The Winter Vacation - Post Three - San Juan

Our fourth day started with an 8:00 AM arrival into San Juan. We left the ship to look for breakfast in old San Juan, and found an excellent shop with simply wonderful breakfast and coffee. Oh, the coffee was amazing.

We met Karla and James and walked down Princess Street to the fountain I remembered from years before.


We walked along the city wall to San Juan gate, the last of four gates standing. The governor's house sits atop this gate, looking out at an incredible view. As we came through the gate we saw the quaint narrow streets of old San Juan, and walked to the top to make our way to San Felipe del Morro. What an amazing place! We had a fabulous time walking through many of the layers of the fort, and I found it very inspiring. I think we need a book with this amazing fort as the setting! Maybe my next NaNoWriMo will use this location for some chapters.


Before we came to the Fort; however, we ran across the headquarters of Save A Gato, and learned of the plight of San Juan's cats. I gave them the cash I had in my pocket, and promised to donate when I got home. What timing. Really. Geez.

After the fort tour we walked through Old San Juan, admiring the architecture and sights. We enjoyed a stop for a drink or two and talked to many interesting local people. We got a recommendation for a great lunch restaurant - St. Germains - and it was worth the two block walk for great soup, salads, sandwiches, and Coffee! And again, to my delight, the coffee was fabulous! We brought a tiny bit home, dreaming all the while of retiring to a sunny island coffee plantation. :)


After our late lunch we wandered through the shopping district and enjoyed looking at the many different local arts and crafts before heading toward the ship. We were able to get great shots of the city, the port, and the forts as we headed out to sea.