St. Augustine, Florida, November 20-27, 2004

The first time my mom went down to St. Augustine to visit my dad, who was working on a contract assignment there, was at Christmas a few years ago. When she came back, she raved about how beautiful the city was, particularly at that time of year when the whole downtown area is festooned with Christmas lights. They really go all out. When Laura and I decided to visit them in their new home, one of the nice things about going at Thanksgiving was that the beginning of their "Nights of Lights" coincided with our visit.

We drove through the downtown area on Saturday evening, the first night, but traffic was so bad that we didn't park. We resolved to visit on a weeknight when, hopefully, things would be a little less crowded.

Signs at either end of the Bridge of Lions proclaim the Nights of Lights.

Night of Lights sign on the Bridge of Lions

The north side of the main square downtown right by the Bridge of Lions is Cathedral Place. I believe the two towers you can see lit up are the former Ponce de Leon Hotel, which now serves as the home of Flagler College.

Cathedral Place

Here's another shot of Cathedral Place.

Another shot of Cathedral Place

This shot of the Basilica Cathedral is a little soft, but I still like it.

The Basilica Cathedral

Even the humble Pizza Garden gets into the spirit. This is pretty typical of how far people go in decorating for the Nights of Lights.

The Pizza Garden

St. Augustine, Florida, November 20-27, 2004 -- Nights of Lights, Tuesday, November 23