Authors Page

Teagan Ludwig

Emily Merriam

Brianna Rivera

Stephanie Brodsky

-Dear Diary (p. 4-6)

-Marielena's Beach Day Essentials (p. 7)

-Dear Diary (p. 8-11)

-Lighthouse (p.12)

-Dear Diary (p. 13-16)

-History (p. 17-19)

-Dear Diary (p. 20-21)

-Ghost Tour (p. 22)

-Dear Diary (p. 23)

-Juan Ponce De León (p. 24-27)

-Sights to See (p. 28-39)

-Citations (p. 40)

Table of Contents

Dear diary, (6/4)

I am so excited for vacation! This has been such a hard school year and I am so excited to explore another part of Florida that I’ve never been to before. We’re going to Saint Augustine! Mami told me that it’s one of the oldest cities in the United States, which is so cool. It was also discovered by Spain, which is where my family is from. I have looked up different things to do there before going so we can make the most of this trip. I am super excited to see all of the different places Saint Augustine has to offer. They have a really cool beach with a lighthouse! My mom loves lighthouses, so I’m pretty sure we’re going to climb it. There is also a castle called Castillo de San Marcos and the Fountain of Youth is there. Can you imagine being young forever? Oh boy, I don’t know if I would like that.

 I also heard there are ghost tours at night, which sounds like it could be really scary. I have to remember to go shopping for souvenirs, hopefully I can find some really good ones for my Abuela and Abuelo. I’ve decided to type out everything we are doing on this trip so I can remember it.

I’m going to sleep now so I can be ready for tomorrow.

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

Dear diary, (6/5)

The drive here was so long, but so worth it. It’s beautiful here and everything is so close together that we can just walk everywhere. Today we just went to get food and drive around. Tomorrow we plan to go to the beach and I am super excited! I am going to write a list of everything we’ll need.

Well, that’s all for today since we did not really do much. I’m going to bed so we can get to the beach early!

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

Marielena’s Beach Day Essentials:

-Towels

-Chairs

-Sunscreen

-Don’t forget to apply many times a day!

-Water bottles

-Because it is very hot

-Also, sometimes salt water gets in your mouth, YUCK!

-Snacks

-Sunglasses

-Umbrella

-Boogie Board

-Bucket & Shovel

-To fill with sand and make sand castles

-Camera

-Because Mami likes to take pictures

Dear diary, (6/6)

Today, my family and I went to the beach! That was SO much fun. Papi woke me up super early so we could get there before the sun was at full force. The beach was the only place we had to drive to, which was fine because we didn't want to carry all of those things on my list by hand. Mami and I got ready in our bathing suits while Papi got the water bottles and snacks ready. We loaded up the car and off we went to the beach. We set up our chairs and our umbrella in such a good spot. It wasn’t too close to the water where our stuff gets wet but also not too far away from the water where Mami couldn’t see Papi and I in the water.

Mami stayed under the umbrella to read her book, while Papi and I went for a swim. The water felt so good on my skin. After we got out of the water, we decided to build a sandcastle! It totally did not work out, but we had tons of fun. Mami kept making fun of our building skills, but she kept snapping pictures of us. Once we got back to the hotel, we realized very quickly that we did not put on enough sunscreen, so now we’re burned! It doesn’t hurt that much now, but my mom gave me this aloe lotion that will should help. I just hope it isn’t bad enough to peel!

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

Dear diary, (6/7)

Today we are going to the lighthouse. It stands tall with a black stripe running up its sides and it has a red top. Lighthouses are so big, I could not believe Mami wanted me to actually climb this thing with her and Papi. Who needs a workout when you can climb up TWO HUNDRED AND NINETEEN STEPS!? Yep, I wrote that correctly, 219! My legs are going to hurt tomorrow. Mami had to stop every so often to catch her breath and I made the mistake of looking down and got super dizzy. Papi walked up the stairs like it was nothing! I waited for Mami to catch up to me before I would start walking again. When we got to the very top, it was so worth it. The ocean looked so pretty from up here. Mami took out her camera and started taking pictures.

There was so much wind that my hair probably covered my face in most of them. We took all the pictures Mami wanted and then began our climb down. We went to the gift shop after and Mami got a small replica (copy) of the lighthouse to keep at home and add to her collection.

After we left, we got food and decided to relax at the hotel because we were so tired.

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

P.S. Update on sunburn: still red but it does not hurt too much

Lighthouse



There is lighthouse that stands tall

And it shines quite bright.

She reaches out to all

Guiding them through the night.

Dear diary, (6/8)

Since we got plenty of time in the sun and walked up a tall lighthouse, we decided to take it easy today with a late start. This meant we were going shopping today. There are a bunch of cute little shops in the downtown area. Most of them are on St. George street, which is right outside our hotel. Cars aren’t allowed to drive there so tourists, like us, can walk freely and window shop. The first thing we saw was the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse. We walked inside and it was so small. I got to ring this big bell that was outside the classroom. We found a José Martí statue with a Cuban flag next to it which was great. My friend is Cuban, so I took a picture for her because I remembered that she knows all about José Martí. After finishing the schoolhouse tour, we kept walking around.

In almost every store we saw different Spanish fans all over the place, which makes me excited to see all the different Spanish touches here in St. Augustine. In fact, we walked so much that we came across a restaurant called Columbia Restaurant. This was our first time this trip not eating seafood or American food. It was so good to get fresh Cuban bread before our meal. We left with our stomachs full and our hearts happy. Before heading back to the hotel, Mami suggested ice cream and I mean, who are we to say no? So we got some from Kilwins and enjoyed it while watching the sun set.

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

Update on sunburn: It’s itchy. It is SO itchy.

Dear diary, (6/9)

Today, we saw the Castillo de San Marcos. This is the famous fort we always see when we think of St. Augustine. It was so hot, I thought I was going to melt. The only good thing is that the fort is near the water, so there was some wind! On the bottom floor of the fort is where you find out all the information. There are signs that tell you what the rooms were used for, it has videos playing that teach you how to load a cannon or a musket (which is a type of gun they used back then apparently), and there are even workers there who are dressed up like people from those days who tell you different stories about the fort. Once we finished on this floor, we climbed the stairs to the second floor.

This had a beautiful view of the ocean and the wind felt so good. We all sat down to take in the view and Mami opened the umbrella to give us some shade, but the wind was so strong that it blew the umbrella inside out! I even got a picture of it! I wish I could have gotten a picture of her face though. It was too funny.  

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

Update on sunburn: Starting to peel but at least I’m not red.

History

As the sun began to rise over the fort, the men huddled together preparing for what was to come. Governor Moore and his men were approaching, quicker than they had anticipated. The British were attempting their second besiege of the fort and the Spanish had no intentions of letting the fort fall to Britain. The women and children of the town were hiding in the back, cries could be heard from all over the fort. Rations had been low this week, so the men were cold and hungry. They could see the British ships approaching and huddled closer together, some even embracing their brothers in arms because they knew they were too weak to fight.

Many men knew they would perish on this sunny day, while others had high hopes for a Spanish win. As the British ships began to dock, the men loaded up their cannons and loaded their guns. General Moore, of the British called for the Spanish General, who did not appear. General Moore called out once more but heard nothing. Moments later, the first shot rang from their ships...and the men began to fight. The British soldiers began to pour out from their ships, in numbers the Spanish could not comprehend. The muskets rang out and the smell, which was accompanied by clouds of smoke, covered the fort. The Spanish fought back hard, men began to lie dead, littered all over the shell covered floor

It was hard to fight on the main deck because it was almost impossible not to trip over the dead. Both Generals refused to give up, and men began to fall in faster numbers than anticipated. The British general finally realized that their worst fears had come true, they would have retreat. The Spanish would be able to keep their beloved fort. Bodies littered the floor and smoke clouded the air, sadness was the only thing that covered the walls. The Spanish had won but they knew this was just the beginning of the fight.

Dear diary, (6/10)

Today, we walked to the Old Jail House. We did not know that we couldn’t walk around by ourselves so we were part of a group that was led by an actor playing Jack the Ripper. I made the mistake of wearing a bright shirt, so when he asked for volunteers to step inside of the jail cell, he easily spotted me out of the crowd. Suddenly, I was “locked” inside my own cell! After he let me out, we kept walking and saw the different jail cells and heard some very gross stories about the people who were kept there. After we finished the tour, we decided to walk to the Fountain of Youth. It was so big that we did not even walk the entire thing. We found the actual fountain, and it turns out that we could drink from it.

Papi and I grabbed some cups and went for it. As we walked around some more, we got to see them shoot off a cannon, which was really loud. At night, we finally went on the Ghost Tour. I didn’t want to go but Mami and Papi thought it might be fun. We explored every single spot that we had seen during the day but this time at night. The creepiest part was going back to the Old Jail. It was so dark! The only time you could see anything was when someone took a picture with flash. It was super spooky, I can only imagine what this would be like during Halloween.

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

Ghost Tours

If you are in Saint Augustine and looking for a fright,

Then their ghost tours will make for a perfect night.

You will be met by your Ghost Hosts.

They will give you a chance to get away...almost.

Once on the tour they take you to visit the oldest jail.

You will realize the air is quite stale.

The darkness surrounds the room,

Signaling the impending doom.

After you get out, you’ll surely want to flee

But be careful! You might have set a ghost free!

Dear diary, (6/11)

This has been such a good vacation and I feel so much more relaxed now. Mami has taken so many pictures of this trip to show Abuela and Abuelo. We got to enjoy a lot of historical places that we do not see at home like the Castillo de San Marcos, the Old Jail, or the Fountain of Youth. It was also really nice to be able to sit on the beach and take a break. There were so many laughs and memories made on this trip. I’m glad that I decided to write them all down so I can remember them forever.

Hasta Mañana,

Marielena

Final update on sunburn: It’s a tan now!

Juan Ponce De León: The Explorer

Juan Ponce De León: El Explorador

It is known that Juan Ponce de León came to Florida from a far country named Spain around the  year 1513. He came all the way from Spain to find new territories that had never been explored and to find lots of gold. People like to believe that Juan Ponce de León came to find a magical fountain named the Fountain of Youth. The legend says that this magical fountain was supposed to allow you to stay young and never age.

Juan Ponce de León llegó a Florida desde un país lejano llamado España alrededor del año 1513. Llegó desde España para encontrar nuevas tierras que nunca se han explorado

y para encontrar un montón de oro. A la gente le gusta creer que Juan Ponce de León vino a buscar una fuente mágica llamada Fuente de la Juventud. La leyenda dice que se suponía que esta fuente mágica te permitía mantenerte joven y nunca envejecer.

When Juan Ponce de León returned to Florida for the second time, he tried to start a new colony. He enslaved the Native Americans and began spreading Christianity to them in their new colony. He had violent encounters with Native Americans and was wounded by members of the native Calusa tribe, which caused his death.

Cuando Juan Ponce de León regresó a Florida por segunda vez, intentó comenzar una nueva colonia.

Él esclavizó a los Nativos Americanos y comenzó a difundir el cristianismo a ellos en su nueva colonia. Tuvo encuentros violentos con Nativos Americanos y fue herido por miembros de la tribu nativa de Calusa, lo que causó su muerte.

Juan Ponce de León explored all over the state of Florida, including the Florida Keys. He is mostly famous for declaring Florida to be owned by Spain. He chose the name Florida because when he arrived, all the land was covered in blooming plants so he named it “the land of flowers” Florida.

Juan Ponce de León exploró todo el estado de Florida, incluidos los Cayos de Florida. Él es en gran parte famoso por declarar que Florida es propiedad de España.