On past road trips I’ve driven close to Florida, but never had an itch to drive into and around it. The peninsular state has never crept into my imagination, and although once a fan of Disney, and familiar with Will Smith’s ‘Miami,’ I was never hooked. Many Canadians, especially the older ones who no longer have the knees for skiing, dream of Florida. They desire to soak up Florida’s rays when the excitement of a snowy winter fades after a few cold mornings shovelling the driveway, and especially when the snow melts yet the chill gets comfortable and decides to stay for months. So, when an opportunity to drive my cousin to Florida comes up, I jump on the bandwagon. Family road trip? Escape, if only for a week, to a sunny, hot place? Yes, please.
So, here I am, Florida. I slept as we drove through your boundary, but I am assured that had we stopped at the visitor centre I would have had the opportunity to drink orange juice (for those of you who haven’t seen one, Florida’s most common license plate has two oranges on it – oranges like it here.)
Our first stop is St. Augustine, on the northeastern part of the peninsula. St. Augustine boasts of being the oldest city in the USA, first occupied by the Spanish, established as a city in 1565.
The city is a wonderful place to see the Spanish architecture that, if only for a moment, allows you to forget you are in the ‘new world’ and lulls you into the fantasy where you’re standing on a busy cobbled road in Spain. There is no lack of people dressed in colonial costume to aid your imagination.
I suggest you enter the city by foot, crossing the Bridge of Lions – it’s worth it: as you cross the bridge you have the feeling that you’re leaving the new behind and stepping into the old (imagine the feeling of stepping through a wardrobe and into Narnia)…just don’t look down at the marina and the beautiful yachts marooned there or the fantasy may fade.
A few calm hours can be spent meandering around the old downtown, along the pedestrian track of St. George Street, strolling around the now dry moat of the Castillo de San Marcos, and sitting at an outdoor patio to enjoy a cold brew. Do also sit and people gaze in the Plaza de la Constitucion. There’s a trolley for those who’d rather not walk.
Even if you’re not religious, step into the majestic Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine – not many churches in the States look like this anymore. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear the organ resonate through the church, filling the church, and your body, with grace and peace (I used to date an organ builder and now have a genuine love and appreciation for this gigantic and beautiful instrument.)
I’m lucky enough to be here just after Christmas, and the decor of the city does not disappoint. Light posts are outfitted with garlands. Palm trees are prettily tied in red ribbons. Lights adorn the city. Over 3 million of them. Everywhere.
We stay to celebrate the end of 2016 and hop on a free shuttle bus that takes us to St. Augustine beach for the fireworks. We’re late arriving the to shuttle stop and fill a space at the end of a long queue. The fireworks start at 8,30pm; we arrive to the shuttle stop at 8,10pm. People are lined up in an orderly line, and my uncle comments that queues are things people do well in the States (he hasn’t been to Japan where everyone has mastered queues, and speaks of his experience with rowdy queues in Poland.)
When the bus finally arrives the people at the back worry they won’t make it, but the jolly bus driver is eager to get us all to fit. We pile into the yellow school bus. The bus driver’s only rule is that there’s no one standing, so we squish in against the windows and each other until we’re packed 4 people per seat. The atmosphere, as the bus pulls out, is cheerful – we leave no one behind. We step off the bus and jog to the beach as the fireworks start. This will be my lasting memory of St. Augustine – people happily squishing in against one another to get to the waterfront.
Happy 2017. Best wishes to all. Hope you have many wonderful adventures in the coming year.