- 1 -
From where we were staying we walked 15 minutes to the closest beach - Playita del Condado. The water was mellow and clear - perfect for the girls, plus people were snorkeling and there were views of a historic fort in the distance. *Autumn is wearing this rash guard - which I cannot say enough good things about. It is UPF 50+ and she wore it the entire trip, she also wore this reusable swim diaper. We use this sunscreen.
- 2 -
After spending time at the beach it started to get cloudy so we walked to an indoor food court close by called
El Mercado de Paseo Caribe - seen below. It was a really cool new space filled with wide variety of different food options including local cuisine and fresh fish. Jon and I got veggie lo mein while Ava took a nap in the stroller and Autumn rested in the carrier. We use
this carrier and we love it.
- 3 -
After lunch we walked along the water towards Old San Juan. Then the clouds grew increasingly ominous and we ended up getting caught in the rain. We ran for cover, but all got soaking wet - it was quite comical. We sought cover under an awning and once the rain stopped we hopped on a bus that took us the rest of the way to Old San Juan. Luckily the rain didn't last long and the sun came out and we were dry again quickly.
- 4 -
Old San Juan is amazing, like stepping back in time. We really enjoyed walking through the cobblestone streets and admiring all the beautiful, colorful, old architecture. We took our time wandering around and stopping at shops along the way the interested us. *The sidewalks and streets are narrow and quite uneven, some areas being worse than others - we managed fine with our single stroller, but it is something you may want to take into consideration.
We stopped at
La Bombonera a
bakery famous for their delicious plump, buttery rolls of mallorca bread, dusted with powdered sugar - they were delicious!
Ava's favorite color is green, she loved this building!
This was Parque de las Palomas. “Palomas” is the Spanish word for pigeons and that is just what you will see here because hundreds of pigeons flock here daily. It is a great stop for children because you can buy bird seed from a vendor at the gate to feed the birds - as you can see Ava had a blast!
Old San Juan has many plazas and parks scattered throughout the city. Each one has a story behind it that offers a chance to learn about the city’s rich history, you can learn more about them here.
These popsicles are incredible! We got the ones that are made with fresh fruit and water, but they also have milk varieties. Making them with fresh fruit makes such a difference, the flavors were amazing and fresh. My favorite was the passion fruit, seen above, which we got many times during our stay. Ava's favorite was the strawberry. If you turn right as you leave the shop and head up a bit there is a great place to sit with benches and a view of the water.
- 4 -
After popsicles we made our way back down through the streets to the water. We walked by the cruise ships and then got an Uber back to the condo from there - they all line up around here because of the waves of people getting off the ships. It was a long day with lots of walking and exploring. After showering we walked to a local market -
La Hacienda - on our street and picked up some groceries for dinner. We then enjoyed a mellow evening in together.
(Check out the Goggle Map of our walking itinerary for the day
here)
* * *
What we pack for Adventure Days
Fresh fruit - clementines, apples, bananas
Cucumber sticks
Sandwiches - peanut + honey or turkey + cheese + spinach
Change of clothes for both girls
Extra swimsuits
Towels
Phone + charger
Wallet
