Everyone knows I love the beach, and even though Puerto Rico has many beautiful shores, I knew exactly where I would live when I moved to the island. Old San Juan (OSJ) is unique, as it is the city which lies inside the walls of El Morro, a famous fortress built by the Spaniards in the 16th century. The fortress took about 250 years to build, guarding the San Juan harbor and protecting the city from intruders. The structure boasts massive walls and many sentry boxes, which soldiers would stand in to keep a lookout for potential enemies. The architecture in OSJ screams of Spanish influence, with its narrow cobblestone streets and colorful buildings, each with their own charming balconies. My neighborhood is full of history and each time I sit in a plaza to write or just to observe life I always think about how cool my surroundings are. People come here from all over the world to see what the Spaniards (with the manual labor of Tainos and Africans, of course) were able to construct 500 years ago. It is quite impressive. The first picture shows a sentry box and the others are of the fortress walls at El Morro.
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2 comments:
Old San Juan looks beautiful. I can't wait to visit! The dead bird story was hilarious by the way.
I like the cup in the picture with the dead bird! It looks like an offical crime scene.lol
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