#jacksonvillesharks

After being rudely awoken by the alarm clock at 7am we made the mistake of turning the TV on to see the Royal Wedding Ceremony in mid flow. We had intended to leave by 8am, but by the time we watched a bit of the wedding and had breakfast we left at 9am. The first stop was St Augustine, which is said to be the oldest (European occupied) city in the US, having been founded in 1565. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised. As we were only en route to Jacksonville and didn’t have too much time, we thought the most efficient way to see the city was to go on a 90 minute ‘trolley tour’ - which appeared to be the done thing by all visitors.

We were chauffeured around by ‘Mustang Sally’ a very informative guide who told us all about how the city was founded by Spanish explorers, and then occupied by Francis Drake. And how it was the site of protests and demonstrations organised by Martin Luther King. It was also where Ray Charles attended the School for the Deaf and the Blind. Due to the age of the buildings it really didn’t feel like any American city I have been to before.

When the tour came to an end we jumped in the car and headed directly to downtown Jacksonville. We arrived and parked at the Jacksonville Landing, an entertainment complex on the water front. After watching one of the main bridges into the city stop traffic and raise the road to allow a small sailboat to go through, we popped in to the Jacksonville Landing. It was pretty quiet in general, however there was quite a lot of activity with people setting up for a Star Wars convention that was taking place that evening. With there not much to see, we headed into the Downtown area. Similar to Orlando, the downtown area was very quiet. There was a strong smell of toast in the are, which was the Maxwell House Coffee factory on the waters edge. We had a late lunch at ‘Sweet Pete’s’ which is a well known Sweet Shop and Restaurant in the centre (yes we also bought pic’n’mix for dessert), and then wandered around the city centre looking at some of the street art that Jacksonville is known for. Kirstie had spotted that there was an indoor American Football game on that night and so we headed to the car and drove over to the stadium to get some tickets.

It was Jacksonville Sharks vs Maine Mammoths, and we learned that the Sharks were the 2017 national champions and so we thought we might be in for a good game. We weren’t really sure of the rules of NFL let alone how it might be different for indoor American Football, but we picked it up quite quickly. It was a really good game to watch and like every American sport event I’ve been to the entertainment was pretty lively. There were cheerleaders, soldiers abseiling from the roof, a gang of Harley Davidson riders riding around on the pitch, there were dance competitions, indoor fireworks and just a whole load of things going on. It was the ‘Military Appreciation Night’ with a fair amount of time dedicated to celebrating the military (something we don’t do very much at all in the UK). There was also a moment of silence for the victims of the Texas High School shooting.

We left just before the end to avoid the traffic (we had over two hours to drive back to the hotel), however the Jacksonville Sharks won the game quite decisively (46-25).

The Trolley, cruising down Magnolia Avenue...

One of the little streets in the centre...

Ancient City Baptist Church, St Augustine.

Memorial Presbyterian Church. This looks like it could be in Spain or Italy...

The Ponce de Leon Hotel - now Flagler College...

Another side of Flagler College...

Magnolia Avenue (again).

One side of the ‘Castillo’ - built by the Spanish.

The Jacksonville Landing. Right on the water’s edge...

Main Street Bridge, crossing the St John’s River. The middle section rises and drops to allow boats to go through...

Downtown Jacksonville...

Open Wide...

The library. Something about wise owls and knowledge being the key...

Having a pre-game drink...

The indoor arena...

Yes. Cheerleaders riding on the back of Harley Davidsons... Can you get more American?

Oh yes... a giant Star Spangled Banner and the national anthem...