Family Vacation - Day 6

We decided to stay in St. Augustine for two nights.  The hotel we found is a brand new Holiday Inn Express; it has only been open for like two days before we got there.   St. Augustine is the oldest city in the country.  The Spanish explorers claimed this area as "La Florida", which I understand means "flowers". Ponce de Leon was a Spaniard, who believed he had found the Fountain of Youth...it's kinda interesting the story we heard...the Spaniards, such as Ponce de Leon was only like 4'11" tall, and some of the native indians were well over 7 feet tall!!  Wow!   I guess he felt that there maybe something here that was making them so tall and healthy! :)

We started out the day taking the Old Town Trolley Tour,which started at the Old Jail area.  There was a St. Augustine History Museum at the site too.

Gator Bob's was a tacky, yet kinda fun, souveneir store.

This is the Presbyterian church that Henry Flagler, who was a partner with John D. Rockefeller, built, and is entombed there with his first wife and daughter.  Mr. Flagler  mus've not only had tons of money, but multiple TONS of money.  He built two or three churches in the town and donated land for yet another church.  He also built several buildings, and currently has a college named after him.  Bruce said he had heard of him connected with the Key West area of Florida also. Allison got to be a "junior' conductor on the trolley as well.

I just thought this was a very cool old fashioned car parked outside the Hotel Monica.This was a sculpture of Ponce de Leon at the plaza area of the town of St. Augustine.

This cross is 208 feet tall, and is located on the first Spanish Catholic Mission site, I believe.

And for my nursing mother friends, I had to take a photo of the sign for teh Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche dedicated to the Holy Mother for new and expecting mothers.

This fence is made from cochina rock, which is made of shells and stuff.  The tour guide said that it was used as fences because people would get cut up from the sharp shells and get infected, etc., and because there were antibiotics, it would be very serious.

Below is the entry to Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth. I have to admit that we did not go in to see what it was all about.  However, I might keep it in mind for a few years from now. :)

This is Magnolia Street, which the tour guide told us National Geographic has named as one of the most beautiful streets in the US.  It is pretty, sorta, but it must be when it's in bloom or something.

This is the San Sebastian Winery.  It is a family owned winery that we were able to go through and have a wine sampling.  There were TONS of folks here. Our favorite...the wine and jazz patio area on the rooftop.  They have scheduled music periodic, and happened to have it every Sunday afternoon, so we were able to listen for awhile.  That was fun.

Allison was able to talk her daddy into this cute little kitty in the pink bag.  It was interesting that it really didn't take much talking...usually it DOES! LOL

And...had to take a picture of a trolley like what we rode in on our tour of the city.