The Nation's Oldest City

Day 7: March 7, 2019
St. Augustine rest day

The Airbnb where we are staying is great - super clean and plenty of space to relax. We take an Uber to St. Augustine and the driver tells us a bit about the city. He grew up in Jacksonville and moved here two years ago. He loves the vibe of the historic city and all the visitors.

longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the U.S.A.

We get dropped off in front of the oldest parish in North America, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Mass was first celebrated here in 1565.



There are several school groups supposedly learning some Florida history. From what I can see they are just messing around and eating ice creams and huge long pixie sticks filled with enough sugar for several days.  Their chaperones look weary.

Our lunch is empanadas and soup from The Old Spanish Bakery which is in a building that looks appropriately old.  It is delicious and we eat it in their courtyard under a huge cedar tree.

The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument is a star fort that guarded the harbor and city through centuries of change. The coolest part is the structure itself which is made entirely of coquina. It is mind-blowing to think of rock formed in this way and the density of sea creatures that must exist.

This coquina fort replaced a series of wooden forts which guarded the city for 100 years. The Spanish controlled Florida at this time and the coquina fort and soldiers kept the British and the rest of Spain’s enemies away from the Gulf Steam shipping lane and the city itself. Silver and gold, pearls, tobacco and sugar were some of the valuable cargo heading to Europe. 

The coquina fort was built between 1672 and 1695

St. Augustine is a city worth visiting if you ever find yourself in northern Florida. There is lots of history and the people watching is pretty good too.