San Juan, Puerto Rico

March 14, 2008

The ship docked on a small island called the Isleta de San Juan close to an area of the city known as “Old” San Juan. The quaint cobblestone streets and beautiful colonial architecture, some of which dates back to the 16th and 17th century gives the impression of stepping back in time. Massive walls and sections of old forts surround parts of the city. As a settlement of the Spanish Empire, San Juan was first used by merchant and military ships traveling from Spain as the first stopover in the Americas. The many fortifications built on the island were meant to protect the vast amounts of gold and silver transported from the New World To Europe. as such, San Juan became a target for pirates as well as many foreign powers,. In 1898 Spain ceded the island to the United States by signing the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War.

My visit to San Juan began with a tour of the famous Bacardi Run Factory. Having visiting a number of distilleries and factories, I always find them interesting. Unfortunately, visiting the Bacardi factory was not so special. It was one big advertisement....a lot of waiting for the tour to begin....and then a very “plastic” feeling of seeing a facsimile of the process....a major disappointment. Fortunately, our coach guide was sensitive to this tour and went out of his way to show us around the old part of the city as we made our way back to the ship. I was reminded of staying in an old monastery that has been converted to a 5-star hotel back when I was President of ASID. It was a nice trip down memory lane.

So, my brief visit to Puerto Rico was really uneventful. Now it is on to Phillipsburg, St. Maarten.