We were in St Augustine from 4-30- May 2. Even though I feel like we walked ten miles a day, there is still so much more to see. From the marina we walked over a mile to get to the trolley…..then an extra mile to get tickets! So the first day we rode the entire route of the trolley and learned so very much. We waited for the trolley right between Flagler College and the old Henry Flagler hotel that was named Alcazar. Don’t you just love the detailed architecture?
After seeing the entire city by trolley, we decided to visit the Cathedral Bascilica, the Santa Maria, the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Lightner Museum that is now in the old Alcazar Hotel pictured above.
The reconstructed Santa Maria was visiting the United States for the first time from Spain. It was very interesting to imagine finding the New World with Columbus on this beautiful replica.
The St Augustine Lighthouse is the second tallest in Florida. Yes we walked to the top!
Leaving St. Augustine, we had a great view of Fort Castillo de San Marcos. 
The St Augustine Cross is the largest free standing cross in the Western Hemisphere. Placed there in 1965, on St. Augustine’s 400th anniversary, it marks the place wherE Spanish Admiral Pedro Menendez de Avila’s landed, planted a wooden cross, establishing America’s oldest city. I’ve read that Pedro in this act of placing a cross, brought Christianity to America 500 years before the Pilgrims arrived. Sadly, no tragically, the cross was placed on the Matanzas River which means slaughter in Spanish. It seems that Pedro also slit the throats of over 350 shipwrecked French Huguenots in 1565 because they were Protestant and refused to convert. Their blood made the river run red for days, thus the name, Slaughter~Matanzas…..another tragic example of misusing Christianity as Nationalism. No wonder the world has a hard time realizing that GOD is LOVE.
We are almost to our destination in Jacksonville where we will leave the boat for a month. It was astonishing how large the ships are in the St. John’s River.
Pat and Danny are driving over to go to a Mercyme concert with us on Friday, May 3rd and will give us a ride home! The first leg of the Loop has been overall wonderful!