Day One: Arriving in San Juan
We did it! We're here in sunny San Juan! After two years of planning, fundraising, preparing and waiting, it's hard to believe this time has come!
After an early morning coach bus ride to Milwaukee, we had my favorite kind of travel day... a non-eventful one! Everyone was able to sit where they wanted on the plane, all luggage made it to our destination, and we even landed in Puerto Rico a little bit ahead of schedule! It doesn't get much better than that! We met Astacio, our tour guide, at the baggage claim and headed off to grab a quick lunch before getting our first glimpse of the city.
Our first stop of today's walking tour was Castillo San Cristobal- a National Historic Site run by the U.S. National Park Service. We learned that during the 16th century, Puerto Rico was a strategically located island owned by Spain, and in order to maintain control of the island, the Spanish spent over 250 years fortifying it. This may be why Spain was able to keep Puerto Rico under its control for almost 400 years! We all enjoyed exploring the fort; both the views of the sea and the tour of its underground tunnels were fascinating. Hearing the story of Saint Barbara's protection against sudden death by lightning was particularly memorable.
We continued our tour along the sea, stopping at numerous sites along the way. Our final destination for the evening was dinner at Barrachina, coincidentally the restaurant where the world's first Pina Colada was created. Dinner choices for the evening included chicken with rice and beans, salad with chicken, or Pasta Primavera. Everyone sealed the deal with Tres Leches cake for dessert. Yum.
Day One is in the books... looking forward to the mountaintop adventures coming our way in the morning. For now, it's time to catch up on some sleep!
After an early morning coach bus ride to Milwaukee, we had my favorite kind of travel day... a non-eventful one! Everyone was able to sit where they wanted on the plane, all luggage made it to our destination, and we even landed in Puerto Rico a little bit ahead of schedule! It doesn't get much better than that! We met Astacio, our tour guide, at the baggage claim and headed off to grab a quick lunch before getting our first glimpse of the city.
Our first stop of today's walking tour was Castillo San Cristobal- a National Historic Site run by the U.S. National Park Service. We learned that during the 16th century, Puerto Rico was a strategically located island owned by Spain, and in order to maintain control of the island, the Spanish spent over 250 years fortifying it. This may be why Spain was able to keep Puerto Rico under its control for almost 400 years! We all enjoyed exploring the fort; both the views of the sea and the tour of its underground tunnels were fascinating. Hearing the story of Saint Barbara's protection against sudden death by lightning was particularly memorable.
Day One is in the books... looking forward to the mountaintop adventures coming our way in the morning. For now, it's time to catch up on some sleep!
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