Nov19th
Sleeping in felt good, as did lingering over coffee and cereal. Met the ladies for a chilly rather long walk to the Winn Dixie for provisioning. Most of the walk took us past many historical buildings so we were rubbernecking once again. St. Augustine came into existence in 1565 when Spanish explorers made landfall, making it the nation's oldest city. With 144 blocks of houses listed on the National Register of Historic Places and 60 historic sites, it's no wonder our knecks were swiveling! The guys took off to the marine consignment shop, Melissa had boat chores so Becky and I set out to see some sights. Stopping in at Flagler College was one of those moments that takes your breath away. Built in 1888 as a luxury hotel, it went over the top in that regard. With original Tiffany windows, mosaic tiled floors, and gold leaf murals on the vaulted ceilings, we wandered around with jaws dropped open in wonder. Leaving through the front courtyard was also amazing, filled with fountains, flower gardens, and walkways, it showed off the many towers tiled in red perfectly. Off to Castillo de San Marcos next. The Spanish built the fort of coquina, a limestone mixture of broken shells and coral, to protect the city from British raids. We spent the remainder of time in the Spanish Quarter, strolling in and out of shops and admiring various courtyards along the way as well as the construction of the historic buildings that housed the shops. Dinner that night at A1A overlooking King Street, we watched men in bucket lifts stringing lights on the trees in preparation of their Christmas Lights Festival when the city glows with millions of lights. Several people said it was a sight not to be missed, but sadly we were heading out in the morning and the lighting was taking place Saturday. We will just have to make a return trip.