Friday, March 15, 2024
We have to be out of our room by eight; but I have to meet Dean and Tobi before then anyway, so it doesn't matter. That's easy to do but the timing is such that I don't get to hug Maureen, Robin, and Ma before I leave! Drat!!
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| Final towel animal! |
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| For my coastie |
Getting off the ship is much easier than I had thought. We go down the long ramp, find our suitcases, and load them on a dolly. There is a helpful porter who pushed the dolly and leads the way through customs (?). He says if you don't have trouble with the facial recognition stop then you don't need your passport. I tell him I have trouble with my face but not with the recognition part and he immediately replies, "Well, then just try to blend in"!!
We find the car, load the luggage, get Tobi settled, and we're on our way by 8:30!! Most of the route in on I-95 and there isn't much traffic, so we can actually have a conversation in the car instead of worrying about all the other drivers. I tell Dean, again, how very grateful I am for the lift to St. Augustine. It's about two-hour drive, after all!
We find the main branch of the St. Johns Public Library and I settle in for a two-hour wait for Stu and Amanda. What better place than a quiet, comfortable library? And they are having a book sale! I only took eight! Hey, it was only a fifty-cent donation per book, so it's not like I broke the bank!
So I'm sitting in my comfy chair, reading my new book, surrounded by my backpack, suitcase, purse, and bag of books. There is a man near me at a table with all his worldly possessions on a carrier of some sort by his side. A woman in uniform (I can't stare at her long enough to read the patch on her sleeve) walks up to me and asks if I would like a lunch! I guess I really do look like a bag lady! We do a little verbal dance where I explain that I'm just waiting for my son and she says she gets these twice a week and today she has too many. I can't convince her I'm not homeless and she never says the word either so I finally just take the lunch! I missed breakfast and she is so happy to have helped!! So weird!
Stu and Amanda are right on time and we head to San Sebastian Winery where we are to meet Ole and Jenny and have lunch. We're the first to arrive and go up to the third floor to visit the Cellar Cafe. Ole and Jenny arrive soon after and we all agree that eating inside beats the Florida heat, and we can still hear the music. We start by sharing the Port Raspberry Baked Brie (heavenly!). I have a spinach salad, so virtuous after my bag-lady turkey sandwich!
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| Mac and beercheese hot dog!! |
Next is the winery tour and tasting. We kind of jump into the middle because we followed the sign that said free tasting. But when we get to the first stop, we realize we don't have glasses, so we have to go back down to the first floor and the official beginning! We have our first tastes, a chardonnay and a pinot grigio and then a cab, each one increasing in sugar content. Then it's back up to where we were for a rose and the vintner's red and I know I like. We end with a cream sherry and a port and find ourselves in the gift shop!
As we're finishing Jenny gets a text saying that we can check into our B&B so we head off. It's only a mile or two away!
The house is lovely! There is a comfy living room, huge kitchen, even larger dining/family room and three bedrooms. Interestingly there is only one bathroom. I get up so much earlier than everyone else, it will work out fine for me. The kids will have to deal with it on their own!
We spend some time getting settled in and thinking about our plans for dinner and the next day. There's a parking building right near the City Gate that is only five dollars after five! Perfect place, perfect price, so we are on our way. We stroll the length of St. George Street, the main shopping/tourist drag and find our restaurant, Casa Reina. There Jenny gets a beeper and we have forty-five minutes to look at the water which is right across the street. There's a replica of an old ship that is photo-worthy and as we're starting to head back Amanda spots her buddy, Diego, who is all dressed up in pirate garb. Turns out that Diego actually crews on the amazing replica of the Trinidad which we had seen in the harbor. He regales us with his sea-going adventures and it's easy to see why sailors captured the hearts of local girls. He has sailed everywhere, it seems, and lived through terrifying storms and has videos to prove it!
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| This might have to be a lunch stop for the Queen Brie with house-cured bacon, French brie, raspberry puree, balsamic on sour dough |
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| Sidewalk/harborside artist |
We're still talking when our beeper goes off and he comes with us to our outdoor table, continuing his non-stop recital of his life aboard ship. What an exciting life and truly entertaining dinner companion! He had one of the jalapeños rellenos but doesn't have dinner (?) just heads off when duty calls. We all share the jalapeños rellenos and an order of churros, and I have steak quesadillas. Some of them come home in a box!
It's time to head home and we trek back to Ole's car. It fits the five of us better than Stu's, which is full of fencing gear and such. Once home we share the rum cakes that I bought in Nassau and sample the Bahamian rum. The kids share some of their favorite weirdness on You Tube and the owners of the house will be confused by what's been watched on their tv!
I crash before the kids; but not by much, I'm sure! What a great day!!
