Watched, Petted, and Ate Alligators Today

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We ate breakfast with out hosts early this morning at the beautiful historic Hilton looking out at the bay and then we headed off to the oldest street in the USA, to a 300+ year old Spanish hosptial, and to climb the St. Augustine Lighthouse---all 219+ steps up and down---phew! What a view from the top though!

St. Augustine is the oldest city in the USA ---founded in 1564!!!!!
We went to the 100+ year old Alligator Farm which was magificent with hundreds of alligators and dozens of gator species and nesting exotic birds---the birds nest there because the gators keep away predators there on Anastasia Island. I got to get inside the pen (closed to the public) and pet an 80+ year old alligator....wow! I'm wearing my poofy new popcorn travel shirt----no I am not fat---it just looks funny in the photo---honest.

We watched them feed the gators and ate lunch. We ate chicken strips and sandwiches and the gators ate huge frozen rats.

Later we went to the Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe it or Not, the oldest schoolhouse in the USA, some historical buildings and finally we ate alligator (go figure) and pasta, and award winning conch chower and other goodies on the beach at a fabulous restaurant called South Beach Grill...and then we walked down to the squeaky fine white powdered beach that is packed so hard---people drive right on the beach but it's immaculate.

So weird to see the sunset away from the coast----I'm a fourth generation California Girl---as many times as I get to the east coast---it still seems weird to me!

Then we swam in the Hilton pool late in the evening. A fun filled, exhausting, interesting, and educating day!

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Photos

Me petting alligator
I got to go inside the alligator pen and pet an 80+year old alligator.

Daniel Boone
My great uncle 8 generations back, Daniel Boone, at the Wax Museum