Adventure in Puerto Rico: Day 6

We spent Monday morning at the beach.
(See the purple symbols for Monday)

This time we walked to the east, where the water was not so shallow.

The water was clear and blue,

 with waves just right for bobbing in.

 We tried out some flippers,

and Scoot and Rollo really liked the snorkels.

I think we spent a couple of hours in the water, long enough that our carefully applied sunscreen washed off.

But it was worth it.

 After lunch we went into old San Juan,

 where we walked, sweatily, past lots of lovely architecture.

 So cheerful!

Even on such a hot day, we found a penguin.  This whimsical sculpture is directly across the street from . . .

the Catedral Metropolitana Basílica de San Juan Bautista.  It was the first official cathedral built in the new world, back in the 1500s.

The cathedral is being renovated, as such buildings usually are.  It looks like they're painting over the well-done trompe-l'œil moldings. 

The remains of founding father Ponce de León were moved to this marble tomb in the 1800s, from a church a few blocks away.  I think we walked past that one later, and it was completely closed for construction work.

This window clearly depicts the relative weights of the Ten Commandments.

And this a view across the church parking lot.  I like the vine motif.  Dandelionslayer pointed out a sign posted outside.

"Hoy tarifas

10 dólares"

meaning "Today parking costs $10".  But he saw it as "Holy Tariffs 10 dollars."  Pay up.

The boys enjoyed spotting lizards and unfamiliar birds throughout our trip.  D2 was just as enchanted with the feral cats and dogs that were everywhere.

They may be wild, but they're not stupid.  The Caterpillar counted at least fifteen cats lounging in the shade of a few cars in one narrow street.  I'm glad I wasn't wearing fur that day.

I think the younger boys would have liked to join the cats in the shade, but we pressed on to the castle.  Castillo San Felipe del Morro, that is, a fort that has guarded San Juan Bay for nearly five hundred years.  I knew the boys would like to see a castle, and that they'd like the name--Morro is also the name of a malevolent ghost in Lego's world of Ninjago.

 D2's park pass got us in again.

The view from the restroom, which was built right into the fort.

It was a very successful fort.  The Spanish used it from 1539 until the United States received the island after the Spanish American War.

Then the US Army manned the fort until after World War II.  Several layers were added to the fort over the years to keep up with military technology . . .

like this big cannon.

One of these sentry boxes appears on Puerto Rico's license plates, and also on the territorial quarter. 

It was fun to go stand in one and admire the view.  But I'm glad I'm not one of those Spanish soldiers who had to stand watch in the heat.

Definitely a view worth defending.  Actually, I think this shows where a smaller fort across the bay provided valuable crossfire.

 I'm not sure to which era this box belongs, but I like it, too.

This small lighthouse perches at the top of the castle.

 We walked down the extensive lawns to see another iconic view:

 The Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery, final resting place of many notable citizens.

 We looked at it from above, where it is partially enclosed by the fort's thick walls,

and this lovely arcade.

  Then we followed the blue brick roads

past the Tótem Telúrico, a granite and ceramic sculpture honoring the indigenous peoples of the Americas,

and Ponce the Conquistador, with pigeon.

 We sought, and found, some relief from the heat at Rita's,

 where we enjoyed Italian ice in tropical flavors like mango and passionfruit

 amid historical decor.

There are plenty of big, modern buildings in young San Juan, but Old San Juan is an island of colonial preservation.

 Then we bid farewell

 to colorful San Juan and its colorful people.

On Tuesday we cleaned up and came home.  Usually, one feels that it is time for a vacation to be over.  We weren't ready to go yet.  There is so much more to see and do on this little island.  But after the trials of flights and airports and driving in the middle of the night, we were grateful to reach our home again.

For more of the adventure, see:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

Adventure in Puerto Rico: Day 5

We (and our feet) were quite ready for a day of rest on Sunday.

(Zoom in to find the blue symbols for Sunday)

Another advantage of the apartment we chose was the LDS chapel within walking distance.  I fully intended to take advantage of its nearness and walk to the 9:00 am meeting.  But it is hard to wake up on vacation . . .

This apartment is equipped with very good shutters.  On Thursday morning, our first there, I woke up to see light streaming in under the door.  I stumbled my way to the boys' room, where Scoot was sitting up and reading.  "Turn off the light!" I said.  "People are trying to sleep."

"Mom, it's eight o'clock," he said in his calm way.  Then I noticed that the bright light was coming from the window, not the fixture.  It was still dark in my room, but one of the shutters in their room had gotten stuck open after we arrived.  The other boys could still sleep with all that light, but not Scoot, our morning person.  And I noticed it eventually, too.

We knew we'd need to get up earlier on Sunday, though.  So the boys all set the alarms on their watches.  But with jet lag and staying up to watch the Olympics and whatnot, the alarms didn't wake us.

I got up Sunday morning, saw Scoot sitting in his room, fully dressed, and went to check the clock in the kitchen.

"Ack!" I shouted.  "It's 8:59!"

We did not walk to church that morning.  But we did arrive by car, sixteen minutes later, just in time for the missionary who was passing the sacrament to open the chapel door and look for stragglers.  And we were grateful.

The Luquillo Branch has its own small building.  The screenless windows were open and the fans were spinning.  About fifteen members were present, but there was clearly room for more to attend.  Once the sacrament was over and we found seats, the branch president's counselor welcomed our family from the pulpit.  In fast and testimony meeting in a small branch, I think the members must feel some duty to speak at length, and they did, mostly about how life is hard, but faith in Jesus Christ gets us through.  After listening to a couple of testimonies, the Caterpillar shared his own.  He spoke in Spanish, and despite small grammar mistakes, was quite comprehensible.  It was wonderful to hear.

The family in the branch that includes children and the Primary president was out of town.  There weren't any other youth present, either.  A visiting high counsel member offered to teach our boys a lesson in English, so Scoot, Rollo, and D2 went to a classroom with him and discussed the Title of Liberty.  The Caterpillar came to the adult Sunday School class with us.  By the third hour, attendance had petered out and everyone who was left fit into the Sunday School room.  Then the high counselor discussed efforts to perfect the saints and strengthen the branch.  It was interesting.

After church we flopped at the apartment, enjoying our rest.  Here are a few views from the terrace.  This is looking east, from the front of the apartment.  Most of the buildings in the neighborhood seem to be vacation rentals.  The residential part of the town is across the highway, by the church.  I wanted to take pictures, but forgot my camera in the morning rush.  The houses over there are low, with decorative bars on the windows, and painted in bright colors like you can see here.

 This is a north view, toward the gate from our complex to the beach.

Looking southeast to the cloudy peaks of El Yunque.

 After dinner we took a sunset walk along the beach.  This time we headed west around the point, toward the balneario.  While, according to the guidebook, nearly all beaches in Puerto Rico are public, the balnearios are equipped with parking lots, changing rooms, and lifeguards.  This one has a pretty big parking lot, but many people seemed to prefer parking along the narrow road to our apartments, and swimming on the east side.  It was a bit late for lifeguards when we went out, but it was a perfect time to stroll along the sand.

 We saw a few birds and some little crabs, but not many people.

Paradise.


For more of the adventure, see:
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Day 6