This excursion is offered by Royal Caribbean at the Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic port of call. We had a 2-hour ride on a tour bus from the port to the capital city, Santo Domingo. Upon arrival, our guide led us on a 2-hour walking tour of Zona Colonial (Colonial Zone).
Zona Colonial is full of historical homes, monuments, chapels, and cathedrals – some dating back to the 1500’s when the Spanish occupied the island. Our first stop was the former palace of Diego Columbus (son of Christopher Columbus). It is now a museum called Alcazar de Colon. We were led on a 20-minute tour through the small doorways and dark rooms of the residence where we saw the furniture, weapons, manuscripts, and paintings representative of Columbus’ day. One of the more memorable parts of our visit was the room where portraits of the Spanish royalty, Queen Isabella and her husband King Ferdinand, are displayed. Our guide told us about the queen’s infidelity that angered the king. We were told that to this day the king keeps an eye on anyone entering the room. Sure enough, regardless of which angle we viewed Ferdinand’s portrait, he appeared to be staring at us with suspicious eyes. Creepy!
From the museum we were led down Calle de Las Damas (oldest street in the western hemisphere) to the Panteón Nacional (National Pantheon). The walls of this eighteenth century sanctuary contain the tombs of national heroes. A uniformed soldier stands motionless at the entrance. Inside burns the eternal flame. Our guide had begun to tell us about the people who are entombed in the building when we were distracted by another soldier facing the one at the entrance. Thinking we were going to witness a changing of the guard, we rushed to the entrance with camera in hand only to find out the original soldier was being relieved for 5 minutes before his next 2-hour shift.
Our final stop before a visit to a souvenir shop was the Cathedral of Santa Maria La Menor. This is the oldest cathedral in the western hemisphere. Its construction had been started and stopped for 28 years since 1512. Because of this, you can see several different architectural styles employed such as Baroque and Gothic. Women wearing pants or skirts that do not cover their knees are not allowed to enter the sanctuary. However, there are long wraps available at the entrance for those who are not dressed appropriately.
A sad aspect of the walking tour of Zona Colonial was the constant tugs we got from the persistent street children begging for money or offering shoe shines. Poverty is reality for many in Santo Domingo.
Finally, while I recommend a visit to Zona Colonial, I can only marginally recommend doing the Royal Caribbean version of the tour because of the long transfer times. The walking tour felt rushed. At least a day is needed to take in all of the diverse history in this section of Santo Domingo.
by MikeInTown on June 30, 2007