Day 4 - Fort El Morro and Castillo

Of course, we had to do the touristy thing and visit the fort El Morro and the Castillo, two amazing structures from history.

The fountain just inside the San Juan Gate.

Fuzzy prepares to make the hike across to the fort, not nearly as close as it seems!

The fort lighthouse wasn't built until the eighteenth century.

The small chapel.

The view from a lookout point.

My, what a big cannon you have!

Here I am, wearing a Captain Morgan T-shirt in Bacardi country!

The chapel from the level above.

The Strategic Half-mile. From here the Spanish could guard the port of San Juan and all the other nations vied for it. Even Queen Lizzie I had Drake try to take it but he failed. It's the stretch of land where we spent our second afternoon relaxing at the bar!

Fuzzy behind a whole stack of big black balls!

An iguana!

A view of the fort from a WWII lookout point at the castillo.

Day 2 - Relaxing!

After a long hot day of walking around San Juan, Raymond took us to a beachside bar where the beer was cold and the atmosphere utopian.

How much closer to paradise can you get? Great friends and good beer, right next to the beach!

Day 2 - A walk through Old San Juan

Our second day in Puerto Rico, we met my friend and published author Nomar Knight, and his two beautiful children, Raymond and Yanira. They took us on a walking tour of Old San Juan. Our first stop was a restaurant where they introduced us to mayorcas, delicious pastry dishes.

If you're going to drive in San Juan, rent a small car and bring LOTS of patience. Pedestrians cross the street with absolutlely no regard for traffic flow or direction. And they give YOU attititude. The streets are extremely narrow so if a delivery driver has to stop and make a delivery, be prepared to sit and wait for several minutes. Traffic moves slowly so drivers will push their way into the flow of traffic or else they will be waiting forever.

The old city wall which runs through much of Old San Juan.

One of the many lookout points in the city wall.

Yanira, Nomar, Fuzzy and Raymond.

The Bacardi Distillery from Old San Juan.

This banyan tree is at least 500 years old. It was there when the gate was built in the 1600's.

The gate into Old San Juan.

The street leading into teh citgy away from the wall. It led to the cathedral, so once the King and Queen arrived, they could go straight to the cathedral and give thanks to God for a safe passage.

A statue commemorating the arrival of the first settlers.

What a sentry might see from one of the lookout towers.

A totem pole from the time of the Taino Indians.

The grave of a known witch.

The cemetery below the fort.

A courtyard typical of the houses in Puerto Rico.