St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is known for being the oldest city in the United States and a historical icon in Florida; established around the 1560s by Spanish immigrants. This city is so basic and small, we had to walk almost everywhere; however, there are certain areas that are a little isolated, in other words, houses felt as if they were a mile apart from each other.

The first place we visited was the Old Lighthouse which was built in the 1870s. Literally old. It's still rather sturdy, though. It has survived all kinds of storms, several hurricanes, and lightning strikes.

There used to be an oil lamp behind the lens which would be rotated by a grandfather clock and wound up every 2 hours or so.

(Below) This is what the inside of the lighthouse looks like: a 219 feet staircase. The oil lamp had to be carried up these stairs every 3 hours. Add that to Florida's summer heat. Oy!

Every now and then I would stop and take a break or take a few pictures. This was one of my favorite spots.

Of course, the top was also my favorite spot.

Next, we visited one of St. Augustine's ancient cathedrals, the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine. This place is a historical landmark since it is the first European religious site built in the United States. Of course, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside so I snapped a few shots before going in.

Castillo de San Marcos is also an important historical site. It was built by the Spanish in the 1690s in order to protect the city and people of St Augustine. Here, you can either go on a "self-tour" where you just wander around the castle or go on a tour with the park rangers. There are also people around the castle dressed according to the period giving demonstrations and presentations on the weapons they used during this period.

I loved this place simply because it was very unlike any other place in Florida. It was very historical, the art and architecture was beautiful and unique. It poured the whole time I was there and since we only walked to places, the humidity and condensation caused my camera to have some technical problems which was a drag since there were so many beautiful places to photograph.