Adventures in St. Augustine

I recently visited the wonderful, historic city of St. Augustine, Florida and found myself with an entire day to myself. I was completely alone in a relatively unfamiliar place with no obligation to anyone or anything. Free day!

I began the day eating breakfast in the little courtyard of the bed and breakfast, watching the Spanish soldiers arrive for duty at the old Spanish Museum. They glided up the cobblestone street in their white period costumes and I wondered if they were the band of ghosts rumored to haunt the area.

In the early morning hours I had St. George Street mostly to myself. I decided to head for the Lightner Museum, a place I hadn't visited since grade school. I stopped to enjoy the solitude of the courtyard and to admire the gardenia tree (yes, a tree!) and the old coquina bridge over the koi pond. The museum was an adventure; I began at the third-floor ballroom and made my way back down. I enjoyed every part of the museum except for the Turkish baths. The feeling of foreboding I had there was enough to make me rush through the Tiffany glass exhibit and find my way back to the first floor. In the museum's gift shop I purchased a small journal and several reproduction salt cellars.

The Lightner Museum is housed in the Hotel Alcazar that Henry Flagler built in 1887. The hotel featured the world's largest swimming pool which now houses an antique mall and cafe'. I never eat alone but feeling daring I decided to have an early lunch in the Cafe' Alcazar and scribble in my new journal as I waited for my meal. It was a wonderful experience! Every bite of the pasta Giovanni was magnificent and the pinot grigio was a perfect complement. I ate slowly, savoring every bite as I scanned the walls of the old swimming pool and imagined people swimming there at the turn of the century.

After lunch I visited the antique shops (of course!) and then wandered down King Street. A wedding was either just beginning or ending at the Cathedral Basilica and swarthy men in dark suits leaned against limousines, talking in low voices and smoking cigarettes. The bridesmaids were lined up on the sidewalk wearing sparkly pink dresses and rather large hair. I pictured the cast of The Sopranos waiting inside. Hurrying past the goombahs I ducked into a gallery shop and the very first thing I laid my eyes on was a mermaid. A mermaid! (If you've read previous posts you know I want to be one.) She was a tiny thing on a delicate silver chain and I immediately purchased her and put the chain around my neck. She was a birthday present to myself and the very best gift I could have received. If I didn't know it before, now I was sure: This is a good day!

I spent an hour or two exploring galleries and either admiring artwork or wondering what the heck I was looking at. I eventually found myself at the corner of King and San Marcos at the A1A Brewery and Restaurant. A New Orleans-style two-story building, the upper story houses the restaurant and the first floor is home to shops and the brewery itself. I settled at the bar and arranged myself so I had a view of the sparkling blue Mantanzas Bay. I ordered a white Russian (I know it's a brewery but it was my day to do whatever I want and I wanted a white Russian, darn it!) and opened my journal. Before I began writing a nice-looking man approached me and asked if my name was Christine. I shook my head and asked "Blind date?" He said it was, apologized, and took a seat two barstools down from me. I was intrigued and determined not to leave until Christine showed up. I sipped my white Russian, wrote in my journal, and engaged in conversation with a couple of tourists about the caloric content of beer. (Who cares?) Christine finally showed up; a petite woman in a flowered dress who was perhaps in her late 40s, early 50s. She was attractive enough but when she spoke her voice sounded like fingernails on a blackboard. I wondered if the man was relieved or regretted that I wasn't Christine (naughty me!).

After hitting the St. George shops and buying myself a floppy hat I returned to the B&B to enjoy an afternoon soak in the jacuzzi, followed by a nap. I slept well, I had a good day. There was a time in my life I would not even go to a shopping mall by myself. The thought of eating in a restaurant alone terrifies me. I have come a long way in recent years, but I still never imagined I could be brave enough to explore a strange city on my own. It was interesting to see what I chose to spend my day doing. I could have spent the day curled up on the porch of the B&B reading a book (in a past life that's exactly what I would have done) or on a tour bus learning the history of St. Augustine. In fact I chose to relax and go wherever my body took me. I was never in any danger, I was never bored, I was never lonely. I am pleased to find myself to be quite good company.