St. Augustine Historic Village

After arriving at Pacetti RV and Marina on March 19th, we set up the RV, relaxed a bit and caught up on laundry.
Many people we have met along the way told us that St. Augustine is a lovely and interesting place to visit. So it is.
At 9:30 next morning we parked in the city and boarded a tour tram with an entertaining bus driver/tour guide named Charlie. As we passed through the streets from site to site, he gave colourful accounts of the history and significance of each place. As it was founded in 1565 by the Spanish, many places have Spanish architecture and names. The fort of Castillo de San Marcos took 23 years to build, 1672 – 1695. It is a massive structure built with coquina rock, which consists of shellfish which died long ago and the shells bonded together to form the stone. Guides are dressed in the style of the original guards – very colourful. St. George Street is a historic walking mall filled with many small shops and restaurants. Paul lost Faye only once. The Milltop Tavern has a working overshot water wheel originally powered by an artesian well, a replica of the original used to grind wheat. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is beautiful as are the magnificent mansions, hotels, and churches built by railroad tycoon, Henry Flagler. The Bridge of Lions to Anastasia Island is being rebuilt. For some reason, they had to use at least 60 per cent of the original bridge in order to keep the same name, so construction is slower than normal as the original materials are cleaned, repaired, and updated. We saw the Lighthouse, the oldest house, a cannonball lodged in the side of a house, the oldest wooden school in the US, and the Old Drug Store which actually sold old time remedies made mostly from dried plants. We have yet to visit the Fountain of Youth and the old Jail. There was simply too much to see and do in one day but our tram pass is good for three days. .
On Saturday we drove to Venice to visit Bill and Carol Trenholme. After dinner we visited Jerry and Karen Sutherland who live in the same park. Sunday was a fun day. Before church we toured Venice Beach and parts of the city. After church we went to a flea market and garage sale, then drove around with Bill acting as tour guide.