June 25, 2024
Regaled by Cliff’s description of steering U.S. Navy LST past the massive forts into Puerto Rico harbor in 1965, I was very excited about experiencing San Juan. Our inexpensive tour did not disappoint. We took a 2.5 hour panoramic bus tour to visit the capital city and the massive, ancient fortresses and stone walls that have protected the city since they were built by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century.
Traveling to the San Cristóbal Fortress, the largest fort ever built by the Spaniards in the New World (1634), was slow going, through bumper to bumper traffic.
Before long, we realized that the traffic was so backed up because large numbers of people were protesting at the Capitol building for higher pay and better benefits for the police force. They were all over the capitol steps, sidewalks, grassy areas, and driveway areas.
Demonstrations in Puerto Rico are not like many of protests here in the United States. No one was occupying buildings, burning cars, breaking into stores, or stealing TVs. They were just standing there, singing to music. We were very impressed.
Finally, we disembarked onto a stone street, to walk up a steep incline to the Fort. Behind us we could see the three cruise ships in the port looming over the city of San Juan.
“Impressive” doesn’t begin to describe San Cristóbal Fortress. Panoramic views from every direction spread out before us. Another incline took us to the very top for even more fantastic views. We were completely enthralled by every aspect of this tour.
After gathering our group back into the bus, the tour guide took us through a drive through New San Juan, where we viewed high-rise condos, luxurious resort hotels and casinos. The water views and glistening buildings reminded us of downtown Sarasota.
We drove past various monuments, including a couple dedicated to educators, as well as the Walkway of the Presidents, lined with statues of each of the presidents of the United States. My favorite was President Roosevelt in a wheelchair with his Scottish terrier at his feet. The next time we visit Puerto Rico, we want to be sure to walk this park.
Finally, we were taken back to the Old City for free time at Plaza Colon for shopping and exploring. We were excited about trying local food, so we asked our guide where we should go. He said “Hennessy’s” and gave us his card, asking us to let the owner know he recommended their cafe. He said we could try Mofongo there, saying, “It won’t make you sick.” We didn’t tell him we weren’t particularly interested in that dish.
We walked past outdoor cafes and market stalls, and a vendor with a variety of parrots, offering to take our photos with the parrots. We couldn’t find Hennessy’s. We asked two or three different people. Finally, after much searching, we backtracked to the place we thought our guide was talking about — Genesis. It was a lively, packed hole-in-the-wall. We sat at the bar.
Because the place was busy, it took a long time to get our food, but we enjoyed bantering with the family who owned the business and teasing the bartender, who was disappointed that we couldn’t speak Spanish. Hand signals and laughing seemed to suffice.
Cliff ordered a dish that turned out to be delicious fried chicken tenders (fried chicken is a big deal in Puerto Rico - very popular with the locals) and a pile of sweet, soft plantains, as well as two local beers and a shot of the Sheep Dog whiskey. I ordered Arroz con Pollo with plantains. My rice dish was bland, but I added more flavor to it by stealing additional plantains from Cliff.
Afterwards, it was a quick walk back to the ship. We are definitely looking forward to visiting Puerto Rico again. It was a beautiful, very special place — a cultural journey.
Comments