Lynn and I decided that we needed some time away from the boat and staying in a hotel for a couple of nights with the approaching cold weather coming was a good idea.

We decided to head to St Augustine which was one of the places we wanted to visit anyway. St.Augustine is the oldest city in the US. The area was discovered by Ponce de Leon of Spain after his voyage with Columbus. The area was settled by the Spanish which explains much of the design and the beautiful architecture in the city. We were fortunate to be able to catch the annual "Night of Lights" festival where some three million lights adorn every corner of the historic district for two months. This year it was on until Feb 2, so we got to see them in all their splendor. We took a Trolley Tour around the city. It was very cold and we were very happy that we had our winter gear in the car. It was strange hearing Christmas music being played on the tour in Jan,...with palm trees around us. It was certainly different.

St. Augustine is a must stop for anyone traveling to Florida. The old historic buildings with wonderful restaurants tucked into little alleyways and garden passages make for a magical experience. In some ways it reminds me a little of old Quebec City with palm trees.

Lynn and I in front of our Trolley Tour bus

Original entry gates to the original city

We just had to stop and sample the chocolate at Whetstone Chocolates! ( Lynn likes white chocolate )

600 year old live oak tree

Note the sign below. Ponce de Leon was thought to be searching for the fountain of youth on Bimini Island ( Bahamas ) which he missed and landed in St Augustine instead. Not sure what the claim of the fountain of youth is here in St. Augustine. Just promotional marketing I guess

In front of fort Castillo De San Marcos