Welcome back aboard Steemers! Today's journey takes us on a voyage to the Caribbean! Next stop! The Virgin Islands!
After my first Contract sailing around Australia I knew I had to do another. I spent 3 weeks back home in Charleston SC resting and packing. When the call came in I was hoping for something long term. Something no less then 2 months. I got 16 weeks in the Caribbean! First stop was Puerto Rico!
Puerto Rico was amazing! As soon as I landed and got to my hotel I headed straight for the beach! And I was not disappointed.
Puerto Rico was just the first stop however. I knew I would Ben in San Juan every week for just a day so I spent the first two days I had exploring the city alone. Once I joined the ship, unlike last time, I knew I wanted to start the contract making friends and exploring with them!
The city was amazing! Small bakery's, mom and pop shops, and lots of rich History! Two places however in particular were my favorite.
The first was the San Juan Mall. Now I know what you're thinking. "Out of all the places in San Juan your favorite was the Mall?!?!" The thing is I did have to stock up on supplies so I had to go but also it wasn't the mall itself that I loved. It was the people! The day I went there was a huge celebration. The local police force was there to play music and sing songs. The locals were dancing everywhere they could. It was like walking into a musical or an episode of Glee! You could feel the joy in the air and it was something I had never experienced anywhere else! After an hour of watching the people however I decided to move along and explore the rest of San Juan.
Being the huge history buff that I am I made my way to Castillo San Cristóbal or Fort San Cristóbal. Castillo San Cristóbal is the largest fortification built by the Spanish in the New World. When it was finished in 1783, it covered about 27 acres of land and basically wrapped around the city of San Juan! Entry to the city was sealed by San Cristóbal's double gates. After close to one hundred years of relative peace in the area, part of the fortification was demolished in 1897 to help ease the flow of traffic in and out of the walled city. I just had to see it!
The hallways of the fort were very narrow but perfectly round. It was like walking through a haunted castle!
After stoping many times to take a lifetime supply of selfies I finally made it to the top! The view was to die for! You could see the entire city.
It wasn't just the view of the city that was gorgeous however but the view of the ocean as well. My mind started to race as I imagined what it was like to battle ships from the fort!
As I explored the top of the fort I imagined what it would be like to live there. To drink my morning coffee and stare out over the ocean. To go to sleep at night to the sound of the waves. I knew then I had seen and experienced a wonder I never had before! I didn't want to leave. But as the sun went down I took some final photos and I returned to my hotel.
To this day San Juan is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever had the privilege to journey through! One day I will return, I'll stand at the top of the fort, and I'll know that live happens even after a storm.
