Adventures with Christine - Last days!

On Wednesday, May 27th, Christine and I decided to spend her last day of ‘vacation with the Armstrongs’ doing some touristy stuff. Andrew suggested that Chris take a hotel near the airport since she had an early flight and she took him up on the idea for 3 nights. I guess she anticipated needing some R&R after playing with us on the boat for five days! Anyway, the day before moving into her ocean view room at the Courtyard Marriott in San Juan, Chris and I set out for a self guided tour of Old San Juan, a bustling town steeped in centuries of Spanish culture & history. 

At the suggestion of the Marriott concierge, we started at the top of the hill to see El Morro, a fort ordered to be built by the King of Spain in 1539 and finally completed in 1783. It crests the expansive San Juan National Historic Site, a popular meeting place for children on school outings, families on vacation and people of all sorts strolling, sunning or flying kites. 

From the fort, we walked downhill through the narrow cobblestone streets, popping into art galleries and shops of interest, while perusing menus to figure out what we wanted to have for lunch. When we got to the end of a street and weren’t sure which way to go, I used my tried and true technique of asking a local. We were directed to a spot I had in my notes of “places to try”, so we set off toward a restaurant called Raices. Upon discovering a 40 minute wait, we opted for tropical drinks in a breezy walkway at an outdoor cafe called Puerto Criollo. The people watching was so good that we decided to stay for the frutos del mar salad and skip the fancy restaurant.

After lunch, we walked the Paseo de la Princsesa, a promenade built behind a protective wall along the sea where Spanish gentry used to enjoy the balmy evenings. From there we found our way to Raines Fountain,  the large bronze statute of Amerindians, Spaniards and Africans with dolphins cavorting at their feet, symbolizing the roots of Puerto Rican culture. 

The day was capped at the Marriott beachside bar with a pina colada (or two), putting a close to the delightful adventures with our good friend, Christine.