Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge - Fernandina Beach at Amelia Island


Downtown (copyright on photo)

When we visited Amelia Island and the tiny town of Fernandina, it was Christmas. You would think that time of year would be the worst for “seeing” the sights but actually it was the best, because even though there were tourists like us, we didn’t have to deal with overflowing beaches and shops. And Fernandina does have its share of shops, restaurants, horse drawn buggies and historical houses, while Amelia Island has beaches, parks, and historical landmarks, among which is Fort Clinch State Park. Definitely worth seeing.

The new and the old...

Colorful town and shops

A working harbor

Oak-lined roadways
Knowing a little of its history makes Amelia’s little slice of paradise all the more appealing. Since 1562 Amelia Island has had eight flags from, France, Spain, Great Britain, Spain (again), the Patriots of Amelia Island, the Green Cross of Florida, Mexico, the Confederate States of America, and the United States  fly its skies . It is the only municipality in the United States that has flown eight different national flags.  (Wikipedea) And, hundreds of years before Europeans  came (in the 1500s), it was settled by the Timucua Indians, who survived right up until the early 1700s. By the early 1900s, they were literally wiped off the face of the earth.
The Fishing Pier near the Fort

Our view from directly in front of Elizabeth-Point Lodge.

Birds and humans enjoying the weather

When you live on a boat, creativity is a must to keep young ones occupied. These kids had a ball swinging from the mast.

Some trivia: Amelia Island was chosen as the mystical land for the 1988 film The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking. The site that stood in for Villa Villekulla, Pippi’s home, is now Posada San Carlos, a pink-painted bed and breakfast inn.

The Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival occurs during the first weekend in May. Events and activities of the festival include vendors with seafood, arts, crafts, collectibles and antiques, live music, the Miss Shrimp Festival pageant, a fireworks display and a parade.

We stayed at Elizabth Pointe Lodge and would again. Lovely and right on the beach: http://www.ameliaisland.com/Accommodations/Hotels-Motels/Elizabeth-Pointe-Lodge

For car lovers check out this link to the "Concours D’Elegance," a trip through the land of Porche.

Fort Clinch State Park
A bit more about Fort Clinch State Park, which offers a wide variety of family-friendly recreational activities including swimming, fishing, sunbathing and wildlife viewing.  Shelling and shark-tooth hunting are popular activities near the pier and along the St. Mary’s Inlet.  Campsites and biking are also in the mix. On the first weekend of every month, the park holds a garrison of soldiers who demonstrate skills such as carpentry, masonry, cooking, blacksmithing, and small arms demonstrations and cannon firing as well as interpreting the use of many of the buildings such as the quartermaster, infirmary and jailhouse.  For a complete listing of scheduled fort events, please visit the park events page.

For more information, check out: http://www.ameliaisland.com/

And just to make this post even longer: Look what hits stores today! 



Dragon of the Stars By Alex J. Cavanaugh
Science Fiction – Space Opera/Adventure/Military
Print ISBN 9781939844064 EBook ISBN 9781939844057
http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/    http://whatarethekargrandes.com/

The ship of legends…
The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter. But when the Alliance declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray and told he won’t make captain. One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?

Purchase:
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1420814971&sr=1-1&keywords=dragon+of+the+stars
Barnes and Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragon-of-the-stars-alex-j-cavanaugh/1121069418?ean=2940046510720
Kobo - http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/dragon-of-the-stars
Chapters - http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/dragon-of-the-stars/9781939844057-item.html
Amazon UK - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dragon-Stars-Alex-J-Cavanaugh-ebook/dp/B00S0DPUYU
Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23521766-dragon-of-the-stars
 



Images from:

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

T - Toulouse





Toulouse is a jewel in the crown of France. It is steeped in history as long and involved as that of Paris, though most Parisians would disagree. Toulouse was the seat of the Count of Toulouse who was basically king of the Languedoc, Occitan. During the 1200s, the renaissance, art, culture and progress were bursting into bloom here, before the “King” of France decided he didn’t like the rivalry. Toulouse was much too prosperous for “France” to allow it to remain independent. The king of France arranged an alliance with Pope Innocent III, you get the souls and I get the land. The only “crusade” against Christians then lasted over 56 years when France waged war and eventually incorporated Toulouse into its sphere. This is the main reason behind the animosity between the north and the south (sound familiar?) in France. Yes, this is a simplified version of the history, but still accurate. It’s interesting to know that Lebanon was also part of the Comte de Toulouse, and was referred to as the Comte de Toulouse de l’Orient. It played a major role during the Crusades since it was the only Christian land in the Orient that honored the local Arabs and was therefore respected by Saladin. Perhaps the King of France was also envious of this territory? My husband was raised in Blagnac, which used to be a small village on the outskirts of Toulouse. Thanks to Airbus, Blagnac is now on the world stage, which does much for my mother in law’s property values!
The city is known as “La Ville en Rose” as the vast majority of older buildings are built with natural brick from the area which is light red in color. One can walk it’s streets for days and not see everything. It has culture, traffic, progress, museums, churches, is laced with canals, and a subway system/tram system which is state of the art. The Toulouse area is also known for its violettes (not to mention Toulouse Lautrec!). Violettes are grown here and made into candies famous the world over. Provence has nothing on the Midi-Pyrenees, which is where Toulouse is located, for beauty. On a clear day one can see the Pyrenees in the distance. If you ever decide to visit Toulouse, the “Eglise des Jacobins” (Church of the Jacobins) is a must see. Its claim to fame is the “palm” like arches holding the domed ceiling in place.


Place du Capitol

The red flag is the regional flag of the Midi-Pyrenees

A street in Toulouse lined with the "rose" bricked buildings

Strange architecture can be found everywhere in Toulouse

A roof top view from an apartment

Notice the name of the restaurant at the bottom? It reads, "Angels and Demons."

The Canal du Midi...

Public bikes for rent, just like in Paris and most large cities in France now.
This shop owner was so friendly and new her wares, even with so many lining walls and crowding floors.

One of many colorful tables...

A Salon de The, a tea salon. Look at the name of the next one...

Gotta love this! "L'autre salon de the" means, The Other Tea Salon!
A statue made for children to climb without sacrificing its art by Jean-Louis Toutain.

Another look at some interesting architecture. And again, the "rose" colored bricks...

Lucky enough to happen upon a lazer light show one night!

Taking a shortcut down a small picturesque back street in Toulouse

Le Pont Neuf. The "new" bridge (1542-1632) spanning the river, took over one hundred years to build.
Eglise des Jacobin

The Palm-like interior ceiling. Unique and worth seeing...