Hello From Santo Domingo!
Frank and I are in the Domincan Republic for our honeymoon and our first stop is in Santo Domingo for a few days.
Santo Domingo was founded in 1496 by Christopher Columbus's younger brother, Bartholomew, and served as the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World. As the oldest continuously inhabited European city in the Americas, the Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo is full of amazing old buildings dating back four and five hundred years.
In our short time here so far we have had a chance to visit the oldest cathedral in the Americas, Cathedral of Santa María la Menor, which was constructed from 1512 to 1540, as well as the oldest still standing stone building in the New World, Casa del Cordon (1502), which now houses a bank.
In addition to the beautiful historic sights we have been impressed with how genuinely friendly everyone is here. As an example, while we were taking pictures in front of Cathedral of Santa María la Menor several people stopped to let us know that the entrance was down the street behind the building before heading along their way.
We've also had some delicious meals here from fantastic ceviche at La Taberna Vasca to sandwiches stuffed with ham, pulled pork, two types of cheese and green tomatoes at Barra Payan.
It has been a great two days so far and I am looking forward to exploring Santo Domingo more!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013 at 5:02PM | Posted by Lisa | 4 Comments | Share Article | Email Article | Print Article 
Reader Comments (4)
Congrats! You have to absolutely try their ice cream. It is just delicious. Yum!
Thank you, Laura! We will definitely do it!
Such a beautiful place, thank you for sharing your pictures! I have to admit I feel a little embarrassed that I didn't know about the younger Columbus brother. Wonder if he was ever bitter that it was always ALL about Chris, Chris, Chris. ;-)
Laura- We have since had some ice cream here and love it! It has similar texture to Italian gelato. Yum!
Stephanie- I didn't know that Bartholomew Columbus founded the city either until I was preparing for our trip and reading up a little history. That is one of the reasons that I love to travel. It spurs me to learn and experience new things.