People traveling to Puerto Rico typically plan on seeing the gorgeous beaches, exploring the vibrant architecture and eating the wonderful food, all of which are a definite must during your visit. However, we also suggest you take the time to walk around the outskirts of the city center and explore some urban street art, or watch locals as they themselves enjoy their beautiful landscapes, and play in and around the iconic and breathtaking fortresses, while watching some of the most amazing sunsets you may ever see.
The previous one, watch locals, is one that we love to do, as it helps us better emerse ourselves in the roots of where we are and understand what it is that local people love about their home.
While walking from our hotel to the center of San Juan, we watched several young kids jumping into the crystal blue waters of the bay, as they cooled off while having fun. Later, as we continued our walk, we saw some amazing street art lining the walls. Finally, we arrived at our first fortress….
The site and backdrop of the water against the fortress Castillo San Cristóbal was incredible. Not only are you able to walk into these amazingly historic and monolithic structures, you can almost imagine what it was once like to be a Spanish soldier defending the walls. There are two main fortresses we visited on our walk through town and the second one was even more spectacular than the first. This last fortress was Castillo San Felipe del Morro…
In order to get to this landmark, we continued walking through the charming Spanish colonial buildings of San Juan. Here, we grabbed a bite to eat and tasted some of the best rum we believe we have ever had. After our delightful drink, we finally arrived at Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a grand fortress sitting among a large green grassy field, filled with people enjoying their day. There are kids running, flying kites high into the sky, families walking their dogs and visitors taking in the amazing scenery. All of this felt even more incredible and surreal when the sun began its journey to set on the brilliant sea. The colors of the sky and fortress intensified during each passing minute, and for that short time, everyone in the area was in awe of the beauty and spectacle of the world we live in. A dreamlike moment that must truly be experienced.
So…What are you waiting for? The sunset won’t last forever…
LOCAL | yetnot 