Fort Dallas Park

Breakfast at the hotel and a taxi (for 8) to Plaza Colon in Old San Juan. We followed the walking tour from the tour book, which worked out well. Waled by and/or visited the significant sites in the western part of the town: Immigrant Plaza, Chapel of Christ, and the Cathedrl of Saint John the Baptist (where Ponce de Leon is buried). Stopped at a place on San Jose Plaza for drinks and light refreshments.

Then on to the big draw, the fort of El Morro. This 500+ year old fort was Spain's main defense of its new world possessions. It commands the entry of the deep port of San Juan. This was important because (in the 1500s) Puerto Rico was the first place with fresh water and a good harbor for sailing ships crossing the Atlantic from Europe. Thus, Spain built this massive fort (over the course of 250 years) to protect the harbor and the entry to the new world. It is now a (US) National Historic Sites. The actual fort lies at the western tip of the small islet just off the mainland. The picture of the sentry post jutting out from the main wall is the iconic Puerto Rico tourism picture. The eastern side is a sloping grassy plain, easy to defend from an advancing land attack. Green iguanas have made thier homes among the cracks in the stones. The fort itself has six levels, built over the course of the years, to place guns (cannons) and garrison the troops. From the top of the fort, one can see how it commanded the harbor entrance, particularly when coupled with a smaller fort on the other side of the harbor mouth. We explored the different levels of the fort, reading the information plaques and peeking into the nooks and crannies of the immense complex.

By mid-afternoon we were ready for a break, so we wandered down to the harborside by the piers and had a drink and snack at the Casita de Ronnes (little house of rums) (we had wanted to go to the Bacardi Distillery but found it was closed for a private event). In place of that, we sampled a few rum drinks - Mojito, Pina Coladas, and another mixed drink. Also sampled the delightful culinary fare of fish tacos, fish bites, and ceviche. We caught a taxi back to the hotel and relaxed at the hotel's small beach while waiting for the sunset - which was a bust since the clouds rolled in. Nobody felt like dinner, so we relaxed in the hotel.Read more