St. Augustine in a Day

With my mom and sister living five hours away, the three of us get very little time together without spouses, kids, and in-laws. We made a point a few months ago to reserve a Saturday just for the three of us and spent the day in St. Augustine, Florida. What a great day it was!

We hopped aboard one of the sightseeing trains and were glad we did. Not only did the train save us time and aching feet, it came with a brief history of the city and many of the sites. Words of caution – on cool days bring a light jacket. The day we visited it was comfortable walking, but riding on the open air train had our teeth chattering! The five minute ride to the first stop seemed like five hours!

The first stop was the Colonial Spanish Quarter where we strolled down St. George Street. I was so fascinated by the coquina shell walls bordering the narrow streets that I now have an overabundance of wall photos.

We were only about one fourth of the way through the tour when our stomachs demanded attention and were delighted to see that the city has many cafes and restaurants.We selected one based on an old and very popular movie.I won’t mention the name, however, because the food lost its appeal half way through lunch.

I looked around at the paintings hanging on the walls and realized they were covered in years of dust. Then, I made the mistake of looking up – the ceilings were also thick with dust and had the added feature of hanging dust bunnies.

My sister and I noticed them about the same time and in the spirit of ‘we’ll have a great day no matter what’, we looked at each other with 'deer in headlight' expressions, smirked, and said nothing until the meal was over. This was a great accomplishment for me since my family says I have OCCND Obsessive Compulsive Cleanliness and Neatness Disorder. For those of you like me – look up before you order.

We continued on the tour and marveled at the architecture of this old city – historic, ornate, and very Spanish Renaissance all at the same time. The Flagler College (formerly Hotel Ponce de Leon) and the Lightner Museum (formerly Hotel Alcazar) are both beautiful and elegant on the outside. I have many angled and out of focus pictures of them. I didn’t think it would be so hard taking pictures from a moving train – it was.

Another popular site we enjoyed was the historic Nombre de Dios with its magnificent stainless steel 208 foot cross.

For those with a thirst for the unusual, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! and Potter’s Wax Museum look like they are just plain fun; and nearby Anastasia Island with its sandy beaches and a lighthouse is a must for next time. St. Augustine is one of Florida’s few remaining treasures with something for everyone. I can’t wait to go back!