Old San JuanThis area, encompassing about seven blocks, dates back
about 500 years to the Spanish occupation when it served as a
military stronghold that even repulsed Sir Francis Drake. The
original cobbles on the streets are blue-tinged, and were
originally ballast on the Spanish ships. The ancient stones set off
the more than 400 restored 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial
buildings that fill Old San Juan and draw thousands of tourists to
walk the narrow, steep streets every day. The old town is enclosed
in amazingly thick, high walls and features numerous attractive
plazas bearing sculptures and memorials.Spanish FortsThe mighty six-level fortress of San Felipe del Morro,
built in 1540, towers 140 feet (43m) above the sea on San Juan Bay,
its 18-foot thick (5m) walls having proved a worthy defence against
invasion. The largest fortification in the Caribbean, it is a maze
of tunnels, dungeons, barracks, lookouts and ramps, offering
spectacular views from atop its ramparts. Also in Norzagaray
Street, Old San Juan, is El Morro's partner in defending the city,
Castillo San Cristobal, built in the 17th century to a confusing
and intricate modular design.La FortalezaThe Fortaleza was built in 1540 as a fortress to guard
the entrance to the San Juan harbour, but later became the official
Governor's residence. During succeeding centuries the original
structure has been remodelled and expanded, with a neoclassical
façade being added in 1846 to leave the building with its palatial
aspect. The current governor of Puerto Rico is in residence - the
170th Governor to live in the Fortaleza.Saint John the Baptist CathedralSan Juan's Cathedral was originally built in 1521 by
Puerto Rico's first Spanish bishop as a thatched wooden church, but
was destroyed in a hurricane in 1526. The current medieval
structure, built from the stone brought in from inland quarries by
horsepower, dates from 1540, although extensive renovations and
reconstruction was carried out in 1917. The cathedral features
Doric columns and elliptical vaults, and contains the marble tomb
of the island's first governor.Casa BlancaThe family of Puerto Rico's first governor, Ponce de
Leon, whose descendants inhabited it for 250 years, built the
historic homestead of Casa Blanca in 1523. It was subsequently
taken over by the Spanish and then United States military. Today
the mansion house contains two museums. A small section is
dedicated to artefacts associated with the Taino Indians, while the
rest of the house depicts the life of those who lived there through
the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.Casa del LibroThe 18th-century mansion known as Casa del Libro
houses a vast collection of rare sketches, illustrations, ancient
manuscripts and books, some dating from before the 16th century.
The museum's most prized possessions are two royal mandates signed
by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain in 1493 regarding the
provisioning of Christopher Columbus's fleet for his second voyage
to the New World. This was the voyage during which Puerto Rico was
discovered.University campusThe University of Puerto Rico campus in the Rio
Piedras offers two attractions for visitors. The University Museum
contains archaeological and historical exhibits and holds monthly
art exhibitions. The Botanical Gardens in the grounds of the
University are a living laboratory displaying the native flora of
Puerto Rico, containing more than 200 species of tropical and
sub-tropical plants.Museo de ArtePuerto Rico's showcase art gallery opened just a few
years ago at a cost of millions of dollars. The gallery is housed
in a former city hospital in Santurce and offers a permanent and
visiting exhibition. The aim is to highlight the island's heritage
through the work of local artists, such as Francisco Oller, who
studied in France with Cézanne, and Jose Campeche, a late 18th
century Classical painter. The museum has been described as a
'living textbook of Puerto Rico', spanning the centuries through
the medium of art.Arecibo Ionospheric ObservatoryAmerica's ears and eyes are focused on the stars from
the island of Puerto Rico. In the northwest mountains of the island
about 90 minutes drive west of San Juan, among the Karst Country
hills, is one of the most important astronomical research
facilities on earth, the Arecibo Ionospheric Observatory. Its
massive dish is larger in area than a dozen football fields and is
sited in a sinkhole, aimed at the heavens and tuned to detect the
slightest sounds emitted from the farthest stars. This is the home
base for NASA's 'SETI' (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence)
project and as such holds great fascination for visitors. A
Visitors Centre is equipped with interactive exhibits to
demonstrate how the huge structure works. Visitors can hike to the
viewing platform to view the vast tiled dish.Camuy Cave ParkWell worth a day trip from San Juan is the incredible
268-acre Camuy Cave Park, two hours southwest of the city. The park
is the site of miles of subterranean caverns that were carved out
of the limestone by the Camuy River more than a million years ago.
Only seven miles (11km) of the caves have yet been fully explored,
but 16 entrances have been discovered to what is believed to be the
world's largest cave network. Well-maintained walking trails lead
visitors down 200 feet (61m) into a fern-filled ravine to explore
the cathedral-like caverns. Guided tours are available through one
cave and two sinkholes, where you will see stalactites, stalagmites
and plenty of bats. The caverns also contain a unique species of
blindfish. The park has picnic areas, walking trails, food outlets,
an exhibition hall and a souvenir shop.Caribbean National Forest (El Yunque)The Caribbean National Forest, 35 miles (56km) east of
San Juan, is the only tropical rainforest in the United States
National Park system and was named El Yunque by the Spanish. Its
28,000 acres contain about 240 different species of tree and
numerous other plants from tiny wild orchids to giant ferns.
Visitors can start their visit at the El Portal Tropical Forest
Centre where there are films, exhibits and interactive displays on
the rainforest. Maps are available and you can choose from dozens
of walking trails through the forest, graded according to
difficulty. Nearby is Puerto Rico's best beach, Luquillo Beach,
with its soft white sand and coconut palms.Las Cabezas de San Juan Nature ReserveLocated on three promontories on the extreme northeast
corner of the island, Las Cabezas reserve is one of the most
beautiful and bio-diverse natural areas in Puerto Rico. The reserve
is close to Fajardo, a major marina and diving resort, about an
hour's drive from San Juan. The area offers pristine beaches ideal
for snorkelling. The reserve contains seven different ecological
systems including coral reefs, sandy beaches, lagoons, mangroves
and dry forest. It is also home to several endangered species.
Boardwalk trails provide easy access. A restored 19th century
lighthouse, El Faro, is situated on one of the headlands and offers
an information centre and observation deck.Parque de Bombas Fire StationA unique attraction on the central Plaza de las
Delicias is the unusual Ponce fire station, a landmark wooden
building painted in black and red stripes. The firehouse was built
in 1882 and was tested to its limits just a year later when the
city experienced a massive fire. Firemen from the Parque de Bombas
station heroically battled the blaze. The station remained
headquarters for the fire fighters until 1990, when it was turned
into a museum open to the public.Ponce Art MuseumThe 'Museo de Arte de Ponce' contains the largest art
collection in the Caribbean, housed in a building designed by
Edward Durrell Stone, who designed the Museum of Modern Art in New
York. The impressive building is comprised of seven interconnected
hexagons topped with glass cupolas. Inside are more than 1,000
paintings and 400 sculptures covering classical, ancient and
contemporary works. Among the prizes of the collection are works by
Velasquez, Rubens and Rodin. Puerto Rican art also features
strongly.Coffin IslandAt weekends a ferry carries visitors from the pier at
La Guancha on the Ponce waterfront to Coffin Island, a tiny
uninhabited island five miles south of the city, where there are
pristine beaches and a marked snorkelling trail. Visitors can also
explore the 19th century Caja de Muerto Lighthouse that has been
restored and houses a museum.Museum of Puerto Rico MusicThis museum is dedicated to documenting the rich
tapestry of the island's music history and pays tribute to Puerto
Rican musicians. It explains the significance of the romantic
'danza' music style, and the African-inspired popular forms of
'bomba' and 'plenza'. The museum features displays of Indian,
Spanish and African musical instruments, and memorabilia of local
composers and performers, housed in the attractive former residence
of the Serralles family, renowned rum producers.Castillo SerrallesPerched above the city on El Vigia Hill is the
restored residence of the Serralles rum-producing family. The
multi-level Spanish-revival hacienda, designed by Pedro de Castro,
is a beautiful example of the island's 1920/30s architecture. The
house surrounds an elegant courtyard featuring fountains and is
renowned for its splendid carved dining-room ceiling. The mansion
is set in magnificent terraced formal gardens.Tibes Indigenous Ceremonial CenterThis ancient Indian site, still being excavated, is
one of the most important archaeological sites in the West Indies.
Apart from an ancient cemetery, it also features the remains of
seven courts used by the Igneri (pre-Taino) people for a
football-like game, two dance grounds, and standing stones believed
to have been used as an ancient astronomical observatory. A popular
tourist attraction, just two miles (3km) north of Ponce, the site
has been equipped with a reconstructed Taino village, a museum,
exhibition hall, café and souvenir shop. Visitors are taken on
conducted tours.Culebra and ViequesDubbed 'the enchanted isles' Vieques and her smaller
sister Culebra lie off of Puerto Rico's east coast, accessible from
San Juan by air and from Fajardo by ferry. Both support a few
thousand friendly, laid-back inhabitants who live life peacefully
and slowly, enriching rather than impacting on the natural beauty
of their home. Vieques is 20-odd miles long and five wide and
consists largely of the biggest wildlife sanctuary in the
Caribbean, protected by the United States Fish & Wildlife
Service. Some of the world's most beautiful beaches, with azure
clear waters and sugary white sand, are to be found in the
sanctuary. If you plan to visit Vieques stay overnight to
experience its premier attraction, Bio Bay. On a moonless night the
bay glows with the bioluminescence radiated by a microscopic
one-celled organism called a dinoflagellate, providing an
unforgettable sight. Smaller Culebra, just seven miles long and
three wide, is a few miles north of Vieques and is renowned for the
clarity of the waters washing its shores. This is occasioned by the
fact that the island has no rivers or streams causing run-off: the
arid island has to have water piped from Puerto Rico via Vieques.
This quiet, unspoiled island offers unrivalled snorkelling and
scuba diving in its magnificent encircling reefs, kayak expeditions
and hiking trails for bird-watchers through the Culebra National
Wildlife Refuge.
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