Vieux San Juan

Puerto Rico was a fascinating territory to explore. I know several folks from Puerto Rico and have always been impressed with their sense of pride for their country. There is a ton of natural beauty in Puerto Rico- particularly as you move outside of San Juan. On the other hand, there is also a lot of poverty in the country.

One of my favorite parts was touring Old San Juan. While discovered in the mid 1400s, the city was first "settled" by the Spanish in the early 1500s. Old San Juan has maintained much of the colonial Spanish Architecture.

This is the city wall built around Old San Juan. Love the contrast of the wall and the newer bank building.

Can't show old San Juan and miss the San Jose church, which hopefully will be undergoing renovation. I LOVE the lines of this building... and see the quatrafoil!

More quatrafoil.. and fantastic arches.

And look at the beautiful mosaic and intricate detailing here.

Can a doorway get any better than this?

And this is the view through the doorway. I love the plaster walls, dark wood bannister, tiled stairwell. Gorgeous.

And THESE are shutters.

Love the varied bright colors and all the balconies.

My dream house includes a bedroom with a balcony like this-- love the idea of opening the doors and having sheer drapes billowing about.

And just beyond these beautiful buildings is the sea...

Hope you enjoyed the mini-tour. Have a great week!

Emmie