“Travel...the best way to be lost and found at the same time.” ~Brenna Smith
Today we left the mountains and returned to the coast. We'll spend the next three days in Old San Juan. It was one of our favorite places we visited in 2020. We just loved this old walled city. So many beautiful buildings and so much history. OSJ is actually an island connected to the main island by bridges on the eastern side and is the oldest city in the US and its territories. The Spanish built two huge forts and walled-in the city to protect it from the French, Dutch, and English. San Juan became Spain’s fortified door to the Americas. Today Old San Juan is a busy hub for tourism. We love to walk the city taking in the beauty of the century old buildings that are now used for museums, restaurants, stores and interesting places to stay.
Our last look at the mountains of central Puerto Rico.
Our apartment in OSJ is across the street from the Minor Basilica Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist and just a block inside the wall from the Puerta de San Juan (San Juan Gate). This gate was where dignitaries entered San Juan for centuries. It's located on the Paseo de la Princesa which is a promenade that skirts the curved old city walls on the southern side of Old San Juan.
Fuente Raíces Fountain at the beginning of the Paseo de la Princesa.
Paseo de la Princesa. You can take this path all the way to San Felipe del Morro Castle.
Puerta de San Juan
The building we are staying in was built in the first half of the 16th century and used as a colonial Mansion. The first floor was for the servants, the owners lived on the second floor and the third floor was used as an observatory tower to watch for invaders and pirates. We're on the third floor, which you can't see in this picture.
Our home for the next three days.
Looking down from our apartment at the stairs we had to use to get to our apartment.
The little plaza next to where we are staying.
The view from our patio.
We had dinner at Bari, which is on the first floor of the building we are staying in.
This little kitty came to visit.
Hello! I bet I was right behind you that day in Puerto Rico. It was my 3rd trip to the city, 1st time as part of a cruise. Never found a duck on the cruise, but lucky to have found one of your painted rocks in a window sill on February 15, 2023 in Old San Juan!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you found it. We took a cruise to Bermuda one year and I found a duck! I was so excited. Funny how the little things bring us joy.
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