Travel Day 004 – Old San Juan, PUERTO RICO
After the great day in Old San Juan yesterday, I just had to come back again in the morning and see more of this amazing UNESCO World Heritage Site…
Sentry Box and Lighthouse of UNESCO El Morro Fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Actually, as I found out online, the entire old town with its surrounding walls, its bastions, its powder houses and its forts, La Fortaleza, El Canuelo, El Morro and San Cristobal, were all part of the UNESCO enlisted historic site. La Fortaleza was the original small fortress that was built first in Puerto Rico and over time had been remodeled into what is best described as a fusion of a medieval castle and a colonial mansion in baby-blue. El Canuelo fort on the other hand was located across the harbor entrance to help protect the colonial port. San Felipe del Morro Fort, or El Morro for short, was once defended by some 400 cannons and it was the heavy fortress that I had already visited yesterday. San Cristobal was the remaining fortress in the city that I was visiting today…
El Castillo de San Cristobal was located on the eastern end of the historic old town of San Juan opposite of Castillo San Felipe del Morro. While El Morro fort was built on the cliffs at the end of the peninsula to protect the city from sea attacks, San Cristobal was situated in such a way that it functioned as a protector of possible land invasions. In order to safeguard the entire peninsula, San Cristobal covered a much larger area than El Morro and even today, it appeared as a vast fortress although some parts of it had already been demolished over time…
Baby-blue UNESCO enlisted La Fortaleza in San Juan, Puerto Rico
In the end it took many hours to explore all the levels of the great historic fort of San Cristobal, but it was well worth the visit. This was especially the case because it was also possible to enjoy great views over the whole UNESCO enlisted Old Town of San Juan and spot many big land iguanas on the grassy areas. Considering that two more forts belonged to the city, I couldn’t help but think again that this really must have been the biggest fortress city ever built by mankind…
For the rest of the day I enjoyed some more explorational walking through the narrow cobble stone streets of San Juan while discovering new things along the way. Besides the nice colorful colonial houses, one of the best things I happened to discover was the local food. Especially Pastele with pork, rice, beans and sweet plantains, as well as Mofongo with pork, rice and salad were my absolute favorites. So considering that the UNESCO city of San Juan had not really been a planned place to visit for me, it had definitely proved to be a great destination and the perfect starting point for my Round the World Trip… : )
Find all San Juan photos here
Looking cool. Would love to visit the castillo. Love the ruins
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler recently posted…Where to stay on St. Kitts – Marriott St. Kitts
Yeah, San Juan is well worth a visit. The whole city is basically one big fortress, but then you also have smaller forts at the perimeter, like here El Morro Fort. In that sense, San Juan is quite an interesting sight, especially in combination with the many colorful colonial houses throughout the city…