Puerto Rico - Day 3 - October 11, 2010

Woke up to another sunny day in Puerto Rico.  Hit up the breakfast buffet before checking out, and then we were on our way to Old San Juan by 7:45.  Lucked out and found parking near El Morro and spent some time wandering around the extensive grounds of this Spanish-built fort in the blazing heat. The original fort was built in the 1530s to protect the island from attack.  Additions were made through the mid 1700s.  The fort is operated by the U.S. National Parks Service today.  Through a quick video we learned that the island was attacked several times as various countries fought for ownership of Puerto Rico.  Eventually the U.S. won possession of the island in the Spanish-American War of 1898.  Wished there was a guided tour of the fort as the self-guided one was only slightly informative.  Thought we might visit the fort of San Cristobol down the street, but we ran out of time.  Instead we walked through the streets of San Juan in search of a few last minute souvenirs and a cooler bag in an attempt to salvage our arroz con pollo.

 

As usual, we pushed our luck on time.  We spent a stressful 30 min. trying to find the rental car company and fill up with gas.  We still made it to the airport in plenty of time, but the rush of getting there was not a great feeling.  Fortunately our food made it through security with us so we were able to enjoy arroz con pollo on the floor of the terminal.  Flight home was smooth, and we were back in Boston by 4pm.

We had a great weekend in Puerto Rico.  It was very do-able for a short trip: the direct flight was quick and easy, the weather was warm and sunny even during hurricane season, there was a nice mix of American and Puerto Rican culture, and there were a variety of activities to do on the island.  Let’s just say this visit was a brief overview.  We already can’t wait to go back!