Something interesting happened today. The Puerto Rico Tourism Company launched an advertising campaign titled “Puerto Rico: The All-Star Island”. The campaign aims to attract many tourists from around the world to the island by advertising it as a five star tourist attraction. Travelers, Puerto Rico is one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever visit in your life. It has amazing food, people, and destinations to visit. I don’t know if I should keep describing or let you guys see for yourself. Probably the latter. Here is the first video released by seepuertorico.com. Enjoy!
What better way to start a winding journey than at my hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico?
For all of those who skipped a few classes of geography in middle school, Puerto Rico is located in the Caribbean and is about 1,019 miles to the southern right corner of the coast of Florida (travelmath.com). It is an island that’s 100×35 in size and all of its roads lead to the ocean… of course.
Our first stop on this journey is its capital city, San Juan. This city is located towards the northeastern coast of the island and the best part is that it stays a toasty warm 80-90 degrees all-year-round. San Juan is made up of many districts, but I’ll be talking to you about the most historic part. Old San Juan, is San Juan’s historic district. It was founded during colonial times when the Spanish settled on the island around 1493. However, it was not founded until 1521.
Old San Juan is full of shops, restaurants, historical sightseeing, breathtaking views, and, the best of all, the warmth of its people. If you take a tour around Old San Juan, you may be able to shop in its many souvenir stores, where they’ll have small Puerto Rican knickknacks, distinctive clothing, or hand-made items. If you’re looking for a little bit more, it hosts shops to a Guess, Polo Ralph Lauren, and a Dooney and Bourke outlet.
Photo Credit: farm3.staticflickr.com
Midday through your trip, you may want to take a break from the heat. Go to one of its famous restaurants, Raíces, and treat yourself to a delicious Puerto Rican “mofongo,” a popular native dish. After a delicious meal, the trip continues towards the fort Castillo San Felipe Del Morro, or as the locals call it “El Morro.” This fort served as Puerto Rico’s main defense system during colonial times. Given the importance of the island’s strategical location, it suffered many attacks, but definitely held on. The fort can be toured alone or with guides and, on the outside, it has a great span of land where people picnic, fly kites, eat snowcones or “piraguas,” or just lie down on the grass and take in some sun.
Apart from the fort, there are other historical buildings to see around the city like La Fotaleza, which is where the governor lives, El Fortin San Cristobal, La Casa Rosa, El Palacio de Santa Catalina, La Catederal de San Juan Bautista, and the museum of Ballajá. All of these buildings share the same historical, Spanish architecture. There are also some interesting pieces of art around Old San Juan, so make sure to keep an eye out for its many statues and fountains. As well, try to remain steady as its impending views take your breath away.
Photo Credit: Bibiana Ruiz
If you’re staying in for the nightlife, no need to worry. Old San Juan offers a great nightlife scene. If you’re in for dancing, there’s “La Rumba” down at the docks, a boat that takes a trip around the bay while playing great, latin music. There are also many restaurants along the streets that are perfect for dining-out on a fancy evening, or casual, whichever suits the mood. The plazas are sometimes filled with local artists exhibiting their works, for anyone interested in souvenirs or a local piece to take home.
All in all, Old San Juan never fails to charm its visitors. If you happen to be one of them one day, enjoy the ride that this small gem has to offer you.
“Not all those who wander are lost” – J.R.R. Tolkien
Dear travel enthusiasts,
Welcome to WindingCities the place where you have to get up, go, see, and do.
My name is Bibiana and, currently, I’m in my junior year of college at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico. I love traveling and learning about other places, their food, sights to see, and people. This is why I’ll be winding through cities to blog about. I will post about cities that peak my interest and would love to visit someday. Cities I’ve already visited may also be included in these posts. Think of this as a kind of vision board for us. The world is our canvas. So, get up, go, see, do.
In doing this, you’ll be a wandering traveler and that is just what I need you to be. I want you to explore and immerse yourself in other places of the world, so you can grow. Traveling enriches us with knowledge about other cultures and their history. It gives us the power to breakaway from our fast-paced lives and indulge in what the world and its mysteries have to offer us. Therefore, dear wanderer, I invite you to jump on this plane, boat, train, or whatever means of transportation you choose, and journey on through the cities you will learn about on this blog. There’s just one rule: be passionate about it.
San Juan, Puerto Rico (Photo credit: seepuertorico.com)
WindingCities 