El Morro
When I look at this picture it reminds me of the Chris De Burgh song “Spanish Train”. The lord and the devil are sitting inside the fortress playing poker. The ante is the souls of the dead. The devil wins because he cheats.
The Spanish feared and despised Sir Francis Drake. For years he had robbed them and outsmarted them. He was no match for them until he came to this fortress in 1595. It was here that he failed to capture the prize. On November 12, 1595, Drake’s great friend, colleague, and cousin Sir John Hawkins died of dysentery while on this mission. That same night Drake was attacked. He was eating dinner on board his ship ‘The Defiance’ when a shot crashed through his cabin and destroyed the chair he was sitting on. Two of his officers were killed. Drake himself was to die a few months later of dysentery.
Maze
From the outside, this fortress is immense and intimidating. Inside it is a maze of narrow passageways, towers, dungeons, and dead ends. It is easy to get lost.
Path Along the Sea in Old San Juan
A one-and-a-half-mile path between the fortress and the ocean to the last remaining old gate of the city is a must for people who love to walk.
View of El Morro sitting on a promontory. Morro means something that sticks out.
2 Comments
Rico · January 10, 2022 at 7:02 pm
Having grown up in San Juan I can attest to the unreliable electrical service. More than once did my poor family have to throw out a full wild boar carcass that we had stored in our freezer due to these failures. My hard-working father, Manuel, would then have to venture back into the jungle for another of these delicious beasts. (They make a fine sausage.) He could not afford to buy more boar on a cobbler’s wage.
Complaints, or requests for compensation from local government for our losses were always met the response, “No refunds for those from East San Juan.”
Great Blog!
Rico
Moe · January 10, 2022 at 11:42 pm
Thank you for that interesting story, Rico. Wild boars have always been one of my favorite topics of conversation. However, I’m not sure what you mean by “those from East San Juan” unless it’s what I think you mean. If that’s the case, we’ll leave it for another blog.