Sponge Docks, Florida - A must see for Visitors to the Port Richey Area

 The Sponge Dock in Tarpon Springs, Florida is a working seaport.

In the late 1800's people discovered that sponges could be harvested at the Gulf of Mexico in the sea bed rich with sponges. 

A bronze statute at Sponge Dock, Tarpon Springs, to Honour the Sponge Divers 

In the 1900’s experienced sponge divers were recruited from Greece to come to Tarpon Springs to harvest the sponges. 

A wall mural depicting the sponge divers at Sponge Dock ,  Tarpon Springs, Florida

By 1905, there were more than 500 sponge divers and thirty sponge boats working to harvest the sponges.

A Greek pastry shop at the Sponge Dock

With so many sponge divers working in the area, this created a demand for eating places for the crews. 



Restaurants started to open at the docks. 

A very busy pastry cafe indeed!

As the sponge industry grew, visitors started coming to see and buy the sponges. 

Shops were opened so that people could buy sponges and souvenirs.

During our visit to the Sponge Dock, we learned about the different types of natural sponges harvested by the divers. 

I was surprised to see the wide variety of beautifully shapes  sponges such as the vase and the wool sponges.

A wall mural depicting the sponge divers at Sponge Dock ,  Tarpon Springs, Florida

These sponge divers go down from 15 feet to 60 feet to harvest the sponges. For better quality of sponges, they even dive down as deep as 100 feet under the sea.

The Sponge Dock is a beautiful vibrant neighbourhood in Tarpon Springs.

Walking along the Sponge Dock, we felt as if we were in a Greek village.  

There were patio tables and chairs outside the pastry restaurants and cafés. 

There were numerous gifts and souvenir shops lining the streets selling all kinds of sponges, sea shells,  clothing and accessories.

Sponges hanging from one of the diving boats

We also saw fishing boats,  sponge boats, recreational, sailing and tour boats docked by the waterfront  beckoning curious visitors to come closer for a look.













                                                                          

The place  has a nice warm ambiance to it.  

We enjoyed visiting the Sponge Dock so much that we returned for a second visit a couple days later.















We had dinner twice at the local restaurants  during our stay in Florida.

The first time we ate by the water at Limani and introduced our friend to Greek food.














He had gyros for the first time in his life. He loved it! 

The second time we ate at Mama’s at the Sponge Docks.

We were given a free dish - saganaki ( flaming cheese), a very popular appetizer.

We tried saganaki ( flaming cheese) a popular appetizer

The serving lady brought out the dish and lit it in front of the diners before it was served.

The first time we tried it and it was very good!

While D. ordered the gyro again, we had grilled octopus and moussaka as our main courses.

After dinner, we strolled around this Greek like fishing village neighbourhood.

We saw men only gathering in cafes enjoying conversation and smoke, a typical Greek village scene.










We enjoyed our visits to the Sponge Dock tremendously and highly recommend it to visitors to the area.

R.T.
Sponge Dock
Tarpon Springs, Florida

Parkland Students in Florida - Grieving and Doing Something for The Lose of 17 Innocent Lives

Tired of being bombarded by all the violence, negative and horrible news stories everyday from the media,  I started writing this blog and was determined to have my blog entries focusing on the happy, beautiful and positive things in life. It is my hope that my blog is a happy place where people can escape from the sad stories being reported on a daily basis.

However, the same day we landed in Florida, a horrendous tragedy took place at Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida, where a former student went on a shooting rampage killing seventeen innocent people before captured by police.

Parkland has a population of 31,000 people, a part of the Miami Metropolitan. It is about a four hour drive from where we are, too close for me not to  write  anything about it.



Everywhere we went for the past few days in the Port Richey area, we saw American flags at half mast:  flags outside business buildings such as car dealership, banks, drive through fast food and on the beach.










As a Canadian educator, I am extremely sad to hear about any school shootings. There are so many mass shootings happen in the U.S. that some don't even get reported at all on the news.

Many Americans can not understand how little the politicians in U.S. have been doing to protect their citizens and young from gun violence.    Under President Obama's watch, he tried hard to bring in some kind of gun control legislation but was consistently opposed by his opposition party during his eight years in office. As a result, absolutely nothing has been done by the U.S. politicians despite the numerous mass shootings in schools and other public places.

Last evening, I was deeply touched watching the students from Stoneman Douglas High School speaking out and asking their elected officials questions at  the CNN Town Hall meeting. The students are turning their grief and calling for a positive change. A movement seems to be happening and a protest is being organized on  March 24.










It is my sincere hope that this movement by the young people at Stoneman Douglas High School will gain momentum and be able to sustain just like the #Me Too movement which started a  social change in America.

I also hope that the America flag will never be lowered again for the death of innocent people caused by any future senseless shooting.

R.T.
(Visiting from Canada)
Port Richey
Florida, USA

Tarpon Springs,Florida - Sponge Capital of the World

Tarpon Springs is the oldest city in Pinellas County, Florida.

With a population of around 30,000 , it is not far from Tampa, Florida

Downtown Tarpon Spring, Florida

We have never heard of this city before until we are in Florida. While chatting with the hotel staff, one of the friendly staff personnel recommended us to visit this place not too far from where we are.

We came across a winery on our walk to Tarpon Springs

Tarpon Springs used to be the playground of the wealthy northerners .

These seasonal residents  built luxurious estates along the Spring Bayou.

A poster with a sponge diver in Tarpon Spring, Floride

In the 1880's, people discovered the rich sponge beds under the waters in the Gulf. A sponge industry started to flourish. 


Experienced and young sponge divers were recruited from the Dodecanese Islands of Greece to Tarpon Springs to dive for these sponges.

By 1905, there were five hundred Greek sponge divers working with fifty boats in Tarpon Springs.

The sponge industry lasted for over thirty years becoming the most important industry in Florida, more important than the citrus and tourism industry.











With many sponge divers and their families coming to the city, from Greece, a Greek community was established and has been thriving in Tarpon Springs since 1905.

Tarpon Springs has the highest percentage of concentration of Greek Americans,

A Greek Orthodox Church, Tarpon Springs 

Tarpon Springs is a unique town with two cultures coexisting and thriving in harmony: a rich Victoria culture and a thriving Greek community.

Downtown of Tarpon Springs

As we strolled along the downtown streets and historic area of Tampa Springs, we saw shops, buildings and churches from both cultures.

It is a beautiful town with an interesting
 and a non violent past!

R.T.
Tarpon Springs
Florida

Taking a Bus from Port Richey to Tarpon Springs, Florida

Day 2, Florida

Near Tarpon Mall, Tarpon Springs, Florida

We are in sunny Florida!  After a good night of rest, instead of facing snow and frigid temperature, we were greeted by a warm sunny morning. We leisurely strolled into the breakfast area to enjoy our breakfast and all the while discussing where we should visit today.

Anne, the staff member serving at the breakfast, recommended  to us to visit Tarpon Springs.
This weekend being President Day's weekend, there was no rental car available despite us calling all the rental car companies in the city.
 Undeterred, we went exploring the city by public transit and on foot.

Not long after we were walking, our friend spotted a dry snake on the grass! Wow! This is Florida, we need to be careful of all kind of alligators and reptiles!

We took a break and googled the bus schedule at McDonald's

We took a break from our walk at the nearest McDonalds and googled the bus schedules in the city.

Tarpon Springs, Florida is about 20 miles from Port Richey. Imagine our delight when we found that there was actually a public bus which could take us there!

Doing my stretching exercises while waiting for the bus

At the Intersection of U.S. Highway 19 and SR 52, we waited for the Route 19 Bus.

At most bus stops, there is a bench and sometimes a shelter where passengers could sit and wait.

A bus waiting area in Port Richey, Florida

The fare was very reasonable: U.S. $ 1.50 one way trip and for $3.75, we could have bought a day pass with unlimited rides on all the city buses.

For American residents, the fare could be even cheaper with a discount card for students or senior citizens.

The bus ride was comfortable with air conditioning inside. At the front of the bus, there were bike racks for passengers to place their  bikes while riding.

There was Free WiFi on board the bus too!

We took the public bus to Tarpon Springs

Unsure of where we should get off for Tarpon Springs, I asked the bus driver a number of questions. She was patient, helpful and directed us where to get off.

We could have connected to the Route 18 bus which would have taken us directly to the Sponge Dock in Tarpon Springs.

Desiring to have more walking exercise and taking in the sight of the neighbourhood, we decided to walk instead of taking the connecting bus.



We were not disappointed of what we saw on our walk to the Sponge Dock in Tarpon Springs, Florida!

R.T.
Tarpon Springs
Florida, USA