San Juan
Having spent several days crossing the Ocean and the previous day exploring Saint Thomas, we were excited for our day in Puerto Rico. We disembarked from the ship and spent the first several hours simply walking around old San Juan, snapping pictures and enjoying the feeling of firm ground under our feet.
Mike had been to San Juan several years previous, and remembered a cigar shop he had visited previously. We spent a while walking around looking for Don Collins Cigar shop, where we found Don Collins himself and his assistant, a delightful musician making his way with live music on the coast. Mike bought cigars and we chatted with noel, the assistant.
We visited both castles on the island, which were at one point responsible for defending and protecting the island from invaders. These fortresses were a stark and sobering reminder of wars long past, though today children fly kites over the area in glee.
In the evening, live music played loudly along the coast while shoppers carried their treasures back to the ships. We sampled locally produced beer in a brewery down town before returning to the ship and watching San Juan fade in the distance as our ship sailed off to sea. Only two more days until we reached America.
I appreciate the tips you leave along the route of you cruises. In the days of yore I hit most of these ports by air and although quite frisky, was never rude or trampled outside legal boundaries.