Mom Drops in San Juan

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Geo: 18.4672, -66.1179

The alarm worked this morning at 7:30. Mom just shut it off. I got up at 8 and then she had to follow. We were going to our first breakfast and then to a Sidewalk Sale up by the pool but ended up going straight to the sale. Mom found two t- shirts and then we had breakfast. The buffet layout on this ship, while nice, is different from other Holland America ships that we've sailed on. We have to search around to find things. I'm just a cereal and fruit guy but Karen likes to experiment with different and unusual foods.  

With breakfast and shopping off the list, we head aft to the rear pool, an adults only venue affording us some quiet time where Mom can watch as we cruise into the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico and I can finish and send off two days of blogs. It's warm on deck, 85°F in the shade but a nice ocean breeze keeps us comfortable. The ship is arriving early and many of the guests disembark around 11:30am. We are doing a 2 1/2 hour walking tour of old San Juan starting at 1:30pm so there's no rush for us. The title of our excursion says "A Stroll Through Old San Juan" but we will find that it's a bit more than a "stroll". While making frequent stops at a normal pace, the distance we will travel is more than a few blocks we will find that our group starts to stretch out. More later.

San Juan is the capital of and largest city in Puerto Rico with a population of about 395,000. While summer can be very warm and muggy, winter is quite pleasant in San Juan. Temperatures typically range in the low 80°s during the day, and low 70°s at night. Established in 1521, San Juan is the second-oldest European-founded settlement in the Americas and the oldest under US jurisdiction, after St. Augustine, FL.

We exit the ship around 1pm and find our group inside the port building. We wait for the next available bus, meet our guide and take our ride up the hill to one of San Juan's forts, Castillo de San Cristobal, where the bus leaves us. We will now walk the tour while eventually making our way back to the ship. After a cursory view of this portion of the fort, our guide takes us through parts of the old city, explaining the history of the country and its people. We check out a museum followed by a trek to another old fort, Castillo San Felipe del Morro Fortress, a giant fortress built over a 100 year time frame. At one time these two forts were together, tied together by a wall that encircled the city.  Most of the wall was torn down years ago to allow for the expansion of the city.  It's been a long walk and Mom is going down. I buy her a Coke from a street vendor which helps her sugar problem as she failed to bring anything sweet for herself. With that out of the way, she picks up the pace a bit and we tour the inside of this fort, checking out the cannons, munitions room, kitchen and barracks all while our guide talks of the history. He knows much of Puerto Rico, being a professor at the University. Castillo San Felipe is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. When it was finished in 1783, it covered about 27 acres of land and basically wrapped around the city of San Juan. Entry to the city was sealed by San Cristóbal's double gates.

Leaving the fort, we begin to head back in the direction of the ship. Karen is moving very slow, one of the last to reach each point of interest. Our guide doesn't push hard but we do have to finish by 4pm. On our last uphill walk, I have to pull her up and our guide asks if we're all right. Karen says, "I'm OK as long as I have my mule to drag me uphill"', to which everyone laughs. Now it's downhill the for the last few blocks and we can see the port. We stop in front of what he says is "The narrowest house in the world" and I take a picture.  Later I read that it's known as <i>La Casa Estretcha, or "</i>Narrow House". On the inside it is only 5 feet wide, goes back 36 feet, and has 2 stories.  People say that it was originally built as housing for slaves.  Now within sight of our ship, our guide bids us goodbye, we all offer a gratuity and, although he offers to show us some great restaurants, cantinas and shopping, everyone opts to return to the ship. I think everyone is tired out.

Mom moves slowly toward the ship. We stop at a CVS where she buys some candy and vitamins. That must be for tomorrow. Anyway, we make it back to the ship, take a shower and grab a burger and fries while watching a movie at the pool. The ship is fairly empty, with many spending the evening ashore since we won't sail until 11pm tonight.

After dinner, we return to the BB King show for some blues music, watch a James Bond movie and that's it for today. Tomorrow we will be in St Thomas, traveling on a catamaran to St Johns Island. At least we won't be walking much.

 

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Photos

Mom and Some Fellow Passenger.
This lady would not smile. Oh well.

Comments

[Hank Ramirez]

Looks like your having a great time Al, good for you!!! I'm cutting down trees and mending fences here in Oakley, lol lol lol. Wish I were in Old San Juan:):):) Our Best to both of you......

[al-karen]

Thanks for your interest, Hank. I do this for entertainment and to keep a record of our adventures. Its way better than fences and trees. I hope Carmen is helping you.Yeah Mon.