Today I woke up a bit late (still pretty early for my standards though lol), but was treated to a lovely breakfast consisting of some scrambled eggs, bread, yogurt, and a yummy pear. We then we’re led through morning prayer by Father Jon. The passage we observed was psalm 23, which showed me how God is ever present in our lives, with the verse 5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Father Jon then gave an inspirational story about his youth, explaining that even if your faith fluctuates God is always present.
After prayer we went to a fort in Old San Juan (pictures included), which used to be the main defense against all kinds of oceanic threats. This was super cool and we ran all the way up then ran all the way down and then of course checked out the gift shop on our way out. One of the many thing I will personally take away from this trip is the vast beauty of the wonderful Caribbean Island. It’s always full of dense tropical life just waiting to be explored. While touring the castle we saw a few Iguanas 🦎 just crawling around and doing their thing.
The next big part of today was lunch and then the shopping. San Juan is full of cute little nooks and crannies, each unique in their own way. Many of the shops had other shops or even restaurants inside of them. Speaking of food, we went to a lovely place on the west side of San Juan. I ordered a delectable shrimp dish that came with some rice, beans and salad. This delicious meal gave our little group the energy we needed to finish our shopping, picking up various trinkets along the way to our meet up spot.
The last, but certainly not least, event was this extraordinary dinner venue, with live entertainment in the form of Campeche, the dancing cockatoo. Other than that, the food was amazing, 10/10, five stars, followed by an even better desert. On our walk back from dinner we met a group that sang This Little Light Of Mind and Amazing Grace with us.
All in all, today might have been busiest, but it was also the most fun we’ve had all week. We were all happy to finally take a restful day full of exploration and celebration in the name of God.
-Luke Hanzlik