Day Six
I made the mistake of driving back to Beaufort for breakfast and a coffee. I couldn’t find the second coffee house I had found online, and it was a 30-minute drive in the wrong direction. I spotted what looked like a farmers market that turned out to be a church pumpkin and rummage sale. They did have a breakfast tent, so I ordered an egg and cheese on a biscuit, but they only had a sausage, egg, and cheese on a biscuit, so they just pulled the sausage off. I ate it while walking over to the Blackstone Café, where I got espresso two days earlier. The girl at the counter refused to pour me an espresso in a porcelain cup while I drank it at the counter; I could only have it in a paper cup; evidently, it was a rule, so no coffee for me.
Liberty Ship Park Brunswick, GA
I retraced my route back towards Hilton Head and jumped on I95 South. I stopped at Liberty Ship Park, which is mostly a fishing spot on what remains of an old bridge under a new bridge. I ate what was left of my food and set the GPS for the Whole Foods in Jacksonville Beach, FL. I headed down A1A, and the car’s GPS brought me to a Publix Market, so I switched to my phone’s GPS, which couldn’t find it either. So I went old school and drove until I found it. After restocking, I booked a room at the Hilton in the historic area of St. Augustine, FL. The GPS claimed I was there, but I couldn’t see a Hilton anywhere. It turned out it is Spark by Hilton, a new brand and newly renovated property.
It was a ten-minute walk to the historic district. At first I thought I was in a shopping center made to look historic, but I finally realized it was actually legitimately the oldest settlement in North America. There are lots of bars, shops, and restaurants with heavy foot traffic. I stopped at Gatlinburg Leather Goods and bought a custom-sized belt. Tom, the owner, along with my help, trimmed the leather to replace my worn-out Ferragamo belt.
It was time to eat, so I went to Columbia, a Cuban restaurant run by its third-generation owners, which claims to be the oldest restaurant in Florida. It is a very swanky place with long waiting lists for tables. The hostess just handed me a menu and sent me up to the bar; no waiting for a table is another good reason to eat at the bar. I ordered the Cannelloni de Langosta. There were three on the plate that were stuffed with cheese, shrimp, lobster, and tiny scallops covered in a cheese sauce. It wasn't too much, so I still had room for the guava tart for dessert, which was unique and delicious.
After dinner I walked over to The Kookaburra Downtown, which is an Aussie coffee house. They didn’t have ceramic cups, but they did sell cups. They agreed to pour me a cup if I bought one; the pull was OK, but on the bitter side. I stopped into Le Macaron on the corner to scope out something for breakfast, and the croissants looked top-notch.
St Augustine, FL
Columbia, St. Augustine, FL
10/12/2024
Okatie, SC to St. Augustine, FL
249 Miles
