JUST US AND THE BUS: Easter in St. Augustine

Bill and Jane bid goodbye to Lazydays Campground in Tampa and made the three hour trip to St. Augustine to explore that city and also to hook up with Bill's sister Joanne, her husband Rich and two kids Ben and Zach. As it turned out, the campground Jane chose was located right across the street from the condo where Jo and Rich were staying. The beach at Anastasia Island is just gorgeous, very clean, and you can drive your car on it! Bill and Jane made several trips on their bike to the beach and spent time with Jo and Rich and also went on long walks. Nothing like the ocean to clean the cobwebs out of your head.

Castillo de San Marcos

The first sightseeing stop was Castillo de San Marcos, an old Spanish fort now a National Park site complete with period clothed actors and dozens of priceless old cannons from several eras.

St. Augustine was founded as a Spanish colony by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565 and was the northernmost outpost of Spain's New World empire. To protect St. Augustine from English and French raiders, Castillo de San Marcos was built starting in 1672. The unique star-shaped construction, thick walls and proximity to the Atlantic Ocean made this fort nearly impregnable and it lasted for over 300 years w/o ever falling in battle.

Old Town St. Augustine

As the oldest European-settled city in North America, St. Augustine is loaded with historic sites and buildings. Most of the old Spanish architecture is gone, destroyed by the British when they took over, burned in one of several great fires the city had, or knocked down by storms. Some old houses incorporate Spanish first floors and British add-ons on the second floor. The Gonzalez-Alvarez house is billed as the oldest house in America, occupied since the early 1600's, but was re-built in the early 1700's and added on to over the years.

When the US annexed Florida in 1810, development was slow but steady. Henry Flagler built a fabulous hotel in 1888 (John Rockefellers' partner and the same guy who built the railroad to Key West). The hotel is now Flagler College and it dominates old-town St. Augustine.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine was built starting in 1793 and is the seat of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Mission Nombre de Dios

Just north of Castillo de San Marcos is a huge cross, chapel, cemetery and memorial area called Mission Nombre de Dios.

This commemorates the spot where the first mass was celebrated in North America by Fr. Lopez de Mendoza in 1565.

The large cross is nearly 300 feet tall and was built in 1965 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first masss.

7 Nuns are buried here on the grounds

Coffin of Menendez

San Sebastion Winery

On the south end of Old Town is the San Sebastion Winery which was built in one of Henry Flagler's old railroad warehouses. Jane and Bill did a fabulous wine tour on the three floors of the winery topped off with a meal at "The Cellar Upstairs" a wine, jazz and blues bar located in the open air on top of the winery. They bottle nearly 1 million bottles of wine per year and it is sold all over the US.

Ghost Pub Tour with JoAnne and Rich

Notice the "orbs" in these night photos

Party at Butler's

Bill and Jane spent a lot of time with Jo and Rich, both in St. Augustine and at the condo on Anastasia Island. Rich's parents, who have wintered at St. Augustine for years, were also there as well as Rich's brother John, wife Linda and son "Beefy". One evening charades was played, or actually fought, in the livingroom.

Bill

Rich's Mother

Rich and his Father

JoAnne

Rich's Brother

Another night a cardgame called "hook" was played in the kitchen and no lasting injuries occurred. Funny but Mr. Butler kept score and he also won?

Easter breakfast was certainly a highlight, and Bill and Jane are grateful for the hospitality shown. Thereafter, the group ventured to old town to view the annual Easter parade.