Walking, walking, walking.....

On Monday morning I had booked a walking history tour in St Augustine through airbnb. St Augustine is the oldest city in the USA and is full of Spanish, French, and American history. Its history is full of intrepid people such as Juan Ponce de Leon and Henry Flagler. You should come here and visit and take a walking history tour as well so that I don't have to tell you all about it.

The architecture is classic.

We met our guide downtown at the Plaza de Constitucion. In the middle of the park is a memorial to men of the area who fought in wars. We really like the fact that it honours not only those who fought for the Confederacy but also black soldiers who fought for the Union and liberated many fellow slaves.

This downtown area played a critical part in the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr was arrested right here on these steps when he tried to enter a swanky hotel. The hotel has since been demolished and replaced but the historical step remains. A few days after this the Civil Rights Act was signed into law.

The largest mass arrest of rabbis in US history! 

Thank goodness for that. 

I am easily distracted by trees. This tree is special. It is The Love Tree.

Do you see the cabbage palm rising up from the trunk of the live oak?

And these two silly kids smooching under the tree?

The palm is growing right out of the oak tree, by some freak of nature. 

Weird huh? 

Historical tour guides get a big kick out of it. 

Strange things happen in southern towns.

This is the original Catholic cemetery.

We should have done the tour of Flagler College. It is in what used to be one of the Flagler hotels, which is understatedly massive. Old Henry was a man of immense vision. You would have to see the size of the hotels to believe them. Henry made his fortune in oil (think, Standard Oil) and is known as the father of Miami and Palm Beach. Jeff and I are often impressed with the influence one person can have on history. Henry wanted a hotel to stay at in St Augustine, which he discovered when his first wife was ill, so he built not one but several over the years. He needed an easy way to get to his hotel so he built a railway. Our guide told us that he needed the land that a church was on so he built a new church for that congregation that was much nicer than the one they had.
This photo is a teeny tiny corner of the Flagler Hotel.

We were ready for lunch after the tour and I had a plan in place. A couple of friends had recommended The Columbian, so we gave it a try and we loved it. The setting was elegant and relaxing all at the same time. The food was delicious. I had fried yuca, even though it wasn't on the menu. Our waiter was delightful and asked the cooks to fry it for me rather than boil it. And flan for dessert. 

In the afternoon we drove slightly north to St Augustine Wild Reserve. You can click on the link to read all about it. I had gotten tickets on Groupon and by the time we finished the tour and saw what great work they are doing with the animals I felt so guilty that I gave them a donation as well.
We weren't allowed to take photos in the reserve, sadly. There was a liger with gigantism, which was a sight to see. Lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars, other wild cats, a big black bear, wolves, coyotes, and all are rescued in various ways. Our guide told us so many stories about the individual animals, their funny likes and dislikes about food or caregivers, it was right up our alley and a perfect way to spend the afternoon. As we neared the end of the tour and we were across the pond from the wolves enclosure our guide told us that we could call to them and they would answer. So she howled, and we howled, and the wolves and coyotes howled, and it was a wonderful cacophony of sound. I felt a bit like Jane to Jeff's Tarzan.
No animal photos, but here's Jeff with the lovely red Charger that we were renting, which is almost as good!