Part 4 - St. Augustine

St. Augustine, an historic,old, sleepy Spanish town, is the oldest permanent European settlement on the North-American continent, and being so close to where Sarah's parents live, was a must stop on our roadtrip. We spend two days in the ancient cobblestone streets, between musty old preserved pubs and old houses, museums, art galleries, shops, restaurants and historical re-enactments. It wasn't nearly enough time, and although I think we exhausted my parents, they had an excellent time.

Contrary to what we've been taught in school, our chum Christopher C. did NOT discover America. He discovered the present-day Dominican Republic, next to Haiti, where he committed some less attractive historical attrocities. Anger management issues and a wee greed-problem.

North-America was first sighted on March 27, 1513, by the Spanish explorer Don Juan Ponce de Leon. He subsequently came ashore to use a McDonalds restroom and failed in 6 attempts to put up a colony. When ze French built a fort in the vicinity in 1564, Spain send Admiral Don Pedro Menendez, who arrived with 600 soldiers and settlers on August 28, 1565, on the Feast Day of St. Augustine - hence the name of the town.
They built a small settlement next to the Timucuan Indian village. Soon they started to introduce their European culture until all the Indians were wiped out.

Thus St. Augustine was found 42 years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia and 55 years before the first Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.
Just like Cape Town, being vital to the treasure route from the West-Indies (Rum, sugar, gold), it was sought after and occupied by the Spanish, the French and the British during it's history.