We boarded the open air trolley at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and off we went. Our guide was a great narrator of the town's history and pointed out the many points of interest.
He was able to navigate a "train" through a number of narrow colonial streets, pointing out that the reason the streets were narrow is that a venturi effect was created, blowing a breeze both to and from the ocean as the seasons permitted. A natural "whole city cooling system".
Many of the fancy buildings downtown near the colonial quarter were either created or subsidized by Henry Flagler. This church was built entirely with money donated by Flagler, with the stipulation that a bell could not be installed in the bell tower because he didn't want any competition with the nearby hotels he owned!
This Memorial Church was built by Flagler in honor of his daughter, who died at an early age. He wanted the monument to be the most elaborate building in St Augustine, and it is.
Flagler had left his New England family and their fortune at an early age to go west and make his own fortune. He settled in Iowa and made millions in the grain business. He discovered Florida (remember the railroad to Key West?) and eventually settled in St Augustine. He had made many rich and influential friends over the years, and he invited them to join him in turning St Augustine into a spa for wealthy Easterners. Flagler was a very generous man, but also an astute businessman. He bought the following hotel in bankruptcy and made more millions. What a guy!
His hotels had electricity, the first in Florida. The hotels had indoor plumbing, elaborate dining rooms and fields for squash, croquet, and gardens. Carriages were provided for guests and swimming pools were everywhere. One swimming pool rule was that ladies had to stay in the deep end while in the pool, so that treading water would prevent gossip.....
Flagler was approached at one point to help with paving the streets of St Augustine. Without a word, the story goes, he sent an order to RJ Reynolds (yeah, the tobacco people, but early on they made bricks) and sent a train to pick them up. Since he owned the railroad, the entire trainload soon arrived in St Augustine. Flagler told the city "there they are, pave the streets!" And it was so. Many of those original brick streets survive, and are very bumpy!
The oldest house in St Augustine is rather homely, but has been documented to be four hundred years old!
The Oldest Living Thing in St Augustine is a Live Oak tree named The Old Senator. The University of Florida has dated the tree at over 600 years old, which is not surprising since it's growing just 600 feet from the Fountain of Youth!
Up and down the streets we went, east and west, north and south, passing some interesting signs...
Hunger pangs fell upon us at about 2:30 in the afternoon, so we slipped into the patio section of Harry's Restaurant. Serving seafood and beef with a Nawlins twist, it is one of the most recommended restaurants in town. It is so popular that when we bought our trolley tickets, the lady asked us what we planned to do in town. Replying that a late lunch was on the agenda, she said, "Oh, at Harry's?" The recommendations are in every way deserved. Our server, Zack, was attentive, courteous, and had a great sense of humor! Originally a Chicago native, Zack now lives in Jacksonville because his fiancee has a career there. I would recommend Zack without hesitation!
Leaving Harry's, we strolled down St George's Street, a pedestrian walkway through a myriad of shops and stores.
A block or two north got us back to the parking lot at Ripley's where we had parked the car. In the courtyard of Ripley's, an anatomically correct statue of Michelangelo's David. Carved to the exact specifications as the original, at 17 feet tall, and weighing 10 tons, it is one of only two copies carved from a solid block of marble taken from the same quarry as Michelangelo's original.
Considered to be the most recognized sculpture in the world, and widely thought to be the greatest achievement of the Renaissance, it captures King David in a pensive moment just before his battle with Goliath.
On our return to the motorhome took us to the Mission Nombre De Dios, documented to be the location of the first Mission established by the Catholic Church in Floridia. A 200 foot cross commemorates this revered spot.
Another great day in St Augustine!
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