Today I am in San Juan, Peurto Rico and is a hot and humid 29 degrees. Location 26 in our walk across the world. Founded in 1521 makes it the second oldest city in the Americas and the oldest under a US flag so it prefers to eat shortbread and fall asleep in front of the television. San Juan is called 'La Ciudad Amurallada' – 'The Walled City'. During the early 16th century, San Juan was the point of departure for Spanish expeditions to charter or settle unknown parts of the New World. Its fortifications repulsed the English navigator Sir Francis Drake in 1595 (meaning it kept him out, not made him feel sick because of any sort of decorating clash of colours on the walls).
Puerto Rican culture is a mix of four cultures, African (from slaves), Taíno (Amerindians), Spanish (from... well, Spain actually), and more recently, North American (as you may have guessed... from the northern part of the Americas). This mix makes a culture that is all at once athletic, traditional, excitable and keen to make a buck.
Food: Asopao – Arguably Puerto Rico's most widely loved native dish, this hearty rice gumbo is made with chicken or shellfish. Every Puerto Rican family cherishes its own recipe for this classic comfort food.
Population: 343,374.
Photograph by
Phil of Ottawa from Flickr
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