Bayous to Beaches. Oct 19. Day 12 Life’s a (Flagler) Beach - Pottering around Palm Coast
 

Saturday 12 October

Yesterday is HERE

The bed was super huge and super comfy so we slept right through to 6.30

Reminder of super comfy bed



It was lovely to wake up to the sunshine and the view of the boats and some early morning rowers on the Matanzas waterway.

Perfect morning views





I sat outside for a bit catching up on trip notes add reading some of the brochures that we had picked up in Jekyll Island . I love the early mornings like this, one of my favourite things to do on holiday . :D

I also noted no ball picking near gators :erm: Ooh err :pgig:



Andy came out to join me and was really struggling with a sore throat so a trip to the pharmacy was definitely needed. :(

Before heading out we finished the unpacking and the last of the laundry.

The ironing was a lot less of a chore standing looking out the window, especially when some dolphins appeared and played around for a minute or two before disappearing. How perfect is that !:spin:


Around 11 we were off to take a look around the area to the north and the first stop was Hammock Beach - there are some large resorts around there but the beach was still quiet as people were getting set up for the day

Look it’s the Hoff on Hammock Dunes



Ah no, just Andy;)



From there we drove a few miles to Marineland




we didnt go in but had a look a round the beach. From what I have read this was kind of like a studios place for a while but now is about marine conservation .. although it looked to me like you can do dolphin swims there and boat trips.

Both beaches were lovely - we took the A1A coast road and its all lovely along there - its part of the Florida birding trail and we could see why , there were loads about.



It only took 10 or 15 minutes to arrive at Flagler Beach .`The roads were busy with bikers as there was a BikeFest starting on the 16th at Daytona . Lots of bars were all geared up for the influx.






Our choice for lunch was Johnny D’s mainly so Andy could send a photo back home to his mate Johnny D



It might only be just gone midday , but Straight in with Sex on the Beach for me :thumbs-up




Big menu






We chose appetisers. Andy went for the taste of steak and I had a quesadilla



All very tasty and fresh




After that very satisfying lunch and sex on the beach fnaar fnaar ( so childish :pgig:) we made our way back to Palm coast as Outback steakhouse was now open and we needed to retrieve Andys card which had got left behind last night.

I briefly regretted guzzling my vodka cocktail so quickly and was feeling a tad woozy. :erm:

Total lightweight.

So I sat in the car while he went in to get his card and then went over to Walgreens for some antiseptic throat spray - although he said it wasnt the most helpful experience ever. :(

We passed by McDonalds and I had the compelling need for an apple pie



- well strictly speaking I wanted a wee but can never just walk in somewhere so felt obliged to buy something ... ;)

It was around 1pm now and as Chuck once said we had no particular place to go so we had a drive around the town and ended up out on some estates with a load of show homes.

We decided to go in and have a look around as you do.



I love the laundry rooms :nonono::pgig:



Well they are all just blooming gorgeous . as this is a holiday forum and not Good Housekeeping I have only put a few photos here but I have loads if anyone wants me to start a separate post with them in. One of them had a walk in wardrobe that was so big we could have moved into it. :omg:

One of the sales ladies was v v keen to show us one house that was being constructed and was close to the amenities



(code for it backs onto the hospitality house and will be v v loud when there is something on )

and also had a great water view ( code for you will be bitten to death by all manner of beasties )



It was interesting seeing the timber construction though ..



just like those Lethal Weapon movies where someone is always running round with a mahoosive nail gun . So we made a sharpish exist . :pgig:

Fantasising about how we would spend a lottery win, we were back at the condo around 3pm and spent a while on the balcony chilling out with some wine and a pretty damn impressive snack bowl. Pretzel, popcorn and choccy bits. Winning !





We decided to take the St Joe Walkwayalong the waterside to see where it led us.



Andy tested out his Doolittle skills by clicking to a squirrel who seemed v keen and was ninja warrior styley making his way towards us.

Now I am all for squirrels - as long as they are in the trees and not making death leaps towards my head so I was less keen on this animal adventure and at the same time had my eye on all the big patches of shrubs that I was convinced concealed gnarly old gators waiting for me to pass by.



Ninja squirrel hideouts





Between that and avoiding all the speedy peeps on the bikes it was turning into a full on survival course.:erm:

We stopped to chat to a few people fishing and watching the birds - everyone was so friendly.



We walked all the way to the end and managed to find ourselves in a resort of some sort and not completely sure of how to get out.

Continuing in the spirit of adventure, Andy spotted an exit



Although perhaps not entirely conventional :d:

We were back on the walkway



and a helpful lady advised us if we crossed over the road we would be at the European Villagewhich was somewhere we wanted to see.





It’s a very pretty place .

I am not sure I would want to stay as it seemed like it might be a bit noisy with all the balconies facing the square -although we were told a few of the places have to close by 10 to keep it reasonable.

There are a few shops, real estate agents, a couple of bars and a range of restaurants. It was lively and it had a great atmosphere.

We stopped in Farleys, the Irish Bar for some drinks.



It did have some very loud people in there but they were having a good time. You just couldnt hear yourself think though

After a couple of drinks we made the walk back.

It had been light when we came here but it was pitch black on the way back so now I was even more convinced that snakes and gators would be on the prowl and there was not a single light . :omg:

We navigated our way back using our iPhone lights and staying in the middle of the path, narrowly avoiding being run down by the blessed people still on their bikes - with no lights - they must use sonar or something !:nonono:

We weren’t hugely hungry so dinner was last nights leftovers and the subs we had bought in Walmart




The Oreo/mousse dessert was :tongue:



I know readers, you demand better than leftovers :pgig:
Tomorrow is better I promise ! And its just HERE

Today’s cocktail tally: 1
Holiday total : 21

I think it's brilliant that they have to put an extra warning about not going into water to get your golf ball, who would think that it's a good idea to retrieve their golf ball? Maybe if it was a diamond encrusted ball, but seriously?

Sounds like a lovely start to the day and what a heavenly way to do the ironing. I'm about to start mine now as it's always a Sunday afternoon job, not much chance of spotting some dolphins while I do it though.

Ha ha yes, I would iron very day with that view. Here, not so much :pgig: This was such a relaxing place. So nice after the travelling to chill out. And we had sun. Every day :thumbs-up

A lovely relaxing day Amanda, it looks like such a tranquil location.
I can't believe you were on the Florida birding trail but no arty bird shots from you :pgig:
I do love a Sex on the Beach too whenever I see it on the cocktail menu but hate asking for it as Jim falls about laughing at me :D. The measures are so generous so no wonder you were feeling tipsy!
I'm glad Andy got his card back, always a worry. Have you sorted the refund out yet?
How exciting looking around the new development, I would love to do that. The houses over there are enormous compared to ours for more than half the price!

Even a view like that wouldn’t persuade me to do the ironing :D

A great relaxing day - though a shame that Andy is still feeling under the weather! Another one who is wondering about the painting refund!

What views from your condo! Great day, although I too worry about wandering gators when I'm walking near water.

Just found your trip report today and read from begining
What a lovely read looking forward to the next day
Don't like ironing but with a nice view and watching dolphins maybe I'd be tempted to do it

What a great day. Gorgeous views.

Glad it's not just me who loves the American laundry rooms!

Great taste in snack bowls. Delicious. :inlove:

M x

Ha ha. Arty bird shots do feature the next couple of days :pgig:
That cocktail was super potent. :erm:
Ooh the refund. The weekend interfered with further progress :confused2
The show homes are gorgeous. We saw some more a couple of days later that were even more stunning. The interior designers just do such a fab job, they are so stylish inside ... mind you there are no dogs leaving hairs and paw prints everywhere :pgig:

Ooh, no ironing. Like your style:D
Never fear. The refund re surfaces on Monday ;)...

Yes ! You never know where they might be lurking and Andy likes to scare me by rustling the branches so I’m leaping about like a possessed hare on the pathway :pgig::nonono:
Hello :wavey: thank you . Ha ha, dolphins could make any chore more bearable :thumbs-up

The waterway view was so nice, I never tired of it...
I love the laundry machines. They are so huge and so quick... all washed and dried in less than an hour :d:

That snack selection was brilliant, sweet and salty mixed together . Yum. Why don’t we have things like that here ( except at Xmas) :cry:

Looks like a lovely relaxed day (apart from the ninja bikes and squirrels!) and I’m liking the look of the snack bowl.