Old San Juan

I do not usually blog twice in one day but I did not want to share the wedding with anything else.  It was special and it needed its own story.

Sunday was another day to explore.  Our hotel was an easy walk from Old San Juan so Rob and I decided to take a stroll and see the old city.

Old San Juan (Spanish: Viejo San Juan) is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico and the historic colonial section of the city of San Juan. The settlement is a National Historic Landmark District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Zona Histórica de San Juan" (English: San Juan Historic Site).

We started our day with a visit to the Castillo San Cristobal.  San Cristobal was built by Spain to protect against land based attacks on the city of San Juan. It is part of San Juan National Historic Site.  The Fort is very well preserved and impressive.  Visitors can walk through an array of tunnels, casements and watch towers.  It offers beautiful views of the city, the forests and the ocean.

We left San Cristobal and started down the scenic streets of Old San Juan.  Many of the streets are blue cobblestone and are lined with individually lovely homes and businesses. While somewhat similar in design, the wide variety of colors, windows and doors makes for a pleasant visual experience.  The temperate climate is made obvious by the plethora of plant life.  Color and variety seemed to be the theme of the day.   We made our way  up and down streets and window shopped a bit.

After a bit of walking, we decided to find a place for lunch.  We spent a bit of time looking and stopped to peek into the window of a place called Mallorca cafeteria.  It was mobbed and full of what appeared to be locals.  This, to us, is always a good sign so we went in.  We were greeted pleasantly and told we could sit where we could find a table.  The decor was simple but the food was good.  We have found this to be the case on many occasions.  No nonsense eateries often provide some of the best food.

I MUST TELL THE TRUTH.  THIS IS WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.  OUR PEEK IN THE WINDOW CONVINCED US TO GO IN

After lunch, we decided to walk back to the hotel.  We walked back along the same route but chose the other side of the road.  As we moved along, I noticed some absolutely beautiful mosaic covered walls.  I love mosaics and these were truly impressive.

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING MOSAICS

We made our way back and decided we needed a bit of down time.  Saturday night's festivities combined with the heat of our Sunday adventure had left us a bit tired.  We went to our nice, cool room and had a rest.

We rousted out a bit later and went to the the lobby to make our way to the beach.  We had the pleasant surprise of meeting Cristin and Javier and his parents in the lobby.  Cristin and Javier were headed on their honeymoon and his parents were going home.  We said our goodbyes and wished them well.

The temps had gotten much nicer so we sat by the water and had a drink.  We were fully entertained by the sight of a multitude of pelicans dive bombing the water for food.  They were concentrated in one area and they seemed to be making a team effort of it.  They would circle in groups of 6-8 and suddenly dive.  It was a sight to behold.

As the sun got lower, we went for a walk and got a bite to eat.  It was our last evening in San Juan and we were gifted with a beautiful sunset.

Our visit to San Juan had been fruitful.  We had witnessed the marriage of two friends, seen many new sights and had been blessed with beautiful weather and good health.

Another great day in this thing we call life.