Between Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis, we spent a final week in Amsterdam before departing for destinations south. We completed a few boat projects with parts we brought back from Seattle, did some final provisioning, met some new friends and enjoyed a “second annual” Valentine’s Day dinner at Bistrot Neuf. Below are trip highlights from…
Hurry Up and Wait
The Red Head crew has been busy getting ready for their trip to the Bahamas. Dylan, Dee Dee, and Dora have carefully watched over provisioning. Dylan still isn’t sure there’s enough dog treats but then what really is “enough.”
Mom and Dad procured a red wagon to help Dylan make the 1 mile trek to and from the beach and have been practicing. They’re not anticipating problems with the “to”, however, at nearly 13, Dylan may find the “from” more challenging.
Dora has been working out at the dog park with Izzy every morning to ensure she is in top physical condition.
There’s been a dinghy ride to make sure all is working well with the crew’s local transportation.
Jasper, docked behind Red Head on OHOL, had his dad capture the event.
With all preparations nearly done, the crew is now waiting for good weather. While we had hoped to leave Stock Island Marina Village by March 1st, weather has us waiting. But no one is complaining. What better place to wait than Key West!
Feb. 19 – Old San Juan, PR
“Live with no excuses and travel with no regrets” ―Oscar Wilde
We began our day like we did yesterday…coffee and guava pastries at the little coffee kiosko in the Plaza de Armes. After breakfast we headed east to explore a little beach close to the El Capitolio (Puerto Rico’s Capital building), it’s a beautiful area of town with lots of official buildings. From there we visited Castillo San Cristóbal.
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Feb. 18 – Old San Juan, PR
“You have the brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.” -Dr. Seuss
Today we walked up to a little coffee kiosko in the Plaza de Armes for breakfast. We enjoyed a very good cup of coffee, a guava pastry and a nice visit with a local enjoying the same breakfast…to us it was the perfect way to start our day. After breakfast we headed up to El Morro. One of two forts that were built by the Spanish to protect the city from pirate attacks from the French, Dutch and English. Castillo San Felipe del Morro, (El Morro) sits atop a high promontory overlooking the entrance to the San Juan Bay. Construction on El Morro began in 1539, but the six-level fortification was not considered complete until 1787. El Morro is an immense fort with 18-foot thick walls, dungeons, barracks, outposts, ramps, and mazes of tunnels that protected the city from foreign invasion.
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Feb. 17 – (Part II) Old San Juan, PR
“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” —Anna Quindlen
Check in at our apartment in Old San Juan (OSJ) wasn’t until 4:00 PM, so after our tour at the Bacardi Factory we drove over to OSJ and parked near the Coast Guard Station. We left our luggage in the car and explored the city a little, did a little shopping and had lunch at Café Madolin. After checking in we went back and got our bags. We walked from the parking lot along the Paseo de la Princesa to the Puerta de San Juan (San Juan Gate) and up to our apartment.
Feb. 17 – (Part I) Bacardi Rum Factory
“Drinking rum before 10am makes you a pirate, not an alcoholic.” -Unknown
Our time in Puerto Rico is coming to an end…today we move to Old San Juan, so we will be closer to the airport. We have a condo rented for the next three days, but we couldn’t check in until late in the afternoon, so we decided to spend a little time at the Bacardi Rum Factory. Puerto Rico is called the “rum capital of the world”. Over 70 percent of the rum sold in the U.S. comes from Puerto Rico.
Poor Girl
Not much new has been happening with the Red Head crew. Dog park in the morning. Walks, toys, and naps in the afternoons. Until today.
Unfortunately, Dora had to go into the cone of shame. She developed a couple of irritations on her paws that she just will not let go. As you can see, the cone has had some use. It has been worn at one time or another by each of the crew members. Dora’s not happy but we’re pretty sure she’s going to live…
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Feb. 16 – Last Beach Day
“A simple life is good with me. I don’t need a whole lot. For me, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, barefoot on a beach and I’m happy.” –Yanni
Today was our last day to relax on the beach. It was a Sunday so we had a lot of company. We walked a mile and a half down the beach towards La Zanja and found a little cove where we could be all by ourselves. It was a very relaxing day. On our way home we stopped for lunch at the same little restaurant on the beach. Today we were treated to music along with the wonderful view.
Hard to get tired of this view, but we move on to a new adventure tomorrow.
Our little piece of paradise.
Just a few people on the beach today.
There was a lot of entertainment going on at Costa Mia today.
This band added to our enjoyment today.
A short video of the music we got to listen to while we had lunch.
Feb. 15 – Fajardo, PR
“You don’t change the world simply by looking at it. You change it through the way you choose to live in it.” –Amelia Wren (The Aeronauts)
Today we drove into Santurce, a neighborhood in San Juan, to check out the La Plaza del Mercado de Santurce. It’s a small produce market surrounded by bars and restaurants. I think the area really comes alive after dark on the weekend. It reminded me of Sixth Street in Austin. We drove over with John and Janice and had a nice lunch at Asere. The restaurant features a Cuban Puerto Rican fusion type menu that was very good.
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