Our first stop is the major fortress to the northeast from our hotel, Castillo de San Cristobal. Butt before entering it we have to look at one of the many garitas (soldier sentry posts) that line the wall. It extends from the wall into the ocean and looks scary but it was probably more boring for the soldiers to spend the whole day in this really small enclosure.
We then enter the Castillo de San Cristobal, part of the La Fortaleza and San Juan National Historic Site which also doubles as a World Heritage Site. San Cristobal is a National Historic Site so we have our Annual Pass with us to pay for the entrance fee. The ranger is really surprised and mentions that he sees very few of them and discusses with us about the different Western US NPs that he intends to visit and work in. And then we climb up to the see the views, they are great and you can see all around the old town.
The castle was also used in World War II and there are a few World War II bunkers that you can visit and even climb into. There are also lots of cannonballs just lying around, hopefully they are not armed.
One of the customs we don’t really understand is to throw money in random places like on a window sill. At least it looks like a pirate treasure from the olden times.
The fortress is really interesting with quite a few exhibits and lots of visitors. We walk through the rooms where the soldiers slept and trained and then descend into the tunnels. The tunnels were used by soldiers to move safely from one part of the fort to another and I am sure also to escape the heat which even now seems oppressive. Beneath the fort are also the cells of the former inmates/sailors/captives who were held in the dungeons. Here you can see haunting paintings of caravels and lots of inscriptions on the walls, very interesting.
There are lots of garitas around the fort that you can explore and are very popular for photos as well to take in the views.
And the views are really special, especially if you look towards Old San Juan and look at the fortifications that extend seemingly forever. And then it is time to start on our way to the second castle of the day that we can see in the distance.
