The Story Of Us

El Yunque is a rainforest in Puerto Rico. Did you know that it is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System, with over 240 species of trees and thousands of native plants? It's a vital habitat for the critically endangered Puerto Rican Parrot and provides water for 20% of the island's population.       El Yunque is very easy to reach. It was just a 40 minute drive from our hotel. We picked up a car from the local rental place and were on our way. We drove the first 30 minutes and stopped at Ekelekua for some breakfast.  Entry to the rainforest was free. Our first stop was La Coca Falls - the falls were right across the street from a parking lot.  Our second stop was Yokahu Tower.  This 65ft, Moorish-looking stone tower was built as a lookout in 1962. It's an easy 98 steps to the top where you get a 360-degree views of the lush rainforest. The tower is named after Yokahú, a Taíno spirit associated with the protection of the mount...

                               This is a photograph of the Momo staircase, famous for being a double helix design in the Vatican Museums, allowing people to go up and down without their paths crossing. It's actually two staircases.  The original was built by Donato Bramante in 1505 and is not open to the public. The modern version was designed by Giuseppe Momo in 1932. It is one of the most photographed staircases and is now used as an exit from the Vatican Museums.  This photograph was taken after reaching the bottom and then looking up.  All prints and products are available to purchase in my Redbubble and Zazzle stores.                               Etsy             Instagram             Twitter          ...

Last week we spent four warm and sunny days in Puerto Rico! It was while planning this trip that I realized how large Puerto Rico really was, we only explored a teeny tiny portion. We are already talking about making a second trip. On our first day we arrived in the early afternoon and were happy to hear that our room was already ready.  We changed and headed down for lunch at the hotel restaurant.  When visiting somewhere new I like to try the local cuisine. It was hard in PR. We do not eat pork and not a fan of seafood so it limited our choices a bit. What we did eat alcapurrias - green plantain dough stuffed with meat tostones - deep fried plantains We spent the rest of the day lounging by the beach and pool. We had dinner at a local Mexican place, Lupis. They had the most melt in your mouth steak.  The next morning we headed out to explore historic San Juan. San Juan was founded in 1521 by the Spanish, is one of the oldest cities in the New World and a major histo...