March 16 - 20, 2014. Spring Training and Tarpon Springs.

We left Oscar Shearer on the 16th and headed for Dunedin, an easy two hour drive. The Jays game at 1:05 was against Baltimore. Many fans were dressed in green, a reminder that St. Patrick's Day is a big deal here. Even Chad, the beer seller was decked out in Blue Jays green. The game was a good one with the Jays pulling off a win in the bottom of the 10th.

         

After checking in at the RV Park we showered, cooked dinner and watched TV. With a storm predicted for St. Patrick's Day, we planned to stay put and hang out at the park. The rain started very early in the morning accompanied by thunder and lightening that lasted for a full 12 hours. It was a great day to enjoy a good book. 

Our second of five Jays games was on Wednesday when the Phillies came to play. We found a great place to enjoy brunch and then walked down the Pinellas Trail to the game. I am always surprised at the number of Maritimers we meet there. On this day we sat in front of two people from New Glasgow and next to a guy from Dartmouth. We watched Bautista hit two homers to lead the Jays to a 11-5 win over the Phillies.

Today we explored Tarpon Springs, the "Sponge Capital of the World". The first Greek immigrants arrived in this city during the 1880s, when they were hired to work as divers in the growing sponge harvesting industry. Today, Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of Greek Americans of any city in the USA. Hence, in one brochure I read the words, "Visit Greece without leaving Florida".

          

Sponge shops, Greek restaurants and Greek bakeries line the sponge dock area where you can see strings of natural sponges hanging on the decks of working sponge boats. There was much to see in Tarpon Springs. However, I did consult TripAdvisor so as to avoid the tourist traps and find out what to see and do. 

           

Walking around the town, exploring sponge shops, meandering along the docks, visiting a sponge museum, a cathedral, a shrine and eating authentic Greek food filled the day. We learned a lot about sponges, admired stained glass at the cathedral, and thoroughly enjoyed lunch where we learned that authentic Greek salad has potato salad under the lettuce. Exploring Tarpon Springs is a great place to spend a day.