Our next destination was St. Augustine, the nation's oldest European city, and its San Marcos fortress, oldest such in North America. We enjoyed St. Augustine, its history, architecture, fun and funkiness, and not least the city's free RV parking just inside the old town. A few blocks' walk, and you're there.
 |
Thus, with the fortress's star points jutting into
the waters |
 |
Throughout, whether federal, state, local, or non-governmental,
the interpretive signage was great |
 |
Okay, probably not dating from Ponce de Leon, but still a first;
of sorts |
 |
| Also probably not the first tourist train in the New World |
 |
Definitely the only place we've ever been that had competing/dueling
tourist trains, something unique, we guess, to the New World and its
profit motives...
|
 |
| Original city gate |
 |
| Drawn bridge |
 |
| Nice tree and restaurant area, early in the day |
 |
| Among the interesting venues along the old town's main drag |
 |
Snake handling, $11.95 a session (probably free at some of the
local churches) |
 |
| Many, many homeless persons around; "Spaceship Broken" |
 |
| Cathedral; we passed |
 |
| Spare fortress parts |
 |
Henry Flagler, railroad magnate, was the first and probably greatest
Florida developer, early twentieth century, who built hotels all the
way down the state's east coast to Miami; this one now Flagler College
|
 |
| Facing it, another, now the city hall |
 |
| Flagler |
 |
The "Spanish revival" architecture he promoted is what I remember
mostly growing up in Miami; I keep hoping to find the original
Hotel de Cocoanut, but, alas, it was not here |
 |
Speaking of revival, the zocalo--city central square--was all abuzz that day with a subdued hare krishna recruiting fair; just what you'd expect in America's heritage-conscious first city |
 |
Here they are, massing for attack; but not chanting the familiar
hare! hare! bit; almost a stealth thing |
 |
Charge! Recruitment signing bonus: total consciousness! And
maybe some snake fondling! |
No comments:
Post a Comment