Visiting El Morro and Old San Juan Puerto Rico

El Castillo San Felipe del Morro is generally spoken of as "El Morro”. It goes all the way back to 1539, when Spanish settlers came in and built a small turret-like tower to help them defend the bay of San Juan. Over two hundred years, the fort began to grow all around this turret and the current form of the fort was reached at the end of 18th century. El Morro has seen a number of attacks in the course of its making. It has been the epicenter of battles against famous names such as that of Sir Francis Drake and George Clifford. There was also Ralph Abercromby featuring in these fights. In both the World Wars, the American army worked at modifying the structure a bit to suit the needs of their army base. It allowed them to keep an eye out for German invaders. The fort opened to public viewing in 1961. The sentry boxes of the fort or what are locally called "garitas" can even be found on souvenirs and license plates.

Visiting El Morro will cost all of $3. Alternately you can purchase a 1-week valid ticket for $5 and visit Castillo San Cristobal as well. Visiting hours are all through the week from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Try and make sure you get there on the hour and you will able to hear out a 20 minute orientation talk. Get online and look for special guided tour timings. What is good about El Morro is that you can wander around freely around the fort taking in the sites. All you need is a map that is available at the entrance and you can be on your way. It has six levels to look through, so keep in mind that there is a lot of walking to do.

Another great section of this country to visit is the 465-year-old neighborhood of Old San Juan. Initially it was made as a military stronghold. It covers a 7-square-block area and today is a residential as well as commercial area that has a great old-world charm to it. The streets are cobble stoned with "adoquines". This is a stone from the furnace slag that were found in ballasts of Spanish ships. This city has over 400 painstakingly restored colonial buildings of the 16th- and 17th-centuries. Tourists love coming here for the beaches, the casinos and the tropical weather. It is one of the most visited regions in the Caribbean in summers. Some must-see plazas are Plaza de San José, the Plaza del Quinto Centenario, Plaza de Armas and Plaza de Colón.