As planned earlier, we decided to rent a car to visit San Juan and the mountains…we use Herz (Aponte Collision Center) as it was suggested to us by so many cruisers…Sydney Gonzales has a reputation among the cruising community!

Our first day is dedicated to San Juan and it is incredibly pleasant to be surrounded by great architecture and city life! Old San Juan is indeed a gem and our first day is simply filled with strolling through the streets, tasting local delicacies such as mofongo, and admiring the wonderful buildings to the point that we feel like in a European city!!! As we are marvelling at the ocean from the San Felipe del Morro castle, it feels a bit like being in Rio de Janeiro…the poor neighbourhood beneath the castle is called La Perla together with the cemetery and the old stone walls, the place has an incredible feel to it…The garitas or sentry boxes are emblems of San Juan and each one of the 40 towers is unique! They were built at different times (beginning between the 17th and the 19th century) so their architectural styles do differ…