The second trip starts here, at one of the oldest stone fortresses in North America. Construction was started in the 1670s, and the fortress was used by three nations well into the late 1890s. At the time of its construction, the Spanish and British were fighting for control of the southeast, with Spain claiming what is now Georgia and England claiming much of Florida.

In 1740, the British attacked and laid siege to the fort, hanging around for nearly 40 days. During this time, the entire population of St. Augustine took refuge inside the fort, along with those living a few miles north in Fort Mose. The fort held, the English went back to Georgia. .

Spain would repay the favor two years later (with similar success) at Fort Frederica..

I visited on a beautiful autumn day. It was not very crowded as I arrived at opening time, though the parking lot was packed when I left a few hours later. Information on the construction was interesting, as it used coquina, a substance naturally made of seashells cemented together by lime. It proved strong, yet resilient. Cannon tended to bounce off of it as the material allowed it to compress.

In general, it was interesting to wander from room to room (each highlighting a different aspect of life at the fort), and along the upper level with great views of the city and out to sea.

Spain finally lost the fort to Great Britain at the end of the Seven Years War (1763), only to gain it back as part of the Treaty of Paris, ending the U.S. Revolutionary War. Spain later sold Florida to the United States, putting the fort under American control, initially as a military post, and later as a National Park site.