Cruising up to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro also known as Fuerte San Felipe del Morro, a 16th century citadel located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Lying on the northwestern-most point of the islet of Old San Juan, Castillo San Felipe del Morro is named in honor of King Phillip II of Spain. The fortification, also referred to as
el Morro or 'the promontory,'' was designed to guard the entrance to the San Juan Bay, and defend the Spanish colonial port city of San Juan from seaborne enemies.
In August 2015, I traveled with my in laws to the island of Puerto Rico; land of my husbands maternal heritage. As we approached the island, I could sense the rich history of the location.
It was a beautiful summer day and the winds coming off of the coast were intense.
The grandiose, castle-esque architecture speaks to the long military history of the location.
With the Caribbean waves crashing against the citadel wall, it was all too easy to imagine large Spanish ships from medieval times sailing throughout the surrounding area.
A bartizan is an overhanging, wall-mounted turret projecting from the walls of late medieval and early-modern fortifications from the early 14th century up to the 18th century.
Most frequently found at corners, they protected a warder and enabled him to see his surroundings. Bartizans generally are furnished with oillets or arrow slits. The turret was usually supported by stepped masonry corbels and could be round or square.
Bartizans were incorporated into many notable examples of Scots Baronial Style architecture in Scotland. It is always remarkable to be inside a structure that has lasted for hundreds of years and to think about how many people have come and gone through the same space and what events transpired here.
A magnificent view off the coast of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. 08/2015
Walking through the streets of Old San Juan was magical. For locals or anyone more traveled than myself, it might seem like nothing extraordinary but to me it was mysterious and exotic. And it was interesting to see the place that my husbands family traces back to.
After Puerto Rico, our next stop was in St. Kitts also known more formally as Saint Christopher Island; an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean.
We traveled to the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well-preserved fortress on a hill on the island of St.Kitts.
It was designed by British military engineers, and was built and maintained by African slaves. It is one of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas.
As we reached the top of the fortress, we took in the sights and found this place to be truly spectacular! I felt like I was in another world; with how far we could see, it felt like a lost piece of heaven somehow. It was a quiet, almost ghostly ambience as the warm breeze blew across the land.
The lands long history of battle and death still resonated as we soaked in the eerie nature of the fort; a place where time seemed to stand still.
As we entered the fortress, we were greeted by a stray kitten! It was so cute; like it was guarding the castle entrance.
The adorable little Black and White kitten looked so malnourished it was heartbreaking. I wanted to take it back with us to the states but was stopped from doing so. I hope the poor thing found a home and someone to care for it.
A simple Black and White/Sepia color effect makes this image of the stray kitten of St.Kitts walking towards the camera appear more stylized and enigmatic.
Classic Black and White, while once the only option for photography, currently stands as a hallmark in creating a reflective tone.
The fortress itself was magnificent made infinitely more magnificent by the surrounding landscape.
Cannon were first mounted on Brimstone Hill in 1690, when the British used them to recapture Fort Charles from the French.
The French had not considered it possible to transport cannon up the steep and thickly wooded sides of Brimstone Hill. The construction of the fort then carried on intermittently for just over 100 years. In its heyday, the fort was known as 'The Gibraltar of the West Indies', in reference to its imposing steepness and height, its proximity to the sea, and its seeming invulnerability.
In 1782, the French, under Admiral Comte Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse laid siege to the fort. During the siege, the adjacent island of Nevis surrendered, and guns from Fort Charles and other small forts there were brought to St. Kitts for use against Brimstone Hill. British Admiral Hood could not dislodge de Grasse, and after a month of siege, the heavily outnumbered and cut-off British garrison surrendered.
A year later, the Treaty of Paris (1783) restored St. Kitts and Brimstone Hill to British rule, along with the adjacent island of Nevis. Following these events, the British carried out a program to augment and strengthen the fortifications, and Brimstone Hill never again fell to an enemy force.
The French navy tried to recapture the fort in 1806 but failed.
Panorama views help to show the vast scope of the landscape.
This was a magically memorable and historic family trip, punctuated in an amusing way when I got to take a picture with a few of the locals.
