SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO


(Puerto Rico Flag)


(Puerto Rico Map)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008:

Very early on Friday, February 15 I flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
It was a four and a half hour flight out of Chicago's O'Hare airport.

CHICAGO SKYLINE VIDEO 2 minute video of the Chicago skyline as I flew out of Chicago.

All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.

I arrived in San Juan around 4:00pm and checked into the Condado Plaza Hotel.
It was sunny and warm and I had time for a short walk around the area before the sun set.

MY EMAIL SENT FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008

Hello Everyone, It's time for my winter break. I left Indianapolis very early this morning and flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Had to sit on the plane in Chicago for over an hour and a half waiting for luggage to be screened that was coming in from Canada. Other than that flights were uneventful. Below is the Condado Plaza Hotel here in San Juan where I am staying. Didn't have time to do much today as there was only about two hours of daylight left after I got checked into the hotel. I did have time for a walk around the area before it got dark where I took the pictures below. Tomorrow (Saturday) I leave on a 7 day cruise of the Southern Caribbean. We stop in St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, Bonaire and Aruba before returning to San Juan the following Saturday. Below is the view from my balcony at sunset this evening. The ship doesn't leave here until 11:00pm tomorrow night so I will have all day here in San Juan before we leave. Below is my hotel room. Weather is nice here, temps in the 80s. Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2008:

On Saturday I boarded the Crown Princess around noon. It was docked at Pier Four in Old San Juan.
Since we didn't sail until 11:00pm I spent the afternoon walking all around historic Old San Juan.
Children were cooling off from the warm afternoon sun in the fountain at Plaza del Quinto Centenario.
The lawn in front of Castillo San Filipe del Morro was filled with people flying kites in the strong trade winds.


There are spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean from the nearly 500 year old fort.


After leaving del Morrow I continued my walk
through the narrow streets of Old San Juan over to Fort San Cristobal.


You get a nice view of the city and my cruise ship from inside this fort.


I returned to the ship at dusk for dinner and the welcome aboard show in the Princess Theater.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO VIDEO 11 minute video of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

At 11:00PM the Crown Princess sailed away from San Juan.
Watch the video below to see the sail away.

SAN JUAN SAIL AWAY VIDEO 9 minute video of my sail away from San Juan, Puerto Rico on the Crown Princes.

MY EMAIL SENT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2008

Hello, I spent the morning at the hotel and then was transferred to the Crown Princess around noon. I have a standard balcony stateroom on deck 12. I am all the way to the back of the ship. Below is a lousy picture of my cabin. After getting settled I set out on my own to explore San Juan. I walked over to el Morro passing through Plaza del Quinto Centenario. You can see children cooling off in the plaza's fountain below. Across the street was Castillo San Filipe del Morro. The lawn was filled with people flying kites in the strong trade winds. Lying on the northwestern-most point of the islet of Old San Juan, Castillo San Felipe del Morro is named in honor of King Philip II of Spain. The citadel was erected in 1539. In 1983 it was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations. I walked around inside the citadel which was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay, and defend the Spanish colonial port city of San Juan from seaborne enemies. There are nice ocean views from inside el Morro. Below is a nice view of San Juan from inside Castillo San Filipe del Morro. Below is the Atlantic Ocean from Castillo San Filipe del Morro. I walked through Cementerio Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzi. This ornate 1863 cemetery overlooking the ocean is the burial spot of many famous Puerto Ricans. I continued my walk along the narrow streets of the city. Next I visited Fort San Cristobal. Another nice view of San Juan from this fort. From here I walked back to the ship and we sailed away at 11:00PM. More later, Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

Click above to continue to my next adventure, ST. THOMAS.

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