This was a more relaxing day as we saved our energy for our
evening ghost adventure. We began
with a very good slide lecture by a local lighthouse expert. His beautiful slides showed us
lighthouses from all over the country and, in particular, the St. Augustine
Light Station. Following this
helpful introduction, the busses transported us to the very pretty local
lighthouse. Even with cloudy
skies, the striped lighthouse with the red top is a picturesque sight. We had sufficient time to see the many
displays about the lighthouse’s history and to do the optional tower climb of
219 steps to the very top. Those of us who did the climb were
rewarded with 360 degree views of the city and harbor. When we had free time on Thursday,
Andrea and I returned to the lighthouse to take pictures with a blue sky
background!
In the afternoon we were taken to the city marina where we
boarded the Victory III for a scenic cruise of Matanzas Bay. The narrated one hour cruise provided
us with a different and very beautiful view of the city’s historic landmarks
and natural setting.
After dinner at the hotel, the busses took us back into the
historic city for one of the week’s highlights – the “Legends and Ghosts”
walking tour with Tim Fleming.
Tim, dressed in costume, met us near the Visitor Center and took us on a
walk through the old city, past cemeteries and old homes, stopping frequently
to relate the many local ghost legends – stories that he tells us are true and
documented by both residents and visitors with frequent sightings and even
photographs. Evidently most of the
local ghosts are friendly, and living in a “haunted house” is a point of pride
among many of the St. Augustine residents.
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