If you are in the States and you would like to plan some days of chill and relaxation, Puerto Rico definitely is one of the best options. When I arrived in NY, a Spanish friend introduced me to some Puerto Ricans. From the very first moment, my interest in their culture started to increase. I would like to define Puerto Rico as the key between the American and the Spanish people. For that reason, I decided to organize a trip with one of my Puerto Rican friends. As you know, it is not the same to organize a trip on your own or organize with a local that knows all the best places to show. For that reason, I would like to make the Ultimate Guide to Puerto Rico. In my next three posts, I will talk about all the things that I fell in love with during my holidays on the Island.
We started the trip with some celebrations in NYC for the 4th of July. We organized a barbecue in Queens Bridge Park, in front of Manhattan and Roosevelt Island. The views were amazing and it was a great location to see the fireworks after the sunset! Hamburgers, hot dogs, steak, and some vegetables cooked in the fire. Our flight was leaving from Newark (New Jersey) at 8 p.m. so we decided to leave our friends at 4 p.m. During the first fifteen minutes of the flight, we enjoyed all the fireworks just underneath the plane, it was incredible. After four hours of flight over the Atlantic Ocean, we arrived in San Juan at midnight. It was my first time in the Caribbean but despite being July, the temperature and the humidity were much comfortable than in NYC. We started our trip the next morning and our first destination was the old San Juan. The city from an architectural point of view is quite interesting due to the colonial past of the town. The buildings remember the facades and the architecture of the south part of Spain. One of the most important historical places is “El Castillo San Felipe del Morro”, a defensive fortress built by Juan de Tejada and Juan Bautista Antinelli between XVI and XVIII. This citadel is part of the list of World Heritage Sites and is located in the west end of San Juan Island. There are some observation points and a bunker built during the Second World War. Right now, the place is administrated by the National Parks Service. If you go by day you will enjoy all the terraces and the interior, by night the impressive fortress is calm and quiet, a perfect point to taking some photos!
