San Juan, Puerto Rico....

Busy day, the Mariner recognition ceremony followed by a couple of hours in the Retreat, sail in photos before we arrived in San Juan. I got off the ship shortly after clearing Immigration and did not follow my normal route but turned right and walked along the pier to the Seahorse Statue…a mural in the distance caught my eye and I continued walking, passing St. Agustin Church and wandering finding street art, in not the best part of town. I decided to turn back when I came to the Ladi’s Seafood Restaurant…Overlooking the Terraza la Mer was a beautiful beach. From here I followed the water to Castillo San Cristobal, a walled and heavily fortified citadel built 1765-1785 and the largest of the Spanish built forts in Americas. Continuing along the water through the La Perla neighborhood to the enduring 16th-century Spanish fortification Castillo San Felipe del Morro known as El Morro atop a promontory with cannons pointing seaward. Before heading back to the ship, I toured the streets of Old San Juan stopping at Plaza Colon, the tree-lined square close to the old city, with outdoor cafes and a monument to Christopher Columbus. This is a great city to walk around…even though it was a very hot day I covered a lot of territory (over 12 miles) on my last stop in Puerto Rico for this set of voyages…