Casey was one of my first and closest friends in Phi Mu and we are pretty much the same person. We could quite possibly share a brain. Here is one of the first pictures we ever took together at the Phi Mu Sisterhood Retreat in Fall 2005...
Every time Casey comes to visit we always go to St. Augustine. In fact, the picture above was taken at the Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine as that was the location of the Phi Mu Sisterhood Retreat in 2005. Casey and I share a love for historical things and St. Augustine is one of our favorite places to go together. We also happen to be experts on visiting the Nation's Oldest City for super cheap.
Visiting St. Augustine is not only about visiting the historical sites, but also enjoying the local flavor. If you are planning on visiting St. Augustine anytime soon, I recommend that you "drink your way around the Oldest City". While this may sound expensive, it really is not. We always start our drinking adventure at the local winery for a tasting. The San Sebastian Winery offers a tour of the facilities and sampling of 8 different wines for free! There are many other wine bars in historic downtown that offer wine tastings, but San Sebastian is the only one that is completely free.
After a visit to the winery, we headed over to the restaurant/bar Scarlet O'Haras to enjoy their signature cocktail aptly named "The Scarlet O'Hara".
This weekend, Casey and I discovered a new bar that also happens to be a historical site. So it's double the fun :) It is called Taberna del Gallo which means Tavern of the Rooster. This tavern is set up like an authentic tavern would have been in the 1700s. The bartender even dresses up in this little pioneer get-up and there is no electricity. The tavern is part of the Colonial Spanish Quarter which is a "living museum" in St. Augustine. It is called a "living museum" because the area is set up like an authentic village and the people who work there are dressed up in costumes while they tell you all about how the villagers lived in that time period. Since the tavern is part of the Spanish Quarter museum, the bartender will tell you stories about the history of the city while you drink.
The tavern is known for having the best homemade sangria in St. Augustine, so of course Casey and I had to partake in the experience. The bartender taught us all about the history of sangria and how it was originally made back in the 1700s. We also learned how to play this tavern game called "Shut the Box" which was used as a means of gambling among the sailors. Casey and I were surprisingly good at this game, considering it involved math which we both suck at.
Casey and I spent most of our day in the Taberna del Gallo since it involved our two favorite things, history and drinking wine. Plus, it was raining on and off throughout the day so as the tourists scurried around in the rain outside, we enjoyed carafes of sangria by candlelight.
Next time you visit St. Augustine, be sure to stop by Taberna del Gallo for some delicious sangria along with a historical experience. I hope everyone had a great weekend!
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