San Juan, Puerto Rico: Walking next to fortified city walls

Title:
San Juan, Puerto Rico: Walking next to fortified city walls

Description:
On this gorgeous Saturday (no rain, finally) we took coastal highway 165 into San Juan from Dorado, a beautiful drive along the waterfront without any traffic whatsoever. We first explored a little stretch of land called "Isla de Cabras" (Goats Island) which is a tiny island strategically located at the entrance of San Juan Bay. Its historically significant position is evidenced by a fortification called "El Cañuelo" which is not accessible to visitors. The island was even used as a leper colony in the late 1800s. From there we drove back past the main power station and the Bacardi Rum factory to the Ferry Terminal in Cataño where we took a ferry across the bay into Old San Juan. I rediscovered many of the places I had already visited earlier, including the fortress San Felipe del Morro and the adjacent San Juan Cemetery. I was enchanted by the narrow, cobble-stoned streets with their brightly coloured stuccoed houses. In the courtyard of the historic building "El Cuartel de Ballaja" I came across a major festival for guitarists who play the local "cuarto" guitar, and two teenage boys played a little Spanish song for me on this unique instrument. I even caught images of a local wedding right in front of the Cathedral of San Juan. At dusk the Christmas lights on the Plaza de Armas and along the Calle Fortaleza came to life. As the sun was going down I positioned myself on the Plaza de la Rogativa to catch the sunset and then walked through the Puerta de San Juan for a stroll along the waterfront walkway at the foot of the Old City Walls. A nice final evening to our 5-day adventure in Puerto Rico.

Author:
travelandtransitions

Tags:
United, States, Puerto, Rico, San, Juan, Ferry, Plaza, de, Armas, Adventure, Cityscape, Destination, Landmark, Travel, Log,