Old City

I've been trying to think of a way to describe St. Augustine itself. It's hard. The Nation's Oldest City is most definitely a tourist town, but it's not really cheesy. It's crowded with tour trams, pedestrians, ice cream shops and ghost tours. But it also has a marina and a giant fort with spacious grounds right in the middle of town. And, of course, the Spanish/Moorish architecture it's famous for.

There are startling contrasts. Between Ripley's Believe It Or Not and the Fountain of Youth Archeological Park is the beautiful, park-like Mission de Nombre Dios, with its sweet Lady chapel and outdoor meditation areas.

To say nothing of the mammoth monument to Spanish Catholicism, erected on St. A's 450th birthday (2015).

A few blocks away, an imposing building, a former arsenal (I think) with elegant Spanish architecture turned out to be the parking garage.

The original main square was laid out in 1598 (a couple of decades before the Pilgrims fetched up on Plymouth Rock), with a government building,

plaza, market shelter, and a beautiful cathedral.

The main shopping street is cobbled, pedestrian-only, and also rich in contrasts. In just one block we saw some dude selling didgeridoos, very nice Mexican pottery, an ice-cream-and-turkey-leg shop, several bars and restaurants, and the sublime St. Photios Greek Orthodox Shrine, founded by indentured servants from Minorca who ran away from terrible conditions on an indigo plantation in what became SC.

But wait! There' more! There are the Gilded Age robber barons' grand hotels, and the fort, and . . . more touring for another day.