Florida
- Day 6
Wednesday 29th October 2025
Participants: Tam, Kev, India, Georgia and Charlie
Breakfast before heading to the pool as the sun is putting in an appearance today, which is a welcome sight after the overcast skies we had all yesterday.
[Kev - this is our last day in St Augustine, we're off to Anna Maria Island tomorrow.]
Enjoy a read and spot of knitting before we get in the car to the Reef restaurant which overlooks the beach. Sit on the balcony and have a delicious lunch. Kev has mahi sandwich with chips and salad, Ind has crab sandwich with chips and salad and I have Asian tuna salad which is delicious. As we're watching the waves Ind spots a dolphin, from then on we see quite a few. A real joy - eating great food in a beautiful spot and seeing dolphins.
[Kev - this place sums up what we love about Florida beachside restaurants.]
Home and spend more downtime by the pool before getting ready for our last evening here. We go to The Dog Rose Brewery, a microbrewery and bar. We all have beers then play on the shuffle board table, Kev is the victor.
[Kev - it's like watching sporting excellence in action.]
The restaurant of choice tonight is La Nouvelle a French restaurant in a typical St Augustine style, wooden facade and a veranda. We'd tried to book beforehand but thought it was first come first served. This appeared not to be correct as when we requested a table outside for 3 we were told they were booked. The inside is tastefully decorated with French music and the chef is French. [Kev - the inside is decorated with French music? That's a neat trick.] They have an extensive wine list and a sommelier. The waitress goes through the menu and we all decide on the Poulet Roti - half a roasted chicken, pommel aligot and a mushroom thyme jus. The thought of basically cheesy mash is the deciding factor. For dessert I have a delicious Paris Brest and Ind has a pot de chocolate. We have a couple of glasses of red wine each and enjoy the meal at very much a relaxed French pace so we are able to thoroughly enjoy it.
[Kev - this is The Porch restaurant.]
We head off back towards St George street and hear some cool bluesy rock from Pierre's pub (spot the French theme tonight). We see that they serve frozen margaritas and all decide that's just what we fancy. They are pretty good and big so last a while. The musicians Patrick Hagerman and Buddy Crump are great, really together and accomplished musicians. They make India's day as one of the punters asks for Springsteen and they play Highway Patrolman a real obscure choice. We stay till the end of their set then stroll home.
[Kev - Halloween is rapidly approaching and lots of places are ready.]
[Kev - this house is fairly typical of the style in St Augustine. Really pretty and slightly Gothic. You can easily see Lurch greeting you at the front door.]
The consensus is that St Augustine has proved to be right up our street. The style of the houses, the historic centre with the buzzy St George street, so many lovely bars and restaurants and so much live music- perfect. Also the fact you can get to beaches and State parks so easily makes it a great choice. [Kev - yep, we've thoroughly enjoyed St Augustine. It was surprising how quickly you got from the old town to very quiet residential areas.]
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