Sunday, August 26, 2012

Castillo de San Marcos


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A slideshow from Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, the old Spanish fort in St. Augustine Florida. I took these last November when I was in Florida for the Curiosity Mars rover launch. This was actually my third time visiting the fort, but the previous two times I'd arrived just after the park closed for the day. This time I was bound and determined to actually go in the fort, and left as early as I could, and I still got there mid-afternoon. So the number one key thing to know about the place is that the ticket booth closes at 5pm sharp, and it's a surprisingly long drive from Orlando or Atlanta or other places a similar distance away, so be sure to start early.

The fort's very cool and medieval-looking, but it's really not all that big. So unless you have a really long attention span, the fort is good for probably an hour or two of exploring, tops, even if you give all the exhibits you rapt attention. This is actually ok though, since you can spend the balance of your time wandering around the historic center of town. Sure, it's touristy and tacky and all, but there's really nowhere else like it anywhere in the US, aside from Puerto Rico obviously. I have a few photos from around town that I'll probably post here sooner or later.

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