I haven’t been to San Juan, Puerto Rico in over 20 years. I’ve been to the island many times during that span but I’ve landed at the Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, on the west side of the island. You see, my late wife’s family are from beautiful Rincón on the westernmost tip of Puerto Rico and that was our stomping grounds. The last time I was in Puerto Rico at all was for her funeral service in November 2018.
Good news is that after more than four years as a widower, I’m finally seeing someone steadily. Her name is Diana and we went on our first date on November of last year – and so far so very good. The first true test of a budding relationship, however, is a weekend getaway. I mean you’re pretty much stuck with each other from the plane ride there to the plane ride back home. And I’m a pretty particular traveler, especially in the amount of photographs I tend to take. My wife and daughter already knew the drill…but would Diana?
There was one way to find out: FLL to SJU on JetBlue.
We arrived late Thursday night so we started our Friday with a quick walk from our hotel, the 352 Guest House Boutique Hotel located right in the heart of Old San Juan, to our first destination. I was equipped with my new Sony A7RV and the travel-friendly Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 G lens. It was time to see if this relationship had a future – and to take a few photographs (plus a few short videos with my iPhone 13 Pro). I started out easy – with a trip to Castillo San Cristóbal…
Castillo San Cristóbal
Named after the patron saint of land travelers, Saint Christopher, Castillo San Cristóbal, is considered the largest fortress built in the Americas. Built from 1634 until 1765 after the devastating effects of the attacks by the English in 1598 and the Dutch in 1625, the imposing fortress was built for the purpose of protecting the city of San Juan from attack by land from the east.
A view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro (or El Morro), the second fort built on the islet of what is now Old San Juan. El Morro’s construction commenced in 1539 and finished in 1790 and was designed to unnerve attackers approaching from the sea.
Say “hello” to Diana…
Castillo San Cristóbal is a great place to explore and enjoy the beautiful view of Old San Juan. This whole system, which is a San Juan National Historic Site of defense, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.
La Perla sits just outside the northern historic city wall of Old San Juan. The area was originally the site of a slaughterhouse, called El Matadero. It was built in the 18th century outside the walls of San Juan by slaves and non-white servants who were required to live outside the city. It is widely considered a dangerous haven of violence and drugs. However, it has become a tourist curiosity since the video for “Despacito” by Puerto Rican artists Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee saw a record breaking 4 billion views in 2017.
Another view of Castillo San Felipe del Morro. With our trip being just a weekend, we decided to skip the other fortress in favor of other sites. We’ll be back…
A 40 foot tall tower known as El Tótem Telúrico (by Puerto Rican artist Jaime Suárez) stands in the middle of Plaza del Quinto Centenario (Quincentennial Plaza) which was inaugurated in 1992 to celebrate the 500th birthday of the founding of the New World by the Spanish. The square is bound by sculptures representing the Agnus Dei, and the Lamb of God, one of the symbols of San Juan and the main feature of the escutcheon of the coat of arms of Puerto Rico.
Iglesia de San José
Iglesia de San José is one of the first significant works of architecture on the island as well as one of the earliest surviving examples of 16th-century Spanish Gothic architecture in the Western hemisphere. The church was constructed from 1532 to 1735 by the Dominican Order as part of their Saint Aquinas monastery. It was renamed by the Jesuits who took over the monastery in 1865. Juan Ponce de León, the first governor of Puerto Rico, was buried in the crypt of the church from 1559 to 1836.
Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de San Juan Bautista
Old San Juan’s venerated cathedral is Puerto Rico’s grandest religious building, and one of its most important. In fact, San Juan Bautista is the seat of the Archdiocese of Puerto Rico. It’s also the second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere, and the oldest church on U.S. soil. The history of the church dates to 1521 and the earliest beginnings of the Spanish colonization of the island.
Capilla del Cristo (Chapel of Christ) is a small chapel/museum located in Old San Juan. Built in the 18th century and saved from demolition in the 20th century, the structure has become a cultural icon of Puerto Rico.
Parque de las Palomas
Pigeons carry a surprising number of pathogens that spread more than 60 varieties of diseases (none of them fatal to humans) but you wouldn’t know that upon a visit to Parque de las Palomas, a tree-shaded cobblestone courtyard on top of the city wall with views of Bahía de San Juan…
Day Two of our trip started with a pop into Iglesia San Francisco de Asís, which was originally built in 1756 in what is today Plaza San Francisco. The mural at the church’s altar, however, dates to the 1940s.
Next, we headed to Plaza Colón, which is home to a statue of Christopher Columbus that was first erected in the area in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the European “discovery” of Puerto Rico.
A good part of our afternoon on day two in San Juan was spent inside the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, about an 11 minute cab ride outside Old San Juan. Now anyone who knows me knows I’m an art museum nerd. I used to have to drag my wife and daughter to art museums whenever we traveled together but they ultimately became fans. So with this new relationship, another test was presented – would Diana understand and support my love for art museums…or would it all end in tears? My next post will have the answer (as well as a whole lot of photographs from this remarkable art museum!)
El Paseo de la Princesa
A stroll along San Juan’s most beautiful promenade (especially around sunset) is a must. El Paseo de la Princesa extends for a quarter of a mile along the southern city walls of Old San Juan. It is named after the former La Princesa Prison which is now a historic building that houses the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.
The Raíces Fountain, which was completed in May 1992, was designed by architect Miguel Carlo to commemorate and celebrate the New World’s 500th anniversary. This collection of bronze statues honors Puerto Rico’s mixed African, Spanish and Taino/Amerindian heritage. Unfortunately, the fountain wasn’t working…
Hundreds of stray cats live in Old San Juan, roaming the streets and the waterfront. The cats typically are found on the trail, in surrounding brush and along the rocks between the trail and the water. Some are said to have descended from Spanish cats. A grass-roots group, Save a Gato, was created in 2004 and manages the feral cats along the trail. That includes providing food and water, plus trapping, neutering, vaccinating and releasing them. SAG is the only non-profit organization that has an agreement with The National Park Service to manage a colony of cats on national park land.
Did you know you can watch the sun rise AND set in San Juan? Fortunately, we were able to find a photographer to snap a photograph of us right before the sun went down…
We ended our time in Old San Juan at the Plaza de Armas where I ran into Johan Figueroa-González, aka the Living Statue. I first photographed him in NYC’s Washington Square Park several years ago but he’s become a regular sighting here in his homeland at the Plaza de Armas in Old San Juan…
Then we were treated to a fiery performance by Escuela de Bomba y Plena Tata Cepeda. Margarita “Tata” Cepeda and the Cepeda family have been nationally recognized for promoting and preserving the traditions of Puerto Rico bomba music and dance. These photographs will be featured in an upcoming post so stay tuned…
Our third day in San Juan was a lazy one spent on Isla Verde Beach just outside Old San Juan. The video below pretty much sums it up…
With just a weekend in San Juan, I kept my photographs to a reasonable minimum – choosing to also remain in the moment as I walked this lovely city with Diana (who had never been here). How did it all turn out? Well, you’re gonna need to check the next post for the answer to that question (but I think you already know the answer). More from Puerto Rico coming soon…
Special thanks to Freddy and the staff at 352 Guest House Boutique Hotel for their great hospitality. The hotel is located right in the heart of Old San Juan with a lovely rooftop terrace (with Jacuzzi) where we spent our evenings relaxing after a long day of walking the unforgiving cobblestone streets of Old San Juan.Also recommend paying a visit to the Siena Art Gallery where I added to my art collection with an original work by Puerto Rican artist Ismael Figueroa…
Planning a trip to Puerto Rico? Visit discoverpuertorico.com
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3 Comments
Thanks for the beautiful pictures. So happy to hear about Diana. Not with United Way anymore but will continue to travel around through hour lense.
Gladys, so nice to hear from you. Sorry to hear you’re not with UW anymore but hoping all is well in your world. And yes, Diana was a very nice find, you’d like her 🙂
Me encanto todo😍 me encanta como cuentas la historia de nuestro viaje, lo mejor fue el final, tú arte 🖼️ nuestro arte, el cuadro que marca el recuerdo de un viaje maravilloso, gracias mi amor por tanto, de más está decirte que lo disfrute mucho y que nuestro viaje fue Perfecto a pesar de T-Mobil 🙃
