Each statue also had a large marker with information about each president. Our tour guide walked us down steps to a long wall with a bronze pictorial mural of the island's history. He provided a brief overview before we boarded the tour bus.

Next, we made a short stop at a souvenir shop, which allowed people to use the restroom, get a drink to cool off, and shop if desired. We bought a few things and then got back on the bus to continue our tour. 

Our tour guide narrated throughout the tour as we drove by different sights. He told us about the blue cobblestone bricks on many of the Old San Juan streets. We saw the city wall, built to protect the land and people. The second fort was added and connected to the city wall.

We stopped on the other side of The Puerto Rico Capitol Government Building. We all went inside the building. The domed ceilings, floors, columns,staircases, and tile work were absolutely incredible. We looked around, took photos, and then headed back outside. In front of the building was Demonstration Square, a designated place for speaking out on issues. Across the street was a statue of John the Baptist right on the water's edge.

We drove another few blocks block and were at the edge of the fort property. The first thing that was seen was the old cemetery which backed up to the water.

We walked down the street to the fort, Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It was a long walk up the sidewalk/driveway to the front entrance. As we walked across the bridge over the grass moat, we saw 2 big iguanas basking in the sun. We stood and observed as they walked in the grass along the stone walls. Once inside the fort, we stood in the open courtyard looking up at the tall stone walls. We went into the bookstore, bought a few things, and stamped our national park passports. Then, we went next door to view the movie, but found it was running in Spanish. 

We continued exploring the building, viewing the ocean from the century towers. The water slammed up against the rock barriers, causing the waves to create a large splash. Robin was mesmerized by the crashing spray over and over again. It was extremely hot inside the building. We found an arch passageway with benches where the ocean breeze was blowing. After sitting to cool off for a few minutes, we continued walking and viewing the sights. 

The lighthouse stood up on the next level, where it could only be accessed by the curved ramp that lead the way. Looking up, the 3 flags were fluttering in the breeze. On the wall below them, an iguana was making its way from one side to the other. It inched and then basked, inched and then basked, until it finally reached the inside wall by the lighthouse. We stood face to face with it and watched its movements. After many photographs, we left the iguana in the care of other visitors and continued to explore. We were able to see all around the city of San Juan from this high vantage point.

We boarded an open-air tram provided by the National Park Service to carry visitors between Castillo San Felipe del Morro and the other National Historic Site, Castillo San Cristobal. The breeze felt good as we made our way to the other end of San Juan. We got off the tram and walked up the curved ramp to the entrance of Castillo San Cristobal. Our ship was visible in the harbour from the fort. We went inside and down 1 of 3 long tunnels to reach the Visitor's Center. The movie was starting in 4 minutes and it was actually in English. It was interesting and explained the history behind the forts and the city wall. Dean again stamped our passports before heading back up the tunnel. In the courtyard of this fort were big water cisterns, recently restored.

We left Castillo San Cristobal and reboarded the National Park Service tram. Riding the tram back towards downtown, we got off at one of the stops and continued to walk into Old San Juan shopping district. Our destination was Barrachina's, the restaurant which invented the pina colada. When in San Juan, we just had to try one of the infamous pina coladas from its birthplace. Yum! They were delicious!

Once our pina coladas were finished, we walked in the shopping district, heading towards our ship. We even saw the lady who was selling photos with the pigeons...you take the picture with your own camera, but had to give her money. Wow!

We stopped at Pandora's so Robin could start a bracelet. This was something she had talked about doing and this was a great place to begin. She purchased the bracelet and a cruise ship charm, engraved with San Juan on the bottom. 

The seahorse sculpture was waiting for us back in the Cruise Port Center. It was quite unique!

We arrived back onboard the ship by 3:30, showered and then headed to our acupuncture appointments. The doctor worked on Robin's knees in addition to her sinuses. He continued working on Dean's back, neck, and sinuses. We left the spa and went back to the cabin to get dressed for our second elegant dress dinner. 

It was dancing night again for the dining crew. We watched Elmer transform again from a reserved waiter to a wild and crazy shaking machine. The food was delicious as usual. Jennifer, Bradford and Karen joined us this time. Bradford was able to purchase a pair of Dockers on the ship, but, unfortunately, he didn't find them for a bargain price. It was Bradford and Karen's 5th anniversary as well as Bradford's 55th birthday. Our service team made sure it was very special for them.

We left dinner and went to several of the photography sets to have our photos redone. There were so many choices but we picked a few of our favorites. Then, it was on to the comedy shows. Upon arrival, Henry, the emcee of the club, met us at the door and explained that the both comedians' flights had been delayed and there would not be any shows for the evening.

It was only 10:00 and nothing to do. We decided to turn in early so we went back to the cabin. Our towel animal tonight was an aardvark, or so we think that was what it was supposed to be. We watched a little tv, but finally tried to sleep. The ship was rocking a little, but we had become used to that. However, we had not tried to sleep while the band in the atrium was still playing. After awhile, we finally drifted off to sleep, ready for Grand Turk tomorrow.