~I get a few text or emails from friends back home that frequently start with, “How’s life in paradise?” It’s funny how what seems like paradise to many has turned in to most of the same ordinary tasks of life back home…housework and school, picking up or taking one of the kids to practice or other (Wyatt just started baseball and getting Naomi to and from her weekly babysitting jobs). This is not to say that I don’t feel a certain bit of urgency in continuing to explore and enjoy the “isla de encanto”, or isle of enchantment as the island’s motto goes. With only 5 months left before we return home, I want to make sure we have discovered all there is under our feet. Hunter has even made his list of places of interest that he would like to see on the weekends, having researched a travel website on PR. (Want to take a vacation from on your home computer? Have some fun with Google and look up your fantasy destination place. There are so many beautiful photos and amazing history to be gained just from the travel sites. And the reviews! I love to read the reviews of people who have recently traveled to these places!)
~The past week was a special treat as me and two friends from church had a girls outing in Old San Juan. “Viejo” San Juan is how they refer to the “old city”. If you see the map below, San Juan is the capitol of PR and extends to a very large area that encompasses smaller municipalities in and around the metro area. We live in one of those areas, like a suburb, called Condado along the northern coastline.
The old city is where the cruise liners come in about every three days and all the tourism takes place among the blue cobblestone streets. The blue cobblestone, or azul de adoquines in Spanish, were used as ship's weights when they would anchor in port after Columbus discovered the island and Ponce de Leon became its first governor. Once the ships were full of cargo to return to Spain from the Caribbean, they would remove the blue weights, or adoquines, and leave them behind in the old city. Thus, they used them as pavers which became the blue cobblestone streets that add to the charm of Viejo San Juan today. You can see Naomi’s cute turquoise toes below showing off the pavers.
The purpose of our girls outing was for my friend Carrie to show me certain aspects of the city I had not seen so that the next time mom, and the kids and I are in the old city, I can bring them to these places with a little more background knowledge. Carrie gives periodic tours to a political action committee she belonged to while working in D.C. which frequently sends members to PR via the cruise liners, so she knows the layout quite well. Our newest friend from church, Anita, joined us for the day as well. Anita is from Holland having just moved to the island with her husband who is employed by the military. (Most of the American families down here are either FBI or military employees. We’ve learned a lot about the “perks” of having a career with either. Not so bad. Working in the stock market is another option which has our friends from The Woodlands enjoying the island life. Let’s keep our kids bound for college; there are many options out there that could open up travel to themJ)
~Our first stop was the authentic Puerto Rican, or Caribbean, coffee experience! This was a little spot right on the pier where the cruise ships dock. Great local young men from PR with their fedora’s and dreadlocks that serve up the richest, most flavorful cup of café leche you have ever had. Starbucks would be out of business in the states if an ordinary, everyday cup of coffee was served the way it is here on every corner…it’s what latte is to us back home; rich, hot cream in every cup, standard. A spot of raw brown sugar and mmmmmmmmm.
Even so, I had to show you the enchanting Starbucks huddled among the other quaint little shops and restaurants. Funny, the little local coffee spots that serve up the "real stuff" seem to get more business! Island coffee...I wonder why?
~It was MLK Day so people were off work to enjoy the city and cruise ships were just coming in. I don’t care if we ever get to take a cruise at this point. Having seen these massive “cities on water” come in and out of San Juan weekly is enough to behold! (it’s a most amazing thing to watch even from the park on the beach near our apartment as they slowly make their way to and from the island along the horizon. And at night, when all you can see are the lights flickering on these massive liners in the distant Atlantic…talk about an awe inspiring sight!)
~ We had lunch at La Bombonera on Calle San Francisco, famous for their Mallorca sandwich. There are imitations around the island, but nothing like the original! It is has been called the, “Egg Mc Muffin of the gods!” While this Christian English teacher doesn’t believe the so called “gods” had as much as a piece of toast to eat, I do believe that if our God ordered a breakfast sandwich it would be the Mallorca from La Bombonera.
~From here we were drawn in to the most charming art gallery (most of the stores and galleries are open to the streets with the cool breeze from the ocean wafting through). The white stone walls and Spanish archways, with big wooden beams on the ceilings, drew us in to walk on the original Spanish tile floors. Once in this old world atmosphere, who wouldn’t be intrigued by the curious and odd sculptures and beautiful artwork on the walls? As I inquired, this was the Botello Gallery, or Galeria Botello. I recognized one of the sculptures as being the same form of one seen in a park near our apartment so I inquired of the gentlemen in charge. He told me it was the same artist, gave me the background of this particular artist’s style, and in the most humble way went on to tell me the artist’s he was speaking of, and in whose gallery we were in, was his father Angel Botello. Wow, was I honored to be speaking to the son of a well renowned Puerto Rican artist. (Some research on the internet when I returned home confirmed just how prolific this artist was from his career in Spain, France, Mexico, and the Caribbean.) Not only was this his late father’s art gallery, it was also this middle-aged son’s childhood home, so we got the entire history of the building and his father’s artistic legacy. Botello’s sculpting style is most interesting in that he highlights Haitian women figures from his time spent studying in Haiti. His son told us the odd looking figures were his father’s depiction of the women’s flat heads that would carry the huge baskets of produce and their long, strong necks for the same purpose.
I’m still trying to figure out how to bring a piece of art work home with me with it arriving in one piece:/
Below, Wyatt with a Botello sculpture in the museum garden near our apartment (the flat headed Haitian women).
~ The photos below include ones taken with mom and the kids in OSJ. I have so many photos of each of the spots I put on my blog and wish I could show them all! This blog takes me about 4 hours to sit and compose, and then wait for the photos to download. Hence, the reason I’m so slow in posting.
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| Me and my mother at the old city gate. The "red gate" was the original entrance to the city when the ships would come in from Spain. The men, both dignitary and commoner, would walk through the red gate that still has the Latin inscription on top, Benedictus qui venit in nomini Domini translated, "Blessed are they who come in the name of the Lord", and up the road that leads straight to San Juan Catherdral. The Cathedral is the orginal structure dating back to 1500's, making it the oldest cathedral under the American flag. |
An ancient tree in front of the city gate, and what remains of the 42 foot tall old city walls, is a pretty awesome place to sit while looking out at the San Juan Bay just in front of us.
We have taken tons of photos of the different colored spanish style apartment buildings, homes, and store fronts. Naomi and I like to call out the ones we would live in if we had our pick.
We will remain forever thankful for where we are, with an opportunity we would have never dreamed of just a year ago. Seems like each year I walk with the Lord (I’m officially middle-age next month as I turn 45!) I realize ….
He truly does carry my tears in a bottle … Psalm 39:12
And that my afflictions on earth are a means to learn to trust in His statues which set me free… Psalm 119:71
How He wants me to experience HIS peace no matter where I am …Philippians 4:7
And He will allow times of refueling and reflection that I may carry on his life’s plan for me, but I must slow down enough and learn to look for these moments where He’s calling me to “get away” with Him, even if it’s a mental spot, not always physical… Luke 6:12, Matthew 14:23, Isaiah 26:9
And that if I wait on the Lord, just BE who I’m supposed to be in Him instead of DOING all the time, He really will give me new strength…Isaiah 40:31
And lastly, while the spiritual and mental rest are the joy and reward of a life lived with and for Christ, there are times He wants nothing more than to also give me the desires of my heart which usually come in ways I cannot even fathom... Psalm 37:4, Psalm 81:10, Isaiah 58:14
Tanto tiempo, por ahora (so long for now)...
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