Tips 1 - 10 of 12 Santo Domingo Things to Do
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Things To Do: very old cathedral!
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one thing you wont want to miss when you visit santo domingo is seeing the beautiful cathedral . called the 'catedral primada de america', this cathedral is the oldest in the americas. the founding stone was laid by diego colombus, christopher's son, which gives you an indication of how old it is! the cathedral has one surprising omission, and that is a belltower. it never got built, simply because they ran out of funds, and never bothered to try since!
the cathedral is great, with magnificent works of art inside, a huge vualted ceiling, and numerous statues and mementos from history. stepping inside feels like stepping into the past, you can just imagine drake and his pirates coming in and looting the church, which was done in the 1500's. drake and his merry band plundered many of the artifacts and artworks from the church, which is a shame, as imagine what you could of seen today if he hadnt!
while not looking that flashy from the outside, do step in and see history before your very eyes, its well worth it!
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Address: entrance is on parque colon
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Things To Do: the ruins...
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a stroll along a quiet residential street led me to some ruins, which i was very curious about. i found out that these are the 'ruinas del hospital san nicolas de bari', which basically means, they are the ruins of a hospital! but not just any hospital, this hospital was the FIRST hospital in the western world! i was quite intrigued that such a monument would be left to stand in decay. there was no entrance fee, no brochures, nothing to truly show that it was worth seeing, yet for me, i was very fascinated, as i love history. so i took a walk in, and was the only person around (apart from some old guy who gave me the creeps). anyway, the ruins were fantastic. you could see the old arches made of brickwork, and you could even get the feel of the floorplan, that in the shape of a cross! but what kind of freaked me out a bit was the amount of birds, all over the place! what freaked me out more was the dead puppy dog i found lying inside the ruins being picked at by the birds. i was so grossed out, i ran, and so the ruins remain lonely until the next intrepid traveller stumbles upon them!
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Address: on 'hostos', near las mercedes
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Things To Do: another first...
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if you haven't gotten the hint yet, santo domingo is home to many of the western world's "firsts", and this one is no exception. the ruins of the 'monasterio de san francisco' were once the home to the regions first franciscan monastery. built in 1508, the friars lived here amongst 3 different chapels, but sadly, like alot of santo domingo, got ransacked and raided by mr drake! later on in the late 1800's the monastery became a mental alysum, and the evidence of this can still be seen in the remnants of chains that were used to hold the people in them. perched on top of a hill, the monastery is worth a look, and if your lucky, in the evenings it sometimes holds plays and other various performances.
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Address: hostos
Directions: on hostos, walk up the hill and you will see it on the top.
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Things To Do: diego colon's house
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home to diego colombus, the 'museo alcazar de colon' is today a musem showing how diego colombus lived. a great way to see the history of this famous family! the building itself is magnificent, rectangle in shape, it has many arches and is made of pale stone. inside is a treasure trove of history. in the next few photos you will see muskets, homewares, rooms etc. my favorite part was seeing some of the letters that diego himself had written, in beautiful scrawling writing on parchment.
the house is just fantastic, and definitely worth the small entrance fee to enter inside. it will seriously feel like you are stepping back into the time of early explorers, pirates, the high seas, and swashbucklers!
note, the museum is closed on mondays. hours of roughly 9-5. entrance of roughly US$2 (subject to change of course!)
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Address: plaza de la hispanidad
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Things To Do: royal house
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the 'museo de las casas reales' loosely translates to 'museum of the royal houses', and this museum is definitely royal, in terms of quality and quantity! the building itself is beautiful, built for the governors of the new world.
today the house displays awesome historical artefacts. beautiful treasures that were taken from the wrecks of spanish galleons, to military equipment, homewares, and other objects that really give you a true sense of the times. for me, i really enjoyed seeing the weopanery such as knight's chainmail, swords, muskets, helmets etc. i also enjoyed strolling through the buildings, which are very airy, making it nice and cool in what turned out to be a very humid sticky day.
closed on mondays. 9-5 opening hours. around US$1.30 entry fee.
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Address: las damas
Directions: just off the plaza de la hispanidad, withing eyes view of diego colon's museum.
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Things To Do: the fort
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another first, the oldest colonial military building of the new world is known as the 'fortaleza ozama'. this little fort is situated at the mouth of the ozama river, facing the entrance and out to the sea.
when you enter the site and pay your small fee, you will be accosted by numerous guys who want to be your guide. use them if you wish, but with your ticket you should be given (if not ask!) for a brochure, which pretty much explains all you are seeing anyway. so i wouldnt really be wasting my money on them. (sounds bad i know, they are just trying to make a living i s'pose!)
anyway the most striking of all the features of the fort is the beautiful tower, called 'the tower of homage'. you can climb up the tower and take in amazing views of the bustling port and river mouth. likewise, you can go in the fort, and find solace in the baking sun. the main picture on this tip is of the tower.
the second picture shows the arsenal house, or the powder house. this square building was packed full of stores and weaponry, used for the defences of the city. the statue you see is saint barbara, who is the patron saint of the military.
the third picture is of a statue of gonzalo fernandez de oviedo, a military leader.
not on this tip, but on my main page for santo domingo, is a photo of the cannons that line one of the defensive walls of the fort. if you are into military history, or in general, the 'new world' history, this fort will impress you!
open every day of the week, about 75 cents US entry.
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Address: southern end of las damas
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 Comments for willy_wonka about Santo Domingo | | | | |
icunme Mon Aug 24, 2009 18:28 UTC
Great, Anna - I like the amber and larimar and the prices are right. One of the few bargains left for the American $$. Ciao, Carol | Trekki Thu Jan 22, 2009 06:18 UTC
Hey, how come that I didn't find this one before. Oh carribean :-) Sounds great and I also would like to visit one day :-) These caves look fantastic as does the city :-) and I like your b&w photos :-)) | toonsarah Sat Feb 2, 2008 12:39 UTC
Like you before your visit I never knew there was so much history to the DR - until now! Great tips on some fascinating places, and excellent photos too - I love the fact that you've included B&W as well as colour :) | marielexoteria Mon Nov 5, 2007 09:05 UTC
I'm glad you enjoyed my hometown. Yes, I don't think any airport on DR has a shuttle service like at other "civilized" places. |
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on Jul 22, 2006
