San Juan

We made it! We're in Puerto Rico - got here LATE last night. We were supposed to get in around 10 pm and didn't make it until midnight. We jumped right into the hustle and bustle of Puerto Rico's largest city...and even in the darkness we could tell it had lots to offer. This morning we got up early, had our "breakfast" (toast and cereal from plastic bowls :-() and went right back out. We walked around and by now we feel we have seen every street in Old San Juan. It's beautiful and colorful ...and WARM! Finally, after a sudden cold spell in Nashville and snow in Washington DC (I wore flipflops on the flight and almost froze my toes off), the temperature here is a very welcome change. Other first impressions include very European architecture, a big Saturday night rush (not to say party), the typical smell of the tropics (this mix of garbage, sweet perfume and disinfectant) and, yes, cockroaches (the first one we saw after only 10 minutes of walking and it was literally the size of an egg). Lydia's very first impression of San Juan was that it felt like a mix of Rome and Brazil. We like it. Our hotel is right in the middle of San Juan and that alone (as opposed to the spacious, bright, clean rooms and the sufficient breakfast) must explain the prize of $135 A NIGHT. Ouch. But it's worth it, as we fall out of bed and right into the midst of restaurants and cafes, beautiful architecture and Sanjuaneros dancing to live music. Tomorrow we're moving on to the island of Vieques, where we will go kayaking at night, touring a bioluminescent bay. We shall see if we find internet access there somewhere, but we will be back with more asap. For now here are some first pictures...