In St. Augustine!

This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's) 

cruising adventures on the Great Loop!

DAY 12 – April 12, 2017

 This was our day in St. Augustine!

We had scoped out everything yesterday on our Red Train ride so we knew what we wanted to do today.  After coffee and breakfast, we headed for the Red Train stop right outside the marina.

Pat and Patty at the Castillo San Marcos Gate

Pat at the Cannon Battery

First, we headed for the Castillo San Marcos National Monument. Our National Parks Geezer Pass stood us in good stead here and saved us the $20 admission fee! This fort was built by the Spanish between 1672 and 1695.  It is constructed of conquina, a limestone with a gazillion little shells embedded in it. Maybe an odd choice for a fort, but when cannon balls hit it, they were absorbed, much like firing a BB gun into styrofoam! It was variously held by the Spanish and British in their imperial conquests and ultimately by the Americans. The most shameful period was when the Americans imprisoned Native Americans of many tribes here to “break their will” and force assimilation.  Every little room inside had an exhibit in it, and we spent quite a bit of time here. This is really something you cannot miss when you visit St. Augustine.

Next we walked St. George Street. This is closed to cars, and is kind of like the Pike Place Market in Seattle, except it is a whole street of little shops and they don't sell fish! We had some very expensive gelato here, but it was worth it! Patty also found a new pair of flip flops. I spent most of the time sitting on a bench! Shopping is not my deal!

San Sebastian Wine Barrel

Then we went to the San Sebastian Winery for their tour and tasting. They make most of their wines from the Muscadine grape which is native to Florida. Florida's claim to wine fame is that they were producing wine a hundred years before any wine was produced in California. San Sebastian makes both wines from the native Muscadine grape and from unfinished California bulk wine that they finish at their winery. The tour ended with a tasting of most of the wines they produce. Wine snobs may turn their noses up at Muscadine wines, but San Sebastian does a very good job with the Muscadine grape. Their sweet wines (Port and Cream Sherry) shine, but their  Muscadine table wines are pretty good as well.  We bought two bottles of Port!

Our last stop, and my favorite, was the St. Augustine Distillery! The distillery opened only three years ago and faced a ton of Prohibition era regulations. They hired a lobbyist and got many, but not all, of the antiquated regulations repealed or amended. Their tasting included an Old Fashioned cocktail and a Gin and Tonic, featuring their proprietary mixers. I bought a very expensive bottle of their bourbon to show my  solidarity for their cause, plus, I like bourbon a lot, and their fairly young bourbon was still pretty darn good! 

While we were touring St. Augustine, I got a text from Amazon that our air conditioner had been delivered. We picked it up at the marina office and unboxed it  I doubt that with our fans we will really need it, but as they say, a happy wife is a happy life! And who knows, I may be totally surprised down the road and come to appreciate it myself!