Dear NEXT TRAVELER to Puerto Rico!
https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. El Morro
2. Cathedral of Ponce de Leon
3. San Jose Church
4. Calle de la Fortaleza
5. Puerto Rico Instagram famous door
Next Time:
1. Fort San Cristobal
MORE TIME!!!
One year we celebrated Thanksgiving in Puerto Rico. It happened to be a stop on our multi-day cruise. We only had a few hours and decided to explore the city and try to find the most famous points of interest. We were NOT disappointed. Puerto Rico is a beautiful city and we felt like we didn’t even come close to scratching the surface. We couldn’t believe how beautiful and mountainous the land was. At the port the street is full of vendors and solicitors for taxis and tours, but it wasn’t nearly as aggressive as other ports we have been tohave been. The day was beautiful and we decided to just walk the historic part of the city. We soon found out it was a very, very steep walk up the cobblestone streets. We were relieved to reach the top. The buildings in San Juan are all brightly colored and typical of buildings in the Caribbean. All the cobblestone streets were incredible.
There were beautiful high stone walls between the road and the sea. We walked another block or so and saw the amazingly beautiful white memorials of the cemetery by the sea and Morro. It was all breathtakingly beautiful! The cemetery, Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis is stunning. The Cemetery was established in 1863 and is the final resting place for many notable residents of Puerto Rico, including famous poets, composers, and artists. Located just outside the walls of the Castillo del Morro, the cemetery is named in honor of the Catholic saint, Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis. According to an Internet search – “The locals say the location of the cemetery, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, represents the path a spirit takes as it crosses over to the afterlife. Sitting alongside the Atlantic Ocean, filled with colorful flowers, life-sized sculptures made of marble, and bright white burial sites, the cemetery is a photographer’s dream. Visitors are welcome to walk into the cemetery.”
I wish we would have had more time to explore the headstones and architecture. Beautiful!
Castillo San Felipe Del Morro fortress, commonly referred to as El Morro, is a massive fort that construction started in 1539 and took 250 years to build. Once it was completed, it was a six-level fortess to protect the Spanish colony from attackers approaching from the sea.
There is a $10 entrance fee and it allows you access to the entire fort and a guided tour from the park rangers. We walked the top of one of the side walls. Stunning scenery. We took lots and lots of pictures.
After El Morro, we walked a couple blocks and saw a beautiful white church. It was the San Jose church with a life-size statue of Ponce de Leon. It was constructed from 1528 to 1735. Juan Ponce de Leon, the first governor of Puerto Rico, was buried in the crypt of the church from 1559 to 1836, when his remains were exhumed and later transferred to the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista.
Couple more blocks to the Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Saint John the Baptist. It is the oldest cathedral in the United States. It was constructed in 1521. The cathedral contains the tomb of Juan Ponce de Leon. It is a beautiful sanctuary and we were warmly welcomed to tour the cathedral on our own. We live close to New Orleans, Louisiana and this cathedral reminded us of the St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter.
Just a short walk from the cathedral is “Calle de la Fortaleza” what used to be known as umbrella street. There were no umbrellas or the Puerto Rican flag. This time there were white lights strung across the top of the street and white doves mixed in with the lights. We were there during the day, so I didn’t see the lights lit up, but I imagine that it was spectacular at night. There were barricades at the street and four officers there. It looked like they didn’t want too many spectators on the street.
After some souvenir shopping, we found the Instagram famous door. When we visited, it was painted black and white instead of the red, white and blue Puerto Rican flag. The black and white painting is in protest of what they feel is a financial crisis for the territory. The door is painted on one of the city’s uninhabited buildings and is easy to find on Calle San José, near its intersection with Calle San Sebastián.
Walking back towards the ship, we stumbled across the Caminalo Store that was 50% socks. Incredible selection. We made sure to buy several for Christmas gifts for family members.
We took pictures at the “I love Puerto Rico” sign and got back on the ship, just in time.
We loved Puerto Rico and know that we just scratched the surface of what the island has to offer. The historic area was beautiful and we could have spent a full two days exploring.
Next Traveler 