 |
Castillo San Cristobal side view
Castillo San Felipe del Morro entrance (image from Globaltrek since my personal photograph seems to have been deleted! *sad face*)
|
Old San Juan is America's oldest city, and home to two beautiful former Spanish military forts: Fort San Felipe del Morro (construction starting in 1539) and Fort San Cristobal (completed in 1783). Both have seen countless battles, but now stand as physical evidence of Europe's desire to sail west, conquer new lands, and control the sea. I spent a total of about 4 hours between the two of them, and even then I found myself rushing through some places (I needed to get back to my hotel and to the airport and still do some shopping in the meantime!) Admission to one of the forts (or castles- since that's what they look like and are sometimes called) is $3, but if you want to visit both, ride the free trolley that goes from door to door (and through Old San Juan in the process of doing so), and you'll pay only $5 and just need to keep your receipt- which will also let you back into each site for 7 days after the date of purchase.
 |
| Lighthouse at El Morro |
As a history nerd/Indiana Jones wanna-be, I have to admit that these two places were a dream to me. First, they are MUCH bigger than they seem from the outside- I think I only saw about 60% of each site. Second, it seems like this would be common sense, but wear not just comfortable shoes, but tennis shoes/sneakers when visiting. There are many steep and winding passages and stairwells in each location- worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. A cute pair of sandals or flats could send you tumbling into a minor injury. Finally, try and go with a friend-- I found myself completely alone many times while wandering the castles (especially in El Morro!) and it can be a bit creepy walking into dimly lit tunnels and corridors alone.
 |
| Centuries old drawing believed to have been drawn by a Spanish prisoner |
With that said, you could really feel a difference in character between the two forts. Notable highlights of San Cristobal were displays of Spanish military uniforms ranging from the late 1400s until the early 1900s, and the in-tact dungeons where there are preserved examples of early graffiti believed to have been drawn by a Spanish prisoner hundreds of years ago. At El Morro, there were much more off-limit areas due to renovation or construction- and understandably so seeing as it's about 200 years older than San Cristobal. There were also bright green iguanas- that move much faster than you'd think because I couldn't snap a photo of one to save my life! There is also a light house, an auxiliary "mini-fort" and a bright yellow courtyard in El Morro.
I truly enjoyed both locations- and the park rangers were extremely friendly!
 |
| Onioned Pork Mofongo |
 |
| Bacardi Factory Gift Store |
Ah, the total irony of visiting the Bacardi grounds but not being an alcohol drinker! Even if you have never taken a sip of rum in your life, this was a fun quirky way to spend part of our first day in Puerto Rico. Make sure you request an English tour, as they alternate between English and Spanish tours throughout the day. Once you get your tour ticket, you are given two additional drink tickets that entitle you to two free beverages (with or without Bacardi in them!) at a bar located in an outdoor pavilion. You ride a tram into a building where three four separate guides will tell you the history of Bacardi, show you a video about how the company grew, discuss the distillation process, and teach you about the history and preparation of three famous Bacardi drinks: the Cuba Libre, the original Daiquiri, and the Mojito.
The entire tour took less than an hour- and was overall a fun experience. I even had a sip of rum punch to celebrate being there. The gift shop had great (but pricey!) gift sets that included Bacardi products and bar paraphernalia. Some of the stranger items were mojito flavored lip gloss and Bacardi branded lingerie, but I'm sure someone is buying it otherwise they wouldn't sell it. What bothered me was one family from New York, who had their daughter (who couldn't have been more than eight) on a tour learning about alcohol, and the father asking the tour guide for Bacardi recipe information because he was "trying to start a rum company in Brooklyn". On so many levels, this family was just inappropriate for this outing- but that doesn't diminish the overall fun my friend and I had while there.
 |
| Largest Distillery in the World |
Also, if you speak any Spanish at all, I would suggest you brush up. Although almost everyone speaks English, Spanish is the language spoken primarily. That's fine- except there are some people who will try and rip you off if they think you don't understand what they are saying to each other (like the cab drivers who tried to double our fare to Bacardi after debating with his fellow cabbies what he should charge us. I, however, studied Spanish for eight years, and although I cannot jump into SPEAKING it without first planning out my words, I can understand a good 75% of casual Spanish conversation with no issues! Needless to say we were charged the proper amount after I busted him!) Also, hope that the buses are running- a $12 taxi would have only been a 50-cent bus ride had both bus companies not been on strike the weekend I was there.
I hope you enjoyed your US bonus in Puerto Rico! You can see more pictures (which as of October 9th I am still in the process of adding captions to...) on my Facebook page. Feel free to email me (fiftystates5years@yahoo.com) and be sure to follow me on Twitter (@50states5years) for my next adventures!
**UPDATE 5/6/2013**
Apparently many of my Puerto Rico pictures have gone MIA in the cyber universe. While this is very sad, I am going to hope that I can still find them either on my digital camera or in my personal Facebook albums
