Castillo de San Marcos
The
Castillo’s interior may seem dark and brooding, but I love those damp old
coquina rooms. There’s so much history in each chamber that those who enjoy
that particular pastime should thoroughly enjoy themselves. The rooms shown
here are, from left to right, the “new” powder magazine (circa 1730s, small
blue door at far left), the “British Room”, which holds a wooden second story
such as those the British troops used when they occupied the fort for 21 years,
and an old subsidy supply room now used for displays. Notice the upper windows
are both shuttered and barred. The reason for the Castillo’s odd room spacing (notice the height of the powder magazine window compared to the other two) is
that the rooms were originally built in the 1670s/80s and then rebuilt and
enlarged in the 1750s.
Fountain of Youth
One
of the perks about the Fountain of Youth Park is that you don’t have to strain
too hard to envision how the local Timucua tribe lived . . . the
folks at the park have already done their best to show the village as it
would have been in 1565 (though, of course, not as large).I think this scene is
pretty peaceful, especially on a cool, fresh morning when you have the place
mostly to yourself. There are often costumed interpreters around, explaining
the scene, putting everything into context, posing for creative photos. The
smell of pungent wood-smoke and sea-salt breeze in the morning can hardly be
beat.
(c) 2015 St. Augustine Fridays
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