Día de la Hispanidad (Columbus Day)

Mausoleum of Christopher Columbus – Faro A Colón
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (December 2010)

[click here for the words]

Video: Santo Domingo

17 December

Here’s Mui’s point of view of our day exploring Santo Domingo … Ciudad Primada de América …

Next Up … Grand Turk: Beautiful by Nature

Santo Domingo (Part II): Faro a Colón

Friday, December 17

I left off part one of our visit to Santo Domingo with us missing the shuttle back to the port by just a second or two.  So, let’s continue from there.

We could have walked to the port, but that wasn’t our destination.  Not yet anyway.  Rather, we wanted to visit Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse).  Taxis were few and far between at the Puerta de San Diego and the ones that whizzed by already had passengers.  So, what to do?

Map showing the lighthouse in relation to where the ship is docked.

Seeing us trying to flag down a taxi, three members of the Politur (Tourist Police) banded together to help us.  While one made a call on his cell phone, the other two stopped traffic so we could safely cross to the other side of the busy road.  A few minutes later, having negotiated an acceptable rate, we were on our way to the lighthouse.  It turns out that Jose, the cabbie, was a driver by day and a policeman by night.  He even gave us a peek at his badge to show that we were safe with him!

The politur are very helpful.

Having seen Google Earth images of the cross-shaped faro, I knew this was a lighthouse like no other that we’d seen.  In fact, the Columbus Lighthouse is more in the nature of a monument to the man who discovered America.  There is a light inside the building — more accurately, 157 lights — but as our guide, Emilio, later told us, it is lit only on a few special occasions because operating costs are prohibitively expensive.  When the lighthouse is operating, the reflectors create a cross in the sky that is visible from miles away.  I’ve read that it is a sight to behold.

this is The image that whetted our interest in seeing Faro a Colón.

[scanned from postcard]

Faro a Colón was built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America in 1492.  The design of a British architect was chosen following a world-wide competition.  The 45-foot (13.5 m) high structure is 693 feet (211 m) long on the east-west axis, and 195 feet (58.5 m) long on the north-south axis.  Frankly, the concrete building is nothing much to look at from the outside, but we were there to see what was inside.

Construction began in 1948; the lighthouse was inaugurated in 1992.

Jose escorted us up the long walk to the monument and introduced us to Emilio, one of the official guides.  After we purchased our tickets ($3/person), Emilio walked us to the grand mausoleum that sits prominently in the top half of the cross.  Pointing to the black lead crypt in the middle, he explained that Columbus’s remains were buried in it after they were removed from the Santo Domingo Cathedral.  Hmmm!  Are they really?  There’s quite a bit of controversy surrounding this claim.

The mausoleum that holds Columbus’ remains is the first thing visitors
see upon entering the lighthouse.

History records that Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid, Spain in 1506.  Thirty years later, his remains were transported to Santo Domingo.  The story goes that after Hispaniola became independent, the remains were moved to Havana, Cuba.  Then, when Cuba gained independency in 1898, said remains were returned to Spain and buried in Seville.  Thus the controversy — the Dominican Republic adamantly maintains that the remains of the “Admiral of the Ocean” never left their territory.

[scanned from postcard]

I suppose it’s possible that both Spain and the Dominican Republic are accurate in their claim.  What’s to say that some of his bones were not left behind when they were moved from Spain, to Santo Domingo, to Cuba, and back to Spain.  Now all we need to stir up the controversy even further is to have Cuba claim that they have Columbus’ remains!

(In 2006, an announcement was made that DNA testing has proven that Spain has the right bones.  The Dominican Republic, however, continues to dispute the claim and has refused Spain’s offer to test the bones in their keeping, saying: “… We Christians believe that one does not bother the dead. …”  Click here to read the article.)

Saying that Jose had told him that he would return to pick us up in an hour, Emilio then gave us a whirlwind tour of the rooms lining the length of the monument.  These rooms contain miniature museums from countries around the world on one side, and the Caribbean nations on the other side.  There were lots of interesting things to see, but we had just enough time to skim the surface.  One could easily spend the day at the Columbus Lighthouse.

The rooms on either side of the east-west axis contain items
donated by countries around the world.

After showing us the anchor that is said to have belonged to the Santa María, one of the three ships that Columbus sailed to the new world on his first voyage (Niña and Pinta being the other two), Emilio concluded the tour.  He must have been happy with the tip we gave him as he then took us to another room to show us the vestments Pope John Paul II wore when he celebrated Mass at the lighthouse on the occasion of its inauguration in 1992.

As promised, we found Jose waiting for us outside the monument.  He wasn’t a happy camper and asked us why we’d taken so long.  Our response that Emilio had told us that we had an hour smoothed his ruffled feathers, but I wouldn’t want to be in Emilio’s shoes when those two next meet.

The ride from the lighthouse back to Grand Princess took mere minutes.  By 3:00p we were back on the ship, with plenty of time to get a bite to eat on our veranda while we awaited the 4:00p sailaway.

Scenes from our sailaway from Santo Domingo.

Our day in Santo Domingo was very rewarding, but we merely touched upon a tiny portion of the historic buildings, churches, and homes the Colonial city has to offer.  The Fodor’s guidebook was right on the money in recommending exploring the city over spending the day at the beach.  Santo Domingo is the kind of place we’d like to return to someday for more in depth exploration, and maybe a day or two at a nearby beach resort.  We’ll have to add it to our ever-growing list of places to re-visit.

Though it was a hot day, it wasn’t unbearably so thanks to light breezes and partly cloudy skies.  The temperature probably did reach the forecasted 82F (28C), but it didn’t feel that hot, probably because it wasn’t very humid.  Still, we were drained from having gone walkabout from 9:30a to 3:00p.  It was nice to just sit on the veranda until dinner time.

ohHH, my weary feet!

… Later

Tonight was the last formal night of the cruise.  We’ve long given up on traveling with formal attire on Caribbean voyages.  If what we saw around the ship this evening is anything to go by, so have a majority of the passengers on Grand Princess.  It might be different in the Botticelli Dining Room where traditional seating dinner is served, but certainly in the Da Vinci Dining Room we were in good company attire-wise.

Mui: crab, scallop, and shrimp salad with duo of caviar; Belgian endive, Boston lettuce, and tomato salad; broiled lobster tail and king prawns with grilled asparagus and rice.

Me: roasted tomato soup; Caesar salad; pan-fried fillet of rockfish with creamy potato and leek casserole.

Dessert: mandarin sorbet and Princess Love Boat … to share.

Now that I’ve caught up with the blog, I’m going to try and stay up a bit longer.  We’re gaining an hour in the wee hours of the night, so I want to make the most of that extra time.  However, seeing as how I’m already yawning and my eyes are drooping, I don’t hold out much hope for being awake for more than another half hour or so.

Next Up … Video: Santo Domingo

Santo Domingo: Ciudad Primada de América

Friday, December 17

Our day in the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, was all about Santo Domingo, the city that bills itself as “the first city in America.”  In truth, the first “European settlement in the New World” would be a more accurate description.  But that’s neither here, nor there … and it does not diminish the significance of Santo Domingo, which was founded in 1496 by Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher of the “Discoverer of America” fame.

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti.
(the inset shows the colonial city of santo domingo and the
faro a Colón in relation to where we docked.)

We were up around 6:45a, just as the sun was rimming the horizon in shades of red, orange, pink, and purple.  With a 9:00a scheduled arrival into port, we had plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast on the aft deck of the Horizon Court before returning to the cabin for our sail-in.

Early birds get to see the sky on fire.

Our portside cabin was an excellent spot from which to watch as the coast slid by and high rise buildings started to appear.  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the big-city feel of the modern day Santo Domingo certainly wasn’t it.

(By the way, I came back from today’s outing with nearly 300 photos.  I’ll be using quite a few collages in this post, so a reminder … you can click any photograph to see a larger version.)

welcome to Santo Domingo.

Coastal Scenery as we sail into port.

The city dock was occupied by a barge, so Grand Princess docked at Sans Souci, the passenger terminal built by Royal Caribbean on the side of the city separated from the Colonial town by the Ozama River.  Prepared for a hot, humid day with plenty of bottled water in Mui’s backpack, we were first off the ship after it was cleared by the authorities.

The Fortaleza Ozama is one of the landmarks of the city.

Deciding to save our energy for the long day of exploration ahead, we bought tickets for the 9:00a shuttle ($5/person R/T).  Hah!  Word to the wise, the shuttles leave when they are full (or nearly full).  With most of the debarking passengers booked on ship-sponsored excursions, it was closer to 9:30a before we left Sans Souci, and that was only because one passenger raised a stink.  Had we gone with our original plan to walk to the Colonial city, we would have beaten the shuttle to the drop off point.

It turns out that guides trained by the Ministry of Tourism accompany each shuttle load of passengers to offer a $5/person 1-1½ hour tour of the Colonial city.  That’s probably the main reason why they wait for the bus to fill.  Frankly, the tours are not a bad deal.  Had the guide on our bus not grated on our nerves with his loud voice and bad jokes, we might have taken him up on the offer.  Instead, armed with the map and walking tour information I had downloaded from the internet, we went off on our own as soon as the shuttle arrived at Puerta de San Diego.

This Map shows some of the places we toured in the Colonial City,
as well as the Faro a Colón on the opposite bank.

Puerta de San Diego (aka the Gate of Saint James) was once the main entry
through the walls that were built in 1571 to protect the old city.

Our first stop was at Alcazar de Colón (Columbus Palace), built in 1510-1514 on the orders of Diego Columbus, the firstborn son of Christopher Columbus.  Knowing that we had a lot of ground to cover, we had already decided we would not be visiting any museums today.  So, we took a few exterior shots of the building, checked out the Plaza de España (aka Plaza de Armas) with its statue of Nicolás de Ovando, Governor of Hispaniola (1502-1509), and continued our stroll.

scenes from Plaza de España and Alcazar de Colón.

We were briefly distracted from our explorations by the sound of a band playing a funereal sounding march.  Curious, we walked over to a neighboring street to find a parade in progress.  It turns out that they were honoring fallen naval heroes, hence the slow cadence of the march being played by the band at the head of the procession.

Passing the Museo de las Casas Reales (Museum of the Royal Houses) with its quirky, modern statues and circa 1753 sun dial in the plaza out front, we headed next to the Calle de las Damas (Women’s Street).  Built in 1502, the street is said to be the oldest in the western hemisphere.  Back then, it was known as the “Walk of the Ladies” because Diego Columbus’s wife, Maria de Toledo, accompanied by other noble wives, was in the habit of walking down this street on her way to Mass.  The street is lined with old stone “casas” that were once the homes of conquistadors, explorers, and governors.  My only regret about the street is that it wasn’t pedestrian-only; the modern cars parked on the street sort of ruined the old world ambiance.

Scenes from Museo de Las Casas Reales.

Our first stop on Calle de las Damas was the Panteón Nacional (National Pantheon), located in what was once the Convento de San Ignacio de Loyola, a Jesuit convent.  The building, which was constructed in 1747, was later used as a tobacco warehouse and a theater.  In 1955, it was restored as the pantheon where heroes and public figures are buried.

Scenes from inside Panteón Nacional.
(while the center bottom image may not seem like it fits,
remember that the building once served as a theater.)

Further down the street, we came upon Fortaleza Ozama (aka Fortress of Santo Domingo).  Overlooking the confluence of the Ozama River and the Caribbean, the fortress was built on the orders of Governor Ovando in 1503, thus making the fortaleza the oldest military complex in the new world.  (If you haven’t noticed by now, “oldest/first in the new world” is a recurring theme when it comes to Santo Domingo landmarks.)

Paying the $2.50/person entrance fee, we explored the grounds, climbing to the top of the Toree del Homenaje (Tower of Homage), which was so named to glorify the Spanish conquistadors who came to colonize the newly discovered lands.  After taking a quick peek inside the small museum, and playing with some of the modern armaments on the grounds (boys and their toys), we continued our exploration of the Colonial city.

Scenes from Fortaleza Ozama.
(in the taino indian language, ozama means navigable waters.)

Cutting through a walled courtyard, we next headed to Catedral Basilica Menor de Santa Maria (aka Catedral de Santo Domingo).  After peeking into the corners of the courtyard behind, we wandered around to the front entrance of the cathedral to check out the interior of the church.  (Proper attire required; no shorts.)

Though the first stone of the cathedral was set in 1514 by Diego Columbus, construction of the oldest church in the Americas was delayed until 1520.  One story says the delay was because the architect left Santo Domingo to build a church in Mexico.  Another story has it that the Spanish workers left to search for gold in Mexico.  The second story sounds more plausible to me … greed at work once again.  Anyway, with financing provided by the Bastidas, a wealthy church family, the building was completed in 1544.  The church, which was once a hut made of royal palms, now takes up an entire block.

scenes from the Catedral Basilica Menor de Santa Maria.

The remains of Christopher Columbus were once housed in the basilica, kept in a white marble and bronze memorial built by Dictator Heureaux in 1898.  Later, the remains were transferred to Faro a Colón (Columbus Lighthouse), located across the Ozama River.  In reality, the wrangling over where Columbus is buried has yet to be settled.  But that’s a story for part two of this post.

We took a short breather in Parque Colón (Columbus Park), which fronts the cathedral.  After checking out the statue of Christopher Columbus, we crossed over to Calle El Conde (Street of the Count), named for the Count of Peñalva, the general who repelled the English in 1655.

The statue of Columbus dates back to 1897.
It shows a native Taino woman reaching up to the “Admiral of the Ocean.”

Buying a cold drink from one of the cafeteria-style eateries that line the street, we strolled to the far end of the … wait for it … oldest commercial street in the city.  Street vendors and shops selling everything from clothing and shoes, to electronics, to canvas prints and tourist knick-knacks were everywhere.  They vied for our attention, but a simple “no, gracias,” did the trick and we were able to continue our stroll without being bothered much.

scenes from Calle El Conde.
(The bust is of bartholomew Columbus, founder of santo domingo.
the building with the interesting half-tower is the palacio consistorial,
Built in the early 1500s as the city hall.)

At the far end of El Conde, we crossed the heavy traffic on Calle Palo Hincado and entered Parque Independencia (Independence Park) through the Puerta El Conde (Gate of the Count), also named for the Count of Peñalva.  We were the only “visitors” here and I got the sense that not many cruise ship passengers venture this far.

Our main purpose in coming to the park was to see the Altar de la Patria (Altar of the Nation; aka Tomb of the Patriarchs of the Country).  This national mausoleum was built in 1976 and contains the remains of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic.  It is always guarded by a member of the National Guard.  The young man on duty today graciously posed for our pictures and videos.

scenes from parque Independencia and Altar de la Patria.

(By the way, I have no idea who the kid in the center right photo is.  He asked me to take a photo of him in front of the mausoleum.  I obliged; showed him the resulting image on the LCD panel; he smiled, thanked me, and ran off to join his parents.  Nice encounter!)

Taking a side exit from the park, we crossed Calle Palo Hincado again to peek into Cementerio Independencia (Independence Cemetery) before beginning our return trek.  From a small shop on the street, we picked up a couple of piping hot fry breads filled with cheese.  Munching on our snacks, we strolled back down Calle El Conde towards Puerta de San Diego.

A few more scenes as we make our way back to calle El Conde.

Having just missed the shuttle back to the ship, we had no desire to wait for the next one 30 minutes hence.  Thus began the next part of our Santo Domingo adventure …

Next Up … Santo Domingo (Part II): Faro a Colón