Hooliganting: Florida: St. Augustine

Monday, February 17, 2014

Florida: St. Augustine

Morning broke with the ringing of the phone, reminding us that attendance at a timeshare presentation was on the list of things we ought to be doing. Since I am not enamoured of the buglings in the kitchen, I opted to NOT go as they have opted to have buglings.

Instead, it was a perfect day for a road trip. After much pre-trip googling, I hit on St. Augustine and I am so glad I did. From Orlando, it is a two hour drive to the northeast. There are some crazy orange sellers along the way and pecans to nibble on. We picked up brochures at the gas station and were amazed by the wealth of choice.

Up front, I would suggest I needed about a week in St. Augustine. The charming location on the seafront and estuary, with the historical structures and quaint shops delighted me. The choices were debated and we started the day at the Fountain of Youth. Really. I had no idea that the legend stemmed from this particular locale and sure enough, when you enter the sight the first thing that you are invited to do is drink some very sulphery sping water that should magically help you be youthful. It would be nice. From there, we discovered the beautiful roving peacocks and hens, but this site had so much more to offer. They are a living history site and have the mission, the firing of the canon, village life and storytelling. It was a fabulous introduction to the area and offered the chance to walk the boardwalk out into the estuary. For the record, they say that their settlement dates from 40 years earlier than Jamestown. Having been to Jamestown previously, I would suggest that the historians need to decide as for tourists, that is silly.

Picnic lunches are great here as well. Then, we found ourselves heading towards Colonial Quarters but parking was a complete nightmare. Take my advice, stay parked at the Fountain of Youth and take the trolley into town. It seems to stop everywhere that you would wish to go and then you wouldn't have to stress about metres, one way streets and a very full town. Once parking was secured, we walked back towards town and found the High Tide Gallery. This little place has treasures from local artists and a puppy that welcomes you from his box on the counter. He was lovely. Earrings were purchased and I was banned from the bookstore by my loving family and we wandered through the narrow streets. There were chocolate shops and boutiques, spices and teas, clothing and a plethora of places to eat. In the meantime, we found the museum and happened on the tour. My youngest warmed my heart when she opted to take the tour and learn stuff about the muskets and so on (her words) but also wanted to go back and see what she missed. I was proud of her. The interpreter there was a great storyteller and was able to breathe life into the buildings and life of a soldier.

The view from the tower though invited us to go to the Castillo del San Marco across the parking lot. It was a state holiday today so the admission was free today. We walked over the moat and drawbridge into this amazing stone fortress that had never been conquered. The diamond patterns and arches were unique to the Spanish settlers. We spent an hour exploring the exhibits, cooling off under the stones and admiring the views from the castle walls.

From there, we had to walk back to the car as the metre was expiring. I did pop into the Cathedral briefly and it would have been worth more of a stop. The frescos are lovely as is the stained glass and construction of the building. There was a serenity to it as well which isn't alway found in touristy Cathedrals. Time was ticking.

Once back to the car, we drove across the drawbridge to the Alligator Farm. That was a great way to spend a couple of hours. We didn't have time to do the zipling part, but we saw all the crocodiles and alligators possible, met a snake (shudder) and experienced the abino alligators too. The girls loved it and I would recommend it to people that have children. Since we were close, we attempted to trek through the Spanish Quarries at the Anastasia State Park, but that was not to be as it was too wet underfoot. Instead, we stared at the lighthouse and then decided to find dinner. The lighthouse would have been great to see but it was already closed. (See, totally needed another day here).

The original idea was to go back to town for dinner. Parking was still a zoo as was navigating the one ways so I used Yelp and it told me to go to the Creekside Dinery. I am not sure if I am happy about that or not. It was incredible. The seafood was delicious and I could have eaten a pot of the crab bisque. Crab cakes, yummy. Sweet potato with cinnamon butter - my eyes rolled back in my head. Shrimp and salmon. Who needed veggies? But the roast carrots were scrumptious. This place had cats wandering around outside and it is set on the creekside. It was beautiful with great ambiance. The piece de resistance was going outside on the deck to find a fireplace where the girls could roast marshmellows. Does it get any better than that?