St. Augustine's Beach, Florida
We hung out so long at our campsite this morning that a Disney worker actually stopped by to ask us if we needed help or were having car trouble...on account of us apparently over-staying our welcome. Uh-no, we're just being pokey thank you very much. So, we eventually left and headed for St. Augustine. We did in fact have a small car issue that needed to get taken care of and stopped at the VW dealer in St. Augustine. Ned called ahead and made sure they ordered the part. It was installed (a brake light switch issue) in less than 30 min.
While Winnie was getting serviced we ate at a restaurant across the street. Best dang Mexican salad I've ever had and the presentation was awesome too. (The chicken was satayed in thin pieces and it came topped with the Mexican flag!)
As far as weather is concerned, we have lucked out this trip. If it has rained, it was either at night or when we were doing an inside activity. We had some rain last night, which was still pretty minor and definitely walkable. Today coming into St. Augustine we saw some of the best colored stormy skies! Check out the sky behind Ned in this pic...and yeah cool car!
The skies opened up and boy did it downpour! Our plans were to go swimming in the Atlantic Ocean, but instead we decided to visit a local chocolate company.
About 4 years ago, on our last trip to St. Augustine, we took a chocolate tour at Whetstone Chocolates. At that time they were not making their own chocolate, but instead buying it from Guittard and melting it down to create truffles, etc. Their future plans included making bean to bar chocolate so we were curious and wanted to see how they progressed. Their sign sure implies that they have now started making their own chocolate from cocoa beans. Through the window we could also see chocolate making equipment, but it was obvious that none of it was hooked up. Mmm...time to do some market research.
Once inside their shop they had lots of chocolate bars and small molded items that implied, once again, that it was made from bean to bar by them. There were 3 women working behind the counter. I asked the first woman if in fact they made their own chocolate from bean to bar. She said, "I don't know, ask her." I asked the second woman and she wouldn't look me in the eye or answer the question directly. I pressed her on it and she pretty much lied and said, "Yes, it's make in the factory over there." I then asked woman number three the same question and she answered it by saying, "We have someone else roast the cocoa beans and we contract on a yearly basis." Uh...that would indicate you are just remelting industrial chocolate! This so pissed me off! When we asked about the equipment, not hooked up, she said it belonged to someone else. They are obviously trying to capitalize on the artisan bean to bar chocolate movement and this just undermines craft chocolate makers, like ourselves. Diatribe over...thanks for letting me vent. Yes, we bought several bars and tasted them. They are definitely Guittard chocolate!
After getting all worked up, what better way to let off steam than to take a bike ride through St. Augustine. I love this place! This is one of my top three cities in the U.S. (James, we HAVE to meet up here next time through and you can show us all your favorite haunts.) I just love riding through the cobblestone streets in Old Town.
Here's the oldest wooden school house in America!
We also rode through some of the old neighborhoods and along the wharf.
This place is just so darn chaming!
One of the best things about road trips is stopping along the way and picking up some great local food. Guess what's on the menu for tonight's dinner!
On our way back to the campground, we stopped on the drawbridge, while a replica of a Spanish galleon sailed leisurey below us. This is one of the charms of St. Augustine, which often pays tribute to its Spanish history from 1565 when it was first founded by a Spanish Admiral, and Florida's first governor, Pedro Menendez de Aviles.
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