One of our favorite cities to visit is St. Augustine. We love the history, the small cafés and inns
and the fact that it’s only a couple of hours away. We can drive up and spend the day without
having to spend the night. My mother
would make my dad drive her up just so that they could have lunch at the Monk’s
Inn when they used to live here. Sadly,
the Monk’s Inn is no longer a café, but on the positive side, it is a bar, so I’m
still quite pleased.
There is a wide assortment of historical tourist traps to
visit from the Fountain of Youth, the Oldest Jail, the fort, Castillo de San
Marcos, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
After our family trip to Gatlinburg this year, I’m beginning to think
Ripley’s has something in every major tourist town across the United
States. I know they have a Ripley’s
Believe It or Not in Washington D.C. It’s
called Congress.
Whenever we travel to St. Augustine, we spend the majority
of our time on St. George Street. It’s
one of the oldest streets, running parallel with the river. There are no cars on this street, just a vast
assortment of tourists and natives exploring the specialty shops or grabbing a
bite at one of the many café’s along the strip.
To be honest, I don’t mind spending the entire day here. There’s enough shops to keep the girls
occupied and plenty of people to keep my people watching skills sharpened. Cafés or bars are spaced far enough apart to
provide ample rest periods for when my feet begin to scream at me. There’s even a cigar shop with benches on the
outside to kick back and relax. The
girls can drop me off and wander to their heart’s delight.
However, while it’s fine to enjoy these excursions with
family or friends, I much prefer it being just the girls and I. The more people you add to a road trip, the
more complicated it all becomes.
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| My dad & I taking a break in St. Augustine |
And I despise complicated.
Everyone goes at a different pace or not everyone wants to
venture into the same store to browse.
Eventually, without anyone really meaning to, the group is separated and
everyone is doing their own thing. It’s
almost as if we should have taken the trip ourselves, after all. If people manage to stay together, someone
inevitably becomes the grumbler of the group wondering why people are taking so
long in stores. They didn’t find
anything worth looking at and cannot believe that someone else that they
associate with did. Of course, then you
have the people who stare forever at one item as if grafting it permanently to
their minds. They don’t just look and
move on. They study. Memorize.
They can talk about the ballerina statue they saw ten years later. It’s crazy!
But, it doesn’t bother me.
I know you’re thinking that it does because of that last exclamation
mark, but it really doesn’t. I’m a
writer. I’m never bored. I always carry a notebook and pen and have a
project or two with me that I can work on.
I’ll lean against a wall and scribble away at some plot line while the
girls spend hours trying on clothes. I’m
perfectly entertained and time has no meaning.
Besides, it’s not a race to finish the adventure early. If you were in a hurry, you should have
stayed home.
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| The girls taking a rest |
However, another reason many are driven crazy with traveling
in big groups is the eating out part, especially when there are picky eaters in
the group. Finding a place with a menu
that satisfies everyone is complicated enough, but then you have to consider
the restaurant accommodating a large group.
There’s usually a wait, most often a lengthy one, and hungry people are
impatient. I’m impatient with impatient
people. I also say that picky eaters
should be made to suffer. Pick something
and eat it!
The girls and I can find something to eat anywhere. Even Char, the pickiest eater of the four of
us, can find something to eat in whatever restaurant we pop into. If the 8-year old is with us because we
couldn’t escape, she’ll find something to keep her from starving. Therefore, a smaller group makes picking a
place easier.
Still, even with the occasional annoyances, traveling with a
large group can be fun. You gain various
viewpoints from others and can create lasting memories. However, once a year is enough for me,
because I’m more of a social loner. “I’ve
said hello, now go away.” I prefer my
pace, my tastes, and I want everyone to grow exhausted when I do. They need to arrive when I arrive and be
ready to leave when I am. Of course, I
can’t even get the girls to do that, which is why I always carry my writing to
give me something to do. It’s better,
however, than traveling solo.
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Suggested Posts ~ Ronnied
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