Today’s trip took us along the promenade that we see from the boat, past the Bridge of Lions. Like good tourists we sought good luck by stroking one of the lions paws.

First stop was lunch at The Great Cross – Made of stainless steel filled with concrete to protect against hurricanes, it is 208ft high and the largest cross in the US. It was erected in 1965 to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the founding of St Augustine by the Spanish,and the beginning of Christianity in North America. The site is where a small wooden crossed was placed for the first mass held here in the grounds of what became the Americas first mission.

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The grounds are now home to several chapels and shrines, a cemetery, an archaeological dig and ’The Shrine Gift Shop’!

Next stop, The Fountain of Youth. It is a real artesian well found on the site that now includes a reconstruction of the first settlement and the first Mission Church, a Timucuan Indian village, and a planetarium.  This version of the legend claims that Ponce de Leon discovered America in 1513 whilst searching for this magical water source. Historians have found no evidence for this though and documents suggesting a connection only appeared after his death – ‘thereby turning Ponce de Leon into a poster boy for gullibility’. He has been credited with naming Florida though, as he arrived in the Easter season (Pascua Florida in Spanish) and of being the first to discover the Gulf Stream as the fastest route back to Europe. We decided not to partake of the waters!

The next stop was this magnificent Live Oak tree, apparently over 600 years old and called The Old Senator.

We cycled back into town past the two main buildings – The Lightner Museum, originally the Alkazar hotel that was one of the main hotels here at the beginning in the 1890s, and Flagler College, once the Ponce de Leon Hotel.

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We also found this shop – two of my favourite things!

Last stop was a quick drink with Paul and Nancy who had driven down from Georgia (with Mr Grey) to visit friends and family. We met them in a little local cafe that we would never have found without insider knowledge – cheap beer and delicious tacos.