~Monday (September 30)
Monday morning, Ben and I got up early to
work out in the hotel gym. Every time I work out in a gym, I’m reminded of how
much I love the outdoors! J
After
our workout, we enjoyed breakfast with the family. I splurged and ordered an
everything omelet, coconut farina, watermelon, and passion fruit juice. Island food
is the best!
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Having
fun on one of the breakers at the beach. J
Photo
Credit: Betsy.
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Mid-afternoon,
we cleaned up and got ready to welcome Tita. It was a happy reunion between all
of us! She’s looking great for her age (98 years old!)
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She had already eaten with our Titi L (her
caregiver right now), so we visited with them during Happy Hour. At 6:30 p.m.,
we left for the hotel restaurant for our dinner.
This
evening, I had a sampler. I ate bruschetta, chicken chicharrones, and coconut
shrimp. It was all tasty!
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For
dessert, I had flan for the very first time (hard to believe, considering I
grew up in a Puerto Rican family!) It was delicious, but I’m guessing my Abuela’s version is better. J
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We went up to bed at a reasonable hour,
knowing we had a long day on Tuesday . . .
~Tuesday (October 1)
We awoke bright and early this morning
because we were going to Old San Juan! Our excitement was just slightly
dampened by the news that the U.S. government had shut down. Because Puerto
Rico is a colony of the United States, all the national parks and monuments were
closed there as well. L
We still went forward with our plans to go to OSJ, but we knew we wouldn’t be
able to go inside the fort we wanted to visit. But at least we could see the
outside and the rest of the city!
We ate an early breakfast, packed our day
bags, and met our driver downstairs. He drove us over to the ferry.
We
boarded and enjoyed the short ride over to the city!
Photo
Credit: Betsy.
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When we arrived, we started the long walk towards
the fort. We began sweating pretty quickly, as it was 90 degrees out, with
humidity that almost matched.
We
passed by this fountain along the way, and some other tourists offered to take
a picture for us. They were from the States as well, so we got to chatting
about the shutdown.
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Still
walking along the outside wall of the city.
Photo
Credit: Betsy.
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Since we stopped along the way for pictures
and to pet some of the stray cats, it took us 45 minutes to an hour to walk to
the fort. We were pretty warm once we arrived, but the beauty takes your breath
away. J
Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
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The
view looking from the fort to the city. We had fun walking around the fort,
even though we couldn’t go inside. There were signs posted everywhere reminding
us why the park was closed. J
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Posing
outside the citadel doors with our cousin, J.
Photo
Credit: Betsy.
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What
we had been walking towards was the sherbet stand! We bought cups of coconut,
passion fruit, strawberry, and guava sherbet. It was *so* refreshing on such a
hot day!
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Then
we headed off to find some lunch. I love the old cobblestone streets in Old San
Juan!
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My grandparents had wanted to take us to a
restaurant they had dined at 2 years ago and loved. But unfortunately it had
closed. A taxi driver recommended another restaurant, so we headed in that
direction.
But as we walked, a waiter standing in front
of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant convinced us to eat there. J
We didn’t protest too hard, as we were ready for some air conditioning!
Inside, the restaurant was pleasantly
spacious and very attractive. We enjoyed deliciously cool drinks and great
Puerto Rican food! I had a chicken empanada with salad and tostones. So good!
Then
they surprised my Uncle by bringing out a birthday cake! The chocolate cake was
cool, moist, and refreshing and well-liked by everyone. It’s hard to go wrong
with chocolate in this family!
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Finally, we had to call it an afternoon and
catch the ferry. The bus ride back to the hotel felt so good, and some of us
conked out right away.
Everyone hit the shower once we arrived at
the hotel. It felt so good to rid ourselves of the sweat and dust we had
accumulated that day!
Then we went down for dinner. Since we had
such a big lunch, we ate light for dinner. We sat in the lounge area with Tita
and Titi L and ordered a few trays of appetizers.
Margherita
pizza and quesadillas.
Photo Credit: Roma.
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The
twins with Tita.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
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We hit the bed fairly early this evening, as
we were exhausted. And we knew that the next day would be full of yet more
sightseeing!
To
be continued . . .
Bia/Bio's comments
ReplyDeleteIt was great reliving our family experience in Puerto Rico. The pictures and comments are great. Inspite of the unfortunate accident with Tita, she genuinely enjoyed her seven great grandchildren. She commented to us that the visit was a healing balm for her, but the next visit should be longer. She is an incredible strong woman at almost 99. The hard work she did to raise her BIG family has indeed contributed to her life longevity.
Let's all pray for her full recovery!
We are so glad we could go on this trip, Bia and Bio! It was a big blessing and encouragement to us as well, and we're so glad we could see Tita. We are indeed praying for her recovery!
ReplyDelete~Bianca