In the 90’s my family hosted an exchange student from Spain.  After he returned home we didn’t have much contact.  The internet is not like it is now.  Most people didn’t have internet in their house and if they did, they connected by modems.  There was no Facebook and Myspace wasn’t around either.  When I went to Spain in college a few years later I did get to talk to him on the phone.

Fast forward many years and in the time of Facebook.  We (my family and I) reconnected with Miguel!  A few years ago he messaged my mom saying he was going to be in St Augustine and would love to see our family again.  He was on the crew of El Galeon and they were in St. Augustine to celebrate Florida’s 500th birthday.  We made arrangements to go see him!

He gave us a tour of the ship and introduced us to his friends on the crew.  Oh wow!  El Galeon is a colonial era Spanish galleon replica!  You get to explore some areas of the ship.  There is a photo op aboard the ship,  a short film, replica cannons, a few rooms set up the way they were many years ago, educational information, and other things aboard to check out.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children 5-12, and under 5 are free.

We have seen Miguel a few times since, including El Galeon’s most recent stop in Tampa.  He was able to get some time off and spent the night at my parent’s house.  My kids were very excited to see him and spend time with him again.  I didn’t tell them that he was coming until the night before and they were excited to see him again!  Then when they found out that he speaks Spanish they quickly planned what they were going to ask him in Spanish.   We decided to take the kids to the ship again when he had to return.  The kids enjoyed exploring the ship.

El Galeon will be arriving in Panama City tomorrow, Tuesday, March 8, 2016.  After Panama City their next stop will be in Key West.  If you are able to go visit them in Panama City or in any of their other port stops, please stop by.  If you get to meet Miguel please tell him that Jennifer and family say hello!

Website: http://www.elgaleonshop.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elgaleonandalucia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NaoFundacion
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/fnaovictoria
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user16202361

Have a blessed day!