Our vacation day number eight
started at sunrise when we docked in the port of Old San Juan. The view of the sunrise was spectacular from our balcony and there was a small airport where we watched many planes take off and land, before we hits the streets of Old San Juan. Charlie and I enjoyed a stroll
around old San Juan. We did notice that the hues of the blue cobble-stoned streets are common in Old San Juan. I love to walk the old cobble-stoned streets, whether it is in Plant City Florida, East Amherst New York or Old San Juan Puerto Rico. It has no
beaches, no resort hotels, and not a whole lot
of natural beauty. What it does
have is over 500 years of history, beautiful colonial architecture literally
splashed with tropical colors. Old San Juan is the oldest settlement within Puerto
Rico and is the historic colonial section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. As we walked, we say many statues and busts, that could be a whole blog itself! We did view simple busts (Elfante D Henrique) and statues (Al Inmigrante), but the highlight
of detailed statues was at Colon Plaza. A statue of Christopher Columbus, it features him standing
regally on top of a pillar with ships and sea
serpents coming out of the base. A fountain surrounding the statue shoots
streams of water towards the base of the statue. The statue commemorates the
400th anniversary of the discovery of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus on
his second voyage to the new world. Christopher Columbus originally named the
entire island of Puerto Rico to be San Juan Bautista,
however the island was later renamed and only the capital city of San Juan
retained the name. Bronze plaques on the base of the monument provide pictorial
representations of the ocean journey and arrival of Christopher Columbus and
the meeting of the indigenous people.
The Fort of Castillo San Felipe del
Morro & Castillo San Cristobal, although technically two separate
forts constructed separately, these two Spanish military installations are
connected both literally—by less than a mile of city wall—and figuratively.
Together they made San Juan a strategic stronghold and defended the city
against attacks by the English, Dutch, Americans and others for centuries, and
today they represent the bulk of the San Juan National Historic Site. The older
of the two, informally known as El Morro, was built starting in 1539 on a rocky
point of land guarding the entrance to San Juan Bay. On either side of a
quarter-mile walkway connecting the city and the fort is a sprawling, green
esplanade, the space is
supposed to serve as a reminder to visitors of just how intimidating the fort
would have been to attacking soldiers, who had to cross a wide-open field of
fire to reach its walls. The fort itself has six levels and a lighthouse, with
impressive views of the bay and Atlantic Ocean.
We headed back to the port and
boarded the boat for a picnic lunch and to support our friend in the Belly Flop contest on board the
ship. We watched the staff set-up. prepare, cook and create a massive amount of food. They moved deck chairs and set up right on deck 11, just below where we were seated. It was very interesting watching them create ... we till are not sure what they created. But, we all ate it and it was good! But really ... look at the size of the cooking implements! I can honestly say, I have never seen a wok so big! Have you?
The International Belly Flop contest
was held on board the ship today. We supported our hometown hero! Captain
Tsunami, AKA Randy Fitzsimmons. He has been training for this event for two
years, working hard to vindicate his defeat on the Oasis of the Sea. His
fortitude would be tested today, as he matched bellies with the best of the
international best. In preparation for the main show he designed his attire,
actually his finance, Sheila Greer, was the head seamstress of the wardrobe.
Prior to signing up for the contest, he paraded around the decks in his cape
and mask. He was definitely working the crowd, to garner support in advance of
the competition.
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| Work it, come on, work it! |
His cheering section was stationed at the Sky Bar on the upper
deck, with a great view of the pool. They secured these prime seats at 11am,
one hundred and eighty minutes before the event. Naturally, there was drinking
involved in holding these precious seats! All of them were up for the
challenge, and they were successful, a bit sun burned but successful! Back to
the big belly flopper, he signed up for the event. But another eager contest
almost toppled Captain Tsunami as he raced to be the first to sign up! With the
sign up closed, there were 6 able bodied men up to the challenge! The largest
of the competitors towered over Captain Tsunami by a good foot and outweighed
him by one hundred pounds!
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| No fear in CPT Tsunami's eyes! |
Yikes, there was fear in the eyes of his fans, but
none in Captain Tsunami's eyes! The flopping order was set and the competition
began! The first flopper, was a real amateur, hailing from the cold northern
state of Vermont! His flop barely scored him a three! The next contestant came
from a bit warmer state, North Carolina, but he still lacked the necessary prep
time in the pool and only scored a three point five. A few others made
gallant efforts, but none came close!
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| Look at the cast of characters that has to hold the hurt box! |
CPT Tsunami was the second to last
competitor. He worked the crowd before he climbed onto the “hurt box” to make
his flop! The cruise director had to get reinforcements to hold the “hurt box”
down while CPT Tsunami prepared for his flop … he took his stand on the very
front edge of the box. He spread his arms and his cape fluttered in the breeze
as he jumped his and long on his perfect flop! The scores were tallied and he
came out at 4.973 … come on … it was a 5! The last competitor stepped up, he
was the biggest of the floppers … he had a t-shirt on, which he never took off.
FOUL, is what we all said … half of
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| Getting ready for the FLOP! |
the “fun” of the belly flop contest is the “hurt”
from the flop! Anyway, he flopped and was awarded a 5 … a 5 … he had a t-shirt
on! Wuss! Okay, it looks like CPT Tsunami got robbed again, but at least he
placed second! He has the second place medal to prove it! CPT Tsunami cannot
retire yet, he will have to avenge his loss on his next cruise!
As we backed out of the docks after the Belly Flop contest concluded, the Captain informed us, we were stopping after we backed out and were going to wait.
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| CPT Tsunami, the splash felt round the ship! |
The largest ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet was coming around the end of the fort and pulling into the berth we had just left. Quantum of the Seas was going to dock. Everyone crowed to the railings to catch a picture or two. The Quantum has a sky diving simulator, a jewel-shaped capsule that gently ascends over 300 feet above sea level providing breathtaking 360° views of the sea and your destinations and all new entertainment venues. They also have bumper cars, roller skating, and circus school. Amazing! We counted 15 decks of balcony rooms ... WOW!
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| Quantum of the Seas, docking in Old San Juan |
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