We drove to Daytona Beach today to check out what is reported to be one of the most famous beaches in the world. It is very beautiful and the sand is a lovely blanched white and even in the hot sun the sand isn't too hot to walk on. It was quite delightful.

We had a great lunch of clam, sole, crab and lobster nachos made with wonton wrappers at Joe's Crab Shack on the pier. The beach atmosphere is very pleasant and, despite my always wanting to live at the beach, I don't know what I'd do here if we stayed for longer than just a day. I guess that's what all those bars are for, to help fill in time between swims and bikini watching.

We were then on our way to Jacksonville (still in Florida) and came across the beachside town of Saint Augustine, the oldest town in America (founded by the Spanish in 1565). It's a very charming town but with a serious parking problem.

They have a very decorative bridge alongside which recreated Spanish and English galleons are moored.

Overlooking the harbour is the remains of a Spanish fort that was begun in 1672. During the American Revolution it was held by the British, and later still by the Americans as part of their coastal defences system.

We got into Jacksonville at 7pm and found a motel just off one of the motorways. We unpacked and headed out to get some dinner but when we came back we found that a number of roads and off-ramps from the motorway had been closed off for construction. Our GPS system could not find a way to bypass these blocked roads. After 45 minutes trying different routes we had almost given up when we stumbled upon the motel. We were quite stressed and if ever I needed a beer it was then, but there wasn't one to be had for miles and I wasn't going to go through the hassle of trying to negotiate that maze of roads again.

Ah, the joys of road tripping...