St. Augustine, Florida

I realize it's been a VERY long while since I've posted. There are 2 reasons for this. One reason, is that one main purpose of this blog is to let my mind wander and remember some of the glorious places I've been to. Since October 2009, I have taken a trip somewhere almost every month. It's hard to reminisce when you're caught up in the constant excitement of a new adventure. The other reason for my lack of blogging? Too busy. It take a lot of focus and energy to write and find the perfect pictures that capture the feeling. That being said, it's time for a new post.

I find that a common theme among cities I find fascinating are their historical roots in Spanish heritage. Spanish food, Spanish architecture, Spanish history... I love it. One of the coolest cities I've ever been to is St. Augustine, Florida. My visit to this glorious city took place in January 2009 with two wonderful friends. To be clear, my trip to St. Augustine was a 1-day trip, which was part of a much larger trip, but this city deserves its own post.

One of the coolest "fun facts" about St. Augustine, is that it's the oldest city in the Continental United States. It's also the birthplace of Christianity in the U.S. St. Augustine is on a barrier spit. In other words, you have to cross a bridge to get there, or go around the long way. At the time we visited, the original bridge was undergoing construction. From what I understand, about a year ago the bridge reopened. This particular bridge is known by the marble lions which stand at the entrance of the bridge, and appropriately, is named the Bridge of Lions. This month, the lions will be returned to the bridge.

I highly recommend stopping at the Visitor's Center before venturing off around the city. There is SO much to do, that it's a good idea to have a clue of what you're even interested in seeing. I recommend getting a guided tour of the city. We decided to go with the trolley tour. This tour is fantastic for so many reasons. #1, it's cheap. Right now the cost posted is $23 for adults ($20.70 if you purchase online).
(Also, the ticket is good for three consecutive days of unlimited use and includes free admission to the St. Augustine History Museum and free Beach Bus Shuttle.) My favorite part about the trolley tour, was that at any "site", you could get out and look around, and another trolley would come around every 30 minutes to pick you up.

One of the sites we passed was the Tolomato Cemetery. It’s one of Florida’s oldest cemeteries, and is known to be the final resting place of many confederate soldiers. One stop we were sure to spend some time at was Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church. Henry Flagler had this church built in 1889 as a memorial to his daughter. The day Flagler's daughter died, construction began on the church, and just 361 days later, it was completed in time for a 1-year memorial service. Every detail in this church is flawless.

Favorite stop #2 was San Sebastian Winery where they have free wine tasting. I promise you, this wine is amazing. Unfortunately, there are many states they cannot ship to, and Texas is one of them (I think New York is also one of them). This wine tasting is as extensive as any wine tasting you might have to pay for. You also get a tour of the winery and the Cellar Upstairs Wine and Jazz Bar sits at the top of the winery and is an open-air deck that entertains guests on weekends. We went mid-day and did not take advantage of the Wine and Jazz Bar, though I'm sure it would be lovely.

A couple other fun places we got to see were the Villa Zorayda and St. Augustine Lighthouse. In the Villa Zorayda, all the windows were different shapes because they believed that if a spirit escaped the building, then they couldn't re-enter because they couldn't remember which window they came out of. How creative is that?! I loved how quirky this building was with it's crazy windows, but still managed to maintain an overall Spanish "look" to it. The tour continued on to view the Fountain of Youth, spanish moss, the Old Jail, the oldest building in St. Augustine (which is really awesome when you think about it... the oldest building in the oldest city!), and so many other awesome places. I recommend spending some time walking around Hypolita & St. George Street Historic Walking Mall. This area is filled with shops, restaurants and a variety of diverse people.

If you love gelato (let's be honest... who doesn't love gelato??), Cafe del Hidalgo is perfect. They actually have a few food options, which are all delicious. They're inexpensive too. They have salads and paninis and pastries and coffee, and honestly, the best gelato I've ever had. There's something wonderful about walking through the streets of Old St. Augustine with a couple of great friends and a gelato in hand. Something deliciously wonderful.