This morning I found myself reflecting on my journal for September 27, 2023, which documents an all too brief stop Renee and I had in Saun Juan, Puerto Rico last year. I feel I did a decent job of capturing the beauty of Old San Juan the place, particularly considering the short time we had there. I do wish I would have captured more about the beauty of the people we encountered. Everyone we encountered was warm and welcoming. Hector, our tour guide, had a great passion for the history of Puerto Rico that came through in everything he did and said, and truly made our experience wonderful. He alone made a lasting impression that, still today, reminds me of the beauty of the people of Puerto Rico. I wish I would have written more about that at the time, but better late than never.

Today I find myself wanting to make a return visit, and perhaps staying a bit longer.

tags: travel puertorico

postposted by matt in Monday, October 28, 2024

I just love the lines of this ship. Truly beautiful.

tags: disney fantasy sanjuan puertorico travel cruise ship

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Back to the ship!

tags: disney fantasy sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

We watched this stray cat walk along the sidewalk and into this little protected nook...for bath time. He appeared to be pretty well-fed!

tags: sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The flag of Puerto Rico flies in an open window in this restaurant.

tags: sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Even the bricks in the streets are fabulous. They have this blue color to them that I've never seen before. Interesting and beautiful.

tags: sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

After leaving Castillo San Cristóbal, we walked the streets of Old San Juan a bit. What a beautiful place. Narrow streets lined with shops and restaurants, bright colors all around, and friendly people everywhere.

tags: travel disney sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Renee and I in Castillo San Cristóbal with the port in the background. We really enjoyed our visit to this incredible place of history.

tags: disney cruise sanjuan puertorico selfie

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

The fortress has a narrow opening at one end that provided an interesting frame for our ship — the Disney Fantasy.

tags: disney cruise sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

There's a little chapel inside the fortress, in the open central yard. Tiny, bright.

tags: disney cruise sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Renee walking through the halls in Castillo San Cristóbal.

tags: sanjuan puertorico travel

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Another view of the flags above Castillo San Cristóbal, in the opposite order in this perspective.

tags: travel sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Three flags wave above Castillo San Cristóbal in San Juan and in a particular order — from left to right in this picture, the Burgandy Cross, the flag of Puerto Rico, and the flag of the United States. I believe the Burgandy Cross is a symbol of the old Spanish military.

tags: sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Our tour group stopped at Castillo San Cristóbal, on of the fortresses built by Spain on San Juan island over 500 years ago. Our tour guide, Hector, was truly amazing - knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the history of Puerto Rico. This is a shot of the whole group in the central part of Castillo San Cristóbal.

tags: travel sanjuan puertorico

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

We had a gorgeous look at Old San Juan as we continued into port. What a beautiful port entrance.

tags: travel disney cruise puertorico sanjuan

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Our first glimpse of San Juan, Puerto Rico. We wrapped around the fortress on the point, early in the morning, as we entered port. Beautiful time of day to see this port for the first time.

tags: travel cruise puertorico sanjuan

photo posted by matt in Wednesday, September 27, 2023