Day TWO at St. Augustine...St. Francis B&B

Day Two began early...we can not seem to "sleep in"!  I walked across the street and got us each a cup of coffee to drink while we got ready to go to breakfast, which began serving at 7:30 AM...we still had a little over an hour til breakfast!  Breakfast was served Buffet style and there were only a few of us "Early Birds"! Everything was delicious...Orange Pancakes, 5 Cheese Strata (kind of like a Quiche with ham, eggs, cheeses) all kinds of home baked breads, English Muffins with choices of marmalade, apple butter, fresh fruit, 3 different kinds of juice, a variety of yogurts, cereals and, of course coffees and teas. We visited with several of the guests...one couple was there celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary and they had stayed at the Inn MANY times before!  This couple shared that one of the best things about the St. Francis besides their excellent B&B service and food was the fact that they provided off-street parking!   Below are pictures of the pool at the Inn as well as the garden dining area...we did not get a chance to use either...but they were lovely!  The lobby at the Inn had various items for sale such as bath robes with St. Francis Inn embroidered on them, soaps and lotions, etc.

After trying to find parking the night before we decided the trolley might be a good alternative and it did prove to be very helpful...just to get from the Inn to other places... as well as they gave a full narration of Old St. Augustine and we could get off and back on again at any one of their 22 stops throughout the Old City...between the hours of 9 AM-5 PM!  We decided to ride the entire route and try to determine where we wanted to visit next!  At 10AM when the trolley arrived at the San Sebastian Winery...we already knew we wanted to take the wine tour and tasting as it is the sister winery to the Lake Ridge Winery that we enjoy in Clermont! So we exited the trolley and took the tour and tasted about 6 different wines.  Even though they get their grape juice from the Clermont or Tallahassee areas the wines they produce as a little different from the Lake Ridge wines!  We got back on the trolley and finished the tour and then back to the Inn to cool off and rest for a few minutes.  We decided to just eat two meals that day...breakfast and then an early dinner!  After our rest we waited and waited at the trolley stop and there was no trolley...we had understood that a trolley would be along every 15-20 minutes!  Finally I called the trolley company and they reported that there had been an accident that was blocking traffic from crossing A1A near the Bridge of Lions.   The trolley company offered to send a shuttle to pick us up and take us to any specific destination that was not being blocked by the accident but I said "Thanks, but No thanks...we aren't in any hurry...just wanted to make sure I had not misunderstood the trolley schedule!"  The trolley arrived shortly after my call and we continued on to what is called "the most sacred piece of land in America"...Mission of Nombre de Dios...here is 1565 the first Mass was given in America's First City!  It was very peaceful and beautiful!  We continued our trolley tour and had our late lunch/early dinner at The Cafe which was in the oldest Drug Store in America.  The trolley driver had said The Cafe served the best hamburger in town and it was very good...it was served with homemade potato chips...we watched the cook peel and slice the potatoes just seconds before lowering them into the fryer...they were extra good!!!  While eating at The Cafe we learned more about the accident on the Bridge of Lions...this is what we learned!

Posted: 5:48 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2012

Naked man runs from St. Augustine accident

By Gene Wexler

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. —

A man going the wrong way on the Bridge of Lions crashed his truck, then stripped off his clothes and took off on foot.

The bridge was closed for hours Wednesday afternoon but reopened shortly after 5 p.m.

According to our news partner Channel 4, St. Augustine Police Department says the draw bridge was in the up position and was on its way down around 2 p.m. when a man in a white pickup truck went over the bridge in the wrong lane.  He traveled over the cross bars, back onto the bridge and rolled onto its side after hitting another car.

Police said the man then jumped out of the car and took off running toward the Castillo de San Marcos.

Officers said that in that time, the man took his clothes off, ran to the fort and fought with police officers.

They say he was standing on a second floor balcony of the fort when officers got up there to try and control him.  He started fighting, and in an effort to get away, he jumped over the balcony and fell about 12 to 14 feet and hit his head.

The man's identity was not released.  He was taken to Flagler Hospital.

Police said they believe he was under the influence of a substance, but they are unsure.

YES...that is right...a "streaker" ran through the area of the Fort...just a short while before we came through on the trolley...there were still police cars and emergency vehicles all over the area!!!

We arrived via trolley back at the Inn just before 5 PM...just in time for Social Hour of complimentary wines, homemade Hummus and pita breads as well as a tray of assorted fresh veggies and dip!

We visited with several of the other visitors at the Inn, but one couple from Pennsylvania really clicked with us.  They are probably several years younger than us but were very interested in the fact that we had worked in Vermont for 11 seasons...they love Vermont also and go there frequently (it is only about a 6 hour trip for them to VT).  We shared a favorite diner in Vermont...The Dam Diner at West Townshend, VT...just south of Jamaica, VT where we spent 7 seasons.  We frequented The Dam Diner so often that they knew to start two Reuben sandwiches when they saw us coming!!!!  Anyway...we talked and talked so long with this couple that we had to hurry a bit to keep our appointment...the horse-drawn carriage was scheduled to pick us up at 7 PM and we had just made it out to the curb when we heard the clopping of the horses hooves coming down the brick street!

  The evening had cooled a little and the horse-drawn carriage ride was lovely!  Our driver did a good job of giving us a narrated tour...even though she had only been on the job for a month and a half...she had moved from Alaska (where she had given covered wagon tours) to St. Augustine! 

After touring the narrow streets of Old St. Augustine by carriage we were delivered back at the Inn doorstep just in time for the Evening Dessert...a generous slice of Lemon-Blueberry Cake...YUM!

Check back again REAL SOON for more pictures!  Denny took pictures of nearly every historical landmark we passed and that was mentioned during one of our many tours of Old St. Augustine, so there is lots more to come!