Snapshots of Tarpon Springs, FL // July 2015

Today I'm writing you from beautiful San Francisco! However, I'm posting about Florida... so let's get to it! :)

Similarly to Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, is a little Gulf Coast Florida town, with tons of culture. Rather than Scottish influences, everything in Tarpon Springs has a Greek Heritage. So, you'll find lots of Greek restaurants, Orthodox churches, little gift shops with ancient artifact replicas, etc. It's a very fun place. It was also known for sponge diving, so you'll see lots of history about that. This was just a day trip for us, but we really enjoyed it!

Eat: Hellas Restaurant and Bakery. The atmosphere will remind you of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and the food is wonderful. I had a cucumber tomato salad with my sandwich, and it was AMAZING. I could eat those salads on the daily. The bakery was great too, we each picked a thing or two to eat throughout the week at our rental. :) 

See: The shops, restaurants, the harbor with it's pretty boats. There is also a lovely basilica that is a replica of one in Greece. It has a nice courtyard with sculptures as well. If you have more time there is also a place called Replay Amusement Museum which has lots of old arcade and pinball machines. Super cool, though it was not open when we decided to go. There are many other places where you can learn about the history of the town, the sponge diving, etc.

Shop: A lot of the shops here are pretty touristy, lots of T-shirts and Greek replicas. It's kind of fun, but we tend not to buy that kind of stuff unless we know we'll actually want to keep it. One souvenir that people often purchase is a natural sponge. I considered it... but wasn't sure that any of them actually came from Florida... so I left them behind. One shop that was BEAUTIFUL, was called A Simple Peace. It had a mermaid on the window, so I obviously had to go in. They had a nice selection of gift items, clothing, and handmade jewelry. I think I was in there for hours, but I finally decided on a hand-stamped gold bar necklace that says, "mermaid." (what did you expect?) I LOVE IT. I wear it all the time and get tons of compliments. I am definitely considering making more purchases from the Etsy store where the jewelry is sold in the future.

Do: Shop, eat, visit the museums and basilica. 

Favorites: The cucumber and tomato salad at Hellas. Shopping at A Simple Peace.

New Experiences: Visiting a Greek bakery. 

Random Tip: When visiting Florida... especially in the summer... check hours of places you want to visit like your life depends on it. Especially if you are just planning to drive through towns on the coast. Places hold irregular hours, and often have signs on the door saying they decided to close. You don't want to plan to visit a place, and not be able to get in to the attraction you wanted to visit, etc. Also, it WILL rain. So, plan some things that can be done inside. Do your best to coordinate indoor plans around the strange Florida scheduling. #thestruggleisreal

Anybody else love Mediterranean food?

Have you been anywhere in the US that has a strong cultural influence from another country?

Am I the only one who thinks the idea of mermaids is really cool... ? - yeah? That's ok! :P

Upcoming Florida Posts: Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Orlando/Winter Park, and "The Treasure Coast."

Past Florida Posts: Flying Florida... Harder than it Sounds... A Recap Post, Tampa, and Dunedin.

Happy Travels!

Alexandra