The Ancient City

 St. Augustine

Part 2

    We spent 9 days in St. Augustine. This week was spring break for our daughters (and every college in the nation apparently) so we used this time as the last time until mid summer when we'd be able to get together with them again. This stop would also give us time with other family members that were close by. 

The Ancient City

    We went to downtown St. Augustine and explored with my parents. Wow is this place crowded. Parking is at a premium and the streets were packed with cars, vacationers and college students, but it's always a fun town full of history and cool things to see and do. 

Mojo's BBQ - Awesome!!

    We walked the narrow streets of a town we had been to before. There is so much to see here and there are little gems hidden in every alley and side yard. 

Shady Spot

    A walk to the Matanzas River and Castillo de San Marcos the old Spanish fort built in 1672. We didn't pay the admission to go in but did walk around it. It is such an iconic structure made of Coquina.

Castillo de San Marcos
     
The Oldest "Wooden Schoolhouse" in the US

    We also visited with my aunt and got the chance to not only share some stories, see her new home and catch up, we actually got to sleep in a real bed! We have found that we have to utilize every opportunity to snag free laundry and transportation.  

Good times with family!

    We had one rain day that kept us on the boat all day. Some frayed nerves from being cooped up in tight quarters, we were happy to see the sun pop out. 

Never Gets Old
   
Flagler's Legacy

    We scheduled a Ghost Tour in old St. Augustine and got a dose of "spooky history". We were encouraged to take pictures in sets of three and look at them later to see any abnormal or out of place things in the pictures that would show the presence of a specter. I see something abnormal, does this look like a ghostly energy?
   
Picture 1
      
Picture 2 - Is it a ghost?

    If you are a history buff like I am, then St. Augustine is the place to get your fill. Over 450 years as the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the US, provides boundless opportunities to learn so much. We did the touristy trolley tour which is great. The drivers use their own story telling skills to highlight the history of the city as they pass by all of the notable stops in St. Augustine. Henry Flagler's influence in this town as well as much of the east coast is evident. We visited Flagler College which was built by Flagler as Hotel Ponce De Leon. The hotel was built with water and electric in every room. Thomas Edison was brought in to design the electric in the hotel. Even the White House didn't have electric at that time! The guest were so scared they would be electrocuted if they flipped the light switch, Flagler hired "switchers" whose only job was to turn on and off the lights for guest.   

Flagler College (Hotel Ponce de Leon)
       
St. Augustine Lighthouse
   
Me & Henry pondering a land deal

    Between lighthouses, beaches and Farmer's Market, we stayed busy!

Time to Provision with some fresh produce
   
Live Music!

    We got a fun day at the beach by Fort Mantanzas with the girls and a great lunch at Meehan's Irish Pub. 

Tacos Anyone?
   
Chase, Abby & Emily
   
Emily brings a butterfly back to life

    This was a fun stop and a great way to spend over a week waiting for the temperature to climb back up and make some memories with the kids. We wished that all the girls could have shown up but we plan to see the others as we migrate north in pursuit of 70 degrees. 

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