We began our day like we did yesterday...coffee and guava pastries at the little coffee kiosko in the Plaza de Armes. After breakfast we headed east to explore a little beach close to the El Capitolio (Puerto Rico's Capital building), it's a beautiful area of town with lots of official buildings. From there we visited Castillo San Cristóbal.
In 1634, almost a hundred years after starting construction on El Morro, the Spanish began construction on the even larger Castillo San Cristóbal. This fort would stand guard at the eastern gate, the land entrance, to the walled city of Old San Juan. It took over 150 to finish the fort, although modifications were made well into the 18th century. San Cristóbal is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World, covering 27 acres. The fort is actually a number of different units connected by tunnels, each unit being self-sufficient if another part was invaded. Walking around the fort gave us a lot of exercise and offered wonderful views of the coast from Old San Juan to Condado and beyond.
We spent the afternoon slowly wandering through the streets of OSJ taking in the beauty of the buildings and enjoying the views of the water. We walked over 17 miles the last three days in OSJ...that's a real workout, but what a place to explore. Today was our last full day in Puerto Rico, but it won’t be our last. We have fallen in love with the island, Old San Juan and the people of Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico capitol building (El Capitolio).
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