Old San Juan and Vieques, March 2010, additional images

Playa Grande was one of our favorite beaches on Vieques, not for its swimming possibilities, but for the beauty of its sand and rock beaches and the fact we had the entire beach to ourselves. We walked the length of Playa Grande, around some rocky outcroppings to Playa Negra, the black sand beach.

This is the main street in Esperanza--pretty quaint

The produce market is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Barrio Monte Santo on Vieques

This is an evening view of the boats moored off Esperanza taken looking out from the Malecon.

Kathy awaits a cold margarita at Duffy's in Esperanza

The streets of Old San Juan are narrow and incredibly picturesque. The blue cobblestones making up the streets were cast of slag from Spain's iron foundries and transported to Puerto Rico as ballast stones in 16th-century ships.

La Rogativa is a monument on a tiny, shady plaza in Old San Juan. The sculpture was created by Lindsay Daen to mark San Juan's 450th anniversary. The bishop and three women pay tribute to the legend that during a siege by the British in 1797, the light from torches being carried in a religious procession caused the invaders to think they were seeing Spanish reinforcements coming. The British turned and fled. There are several interesting statues located throughout the old city.