All good things must come to an end. I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend. What a tremendously great and memorable time we had.
By 10:00 AM we were off the ship and taking a taxi to the Conrad Hotel right on the beach. Kristin found it doing her research. We shared a room for $315. The pool and beach were great. It was a warm, sunny day, so we had one last time in the sun. I found a hammock in the shade right on the beach!
We sat by the pool, relaxed, got on our phones and IPads, and just enjoyed a slow pace. By 1 pm we officially checked in, then went to a small Puerto Rican cafe and sat in the back where the windows opened to the ocean which was literally right outside the window! We had a warm breeze and ocean mist greet us with a view of foaming surf crashing against the coral reef. It was extremely nice. More pictures, of course, thanks to Kristin's handy, and ever present camera! The food was excellent and we all smiled over our alcohol free Piña Coladas !!!
Back to the beach for more sun, then a quick shower before we took the city bus for $0.75 each to Old San Juan. We wanted to go to the top of a hill to explore a famous fort, but it was after 5 pm on a Saturday and we felt it was closed. So we walked the streets, checked out some shops and took more pictures before catching a bus back to the hotel. By now it was 8 pm and dark and we decided to get a bite to eat at Denny's which across the street from the hotel. {The food was terrible, never go for connivence over quality.} We were all in bed by 11 pm. Karen and I would need to leave at4:15 pm and Mike and Kristin would leave an hour later.
As I spent time with Mike and Kristin I was so impressed with each of them. They are so mature for their young ages, light years ahead of where I was at that age.
Kristin was so pleasant the entire trip. She has grown into an intelligent, sweet and beautiful woman. I enjoyed watching her pleasant conversations at dinner. She is classy and mature. She has also become very adventurous, which I love, but not without first doing her homework. I am so proud of her. She is a good wife and will be an excellent mother.
Mike is also impressive in so many ways. He is a friendly guy, easy to have conversation with and I noted how well he conversed with the others at dinner as well. He is smart, but does not broadcast it. He was very patient with Kristin with the 1500+ pictures she took. I could tell he was getting a little tired of the many combo shots Kristin wanted, but he was raised well and bit his tongue. He will be a great dad because of who he is and the role models in his life.
Kristin was the ideal companion for Karen. She knows Karen well and could calm her anxieties and provide Karen with the perfect "friend" to do things with. Mike was an ideal match for me as well. He is relaxed, open to try new things, and like me, enjoyed snorkeling, playing basketball and watching the NCAA basketball tournaments games when we had the chance. I could not have a better son-in-law! I could not be prouder of my daughter!
Now, it was really over. ..... But... I have a feeling this will be one of many future trips we make to the Caribbean. Stay tuned!
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