From the Sea to the World - Holiday Edition - Completed

[glennbo123]

I think it was mentioned in that documentary about the Sherman brothers though that they wrote the music for this? Or am I getting things mixed up? It does sound like the Sherman brothers.

Correct, they did. It's one of those movies that seems like it's from Disney, but isn't.

 

[nodnol]

You will miss out on the pirate food. No pirates in the Scandinavian Seas. Only vikings (or more precise: Arandellians).

And after reading about Norwegian "cuisine" I sincerely do hope we don't have to eat to much of it, As there seems to be not very much we both like...

 

[Flossbolna]

If you had been from Mainz... - Part 1

When you get out of the immediate docking area at the port, you are immediately in the city itself. It is really convenient for exploring. There is a large square on the other side of the street with hotels and the post office. On the sidewalk in front of the quay there were plenty of people trying to sell you tours and someone gave us a small map of San Juan, which was very handy!

All I can add is that it was hot, very, very hot. Likely the hottest weather I have felt until this week. I didn't enjoy the heat, although I love San Juan. BTW, we are supposed to be 95 tomorrow and, no, I am not a happy dude.

We knew that our first destination was going to be Fort San Cristobal. On the map we saw that there were two different entrances and we chose the one that seemed to be closer. We saw some nice streets along the way to the fort:

Getting there we realised that we kind of entered at the bottom of the fort. It turned out to be part of a structure that was put in during WW II when the fort was being updated for modern warfare.

We paid our entrance fee which covered both forts. It was 5$ per person, so not expensive at all. We had to climb up quite some stairs. Up there it was quite windy, but we also had a great view:

There is a lot of space within the fort walls and plenty of space to explore and look out in many different ways.

From the top of the fort, we could walk through some tunnel to a lower level that was off to the side. This was where there were more buildings for the soldiers etc., less open grounds. They had some exhibitions there about the life of the soldiers which were interesting.

You can see at Disneyland Paris where they have borrowed some of the design elements from the fort. It looks like the new Shanghai park will feature even more from this historic site.

That's true, we even talked about this. I tried to find a picture form DLP to illustrate this, so this is Disney's version of a fort:



On the way there we passed the dungeon where prisoners had etched some pictures into the walls:

We came down this way:

Lower courtyard:

Here you can see some of the WWII additions:

More views:

This courtyard was where the other exit was and we left through there. We walked along the street which followed along the coast line to Fort San Felipe del Morro. This was a nice walk, not far at all. There are lovely views out to the sea, which was really rough on the day we were there.

We passed this neat row of houses:

And then we were approaching Castillo San Felipe del Morro:

We started in another courtyard, this time there was an exhibition about the history of Puerto Rico and why it was such an asset for any maritime power to own. It was really interesting!

And then we continued on towards the sea. The fort is really at the tip of the harbor entrance. I took a screenshot of Google Maps to illustrate it:

So all the way to the end was where we headed next:

We enjoyed the sights:

Continued in Part 2

 

[Flossbolna]

If you had been from Mainz... - Part 2

This is the view back towards San Cristobal:

And then we were ready to go and explore another part of the city that was more lively!

This was some art in front of an official building:

We just walked along some streets and saw this hallway that led into a library:

And another interesting entrance into a hotel:

More streets of San Juan:

We came across some really neat shops. There seemed to be far more of the kind of tourist shops that I am used to see all over Europe or in places like Key West etc. Lots of cute trinkets etc., not only diamond shops! We saw one that was selling spices and we headed in there. There was a lovely lady who told us about all their offerings and we were able to taste a lot of different stuff. They had some really interesting sauces, but since I had to fly home, I decided to buy a dry spice rub. This was the shop:

[The sauce I bought is about 2/3rds finished and in the fridge. Very good.]

We saw the street leading down to the governor’s seat:

And then continued on down towards the harbour:

That building is the end of the street. While we were close to the water, we still had to make our way back to the Fantasy. Here the city became more built up and modern. There was even some rather neat art deco to be seen:

And then we were back at that square close to where the Fantasy was docked. I had bought some post cards and wanted to mail them from Puerto Rico, so we went into the post office. This looked like your typical US post office. Fortunately there was not a long line and when it was our turn I requested two stamps for post cards to Germany. The post office employee was very friendly and asked if I was from Germany and where I was from. He then proceeded to tell me that he was stationed in Germany when he was in the Air Force and how much he loved his time living in Germany. And then he told me that it was a shame that I was not from Mainz (a town in Germany close to Frankfurt), because if I had been from Mainz, he would have paid for my stamps himself! He said when he started working there he had decided that every customer from Mainz he would pay for their stamps out of his own pocket because he had loved the town so much. We asked him if he had ever met anyome from Mainz and he said that he did. And it even turned out to be someone from the street where he had lived and the guy had been a little boy when our friend was there and could remember him! What a great story! And for us it certainly added some magic to the day!

It is a small world after all.

I quickly wrote my post cards in the post office and mailed them and then it was time to head back to the ship.

All in all, I really enjoyed our walking tour of San Juan. It really was not a lot of walking, Old San Juan is really a very compact old city. I measured it out on a website that I use for measuring my runs and the whole walk we did comes to 2.8 miles total from ship to ship. Of course we walked around the forts some as well. There is also a free trolley that goes around. But somehow this seemed a bit crowded and people seemed to be stressing about getting a space on the next one. I felt very safe everywhere we walked during daylight. There were plenty of people around everywhere. San Juan had a vibe of being a far more affluent place than Charlotte Amalie was. I really liked it so much that I would love to come back there for a longer stay, maybe combine it with a Southern Caribbean cruise that starts from there…

There is plenty of poverty in San Juan. I saw that on my prior visit to the island. You just lucked out and stayed in the historic/tourist area, which is absolutely affluent and safe. But almost every island I've been to to is, in reality, far safer than Orlando is. And you don't see people being afraid of visiting WDW and UNI, do you?

Up Next: An update with only food pictures – and one blanket animal

 

[Flossbolna]

Correct, they did. It's one of those movies that seems like it's from Disney, but isn't.

And after reading about Norwegian "cuisine" I sincerely do hope we don't have to eat to much of it, As there seems to be not very much we both like...

ARGG!!!! The two of you messed up my perfect spot for my new update with your ninja posting!!!!

Glenn, I never expected YOU of all people to pull a Rosie!!

But in order to reply to those posts:

Glenn: I really need to get this film somehow. If it were not a musical (which Katharina's DH hates), I might be able to see it with Katharina as their great video store most likely has it.

Katharina: I don't think they will serve us whale on a Disney ship! And that stinky cheese can't make up all the courses of the meal. The official line says that it will be a "Scandinavian" menu. I am expecting salmon, elk and köttbullar.

 

[nodnol]

We knew that our first destination was going to be Fort San Cristobal. On the map we saw that there were two different entrances and we chose the one that seemed to be closer. We saw some nice streets along the way to the fort:

You really mean the streets or just the proprietor in the first house?

Oh, I see, you mean the street.

I just thought about commenting on the fascinating fact that these forts look very much like the ones I've seen in France, Great Britain and Finland, when...

Nothing I've seen so far, and it reminds me of...

You can see at Disneyland Paris where they have borrowed some of the design elements from the fort. It looks like the new Shanghai park will feature even more from this historic site.

ok, so I'm not the first one to realize that.

Very interesting! And I like how the concrete looks still very fresh! But I guess no one tried to to blow it up.

We saw the street leading down to the governor’s seat:

Which holiday was it again, that was about a month away yet?

And then we were back at that square close to where the Fantasy was docked. I had bought some post cards and wanted to mail them from Puerto Rico, so we went into the post office. This looked like your typical US post office. Fortunately there was not a long line and when it was our turn I requested two stamps for post cards to Germany. The post office employee was very friendly and asked if I was from Germany and where I was from. He then proceeded to tell me that he was stationed in Germany when he was in the Air Force and how much he loved his time living in Germany. And then he told me that it was a shame that I was not from Mainz (a town in Germany close to Frankfurt), because if I had been from Mainz, he would have paid for my stamps himself! He said when he started working there he had decided that every customer from Mainz he would pay for their stamps out of his own pocket because he had loved the town so much. We asked him if he had ever met anyome from Mainz and he said that he did. And it even turned out to be someone from the street where he had lived and the guy had been a little boy when our friend was there and could remember him! What a great story! And for us it certainly added some magic to the day!

This is really a great story! I often wondered, as we met so many British who had been with the army in Germany on our travels there, whether I would ever meet an American who had been stationed close to where we grew up. It hasn't happened yet, but after this story I guess it is still possible. I doubt though that he/she would have loved it as much as this guy loved Mainz...

Glenn: I really need to get this film somehow. If it were not a musical (which Katharina's DH hates), I might be able to see it with Katharina as their great video store most likely has it.

It's rental number 54003, the German title its Tschitty Tschitty Bäng Bäng, which is hilarious! It's how you pronounce the english title, but written in German… As it is based on a book by Ian Fleming, there is a chance even my husband might want to see it, but we shouldn't tell him, it's a musical.

Katharina: I don't think they will serve us whale on a Disney ship! And that stinky cheese can't make up all the courses of the meal. The official line says that it will be a "Scandinavian" menu. I am expecting salmon, elk and köttbullar.

And potatoes, I think every Scandinavian country serves them daily… I'm looking forward to its

 

[nodnol]

ARGG!!!! The two of you messed up my perfect spot for my new update with your ninja posting!!!!

Sorry! I didn't expect an update right away...

 

[glennbo123]

ARGG!!!! The two of you messed up my perfect spot for my new update with your ninja posting!!!!

Glenn, I never expected YOU of all people to pull a Rosie!!

Sorry about that!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I think Mainz is one of the few major German cities I've never been to. I guess I should pal to stop there next time I'm in the area…

It is a beautiful little city and well worth a visit.

I used to live in Frankfurt for two years and only went to Mainz once. But I do remember it being lovely.

What a shame.

We paid our entrance fee which covered both forts. It was 5$ per person, so not expensive at all. We had to climb up quite some stairs. Up there it was quite windy, but we also had a great view:

That is a very good deal. What a beautiful view.

That really reminds me of the Fort at Cartagena.

You can see at Disneyland Paris where they have borrowed some of the design elements from the fort. It looks like the new Shanghai park will feature even more from this historic site.

I never knew this.

Again, this very much reminds me of Cartagena.

He said when he started working there he had decided that every customer from Mainz he would pay for their stamps out of his own pocket because he had loved the town so much.

A person after my own heart.

Thanks for sharing. We are both very much interested in history and architecture and it looks like San Juan has plenty of both.

Corinna

 

[lovealldisney]

I'm here I'm here! I've been away from the DIS boards for way to long! I have a bit to catch up on! I always enjoy your TR. We are finally booked for September 18th -25th! We were planning a cruise then well things happened and now we are going for a week instead to Disney. I owe you a nice long email lots of new things going on. Going back now to catch up, this will be my nightly entertainment DH is away for the weekend.

 

[rndmr2]

Great update! Nice pictures, looks like you had a nice tour.

We did a tour there on our NCL cruise in Nov 2013. We didn't intend to do a tour that day, we were planning just to walk around the town but there were a bunch of tour vans and guys in matching shirts as we got off the ship (this was about 4 in the afternoon, we were there from 3p til 9p) and there were other passengers taking them up on it so we took an hour tour (actually was about 90 minutes) for $20 for the 2 of us. We saw that 2nd fort you saw.

I had actually seen the 1st Fort you saw when I was there with a couple friends on a S. Caribbean cruise in 2000.

There are some really pretty views from those ports.

 

[AAshleySEG]

Hopped over from my TR, wanted to check out yours!! Going to get started reading right away!! I have a lot to catch up on!! We have never been on the Fantasy or to Vero Beach!! Can't wait to read it all

 

[Flossbolna]

You really mean the streets or just the proprietor in the first house?

Well it might be a "authoritarian" to you, but we did not buy a coffee at Starbucks!

(the other day I sent Katharina an picture of my coffee on Starbucks and since Michael was part of the conversation she tried to reply in English while her phone was still set to German. She wanted to say 'what a surprise', but the phone changed the word surprise into the German word autoritär (they obviously look exactly the same...) which means authoritarian. It kind of made me wonder what this tells us about Apple's views on German society... Katharina said she rather would not want to know).

Oh, I see, you mean the street.

Yes, of course!!

I just thought about commenting on the fascinating fact that these forts look very much like the ones I've seen in France, Great Britain and Finland, when...

There is certainly a familiarity with forts all over Europe. After all it was the European colonialists who built the forts on San Juan. But the setting!!

Nothing I've seen so far, and it reminds me of...

You are smart!!

ok, so I'm not the first one to realize that.

Someone else knows his Disney references.

Very interesting! And I like how the concrete looks still very fresh! But I guess no one tried to to blow it up.

I have no idea how much action the Caribbean saw during WWII. I guess some U-Boote might have been around.

Which holiday was it again, that was about a month away yet?

It was already beginning of December by then. So, really a time when most places would start decorating. And here they obviously think more is better...

This is really a great story! I often wondered, as we met so many British who had been with the army in Germany on our travels there, whether I would ever meet an American who had been stationed close to where we grew up. It hasn't happened yet, but after this story I guess it is still possible. I doubt though that he/she would have loved it as much as this guy loved Mainz...

I have not met anyone who has been in Grafenwöhr either.

It's rental number 54003, the German title its Tschitty Tschitty Bäng Bäng, which is hilarious! It's how you pronounce the english title, but written in German… As it is based on a book by Ian Fleming, there is a chance even my husband might want to see it, but we shouldn't tell him, it's a musical.

The title is hilarious. And I can't think you will be able to hide the fact that this is a musical from him... But you can try! We should propose it for my next visit!

And potatoes, I think every Scandinavian country serves them daily… I'm looking forward to its

I don't think I have ever seen a dish that was served just with boiled potatoes as a side during any of my cruises...

 

[nodnol]

The title is hilarious. And I can't think you will be able to hide the fact that this is a musical from him... But you can try! We should propose it for my next visit!

Ken Adam did the production design of the film, as I found out today when we saw an exhibition of his work. He's most famous for some Bond films and of course the war room of all war rooms in Dr. Strangelove….

 

[Flossbolna]

It is a beautiful little city and well worth a visit.

What a shame.

I will make a note of visiting Mainz sometime!! I would love to do a road trip up the Rhine from Freiburg to Cologne with Michael. And a quick detour to Mainz should fit well in there.

That is a very good deal. What a beautiful view.

That really reminds me of the Fort at Cartagena.

Again, this very much reminds me of Cartagena.

The forts were really beautiful. And I guess the resemblance with Cartagena comes from being Spanish colonies around the same time... I am pretty sure there are many of these structures all over the Caribbean.

A person after my own heart.

I think he would have been thrilled to meet you and chat with you about Mainz!

Thanks for sharing. We are both very much interested in history and architecture and it looks like San Juan has plenty of both.

Definitely! I think one of those Southern Caribbean cruises from there would be perfect for the two of you!

 

[Flossbolna]

I'm here I'm here! I've been away from the DIS boards for way to long! I have a bit to catch up on! I always enjoy your TR.

Wendy!! I had wondered what happened to you!! Great to see you back on the DIS!

We are finally booked for September 18th -25th! We were planning a cruise then well things happened and now we are going for a week instead to Disney.

Hope you will have a fabulous trip to WDW!

I owe you a nice long email lots of new things going on. Going back now to catch up, this will be my nightly entertainment DH is away for the weekend.

Looking forward to an email! I hope you had fun reading the DIS for entertainment!

 

[ScottishMummyof2]

It is very odd that everyone I meet from Scotland seems to have no idea who Craig Ferguson is. If you don't, he's been the host of The Late Late Show on CBS from 2005 until last December. Quite irreverent and amusing. I was sad to see him quit. Still, odd that Craig from Scotland didn't know him. For folks who watched The Drew Carey Show when ABC ran it, he played Drew's boss.

Loving your joint TR, lots of great tips for our Fantasy trip in October!! I know exactly who Craig Ferguson is, very funny guy though we don't see as much of him on Scottish tv as you do in the US.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

You can see at Disneyland Paris where they have borrowed some of the design elements from the fort. It looks like the new Shanghai park will feature even more from this historic site.

It reminds me of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida. But the views here are more spectacular! You really have a lot of stunning photos in these chapters.

The fort is really at the tip of the harbor entrance.

Makes sense strategically. I would love to tour here someday!

We came across some really neat shops.

The streets are really neat, too. Looks like a great city to wander through.

He then proceeded to tell me that he was stationed in Germany when he was in the Air Force and how much he loved his time living in Germany. And then he told me that it was a shame that I was not from Mainz (a town in Germany close to Frankfurt), because if I had been from Mainz, he would have paid for my stamps himself! He said when he started working there he had decided that every customer from Mainz he would pay for their stamps out of his own pocket because he had loved the town so much. We asked him if he had ever met anyome from Mainz and he said that he did. And it even turned out to be someone from the street where he had lived and the guy had been a little boy when our friend was there and could remember him! What a great story! And for us it certainly added some magic to the day!

Very cool! I'm sure you were proud to see that your home country had made such a good impression on him.

All in all, I really enjoyed our walking tour of San Juan.

I can see why! I think I need to schedule a visit someday.

You just lucked out and stayed in the historic/tourist area, which is absolutely affluent and safe.

That tends to be the only area I visit when I travel, anyway!

 

[Flossbolna]

Great update! Nice pictures, looks like you had a nice tour.

Thanks! Yes, it was a nice tour.

We did a tour there on our NCL cruise in Nov 2013. We didn't intend to do a tour that day, we were planning just to walk around the town but there were a bunch of tour vans and guys in matching shirts as we got off the ship (this was about 4 in the afternoon, we were there from 3p til 9p) and there were other passengers taking them up on it so we took an hour tour (actually was about 90 minutes) for $20 for the 2 of us. We saw that 2nd fort you saw.

Sounds like a lucky coincidence! I have read a few reports about just getting a guide at the pier and spoke to people who did that in every port on my last cruise. I am not sure I would be relaxed enough to do that and just go with the flow, but everyone that I have heard of who did that seemed to really enjoy it. Sounds like you got a really good deal!

I had actually seen the 1st Fort you saw when I was there with a couple friends on a S. Caribbean cruise in 2000.

I really would love to do a Southern Caribbean cruise one day!

Hopped over from my TR, wanted to check out yours!! Going to get started reading right away!! I have a lot to catch up on!! We have never been on the Fantasy or to Vero Beach!! Can't wait to read it all

Great to have you here! I need to jump over to yours to read the new updates! I have already fallen behind!

Vero Beach was a great surprise! I think it is a bit of a hidden gem for people like me who don't have a beach close by.

Loving your joint TR, lots of great tips for our Fantasy trip in October!! I know exactly who Craig Ferguson is, very funny guy though we don't see as much of him on Scottish tv as you do in the US.

to a fellow European!! And you will make Michael really happy! I will send him an email that we have found a Scottish person who knows Craig Ferguson! So, he does stuff on Scottish TV as well?

And I am happy to hear that you find the TR useful! I always try to incorporate the kind of information that I would find useful myself in a TR. In the end I forget about half the stuff that I meant to include, but I still hope my TRs turn out halfway useful...

 

[Flossbolna]

It reminds me of the Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida. But the views here are more spectacular! You really have a lot of stunning photos in these chapters.

I guess the fort there is the same type of coastal Spanish colonial fort... No wonder that they all look similar. These two are unique in that they have such great views and locations!

Makes sense strategically. I would love to tour here someday!

The streets are really neat, too. Looks like a great city to wander through.

I can see why! I think I need to schedule a visit someday.

Well, you really need to bring your kids there in order to cover the whole US, you should not just limited yourself to the 50 states, but include all other territories as well. At least as long as they are pretty. Not sure if there are some US territories on the South Pole or so... I would not advise to visit there.

That tends to be the only area I visit when I travel, anyway!

Ok, I think then my previous advise to exclude the theoretical South Pole US territory from your travels was rather superfluous.

Very cool! I'm sure you were proud to see that your home country had made such a good impression on him.

Yes, it is always wonderful to hear stories like that! But in the back of my mind there is always the thought that if my home country had not brought devastation over Europe, there would never have been any reason for American or British soldiers being stationed in Germany.