December 31, 2016. Back to Old San Juan

LOCATION:  San Juan, Puerto Rico

WEATHER:  Hot and sunny. One rain shower.  Highs in 80s  

We got an early start for Old San Juan, hoping to avoid the heat.  Again, we took the metro, then transferred to a bus to get there.  Several people came up to us in broken English to wish us Happy New Year.  So sweet!   We took a different bus, which took us through one of the touristy beach areas.  Lots of high-rises and cute restaurants.

 

The architecture of Old San Juan is so pretty.

We strolled around the side streets, trying to keep cooler than yesterday.  We stopped for an early lunch in a restaurant that is part of a hotel that was formerly a convent, the second oldest in the Western Hemisphere.  It was lovely.  In keeping with the Spanish influence, we had gazpacho and Spanish tortilla (like a potato omelette).

We walked around some more, avoiding the duty-free shops and just admiring the environment.  There were 4 huge cruise ships docked nearby so there were lots of tourists walking around. 

We made it to the second fort in Old San Juan.  Huge.

Then, we walked to another part of the walled city to catch a ferry.

We took the ferry to a peninsula where the Bacardi rum factory is located.  We took the tour which started by watching the professionals make rum cocktails.

Here is Karmen (aka Carmen Miranda) after a daiquiri....

And Jorge....

The tour was pretty interesting.  We learned that a true Cuba Libre can only be made with Coke (not Pepsi) and with Bacardi (and not another brand of rum).  The name originated when Bacardi was located in Cuba.  At the end of the war, a soldier toasted to a wish for a free Cuba...."para una Cuba Libre" and that is how the name was born.

 

Back at the hotel, we noticed that almost everything was closed.  A Japanese restaurant nearby was about our only option.  I had my concerns, but it was quite good.  We had sashimi (although I ordered sushi) and seared tuna.

It was a little odd ordering in a mix of Japanese, Spanish and English.

We went to bed early....made it to about 10:00.