back to St. Augustine

Our final stop was at Florida's oldest city, St. Augustine. This city has a European flair with its ornately decorated architecture and old historical points of interest. It has been more than 10 years since we first came here and it was good to be back.

Flagler College, shown above, was formerly Ponce de Leon Hotel, a luxury hotel conceptualized by Henry Flagler and built in the late 1800's. The history of the hotel is shown on the marker by the entrance of the college.

Not to be missed is Castillo de San Marcos, an old Spanish fortress right in the heart of the city. Shown above are just a few of the highlights at the fort (1) Castillo de San Marcos walls (2) drawbridge entrance (3) tour guides in period costumes (4) cannon display.

Castillo de San Marcos gate

cannon display

Pedro Menendez de Aviles monument, above

Downtown St. Augustine with its Spanish architecture, old buildings and Bridge of Lions.

a tourist attraction, Fountain of Youth Park

We had tasty picadillo and beef empanadas for lunch at the Spanish Bakery (shown above and below). Located along busy St. George Street, it may be considered off the beaten path because of its quiet and obscure garden seating right in front of the bakery.

our dinner at Mango Mango Caribbean Grill along A1A Beach Blvd.

The map above shows the route we took. It was a fun discovery drive and tour around Florida.