A long weekend in Florida!
First things first: the automatic pancake maker at the Holiday Inn Express. So cool! Just press the “OK” button and put your plate on the counter to the right. Two perfect pancakes will roll off the conveyor belt in a few moments.
We pressed the “OK” button four times one morning, and it was delicious.
Pepper sleeps in his bed by the fireplace.
Ethos Vegan Kitchen in Winter Park. The green beans are phenomenal.
Southern vegan. BBQ Chickun: grilled chickun brushed with barbecue sauce, coleslaw, mashed potatoes & gravy and collard greens.
Vegan chocolate shake. Their chocolate amaretto mousse was also delicious.
We met a cat on our walk who loved Jeff’s shoe.
The beach! I’d never been to a Florida beach before, and it was great! The sand was squeaky and fine-grain, and the water was not cold. This is New Smyrna Beach.
Sabbath lunch at the beach was potluck-style food, and it was delicious.
St. Augustine, a mere 80 miles up the coast from New Smyrna.
Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the “oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States,” according to Wikipedia, which I’m choosing to shorten to “the oldest city in America.”
Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Rotunda, Flagler College.
The lobby beneath the rotunda, Flagler College.
St. Augustine’s city hall. This year is St. Augustine’s 450th anniversary.
Casa Monica Hotel.
“The discoverer of Florida, Juan Ponce de Leon, landed near this spot, 1513.”
This is a drawbridge!
One of the lions at the entrance to the bridge.
The view from the bridge.
Looking back at St. Augustine from the bridge.
Castillo De San Marcos National Monument, the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States.
Fort construction began in 1692. Governor Francisco de la Guerra y de la Vega ordered the fort built to protect St. Augustine after English privateer Robert Searles raided the coast.
Wandering the back alleys of St. Augustine. (This wall is full of crushed shells.)
The promenade of shops stretches several blocks.
Although we didn’t go inside, I loved this shop’s branding.
There’s a place that has Dole Whip outside of Disney?! Dole Whip is vegan?! So excited right now! (This is the pineapple/vanilla combination.)
Our last stop on the St. Augustine street food circuit was fries with ketchup and barbecue sauce. So. Good.
The pancake machine in action!
The drawbridge in action!