Castillo San Cristóbal-San Juan, Puerto Rico

Another adventure from our honeymoon was visiting Castillo San Cristóbal which is part of the San Juan National Historic Site. This was part of a guided tour we scheduled to visit here and Casa Bacardi. Before going to Puerto Rico, I had no real knowledge of the country's history or what there was to do on the island. I could tell you the very basics about the Commonwealth (yep, they are a Commonwealth and a US territory), and prior to going I was busy with wedding planning and starting a new job. 

Our guide was a local and very knowledgeable about Castillo San Cristóbal and about the Commonwealth itself. We learned interesting tidbits that would take to much time to write here. Now onto the point of this post... the location. San Cristóbal stands guard st the eastern gate and built in 1634. This was to protect the land entrance to Old San Juan. This is largest fortifications that was built by the Spanish in the New World covering 27 acres. When you visit make sure you have some good walking shoes. 

I love going to places and trying to picture what it was like back during its prime. (I know, I know... history nerd!) Our guide took us through the fort and we went into the Dungeon. Inside here there is no window, so that means there is no light or air coming in. A group of us were in here for maybe 5+ mins and we were sweating I can only imagine what the actual prisoners felt like. On the wall there is some ancient graffiti of ships and mierda (sh!t) written on the walls. Not everyone agrees that prisoners were kept in this room, but chose what you wish to believe. Someone had to of been kept there in my opinion. 

Leaving the fort, it is massive.  

The fort has a presence in this city still to this day- now only has a landmark but a unique look into the history. The first shots of the Spanish-American War were fired here. Now the city does have a better known fortification, El Morro, which protected the city from sea attacks. A post will follow on there as well. 

The fortification is open daily from 9am to 6pm.

Cathedral of San Juan Bautista-San Juan, Puerto Rico

Let me start off by saying that San Juan, Puerto Rico is a beautiful place. I would go back there any day! We went for our honeymoon 2 years ago, and I think this may be one of the best trips by far that we've taken. We did take a guided tour while on the island, but one day we decided that we would walk around in Old San Juan and we came across the Cathedral of San Juan Bautista. (I usually link to the direct site, but their site appears to be down. Here is a link to an official Puerto Rico site instead.)

The cathedral is one of the oldest buildings in San Juan, located in Old San Juan, and is the second oldest cathedral in the Americas.The church was built in 1521 originally with wood. It was destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt with stones. It has survived many hurricanes and was last updates in 1917. The inside is simple yet beautiful. To my knowledge, there is no ac, but they do have fans pointed at the pews to provide some circulation.

The one standout feature to me other than the Gothic style architecture was the stained glass windows. They are a site to see in it self. Pictured to the right is my favorite in the building. The light coming in on the stained glass shows the picture so clearly. Now, I did mention the architecture-- make sure if you go to look up! I don't wanna overload this post with pictures, so you will just have to go see for yourself! 

Inside you can also the tomb of Juan de Ponce and the mummy of St. Pio. You can attend mass here Saturdays at 7 pm, Sunday at 9 and 11 am, and weekdays 7:25 am and 12:15 pm.

 For more information, call 787-722-0861. The church is open daily from 8 am - 4 pm (Sunday until 2 pm). (Please call and check times for accuracy. These times were taken from here.)

Confederate Memorial Hall-New Orleans, LA

[Please excuse the delay in posting- here we go with another post!]

When we were in New Orleans back in December we had to kill some time since the National WWII Museum was closed for a special event in the morning. This was across the street from the parking lot where we parked. Now, most museums for me you don't have to sell me on. Their sign did it all for me "Louisiana's Oldest Museum" how could I not go? 

The Confederate Memorial Hall Museum was established in 1891.  It contains the second largest collection of Confederate Civil War items in the world. The one downside I always find to museums is that I wasn't allowed to take pictures. They do let you take pictures of the hall itself, but not of any specific artifacts. I understand why but it is always a bummer. 

I always enjoy looking at uniforms from back in the day. They were so small compared to us now. Unfortunately since we visited back in December I can't remember any specific things that stood out to me. Definitely worth checking out if you are in NOLA. Here is a view of the right and left. 

If you choose to visit just keep in mind they close for Mardi Gras. They are open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm. 
 

The National WWII Museum-New Orleans, LA

This past weekend we took a weekend trip to New Orleans, LA. I'm sure most people go to NOLA to get drunk on Bourbon, eat beignets from Cafe Du Monde (yum!), or to go hang out in the French Quarter. My first thought when we chose our destination was, "Oh, they have a WWII Museum that I've heard is great!" My husband is used to this by now so we decided to go there once we arrived in town. We were disappointed to learn that they were closed for an event that morning, but we were able to come back that afternoon and again the next day.

The National WWII Museum  is open seven days a week from 9am - 5pm. There is so much to do and according to their website they recommend 3 hours for the exhibits. When we went on Friday and Saturday we spent about a total of 6 hours combined. We did everything the main exhibit, Road to Berlin (which just opened this past Saturday!), Beyond All Boundaries, and Final Mission: The USS Tang Experience. 

From a local tour guide I learned that this was originally a D-Day Museum, but then was expanded to include the whole war. There is so much information to take in from the whole experience. While, I would recommend doing everything when you visit I know not everyone will spend the amount of time we did. You have to check out the main exhibit plus that is your admission to the museum. I did learn more about Okinawa and that is where my Grandpa was during WWII on the USS Hart. 



The new exhibit that opened on Saturday was Road to Berlin. You get a Dog Tag that you register with your information, and then you select a story to follow. I chose Josephine Pescatore who worked as a an evacuation-hospital nurse in the United States Army Nurse Corps and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her service. You walk through the interactive exhibit and at different stations you swipe your card, and then watch a short video on their story during the war. You can also collect items on your card to review later from home. I have been to a lot of museums, and this one of the coolest features I have seen. 

One other thing I do want to highlight is the 4D experience Beyond All Boundaries. The film is narrated by Tom Hanks and runs about 48 minutes long. First, you are welcomed by Tom in a small room where you watch a short preview and then you make your way into the auditorium. Since it is a 4D experience you have fog going off, chairs shaking, snow falling and other features that come up from the orchestra. I learned a lot from this video--this is a must see!

When Roosevelt didn't speak softly

*This article is from San Antonio Express News and not written by me.*

By Richard A. Marini

SAN ANTONIO — Vice President Teddy Roosevelt was chafed. That much is apparent from even the most cursory reading of a three-page letter dated July 13, 1901, that will be sold via an online auction beginning today.

In the letter, written only three years after his victory with the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt airs his concern that an upcoming annual reunion might besmirch the regiment's “splendid record” if it is used as “an advertising scheme, or turned into a raree show.”

Reunions should be held less often, he proposed, and only “in one of the four territories in which the regiment was enlisted (or else in San Antonio).”

Photo via Flickr

Roosevelt's affinity for San Antonio is understandable. This is where he spent several weeks in May 1898 training the raw recruits who would gain fame and glory battling up San Juan Hill in Cuba. And the city returned Roosevelt's affection, turning out in numbers to watch the approximately 1,000 men of what officially was known as the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment train in Riverside Park south of downtown.

In the letter, written from his home in Oyster Bay, Long Island, Roosevelt also rails against those former comrades who beseech him for military appointments and government jobs, or for help getting out of legal scrapes.

The surprisingly candid, behind-the-scenes glimpse of one of American history's most colorful characters will be sold online by Boston-based RR Auction in a sale running through Nov. 12.

The original, typewritten letter is addressed to Maj. William H.H. Llewellyn, who'd served under Roosevelt and been rewarded with a post as U.S. attorney in New Mexico.

Signed by Roosevelt and with several handwritten corrections — he added the parentheses around the phrase “or else in San Antonio” — the letter is one item in a lot of more than 850 historical documents, manuscripts and artifacts to be sold.

Purchased from one of Llewellyn's descendants three years ago by a New York collector, the Roosevelt letter carries a starting bid of $1,000, according to Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auction.

“Other than some scattered creases and a rusty staple hole at the top, the letter's in very good condition for its age,” he said. “It gives you an interesting look at Roosevelt's personality.”

Apparent in the letter, for example, is Roosevelt's keen interest in maintaining the Rough Riders' reputation. After all, the regiment's fame helped propel him to the second-highest office in the land. (What he could not know, of course, was that he'd be elevated to the presidency only two months hence, following the assassination of William McKinley.)

The letter begins with Roosevelt complementing Llewellyn for his prosecution of someone he calls simply “Britto.”

Research by the auction house revealed he likely was referring to Frank Brito, a one-time Rough Rider convicted of murder in the third degree after he tried to shoot his wife but mistakenly killed his sister-in-law instead.

Roosevelt's annoyance with others seeking military or political assistance from their now-influential commander is plain.

“We cannot afford to let it be thought that we either shield bad men because they are Rough Riders or press second rate men forward for the same reason,” he wrote, later adding, “The Oklahoma men have bothered me particularly, seeming to be unable to understand that I cannot possibly dictate the appointment of postmasters &c. I have asked for so many favors for men of the regiment that I am positively ashamed to go to a single department in Washington, and above all, to the War Department.”

As for the reunions, he expresses the belief that getting together annually might be too hard a burden for the “best and most hardworking” vets and instead suggests the next one — “a quiet meeting of the regiment without any outside show of a spectacular type” — be postponed until 1905.

According to contemporary reports, Roosevelt and 50 or so Rough Riders did indeed attend a reunion held here that year. While there were plenty of public events during the two-day affair, the agenda also included a private lunch and afternoon meeting with the president, and a farewell reception later that evening in the parlors of the Menger Hotel.

State Board of Education ponders: Was Sam Houston a liberal?

*This snippet is taken from an article at HoustonChronicle.com and not written by me.*

Wax bust of Sam Houston that was on display at
the San Jacinto Monument. Photo taken by me.

Was Sam Houston a liberal? This is yet the latest "factual" issue discussed by the State Board of Education as the deadline approaches next month for approving new social studies textbooks that Texas students will use for the next eight years. Recent directives from the board to textbook publishers have involved refernces to Jews and the Holocaust, and the good and the bad sides of Islam. "The whole structure is in a way a charade," said Jacqueline Jones, the chairwoman of the history department at the University of Texas at Austin. Texas Tribune

Proposed Items for Social Studies Textbooks

Books via Flickr                                                             Frontier Classroom via Flickr

   

                     
Back in 2009 the State Board of Education (SBOE) in Texas tried to cut Darwinian evolution from state textbooks. These new social studies books will be voted on in November by the SBOE. The Houston Press has compiled a list of 10 crazy things they are proposing to include in the textbooks. The full list is located here . Here is some of the crazy things being considered from that list:

"6. Nothing good has happened in society since 1927.
4. The Native Americans hung out with the Pilgrims and the whole things turned out just fine for Squanto and his buddies.
2. The whole segregation thing wasn't that big of a deal"

I can't even begin to say how ridiculous some of these are. Read the article and make your own conclusions. 


**I did not write the list, it's from the Houston Press.**