Starting mileage: 1385 Starting time: 12:00 pm
Ending mileage: 1514 Ending time: 3:00 pm
Travel mileage: 129 Travel time: 3:00 hours (including lunch!)
In the morning we walked to the Visitor Center and got more information about the historical aspects of the town which was founded in 1565, long before any of the English settlements.
As a Spanish settlement, this was the opposite of Savannah and Charleston. The non-Spanish and non-Catholics were not trusted. Non-Catholics could not be buried in the Catholic cemetery and a separate place had to be found for them - it is called the Huguenot cemetery although it didn't actually have Huguenots buried there - it was a generic term for non-Spanish.
In a battle with French forces to the north, all non-Catholics were killed, not too different from current conflicts in the middle-east.
We visited Castillo de San Marcos National Park which is the original fort built in the 1600s as a wood fort and then in the 1700s as a stone fort. It is interesting in that it is built of coquina stone which is a soft stone composed of seashells. It has the advantage that when hit with cannonballs, it compresses and absorbs the cannonball rather than shattering like a granite or other hard stone. It was never possible for sieging forces to break into the fort although they did burn and destroy the town outside.
St. Augustine changed hands a number of times, going from Spanish to English to Spanish and then to American. The occupants often changed their allegiance depending on who was in charge.
We did a walking tour of the town and were able to enjoy many historical sites, including the Cathedral, parks and buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
On the way down to our hotel we stopped at the Fort Mantanzas National Monument at the site of a Spanish fort that protected the "back" entrance to St. Augustine. There was a delightful picnic area under the live oak covered with Spanish moss where we had our lunch.
We are staying at a Comfort Inn in Cocoa Beach with a great view of the ocean. We were able to walk in the warm water - didn't swim as we didn't put our suits on before going to the shore.
In the morning we walked to the Visitor Center and got more information about the historical aspects of the town which was founded in 1565, long before any of the English settlements.
As a Spanish settlement, this was the opposite of Savannah and Charleston. The non-Spanish and non-Catholics were not trusted. Non-Catholics could not be buried in the Catholic cemetery and a separate place had to be found for them - it is called the Huguenot cemetery although it didn't actually have Huguenots buried there - it was a generic term for non-Spanish.
In a battle with French forces to the north, all non-Catholics were killed, not too different from current conflicts in the middle-east.
We visited Castillo de San Marcos National Park which is the original fort built in the 1600s as a wood fort and then in the 1700s as a stone fort. It is interesting in that it is built of coquina stone which is a soft stone composed of seashells. It has the advantage that when hit with cannonballs, it compresses and absorbs the cannonball rather than shattering like a granite or other hard stone. It was never possible for sieging forces to break into the fort although they did burn and destroy the town outside.
St. Augustine changed hands a number of times, going from Spanish to English to Spanish and then to American. The occupants often changed their allegiance depending on who was in charge.
We did a walking tour of the town and were able to enjoy many historical sites, including the Cathedral, parks and buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries.
On the way down to our hotel we stopped at the Fort Mantanzas National Monument at the site of a Spanish fort that protected the "back" entrance to St. Augustine. There was a delightful picnic area under the live oak covered with Spanish moss where we had our lunch.
We are staying at a Comfort Inn in Cocoa Beach with a great view of the ocean. We were able to walk in the warm water - didn't swim as we didn't put our suits on before going to the shore.
Day 7 route
At Castillo de San Marcos
Cathedral at Constitution Square
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