We arrived on Monday, February 21 for a week’s stay. Ray’s seminar didn’t start until Thursday, so we had a couple of free days to play together. We checked into our hotel and headed to St. Augustine. The one thing Ray and I love to do when we travel is try to cram in as much as we can do in the amount of time we have. The drive to St. Augustine took about 2 hours. Ray's been there before and wanted to share his experience.
On the way there we took a quick detour to Daytona Beach. It was the day after the big Daytona 500 and lots of tourists were still lingering. We drove down to the beach, parked and took a quick walk to the water.
There were people surfing, swimming and just hanging out in the water. I couldn’t wait to get right in. Now, for some reason, I thought the water would be warm. Don’t ask me why I thought that. It was end of February; I should have known the water would be a bit on the chilly side. It’s almost like when the tourists flock to San Francisco. Most think the water is a balmy 80 year round. It’s fun to watch them jump out of their cars and run as fast as they can right into the water. Only to find that as fast as they ran in, they run ever faster to get out. The water never rises above 58, and that’s summer temperatures. So, yep, I had the same mentality. And when my feet hit the water, I was surprised at how cold it was.
After about an hour exploring Daytona quickly we drove up to St. Augustine. St. Augustine was first established under Spanish rule in 1565. Known as the Ancient City, is the nation's oldest city and also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's most charming, making it the oldest permanent European settlement in the United States. The city has a delightful historic district, with its cobblestone streets, quaint cafes, bars and unique shops and restaurants. It reminded me a little of New Orleans with their balcony lined buildings.
Our first stop in town was to visit the Castillo de San Marcos.
Throughout its history, the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument has been closely intertwined with the city and the neighboring structures which served as the city's outer defenses - The Castillo and the town serve as outstanding reminders of the might of the early Spanish empire in the New World. Given the architectural details, it's hardly surprising that Castillo de San Marcos actually took 23 years to build (from 1672 to 1695).
Fabricated of coquina, a virtually indestructible limestone comprised of broken sea shells and coral, the walls of the fortress remained impenetrable through 300 years of enemy shelling and pounding by violent storms.
Fort Matanzas, built 1740-1742, represents a well-preserved masonry watchtower fort built by the Spanish. By providing a perch to observe enemy vessels approaching from the south, the fort played a strategic role in warning St. Augustine of potential enemy advancements from the south via the Matanzas River.
After our visit to Castillo de San Marcos/Fort Matanzas, we strolled to the historical part of town which was just a short walk from the Fort.
Old town St. Augustine was a shopper’s paradise. Lots of unique items and the streets were lined with historic buildings. Lots of history here.
We had a wonderful dinner at the Columbia Restaurant and headed back to Orlando.
Tuesday, we went to Universal Studios Orlando. Fun place! The Harry Potter section is a must see. Amazing how they can make a place seem so real. I did enjoy the rides, but in my opinion, like the one in California better. Wednesday, Ray and I went to DisneyWorld. Again, I like Disneyland better – rides seem longer. Although I did like DisneyWorld’s Space Mountain. Otherwise, Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland is longer and a tad more exciting. So is the Haunted House.
Thursday - Saturday I spent bumming around Orlando and relaxing. I did go back to DisneyWorld and made sure I wrapped up my visit by seeing the other parks Ray and I were unable to and grabbed those cute gifts for Jayden.
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