Puerto Rico: Tranquil Retreat & Old World Spanish Charm
8:32 PMPuerto Rico turned out to be a nice break and the prefect retreat on the budget that I was looking for. I also decided from now on to add on a little bit of history or more in-depth explanation of each picture I take.
Old San Juan
Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico,
and consists of 400 restored buildings from the 16th- and 17th-century Spanish
colonial period. The main point of attraction in Old San Juan is the narrow,
blue cobblestone streets, and flat-roofted brick with colorful buildings (a
well-known Caribbean flare). If you love historic site, then this island is
another must see on your list. I had such a wonderful time walking around Old
San Juan, and enjoying the local food, and just admiring the old world charm of
this city.
Castillo de San Cristóbal (Guarded Enemy Approaching by Land)
Castillo de San Cristóbal was built by Spain to protect against land based attacks on the city of San Juan. It is consider to be the largest fortification by the Spanish in the New World and took a total of 150 years to build. It finally became a World Heritage Site in 1983, along with Castillo San Felipe del Morro. I have to say, this was by far my favorite fort to visit. It was not only vast in its size, but it was preserved & restored so beautiful that I couldn't help be charmed by how historic everything was.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro (Protect the City from Attacks by Sea)
Castillo San Felipe del Morro was named in honor of King
Philip II of Spain, and was considered a formidable stronghold because it
successfully stopped "almost" every naval attack on the city. It only
fell once by the land assault by the British solider in 1598. Both fort (Morro
& Cristobal) was built 68 years before the First English Settlement in
Jamestown in the Americas. I just love old buildings and their rich history, so you know I had a grand time exploring the old canon embrasures and
the sentry boxes (where ages ago Spanish soldiers stood watch).
The El Yunque Rain Forest
El Yunque National Forest (recently changed from the Caribbean National Forest) is the only tropical rain forest in the United States and is located in the northeastern side of Puerto Rico. It is home to over 200 species of trees and plants, 23 of which are found nowhere else. I really was hoping to catch a glimpse of the Puerto Rican Amazon, since it is consider critically endangered, but no luck :(. I was able to see the La Mina Falls via Big Tree Trail and that was the most memorial experience for me.
I also learn from the Tour provided by "Louie's VIP Tours" that the sound that I was hearing around the hotels (at night) & Rain Forest were in fact male frogs (Coquí). I original thought they were birds, because the sounds were similar to birds singing, but it was in fact the male Coquí mating call to the female frogs (they have about 4 or more distinctive sound). Click here for an example of what I heard. Also the flower that you see below is a flower used commonly to create insulin (which I thought was interesting).
Condado Beach
The beach extends for several miles east of downtown (Old San Juan) and the area I was in was behind the Condado Plaza Hotel. Since the surf was so rough, we end up mostly people watching, and my daughter played with the golden sands there. The water was really nice and clear but due to the fact it was late, the blue & turquoise color wasn't as bright.
Puerto Rican Food
The food was great there (most came from Bebo's Cafe), the pictures below are the foods I enjoyed the most. The rice and beans will always be my weakness.
To see my first edition of "What I Wore" click here & here. Those posts are gear toward my fashionista followers.
The food was great there (most came from Bebo's Cafe), the pictures below are the foods I enjoyed the most. The rice and beans will always be my weakness.
4 comments
Great pictures! I need to visit PR did you take a cruise there?
ReplyDeleteI didn't get on a cruise to go there. I wouldn't have been able to do the Rainforest as well as visit the Forts with the little amount of time the cruise gives for shore excursions. I took the plane and stayed there for three days.
DeleteYou took some great photos of PR! I thought the croqui frog sounds were from birds. :-)
ReplyDeleteMo
I thought the very same thing! The tour guy is the one that told me those sound were from the frogs and NOT the birds lol.
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