The 14th Colony (yes there were really 16, not 13)

Between holidays, we jumped in the car and headed for St. Augustine, the oldest city in the United States. Mark, with his Turkish perspective, wasn't too impressed with a date like 1513, but he considered the continent and feigned interest.

I was happy to see the old town was renovated and busy. There are plenty of museums to visit, but all require admission. It was great to see both the Spanish Village and Fort Castillo de San Marcos had employees and volunteers who dressed and played the roles of residents or army in the period around 1740.

I didn't get Florida history in school (since I wasnt in Florida when it is taught), so I found out some interesting things. For example, there were really 16 colonies, not just 13. Florida was split into 2 British colonies: East and West Florida. Because the 14-16 colonies were happy being loyal to the Queen, they didn't fight in the American Revolution, and for that they got no star on the flag! If you are wondering, the 16th colony was eastern Canada.

We enjoyed the mix of British and Spanish history (Florida went back and forth between the countries before becoming a state, and the abundance of sangria and ales to represent both sides. We saw and definately heard canons and flintlocks fired. We saw very old houses. Though St. Augustine was burned down by the angry British who couldn't capture the fort -which held the cities 1500 residents for 50 days- so I guess the houses could have been older!

St. Augustine had a resurgence back in the 1880's (until around 1914) when Henry Flagler built his railroad to the city so that the first snowbirds could come down in the winter. Being the entrepreneur he was, he also built fabulous hotels to house these wealthy people. One of the hotels, the Ponce de leon, is now the main Flagler College building while the Alcazar was purchased by Mr. Lightner for his museum. The Alcazar housed the largest indoor pool in the world at the time...though the water was from a sulfur springs which must have really stunk in an enclosed area. St. Augustine lost its luster when Flagler continued his railroad to West Palm Beach, and then to Key West. It seemed the further south those snow birds could go, the happier they were...until the depression when everyone stopped traveling.

For the holidays, the city was decorated in white lights which made the evening magical. While the country is in a recession, it appeared that a trip to St. Augustine during the holidays was a must-do. The streets were full of festive people wandering the town from morning to late night. It felt a bit like a tame mardi gras in New Orleans.