Tarpon Springs

We were so wired when we arrived in Dunedin and got settled into our slip that we both knew that we would not be able to sleep – so there was no use even trying. Instead we decided to take the mass transit bus to Tarpon Springs to see the sponges. The bus stop was within walking distance of the marina and the trip was only about twenty minutes away.

Mark and I have become quite fond of riding the mass transit systems when we come to ports along the way, especially if the marina does not have a courtesy car. It certainly is cheaper than renting a car and it allows us to sit back to watch the people. Most of all, the buses always take routes that we would never take because we would know to take only the major thoroughfares. This way we get to really see the entire town and we get a sense and feel for the area.

Our friends from Steele’n Time were docked in Tarpon Springs so we stopped to chat with them and to arrange future travel plans. They chose to “go around the bend” when we chose to cross diagonally from Carrabelle. We compared stories and it appears that each way was a fine way to travel and it is just a matter of preference.


Then it was onto the sponge capital of the world. One must start the visit in The Sponge Museum where we watched a very informative video all about sponges.



I must confess that prior to our visit to Tarpon Springs, my knowledge of sponges was limited to Sponge Bob and his friends. After the video we made our way up and down the main street of sponges.



Just about every kind of tschatzkah known to man was available to us – the tackier the better – and if it was in any way related to Greece, then it was available by the hundreds. Of course, I could not leave the area without purchasing a sponge and some wine. The sponge I purchased was large enough that I cut it into several very usable pieces so that Mark does not have to wash his body with the same sponge as he uses when washing the boat. The wine I purchased was not Greek, but from a local Florida winery. We had dinner at a wonderful dive/bar/local hangout in Dunedin and were asleep by dark.