El Morro and Art and Craft Festival

I was reading the "Daily Sun" (English Puerto Rico Newspaper) and discovered there was large Art Festival in San Juan last weekend. Loving arts and crafts, we went on Sunday, hoping to miss the bigger crowds. The trick in Puerto Rico is to go early. I got to El Morro at 9:30 and found a fantastic parking spot for $5.00 for the day, and then struck out for the festival. Crafters and vendors were setup on the lawn of El Morro. Although the festival was slated to begin at 9:00 in the morning, several vendors had not setup by the time I arrived, but regardless there was still a good number of displays to look at. I wouldn't describe the items available as "high end" art, but a lot of items were available with a "local flair." Among the crafts to look at and purchase were clay items, jewelry made from sea and local coconut shells, soaps and lotions to name a few. By far, for me, the most interesting items were the colorful carnival masks. I am hoping to purchase one in the near future, but they are costly ($75.00 - up) so I want to make sure the one I purchase I am crazy about. I did end up buying a clay Coqui frog to hang on my wall - very cute and reasonable at $15.00.

After looking at all the crafts, my partner and I wandered up to El Morro. Admission is a cheap $3.00 per person and they open at 9:00. You walk around the fort at your own pace and if you are interested in the "history" of El Morro, there are plaques and signs that will tell you everything you need to know. A few words of caution, El Morro is in the bright Caribbean sun and it can be hot, but most of the time, there is a nice ocean breeze blowing in. Sunblock is the word of the day. I did not block up, and didn't realize how much sun I got until in the evening after I got home. Additionally, I encourage you to bring water. You cannot bring food and drinks into the Fort with the exception of bottled water, and you definitely should bring it. If you forget to bring your own water, there is a little gift shop within El Morro that sells cold bottled water. Last but not least, wear comfortable shoes, there are 6 levels to explore in the Fort, along with several long flights of stairs to climb.

About a block away from El Morro are plenty of cafes, restaurants, and bars. I ended up going to a place called Aureola Cafe Restaurant located at #106 San Sebasstian Street in Old San Juan. Telephone 787-977-0100

Aureola had great atmosphere and even better air conditioning. The food is very tasty and in the medium price range. I highly recommend the Baked Camembert Cheese, Apples, Honey, French Bread and Walnut appetizer. It is large enough to share between people. For my main course I ordered the Mahi-Mahi Ceviche salad and Carlos had the Beef sandwich. Although I would not describe my ceviche as classical ceviche, it was the perfect meal on a hot summer day. One word of advice about Auriola: they charge you 2.50 for each drink refill (soda, lemonade etc.) Our meal was very satisfying and filling and the total tab came to about $50.00 (unfortunately we did not know about the charge for the drink refills and $10.00 of our bill was for refills - ouch.) If in the area, I encourage you to visit Auriola Cafe Restaurant.

I can't tell you how much we enjoyed spending the day wandering around Old San Juan. If you get the chance you should absolutely visit El Morro. Be sure to check out the pictures of El Morro, the craft festival and Aureola.