St. Augustine Birthday Celebration

So, my husband and I happen to share the same birthday month, and our birthdays are only 3 days apart. So every July, we pick a place to staycation as a joint birthday celebration.  This year we went back to St. Augustine where we were married. Here are a bunch of pictures... of course I think I narrowed it down considering I had over 1,000 pictures to choose from! 

The elevator ride down ... let the fun begin

Mom, a bird! This kid is a serious bird watcher , he  photographs them, and later marks them in his "Birds of North America book".  We are not even out of the hotel parking lot yet ... love it! 

This year we did the Explorer's  Passport. It gives you access to the Castillo De San Marcos, the Colonial Quarters, and the Government House Museum. Worth every penny!

The Old Spanish Trail. Florida to California...... seriously!?!?!?!? How awesome is that!?!?!

Approaching the Castillo De San Marcos

Where they would have slept

Tiny doorway, people must have been much smaller, I am only 5'8 and I had to duck slightly.

Mapping of ships carved into the wall 

The soldiers carved letters into the stone, they were probably learning how to read and write as most of them were illiterate. 

Inner yard

Coat of Arms

Coquina used to build the Castillo- 150 million pounds ... 

The Chapel

Basin  for holy water

Old Medical tools...ugh! Shivers!!!!!!

The treasury... no gold, just a table for counting money now. 

The top of the Castillo

Preparing to fire a canon

The demonstration is done in Spanish  for authenticity and then translated

Boom!!! It was loud!

Lunch at Pizza Time.. this one is mine... fabulous!!!

Everyone else's pizza, cheese and white . Those were marvelous too!

The second stop on our Passport

Beautiful grapes growing on an arbor

Building a replica of one of the ships... actually two. There will be a second smaller ship- a chalupa... no, not the thing you eat.  It will be about 7 years before it is complete.

Archaeological dig site for the kids while they wait for the tour to begin

The pretty wall I am sitting next to while they dig and we wait. 

Our guide, if he doesn't love his job, then he fakes it pretty well. He was a blast!

Iron Work/ Blacksmith 

Oh, this, gathering militia... ya there would have been a lot more pictures of this if I hadn't been drafted by our guide to be part of the shenanigans. Seriously!!! After I got over the horror of standing in front of everyone doing drills... it was kinda fun... 

 Marketplace

Flags over St. Augustine....Starting in 1565 when St. Augustine was founded

The view of the Castillo from the Watchtower

Time for a few stops in a few shops ... the shell store

Our last day, eating at one of the diners we ate at during our stay in St. Augustine when we were married. 

Ya, this kid eats like a man, you know he ate that whole thing... minus the gravy..  

Oh, my favorite stop, Flagler College. Originally the Ponce De Leon Hotel

The inner courtyard. The fountain in the middle is filled with symbolism. The fountain is really the handle of a sword with the blade sticking into the ground... can you see it ? There are frogs and turtles surrounding the base, 12 frogs for the 12 apostles, and 12 hours on the clock, 4 frogs for the seasons of the year.

When you walk inside... need I say more? 

Window

We were given mirrors to use "vs"  looking up as they explained the dome and meaning of each painting.

The outer glass panels of the wine room.That's  real Tiffany glass

The Dining Hall

Isn't it exquisite?! The students of Flagler College eat here everyday!!! 

Windows of the Dining Hall

Replica and original... in that order. 

The Flagler Room/ Women's grand Parlor... yes ladies it's all for us! Actually this room is only used for special student meetings 

An original Edison Clock... notice the number 4,  all  I's vs the IV symbol. Did I mention that Edison did all of the wiring for the building so that it had electricity ?! 

Chandeliers, if they break, they can never be replaced as they are no longer being made. 

Original furniture. This was our last stop at Flagler College. Can I just say that I am, SO going back to school here!!!  I've decided to study History... I am kidding... no I don't think I am , I just need to figure out how to scratch up 50 grand a year to go. 

The Government House Museum., our last stop of the day, a really great place to take kids . Lots of hands on stuff!

Interactive guide through the first settlement of St. Augustine. 

Interactive, First Thanksgiving Meal.

Really cool! You can pull out all of the labeled drawers and look at the artifacts 

  

So thankful for medical advances. Top left is a pewter syringe...ouch , bottom left... lice combs...eewww!

Clothing... buckles, buttons, beads, rings

Religious pendants

Cool touch screen. You excavate the area then sift through sand and find artifacts. 

Bag your artifact

Cards with pictures of the artifacts that can be flipped . They have information regarding the artifacts found in the dig/ museum.

A cool book I found for kids age 9-12 about the life of Henry M. Flagler

And because no trip to St. Augustine is complete without dressing up your family in a chosen time period and snapping some photos. 

I hope you enjoyed reading about our trip and seeing the pictures! Quite honestly 3 days and 2 nights wasn't long enough. This is the first year we have done the "official tours" and it has changed how I view St. Augustine for the better, and I already loved the place. I also learned a ton about the history of Florida and have added a few good books to my reading wish list. Henry Flagler, Rockefeller, Edison, Tiffany, Railroads and Hotels of Florida ,and  much more. Even the kids thought it was the coolest ever and didn't want to go home .Can't wait for our next visit.