Noches en El Convento Hotel – San Juan’s Convent Hotel

Written by Edwin Ali


Continued from page 1

The soldiers of Colonial Spain garrisoned inrepparttar Old City erectedrepparttar 133644 three-story convent, designed by an army engineer. The walls (sun-baked clay brick) were three feet thick to withstand Indians, European enemies, hurricanes and tropical heat. Doors and grilles over slottred windows were mahogany and ausubo (ironwood), a dark wood fromrepparttar 133645 West Indies that increases in strength with age.

The building's characteristic Spanish features were an enormous, open interior courtyard framed by tiered balconies and arched corridors. Nuns' cells were tiny rooms with single beds and straw mattresses. The spacious chapel had a domed ceiling.

In July 1651,repparttar 133646 Monastery our Lady Carmen of San Jose was inaugurated, better known asrepparttar 133647 Carmelite Convent. Doña Ana wasrepparttar 133648 first to enterrepparttar 133649 cloister and becamerepparttar 133650 mother superior. With her were her sister Antonia and four protégés.

The Convent on Cristo Street, was and still is adjacent torepparttar 133651 Plaza ofrepparttar 133652 Nuns,repparttar 133653 city's second oldest park. Acrossrepparttar 133654 street is San Juan Cathedral built in 1521. The one-story structure with a thatched roof was destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt starting in1540. The Western Hemisphere's oldest cathedral, it is one ofrepparttar 133655 few examples of medieval architecture remaining inrepparttar 133656 New World.

The first Carmelite Convent inrepparttar 133657 Americas housedrepparttar 133658 nuns for over two and a half centuries, (252 years). On December 9, 1903,repparttar 133659 Archbishop of San Juan decided further repairs were too costly andrepparttar 133660 nine remaining nuns and two novices moved a few days before Christmas.

Vacant for a decade or more,repparttar 133661 church purchasedrepparttar 133662 abandoned building fromrepparttar 133663 Carmelite nuns in 1913 for $151. They rented it first as a retail store then a dance hall. Then, forrepparttar 133664 next forty years, it served as a flophouse without running water, sanitary facilities or elecltricity, just as inrepparttar 133665 1600's. In 1953,repparttar 133666 ruin was a parking lot for garbage trucks.

It was slated in 1957 for bulldozing to build a badly needed downtown parking garage just as an urban renewal program began taking roots in Old San Juan.

In 1959, with Operation Bootstrap, Ricardo Alegria fromrepparttar 133667 Institute of Puerto Rican Culture persuaded Woolworth store heir, Robert Frederick Woolworth, a resident ofrepparttar 133668 State of Maine, to purchaserepparttar 133669 convent property fromrepparttar 133670 Archdiocese of San Juan for $250,000 and transform it into a deluxe hotel named El Convento. It sparkedrepparttar 133671 development of business, tourism and employment in Old San Juan.

Three years of hard work convertedrepparttar 133672 decayed structure intorepparttar 133673 hotel. Two floors were added torepparttar 133674 original convent's three stories, creating 100 rooms, including ten suites at that time.

The interior designer, accompanied by a photographer and Mr.Woolworth, journeyed throughout Spain to find furniture forrepparttar 133675 hotel. When he couldn't get authentic pieces from Spain's Golden Age, he commissioned reproductions of enormous chandeliers, wrought-iron fixtures and decorative tiles. All wood objects, furniture, louvered doors and overhead beams were handcrafted of walnut or mahogany. Lampshades were goatskins. while bedspreads and rugs were woven in Granada by gypsies.

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/globe02/Carib02/prico/convent/convent.html

Edwin Ali, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com



Edwin Ali, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave Your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.


Wuk Up to the Barbados Crop Over Festival

Written by Edwin Ali


Continued from page 1

Third place went to "Kiss ofrepparttar Sun" worn by Cheryl Roach. Glittered coconut sticks, dried leaves, coconut and palm branches are used to create a flaming sun aboverepparttar 133643 shoulders ofrepparttar 133644 masquerader. Wire, cane, fiberglass, and aluminium rods are used to createrepparttar 133645 frame ofrepparttar 133646 costume.

Inrepparttar 133647 King's competition,repparttar 133648 "Masquerade", worn by Tyrone Augustine, was a crowd favorite and won first.place. The costume representsrepparttar 133649 splendor ofrepparttar 133650 National Crop Over Festival as it climaxes into a sea of color withrepparttar 133651 final parade ofrepparttar 133652 bands. The Masquerador is 100 percent Bajan, withrepparttar 133653 colors ofrepparttar 133654 national flag,repparttar 133655 blue andrepparttar 133656 gold andrepparttar 133657 black.

"Worms inrepparttar 133658 Big Apple", worn by Jeffery Browne, placed second (opening photo). A magnificent creation of color and structure, it stands 15 feet high and has a span of eight feet. The body ofrepparttar 133659 costume is fabricated from steel, aluminium, wire, cane, fiberglass rods, and covered in foam. The main structure is a big red apple, cut to reveal its core and infested by a big worm and a few of his friends."Worms Inrepparttar 133660 Big Apple" eating it atrepparttar 133661 core, is a satirical look of how evil in one of its manifestations can neatrepparttar 133662 core of society.

This was followed by "The Flight ofrepparttar 133663 Flying Fish" from Cable and Wireless and worn by George Collymore, who placed third. The design paid homage torepparttar 133664 most spectacular of flying creatures...the Bajan flying fish. The massive creature stands 25 feet tall and has a span of 23 feet, a combination of aluminium and fiberglass rods, creatingrepparttar 133665 frames for fins and wings.

Silver mesh highlightsrepparttar 133666 main wings ofrepparttar 133667 creature. The Masquerador portraysrepparttar 133668 body ofrepparttar 133669 fish, wearing a full-body suit including skullcap inrepparttar 133670 characteristic blue and silver hues. The message was clear..."getrepparttar 133671 message"...the Flight ofrepparttar 133672 Flying Fish...here to stay.

But undoubtedlyrepparttar 133673 night belonged to Rupee as he wowedrepparttar 133674 estimated 16,000 fans. He started on a sensuous note with 'Tempted to Touch', before launching into 'Frenemy' andrepparttar 133675 frenzy-inspiring tune, 'This is Carnival'. He increasedrepparttar 133676 temperature ofrepparttar 133677 crowd with a burst of energy, spurred byrepparttar 133678 haunting horn strains of his 'Road March' contender: 'Festival'. Rupee went all out in his performance of that song as well as 'Frenemy' and 'Tempted to Touch', scrambling down fromrepparttar 133679 stage and onto a cameraman's platform to be close torepparttar 133680 crowd. Whilerepparttar 133681 crowd reacted with enthusiasm,repparttar 133682 cameraman expressed his displeasure and walked offrepparttar 133683 platform only returning when asked to do so by his supervisor. Renee, who wasrepparttar 133684 2000 Road March winner, toldrepparttar 133685 crowd: "They can't keep me down."

The curtain came down with Ricky "Li'l Rick" Reid taking a second crown as his 'Hypa Daw' won "Tune ofrepparttar 133686 Crop." Band leader Gwyneth Squires conceded "The Large Band Of The Year" title forrepparttar 133687 first time in six years, to designer Chris Williams and bandleader Chesterfield Haynes, with their production, "Cable and Wireless Contact". Contact not only wonrepparttar 133688 prestigious Large Band Of The Year category but also came away with top prizes inrepparttar 133689 Historical, Fantasy, Traditional, Topical, and Most Colorful Band categories.

Squires won forrepparttar 133690 second time,repparttar 133691 annual Robert Weekes Award for Best Festival Designer, a category which was created last year. She also won first prize inrepparttar 133692 Advertising, Best Individual Male, Best Individual Female, Best Flag Person, Best Presentation, and Best Band On The Road.

Also in winners' row were Brian Corbin for Small Band ofrepparttar 133693 Year; Rosanne Lewis, who took top spot inrepparttar 133694 Community Costume Band category; and Betty West for Best Environmental Band.

To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/globe02/Carib02/barbados/crop/crop.html

Edwin Ali, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com



Edwin Ali, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave Your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.


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