6 In Florida/ Travel

St. Augustine, Florida- Castillo de San Marcos

My trip to St. Augustine was a short one, but it definitely let an impression.  I originally thought I was going to have more time than I did, but it just didn’t work out that way, but I still got to visit the Castillo de San Marco.
I was unsure about whether or not to visit another fort with my short amount of time, but my mom had told me about when she was a little girl and they visited the fort and she remembered absolutely loving it.  So, I took my mom’s memory from 30+ years ago, and went for it… Her memory served her (and me) well.
My mom is the one on the upper left!  So fun!
I was very pleased, once again, that my National Park Pass covered my entrance fee, and even though I had just been to a coastal fort the day before, I was just as intrigued by this one.  This fort was even older (St. Augustine is the oldest consistently European-occupied city in the United States) and had been through even more.  This fort was not made up of bricks like Fort Pulaski, but of bits of shells cemented together which was easily visible on the walls.
The location of this fort was also incredible because it was legitimately right on the coast and there were these massive palm trees all around.  It definitely felt like Florida.
I managed to get there in time to stay for a cannon demonstration, which was really cool.  I got front row, and a group on men dressed like 15th century Spanish soldiers made their way up to the top of the fort.  They did the whole demonstration in Spanish (except the part that they told us to plug our ears).  As I put my hands over my ears my heart was pounding in my chest with anticipation, and even through I was well aware that this massive BOOM was coming, I still jumped!  It was really loud and one of those things that you felt all through your body.
 
I walked back to the massive St. Augustine tourist parking garage, that was way over priced, I was able to see to see some other parts of the old town, like the city gates, fountains and a cemetery.

 

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6 Comments

  • Reply
    equinoxio21
    March 27, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    Hi Paige. Whenever you go to Cartagena, Colombia, you’ll find that the fort there is very much like this one. One more destination on your list!
    Be good.
    Brian

    • Reply
      PaigeBrown
      March 27, 2014 at 4:03 pm

      Thanks, Brian! My list will be ever-growing with these awesome suggestions! I can’t wait to check them all off! Thanks for reading!

  • Reply
    hollyhilla
    March 27, 2014 at 2:32 pm

    This is a great city to explore!

    • Reply
      PaigeBrown
      March 27, 2014 at 4:04 pm

      I’m getting to your territory now, huh? I would love to be able to spend more time exploring these cities. I want to go to the Keys this fall!

  • Reply
    Chasing Butterflies: Sunshine and freedom
    March 30, 2014 at 4:49 pm

    Wow, great photos, they´re beautiful! The place looks amazing!

    • Reply
      PaigeBrown
      March 31, 2014 at 8:37 pm

      Thank you so much! It’s really incredible! Thank you for reading and commenting!

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