Day 6:
Thursday the 1st of December
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| Coming into old San Juan harbour |
After leaving St Kitts we spent a few hours enjoying
one of the ship’s pools, the sea calm and the weather perfect for sailing. That
night we were serenaded by our waiters to ”O Solo Mio”, it being Italian night
at dinnertime. We eat at 830pm every evening, with a couple from Venezuela who
live now in Miami, Marisela and Jesús, the four of us sharing a table for eight
in the very beautiful and spacious dining room.
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| Ships waiters serenading us |
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| Marie and I with our friends from Venezuela, Marisela and Jesús |
The Navigator of the Seas sailed into San
Juan Harbour early on the 1st, tying up in the old city, La Ciudad
Amurallada (the walled city) at 8am. Marie and I had been in Puerto Rico a few
years back, on route to the Dominican Republic, but never had the chance to
explore the island together. I had been here innumerable times during my Navy
career, usually stopping at the US Naval Base in Roosevelt Roads, and was
acquainted with the pace and flavour of San Juan. But again we didn’t have much
time to enjoy all the sights of this large island as the ship was due to sail
at 2pm. We contented ourselves with starting off early and having breakfast in
a local favourite, the Café Manolin, then circling old San Juan on foot, from
the San Cristobal Castle to the famous point of entry to the city, San Felipe
Del Morro.
Between these two 400 year old forts we wandered up the old narrow
cobblestoned streets, looked down on the old historic cemetery with it’s
orange-domed church, walked along the boardwalk, home to wild cats (I quit
counting after 100!) that lived along the rocks and bushes along San Juan Bay
to Del Morro castle, picked up a few souvenirs and enjoyed the warm tropical
weather of early December – little humidity, temperatures around 80 and a cool
breeze coming in off the Atlantic Ocean. Tomorrow we are off to Labadee, Haiti,
our last port of call before returning to Florida. gws
