加勒比海陽光下的故事 (2) ---- San Juan 市中心

波多黎各（Puerto Rico)  --- Puerto Rico, actually means "Rich Port" in English.   "What a rich port!". The island was discovered by Columbus in 1493. 當時的印第安人傻乎乎地告訴哥倫布他們挖金塊的地方，並跟他說"take as many as you want".  此後西班牙在這裡建立了殖民據點。1809年西班牙將波多黎各設為西班牙的海外省， 1898年美西戰爭爆發，美國派兵佔領了波多黎各。西班牙戰敗後，在巴黎條約中將波多黎各割讓給了美國，自此波多黎各總督由美國總統指派。1917年美國給了波多黎各居民美國公民的地位。1952年波多黎各頒佈了自己的憲法，在憲法中確立了在美國內自治邦的地位。1997年，美國在波多黎各舉行全民公決，宣佈波多黎各否決了作為美國51個州加入聯邦的議案。。

El Morro – Six level castle 140 ft above the sea, overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and San Juan Bay. 這裏曾是西班牙在加勒比海最重要的軍事要塞， 曆史上（1598）隻有一次被英軍攻破過。El Morro - the word itself sounds powerful and this six-level fortress certainly is. Begun in 1540 and completed in 1589. San Felipe del Morro was named in honor of King Phillip II. Most of the walls in the fort today were added later, in a period of tremendous construction from the 1760's-1780's. Rising 140 feet above the sea, its 18-foot-thick wall proved a formidable defense. It fell only once, in 1598, to a land assault by the Earl of Cumberland's forces. The fort is a maze of tunnels, dungeons, barracks, outposts and ramps. El Morro is studded with small, circular sentry boxes called "garitas" that have become a national symbol. The views of San Juan Bay from El Morro are spectacular. The area was designated a National Historic Site in February, 1949 with 74 total acres. It has the distinction of being the largest fortification in the Caribbean. In 1992, the fortress was restored to its historical form in honor of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus. El Morro Fortress is a National Historic Site administered by the National Park Service.

惦記著著名的老城堡 El Morro，進城就直朝那奔，在6PM關門前的20分鍾，老胳膊老腿終於邁了進去。


San Juan 的 Logo


當年的兵營


懷疑這槍的射程夠得著海麵


城堡頂上可跑馬，不知當年可有炮？


400年的時光裏，曾有過多少的變化？今天的400年後還會看到同樣的景色嗎？
 





內灣停著三艘遊輪，難怪城裏的餐館很貴的說


比起拉斯維加斯來說，這賭場隻能是聊勝於無


今年的流行風？


老城區很西班牙式










俺覺得島上的小車太多了


漢堡王入鄉隨俗
 

"大隱隱於市"不是件容易的事
 

立體的雕塑被俺拍成了平麵的剪影，請湊合著看吧，嗬嗬~~~~~~~