Day 202 St Augustine

Magnolia Avenue lined with Oak trees filled with moss. Seems strange doesn't it?




I'm not on spring break but can I have my picture taken with you???





Tom with one of the many cannons at the fort.






Ponce de Leon Hotel (Now Flagler College)






Dining room murals using 14 carot gold and sterling silver



How is this for a college dining room with Tiffany windows and murals on the ceiling?





Alcazar Hotel and playroom for the guests across the street.





Wow, St Augustine, what a city of history and art!!

We took a narrated Trolly tour of the city and across to the beach area. We enjoyed the Castillo de San Marcos, a Spanish fort built in 1672. The Fort was crazy with kids on spring break and I was jealous because they had their personal tour guide telling them the history of the fort. We had to fend for ourselves but we did okay.

I toured the “Ponce de Leon Hotel” built by Henry Flagler and which is now a four year college. What an incredible work of art, stunning architechure design even considering the year it was built. This was the first building in the US to be constructed of poured concrete. It was built in 1885 (in 18 months) so the wealthy would have an elaborate place to vacation for Jan through Mar. You could stay less time but you still were charged for 3 months which in today’s money would be half a million dollars! The interior is decorated with imported marble, carved oak and murals painted by Tojetti and George W Maynard. The stained glass windows were created by Louis Tiffany and it is the largest collection of Tiffany glass in the world. He then built Alcazar Hotel across the street to entertain his guests at the Ponce de Leon. The entertainment included a casino, 2 bowling alleys, salons, steam rooms, the largest indoor pool of its time and a café. The narrated tour was fascinating but I don’t have room to put it all on the blog. Oh yes, Henry Flagler was an entrepreneur in many areas but he built the railroad to Florida to bring guests to his hotel. Henry was one of the principal founders os Standard Oil, long before oil was recognized as a huge potential.

At the end of the day, Tom bicycled to Winn-Dixie for some provisions. While he was on errands, Dave and Pam Feltner arrived on "Adagio" here at St Augustine Municipal. We all walked up to "Meehan's", an Irish Pub, for an evening of dining pleasure. Good food, live Irish guiter/singer, fun time. Nice to see our good Looper friends, Dave and Pam.