in 16 days, i'll be on a walking tour of old san juan!

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...starting at San Juan Gate!

Built around 1635, just north of La Fortaleza, several blocks downhill from the cathedral, was the main point of entry into San Juan if you arrived by ship in the 17th and 18th centuries. The gate is the only one remaining of the several that once pierced the fortifications of the old walled city. For centuries it was closed at sundown to cut off access to the historic old town. The city walls around San Juan were built in 1630 to protect the town against both European invaders and Caribbean pirates. The city walls that remain today were once part of one of the most impregnable fortresses in the New World and even today are an engineering marvel. Their thickness averages 20 feet (6m) at the base and 12 feet (3.6m) at the top, with an average height of 40 feet (12m). At their top, notice the balconied buildings that served for centuries as hospitals and also residences of the island's various governors.

...and thus began my passion for diverse food and exotic locales!

barbados in terrain is unlike other caribbean islands but in way of life...similar to most. since we spent a great deal of time exploring the country and of course visiting family and friends, i was fortunate enough to get a true island perspective - not just one that tourists take home with them. it definitely shaped my way of thinking and looking at the world from a different angle.

i came to appreciate the simpler things in life that only living on an island can produce. things like sitting on the 'gallery' (front porch) first thing in the morning eating a mango that was just picked off the tree in the front yard...not actually eating but rather, 'sucking' is the proper term. you take the mango (hopefully a julie mango) and start at the tip by tearing off the end and then peeling the mango with your teeth...all the while sucking all the juice and meat from the mango. downside...mangos stain terribly so you must suck the mango whilst leaning slightly forward to avoid messin' up your clothes.

most of the homes in the neighhourhood we lived in were made of either board or wall (wood) or concrete. like casa de mr. c, most did not have air conditioning so windows were always wide open with curtains flapping in the breeze. at 6:00 o'clock every evening (forgive me if the time is wrong...it was a long time ago😊...all tv's were on the same station broadcasting "days of our lives"...yes - men, women and children alike all sat round the tellie watching the daily soap.one catch though - they were 10 years behind so it was only 1979 on the show! i had to make sure that i never let out any secrets about the show that i had already watched. the coolest thing though was that the sshow's theme song was the only sound you would hear for miles...a symphony of televisions! in fact, the year i lived there, the same theme song was made into a big calypso hit...

...ah, calypso music...probably my biggest appreciation! more on that later...

but in 16 days - i'll be in...

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Comments

[nicole]

thank you
I've been looking for the dimensions of La Puerta de San Juan for two days now (Spanish project). I don't know where you found them but I'm glad you did.