Once off the ship we made a quick stop at a Walgreens, took a few pictures with the ship, and then our adventure began.
I was hoping to make our way to the outside of the original city wall where I had seen there was a path we could follow. I kept stopping to take pictures of things and I am pretty sure that is why Darby and Marc decided to find the Free Trolley that went around the island, hitting major landmarks. Not that I blame them. We had been walking for 45 minutes and had only made it a couple blocks. :) So we decided to text each other after a couple hours and parted ways. (Quick side note: Because San Juan is a US Territory, it is included in our cell phone coverage. We have AT&T, but I assume other carriers would be the same. Always check, just in case!) Scott and I followed a sidewalk that took us to Paseo de la Princesa, a beautiful promenade area that overlooks the ocean and leads to the city gate. As best I can tell, this is also where the original walls of Old San Juan begin. Along the promenade we came to the impressive Raices Fountain. At this point we were about half a mile from the pier.
We continued our way along the promenade and decided to see just how far around the outside we could go. Turns out, it's pretty far. Well, further than I expected anyway. From Raices Fountain we walked as far as the path would take us, around to the North side of the island. It was about a mile from the fountain to this point. All along the way we would stop to look at parts of the incredible wall, or the lookout towers at the top of the wall, or the massive waves that splashed against the rocks that lined the path. Scott and I spent a lot of time on the path, but didn't even realize it.
After reaching the end and spending some time there, we made our way back to the city gate to get into the actual city of Old San Juan. We turned and made our way back along the city wall, only from the top this time. I knew that we had passed El Morro from below so it made sense to follow it again from the top. Of course we stopped for other photo ops. There's just so much neat architecture and foliage. I can't help it.
We were heading up a hill and as we went over the crest of the hill, there it was. The massive front lawn of El Morro, with people playing soccer, having picnics, and flying kites, was even better than I imagined. I may have even choked back a tear or two. It was breathtaking! I just stood there taking it in for a few minutes.
Eventually I got myself together and we started our walk across the lawn. Rather than going right up to the fort, we went across to the old cemetery. (I looked it up after we got home. It's called Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery ) The cemetery sits on the North side within the city walls and over looks the ocean. It's stunning to see from any angle.
From there we walked up to the fort. From far away it's huge. When you're standing on the bridge that crosses into the fort, it's gargantuan. There's just no other word for it.
I was so glad we got to experience seeing El Morro. We chose to not go inside because we still wanted to walk across Old San Juan and get to the other fort before getting back on the ship. I know for next time though, that it's only $5 to get inside, and that cost includes also getting into Fort San Cristobal. Before heading that direction there were two things I wanted to do. I wanted to lay in the grass and look up at the kites flying, and I wanted to fly a kite on the lawn. I found a place to lay and enjoyed the peaceful feeling for a little while. I didn't get to fly a kite. It WILL happen next time though. Next time we visit I plan to take a blanket and a kite, and extra time. I just really need more time. :)
It was around this time that we were also texting Marc and Darby. We had sort of crossed paths, but didn't see each other. Their trolley stopped at El Morro, but not for long. We decided to just continue spending the day doing our own thing and we would meet back on the ship at some point. Scott and I left El Morro, sticking to a sidewalk that went along the city wall and led us right to Fort San Cristobal. It was less than a mile long walk to get from one fort to the other. We didn't spend much time at San Cristobal. From the outside I wasn't blown away the way I had been with El Morro. From what I've read though, it's pretty awesome. So I'm thinking if we had paid to go in I would have loved it also. The first picture below is of San Cristobal and taken from the ship. The other is the ship taken from San Cristobal.
We spent the rest of our time walking around the middle of the city, looking for souvenirs and something local to eat. We found a little place called Cafeteria Mallorca. I can't find a website, but I did find a well deserved review Here. We knew nothing about this place, but it had delicious looking pastries in the window and a legit menu hanging in the window too. We didn't order a full meal, but we wanted to make sure we tried something we couldn't get back home. I have no idea the names of what we ordered, but mine was cookie-ish and Scott got a cake-y something. So helpful, right? :) From what I saw while looking for a website, it doesn't seem that you can go wrong with anything you order from Cafeteria Mallorca. If it works out, it is definitely a place I'd like to return to whenever I'm visiting again.
We took our snack to a courtyard area and ate while we people watched. It was so nice. Other than a pesky pigeon getting too close, it was lovely to sit and watch the sights and sounds of Old San Juan. The cobblestone streets, the brightly colored buildings, birds chirping and locals speaking... I loved it all.
Way too soon it was time to go. I'm always a little bummed when it's time to get back on the ship, but I was borderline sad this time. I needed another day in San Juan. :) I'll end this review with pictures of El Morro that we took while sailing away. We stayed until we couldn't make out the shape of the fort anymore. :)
beautiful! I loved it!
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