We wake up early – who’s surprised about that? – and have to really cool our heels before breakfast. We manage to patiently (sort of) wait until 7 (when breakfast starts) to go downstairs, and the dining room is not really open. No water on the table, no coffee or tea out yet. Oops. When we checked in, they gave us little order forms (they called them papers) that we were supposed to give to the “girls” in the dining room. They had check boxes for what you wanted (boiled eggs, toast, etc.) and an anticipated time when we’d be there. The first day we just handed the girl the paper, but we never handed in the 2nd day, just assuming we’d give it to them when we arrived. Apparently that isn’t how it works! We did find one of the guys in the reception area, and he turned on the lights, A/C and plugged in the coffee. Hmmmm… The girl came out, and we managed to order in Spanish (with the paper) and ask for hot water (so we could have our instant coffee!). That at least worked, and while we probably put them out, they did manage to get our breakfast together quickly – except the coffee which once again had its own difficulties.
After breakfast we decided to take a walk down along the water on the Paseo del Morro trail. We had overheard one of the guests saying it was a lovely walk, so we thought we’d try it since we had tons of time. Looking at the map, it appeared we could access the walk via the Paseo de la Princesa, so we headed in that direction, being sure to take photos of the Pigeon park entrance, which looks wholly different in the early morning with no pigeons and no bamboo umbrellas and tables at the Chapel bar.
We also got to actually visit inside the Parque de las Palomas – without the pigeons, which was a very nice and peaceful lookout over the harbor and the islands across from the city. We continued down through the sleeping town to the Paseo de la Princesa and then to the end of the promenade and the lovely fountain - The Raíces Fountain - which was created to celebrate the New World’s 500th anniversary. The fountain contains statues that honor Puerto Rico’s mixed African, Spanish and Taino/Amerindian heritage and is also said to be a very romantic place in the evenings as the sun sets. Unfortunately we are here as the sun rises, but it is a beautiful setting, nonetheless.
Moving past the fountain, we find ourselves at the beginning of the Paseo del Morro, which is a broad walkway all along the waterfront, following the lines of the fortress walls to the old city of San Juan. It’s a lovely walk, dappled in bright sunlight and shade. There are stunning views of the garitas and old fortress walls as we circumnavigate the old city.
Oh, and the cats. Have we mentioned the cats? They are everywhere – freaking everywhere! More cats here than on Hydra, which is cat central for Grecian felines. We only have one picture of this precocious little thing sitting in the middle of the walkway – but trust us when we tell you there were hundreds of cats down here – and lots of little tupperware feeding stations too. So, whether they are feral or not, they are being taken care of – fed and watered – here along the Paseo del Morro – and we are assuming elsewhere in the city since they are so plentiful.
Besides the cats, we spend a delightful hour or so wandering along the paved walkway along the bay. It is just heating up as we return, and we realize that there is an entrance to the path right outside the road that leads to our hotel. No way! It turns out to be the main gate into San Juan! La Puerta de San Juan, also known as the Red Gate, was the original entryway into the old city of San Juan. Geez! It is totally not clear on our map, so we walked far, far out of our way to get here – we loved the exercise, but still….sigh. So, we took the short way back to the hotel, past the Governor’s guards and past this great graffiti of the PR flag on downed tree roots.
Back in the room, we do our final organizing for the flights home, then go downstairs taking one last photo of the cool courtyard,
then bid Ricardo a fond farewell when our cab arrives to take us to the airport. Thirty minutes later, we are checked in and safely ensconced in the Priority Club lounger, hanging out until our 3 pm flight back to the mainland. The flights are all on time – early even into Atlanta – and we traverse the two terminals with enough time for some food and beverages before the flight to Asheville. You know I never ever talk about airport food – always overpriced and of nominal value – but this time, I just have to post the picture of the Southern Starter at Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint. OMG. I ordered it because it had fried green tomatoes and fried okra – figuring it’s an airport restaurant, how much – and how good – could it be? Holy cow. It was crazy – crazy huge and crazy good! There was no way I was finishing this – I couldn’t even finish the tomatoes – which for you all know means there was way too much food on this plate!
Ed got the wings, and even those were almost too much to finish. Wow, that was quite the dinner!
Totally sated, we rolled ourselves onto our little plane and flew happily back to Asheville and our Lyft ride home. A very successful end to an incredibly great trip.
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