Dominican Republic – Santo Domingo

2016  – February  —–

We were picked up at our resort at 9:00 am sharp. However, the old Russian lady (that was part of the Sunwing group) did not show up until 9:30.

Our first stop was at Los Tres Ojos (The Three Eyes) in the Mirador del Este park, just outside Santo Domingo. It is a large limestone cave that holds a series of three lakes. It was originally one lake, but an earthquake caused the roof to cave in and it created three smaller lakes. They are crystal clear. You can see right to the bottom of them. There is a stone staircase to take you down into the cave and access to the lakes. Years ago the locals used to go down there to swim in the crystal clear and cool waters, but today it is strictly a tourist spot. No swimming allowed.

Our next stop was the National Palace in Santo Domingo. It was built in 1944 and stands on the grounds of the former Presidential Mansion built during the United States military occupation in 1916-1924. The president’s office is located within the palace, but he does not live there. The dome is 34 meters high and has a diameter of 18 meters. We were only allowed to take pictures from outside the gates. Many people were posing for pictures with the decorative guards, with their fake guns, while the drab looking guards with the real guns watched closely from behind.

We then stopped at a shop selling amber and larimar jewelry. Irene bought a pair of larimar earrings.

The shop was directly across the street from the Cathedral of Santa María la Menor. Built from 1512-1540, it was the first Catholic diocese established in the New World. It has a gold-tinted coral limestone facade and contains a high alter chiseled out of silver. Interestingly, there are a lot of sea shell designs within the church. Columbus sailed from Spain. Spain has a history of St. James the apostle and the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. The symbol of the pilgrim is the sea shell. Although there was not reference to any of that, Irene was left wondering if it was a coincidence. Also within the church was an old wooden cross, dating back to the early 1500’s.

Just outside the cathedral is a statue of Christopher Columbus, pointing out towards the new horizons. Below the statue a topless Taino woman appears to be writing his name onto the base. It makes one wonder if the locals were that impressed with this stranger showing up and taking over their land, stealing their resources and giving them diseases. Just a thought…..

There is a street called Calle las Damas (Ladies Street) where, in true Spanish tradition, the wives of the nobles would take an evening stroll. It is very wide, supposedly to accommodate their wide dresses.

We then went to the Panteón Nacional (National Pantheon). It was originally a Jesuit church built in 1746. It served many functions throughout the years, even a warehouse and theater. Today, it is a shrine for illustrious Dominicans to be interned. Some spots remain vacant in anticipation of righteous persons. There is a massive chandelier in the center. While we were there, we were privileged to witness the changing of the guard. The changing of the guard is always filled with a lot of pomp and showy maneuvers, but this one was particularly impressive for their gun handling maneuvers.

We then carried on to the Museo de las Casas Reales (Royal Palaces). It was built under the orders of the Spanish Crown in 1511 and was the Royal Court of the New World. It was also home to important meetings and parties of the colonial society of the time. Today it is a museum showcasing life in colonial times. Our tour did not have us going inside.

In the courtyard of the Royal Palace is North America’s oldest sundial. Built in 1753 to keep the official time for the Spanish. It is made of metal, mortar and rock and continues to keep time perfectly.

The group then made a stop at a large market selling all sorts of souvenirs. We came away with 2 local paintings and two bottles of rum.

We then made our way past Alcazar de Colon.  It was built in 1509 by Diego Columbus – christopher’s son.  It was built as a family home and governor’s mansion.  It was sacked by Francis Drake in 1586 and mostly fell to ruin.  In the 1950’s it was restored and filled with period artwork and furniture and now is a museum. Again, our tour did not allow us to go in.

On the way back to the resort we past the Columbus Lighthouse. Built to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of the discovery of America it cost approximately $70 million US. It is built in the shape of a cross to represent the Christianization of America. It projects beams of light, forming a cross shape, which are so powerful they can be seen from Puerto Rico. It purports to house the remains of Columbus. It also houses a museum. It is 210 meters long and 59 meters wide.

It would have been nice to take a day or two to explore the city and actually go into the museums, but such is the nature of a guided tour. I will take this opportunity to say that this is why I prefer self guided travel to the all inclusive holiday. And that’s all I have to say about that.