As I was writing the last post and watching the word count rise to great heights, I thought I had better have mercy on those reading and end it before it reached novel length. Of course that left me with a slew of pictures feeling left out, which brings us to this post.
Am I planning on giving you any amazing information about San Juan here? Nope. Am I going to be drumming up any tips or lessons learned I can think of? Nope. Am I going to tell annoyingly long-winded stories? Hopefully not. Am I going to accost you with an onslaught of pictures of San Juan, Puerto Rico? YES! So here we go…
Picture Time:
Both of these photos show one of my favorite buildings next to the Caribe Hilton. I love the colorful design along the side. The first picture was taken from our balcony and the second was taken from the bridge that leads from Puerta de Tierra to Condado.
These were both taken on our walk from the Caribe Hilton toward Old San Juan. I love how the tree has grown out through the stone wall. Well done, persistent tree!
I love this bridge. I’m not completely sure why, as I don’t think it is particularly old or historically significant, but it is pretty, especially with the ocean stretched out behind it. (Of course I am posting a picture in which the beautiful ocean view is obscured. Oh well.)
The colorful streets of Old San Juan are one of my very favorite things about this great city. The historic buildings are all painted vibrant colors and the blue cobblestone streets just add to the charm.
While not all of the buildings are freshly painted in bright hues, I think there is still so much beauty in them. The building below, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, is just a normal historical building, but the faded paint and weathered green shutters gave it a bit of a haunted mansion look under the gray skies. Spooky!
The buildings below are clearly not in their prime, but still somehow dignified even in their disrepair. The building on the left has been in this dilapidated condition for a while, though the one on the right looks like it could possibly be revived someday. I found an article in the Seattle Times that gives some more information on the decline of so many historic buildings in Puerto Rico.
There is some cool art on some of the buildings that definitely adds to the interest of these old city streets. The artwork on the building below is known as La Puerta de la Bandera and has been around for about 5 years. The flag was originally painted with red, white, and blue to depict Puerto Rico’s flag, but in July of 2016, the artist repainted it in black and white. You can read about it in this article.
Here are a few pictures from the Plaza del Quinto Centenario. It was fun watching the kids play in the fountain to try and beat the heat.
I know this picture is a bit of an odd angle, but I was trying to get the colorful buildings as well as a beautiful flowering tree (maybe a flamboyan tree?). This was also taken on one of my favorite streets, Caleta de San Juan. If you visit Old San Juan, be sure to take a walk down this lovely little street.
There are a lot of statues in Old San Juan. I am not completely sure of the origin of each, but they are all very interesting. The bottom right picture is of the Raíces Fountain, which celebrates the 500th anniversary of the New World.
Okay, here are the last few pictures from our pre-cruise fun in San Juan.
And one last picture. This is taken at the Caribe Hilton, just a little piece of the historical city that still peeks through the lush green gardens on the hotel property.
Next Up:
Cruising the Southern Caribbean: Embarkation Day
travelnerdplans 
Sounds and looks like you had an incredible time! Your photos are stunning as are the streets and architecture of San Juan! Love all your posts from your vacation xo
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Thanks Ciarra. It really was amazing. And be careful saying you love the vacation posts, you may come to regret it–this cruise series has at least 7 more to come. 😛 Gah!
I still need to look back through older posts to see how your vacation went… 🙂
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Hahaha no no! I look forward to them lol!! Love it so much!
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Hehe! Thanks Ciarra. I will keep ’em coming 🙂
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You did well, my friend. We needed to see the gorgeousness of the place and nothing better than these beautiful shots. Those murals and peeling walls are my favourite images. They add to the character of San Juan.
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Thank you. 🙂 It’s funny, I feel like many of my pictures do not do Old San Juan justice. But better to show what I have than not at all.
And I am with you on the murals. I just kept staring at the picture, kind of marveling at how it all comes together–the paintings, the exposed brick, the plants growing out of the walls. Pretty amazing.
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I feel your utter love for it and it makes me want go see it for myself. xx
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Then I have done my job! 😍
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Hands down xx
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😊
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This looks so fun! I have never cruised to San Juan before but it looks beautiful!
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Thanks Courtney. 🙂 You should definitely try to make it to San Juan one of these days. There are many cruises out of Florida that stop in San Juan as a port day, but so many that depart from San Juan as well. You would love it!
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I love all of the brightly colored buildings and old world architecture. And a guy on a stoop playing his guitar never goes out of style.
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Oh my gosh, right? My friend got a short video of him playing–he was good. It just adds to the wonderful ambiance there. You know, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump from your home… 🙂
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I know! I have a friend who has family there and we can’t figure out why we haven’t gone yet
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I think now is the time! 🙂 It is a trip you definitely would not forget (and less than $300 for a roundtrip from FLL 😉 )
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Yay Kristyn!! I love the pictures! I loved reading your experience, but I get such a better feel of the place through pictures! I’ve always been more visual 😀
The street art they have is so interesting, and that photo of the kids playing in the fountains is so sweet 😀
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Thanks Angela! I am the same with pictures–I love reading about places, but so much more impact with the visuals added in. I get teased when researching a new place–I have gone through so many pictures, there’s no need to go since I’ve already seen it all 😆
I love the kids in the water too, though at the time it sure made me miss my boys!
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The buildings and street scenes are so pretty. The colourful ones and also the falling apart ones. That’s a tiny yellow house.
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I agree. I find the colonial buildings completely enchanting. And isn’t that house crazy? 5 feet wide–i cannot imagine living in there…
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That’s narrower than I am tall. I don’t think it would be comfortable to live there.
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I wouldn’t either. And I am short, only 5’3″, but it would still freak me out a little to be in such cramped quarters!
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