St. Augustine

Saint Augustine is a wonderful historic old town. Shabby chic is not exactly a good description but that thought does come to mind when comparing the grand old city with other old historic places such as Philadelphia, Baltimore and Boston. When tired story, take a dip in the ocean and rest your weary mind and body stretched on a beech chair and soak up the sun or playing in a Florida hotel with internet access online games from Bigpoint and relax like that.

Thusly refreshed, the next day's journey might take you out on the town where you sit back in carriage and let a horse drawn carriage clop , clop, clop, you through some of the city's attractions. Dining is excellent and you have a choice of cuisine. Avid golfers will take a day off and will tour the World Golf Hall of Fame and, in the meantime, do some putting. To get there exit at 323 off I-95.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is the first parish established in North America September 8, 1563. Now that's a long time. Of course the original building is not there now since St. Augustine has had a tumultuous history from when first discovered by the Spanish. It went back and forth from being a Spanish holding to English and then back to Spanish after the Revolutionary war. The present cathedral was built in 1797.

Of course St. Augustine is new as well as old. It is interesting the way the old is celebrated with the new. While the old section is well preserved -- as is possible considering the narrower streets designed for horse and buggy and not today's traffic -- there are newer parts of the city. Yet neither can quite depart from the other, nor should they. Visit and see for yourself how they do it.