Today marks the third day of festivities for St. Augustine, Florida’s 445th birthday celebration. (Note: if you haven’t made your reservations yet for the big bash in 2015, you might want to book a room at https://www.bayfrontmarinhouse.com/.)
St. Augustine was officially declared a city on September 8, 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles. That makes it the nation’s oldest city.
It also makes it the nation’s most European city. The hub and I started coming here a couple of years ago, when the Euro was so strong that we could no longer afford to buy a Toblerone bar in Charles de Gaulle airport. Saint Augustine, on the other hand, was very affordable. At one of our favorite restaurants–The Columbia–you can get two great entrees and a pitcher of sangria for around $55. It’s just like being in Spain, although the traffic is about 400 times better.
Speaking of food, there’s a long history of great eats in this town. Long before the Pilgrims sucked up to the generous Indians in Plymouth Rock for a free meal, the Timucuan Indians had already invited the Spanish settlers of St. Augustine over for a dinner. Today, the last day of the birthday shenanigans, the St. Augustinites celebrate that tradition with a 16th century cooking contest.