In fourteen hundred ninety-two,
Columbus sailed the ocean blue.
Yesterday morning we saw in the paper that replicas of the Nina and Pinta arrived at the Ponce Inlet Marina.
We spontaneously jumped in the car and drove the 60 or so miles to tour the ships.
As it turns out the Pinta is not an exact replica but the Nina is. And the Nina is the ship that Columbus was on.
This replica not only looks like the original but was built in the same way, using no modern tools or machines.
What struck me was how small it is. The 28 crewmen all had to sleep on deck where they were constantly pelted with waves. The hold was used exclusively for supplies and food, including live animals.
PETA wouldn't be happy about how they were treated. Nor am I. They were kept tied up in slings so they wouldn't break their legs in the tossing and turning.
Anyway, it was cool to experience this bit of history.
Afterwards we went to the Ponce Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in Florida. Instead of our daily two mile walk, we climbed the SEVENTEEN stories to the top.
What a view.
Later we had a meal at one of my favorite restaurants, "Aunt Catfish."
All in all a good, spontaneous, day.
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