My Traveling Diaries | 2018 | San Juan, Puerto Rico
Our return to San Juan began on the morning of day 5 of the cruise! My favorite part about Puerto Rico is all of the colorful architecture and landscapes. It seems as though every window, archway and roof has it's own touch of artistic personality that brings an inviting and creative feel. This place is the perfect combination of busy city buzz and a tropical island home.
As soon as we get off the ship, we began our trek down the streets to find rows and rows of souvenir stands and art booths. We looked around at shirts, belts, cups and trinkets printed with large PUERTO RICO writings on the sides. We meandered through the city blocks, stopping to look inside parks and snap pictures of statues. We mostly stayed along the shore line, but we did manage to find an absolutely beautiful catholic church.
It is called the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista and it is the oldest church in America. It was first built in 1521 and was first designed with wood. After a hurricane blew out and destroyed all that hard work, another one was reconstructed out of stone, to ensure a sturdy and strong foundation. Juan Ponce de Leon was a Spanish explorer and also served as governor of Puerto Rico for some time. He became a very crucial piece in the construction of the church, but ended up passing away the same year that it was completed. The cathedral holds Ponce del Leon's tomb and is a favorite tourist spot to visit. It's easy to see why. The ceilings are gorgeous! It is filled with artwork and statues of prominent people of the church, as well as stunning stained glass windows.
We wandered around the shoreline and decided to pay another visit to the San Felipe del Morro Fortress for a history lesson. We looked from room to room, rediscovering the museum together as a family and talked about the history and construction of this massive fortress. A nice breeze came through the open balconies and tunnels making for an easy cool down. We couldn't forget to hit the gifts shops and collect some memorabilia. I collect magnets and pins from traveling adventures and found exactly what I needed to add to my collection back home!
By the time we made it back to the ship, our bellies were grumbling and feet were sore from walking around almost the entire island! We filled our day with a lot of good memories and some pretty great photos. It was a great day back in beautiful San Juan. As we headed back to our cabin, I began to realize that our trip was almost over. I tried ignoring the fact that real life and responsibilities were only a few days away, but we still had one more island to reach...
Thanks for Reading
Love, Nick
Comments
Post a Comment