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Spanish language or a phrase book will come in handy and will be greatly appreciated. Though a part of the US, Puerto Rico’s culture is its own — a blend of Taíno, African, Spanish, and American influences. This is a place of wonderful cuisine, hot salsa music, eco-adventure, elegant resorts, great beauty, and a powerful, ever-present sense of history. On a recent trip, I stayed at the elegant Wyndham Old San Juan Hotel — practically next door to the San Juan area known as Old San Juan, the oldest capital city under the US flag. This is a seven-square-block district that is designated as a world-class historic site by the United Nations. Over 500 years old, Old San Juan is full of traditional Colonial architecture. My feeling was that if you had blindfolded me and dropped me there, I would tell you I was in a city somewhere in Spain — but a whole lot cleaner. The buildings here all vary in color and no two adjoining ones are allowed to be similarly colored. The style and appearance is reminiscent of older houses in San Francisco. This historical district also reminds me of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Businesses, restaurants, museums, plazas, fortifications, street musicians, small shops, flowers, trees, churches, and small hotels fill the area. The narrow streets are paved with blue cobblestones cast from furnace slag and were brought as ballast on Spanish ships.
On a walking tour, our guide led us to many cultural/historical sites. The medieval San Juan Cathedral, rebuilt in 1540, contains the burial place of Ponce de León, a stunning “mummy” of the actual San Pío (a Roman Catholic martyr interred in 1862), ornate frescos and sculptures, and a coin-operated, electric-candle prayer table. Nearby is the Plazuela de la Rogativa featuring a statue commemorating the religious torch-bearing procession which fooled the British. The Museo de Nuestra Raiz Africana offers background on the lives and culture of African slaves and their descendants in Puerto Rico. Amidst ceremonial dress, musical instruments, and artifacts is a stirring exhibit that allows you to see the horrific quarters endured by Africans on slave ships. Housing photographs, recordings, and videotapes of cellist Pablo Casals’ life and music is the Museo Pablo Casals . Casals, a Spaniard, was married to a Puerto Rican, his mother was Puerto Rican, and he spent his last 17 years there. You can also see his cello and an amazing cast of his hands. Casals — the founder of the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra — is also responsible for an elegant international music festival held each June in San Juan. A strong sense of history and conquest can be felt while visiting the forts in Old San Juan — Castillo de San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) and Castillo de San Cristóbal. El Morro (meaning “headland”) was begun in the early 16th Century and is the oldest fortress still standing in the New World. This six-level marvel guards the entrance to San Juan Bay. Its impregnable walls measure 140 feet high and 18 feet thick. San Cristóbal was completed in 1771, a strategic masterpiece stretched over 27 acres, features five independent, self-sufficient units connected by a maze of moats and tunnels. An 18th-Century barracks room shows how soldiers lived and the top of the fort offers a great view of Old San Juan and the Atlantic Ocean. The next day brought a day trip to the East-coast town of Fajardo, a one-time fishing village that is now home to resorts, sailing excursions, and diving destinations. We had a wonderful lunch overlooking the ocean at Wyndham’s El Conquistador Resort. There, I visited the Golden Door Spa and decided to get a massage in my spare time. Small world, the massage therapist was from Austin, Texas. The Spa also features a wellness center, a full gym, and a yummy juice bar. The Resort also has a water ferry to take you to Palomino Island, El Conquistador’s private beach (ahh, miniature island-hopping!). It’s back to the road again, this time we’re headed south across the island to the city of Ponce — a place founded in 1692 by Ponce de León’s great grandson. Along this road is magnificent mountain scenery and the flamboyán (flamboyant tree) which shines with scarlet, orange, purple, and yellow blossoms. Known as the “Pearl of the South,” Ponce offers the historic Plaza las Delicias with lovely fountains, gardens, and Catedral de la Guadalupe. Since 1968, more than 500 historic buildings |
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