- 10 months ago
I Spent 100 Hours in America’s Oldest City
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00:00This is America's oldest city, with 300-year-old homes, ancient schools, pirate ships, and a castle.
00:06They have the oldest street, the oldest store, and even the oldest, uh, taxis?
00:10Let's explore it all, starting with the oldest wooden school.
00:13This thing is 300 years old, and it's super small.
00:15Plus, it's crazy what they have inside here.
00:16Inside are small desks, a dungeon.
00:19And if you push a button, this old robot teacher starts to talk.
00:22Well, well, good to see you.
00:25Welcome to the old school.
00:26I definitely didn't expect to find robots here.
00:28This is how the nation's oldest wooden schoolhouse looked at that time.
00:32And apparently, this robot kid isn't a very good student.
00:35Johnny did not do his homework.
00:37I'm making A easy.
00:38Young man, this is no laughing matter.
00:41Hold your tongue, or you know where you'll go.
00:44Before there was detention, there was the dungeon.
00:45I guess this is where the teachers used to send their bad kids.
00:48We call it the dungeon.
00:50Enjoy your stay in the nation's oldest city.
00:52Bye.
00:54Bye.
00:55We even found the school's bathroom.
00:56It's the outhouse, and it's not very comfortable to sit in.
00:59Can I have some privacy?
01:00At least there's a tiny Christmas tree to keep you company.
01:02Here's the school's kitchen with two creepy mannequins.
01:05They don't look totally human.
01:07If you're wondering, we're in St. Augustine, Florida.
01:09Literally the oldest city in America.
01:10It's 500 years old and still looks ancient.
01:12But later in this video, we're going to travel to a 1,000-year-old city to see how it compares based on their old landmarks, modern life, and their secrets.
01:19But first, 150-year-old mansion.
01:21I'm not really sure what to expect.
01:22It was built by a rich dude who apparently knew Abraham Lincoln.
01:24And this place is massive with super fancy old rooms.
01:27There's even a Santa Claus with a nice list.
01:29I guess I didn't make the cut.
01:31And for some reason, it even has the world's oldest rug.
01:33It's the world's oldest rug.
01:35It's called the Sacred Cat Rug and was made over 2,000 years ago in Egypt by someone who just wanted to remember his cat, I guess.
01:41It's even made out of ancient Egyptian cat hair.
01:43But this city's proud of being old.
01:44It all started when a guy named Juan Ponce de Leon apparently wanted to find the Fountain of Youth.
01:49That's Juan.
01:49He just wanted to stay young.
01:51But he was also 4'11", so if the statue's accurate, I might be like 4'8".
01:55That was the original Short King.
01:56Yeah, he was.
01:58He needed a Fountain of Hype, not a Fountain of Youth.
02:01But there's a real fountain here you can drink from that apparently can make you young forever.
02:05And people say they really do feel younger after coming here.
02:07So since I just turned 27 years old, I had to come.
02:10I really hope it makes me young.
02:11And I guess it's right inside this building.
02:13Right here.
02:14This is not what I was expecting.
02:16It looks like a Disney ride.
02:16It's surrounded by these super realistic, um, characters.
02:21And this is the fountain itself.
02:22It looks like a mini golf course.
02:24So just grab a cup and take a sip.
02:25I was a little nervous when tasting it and immediately was shocked when...
02:29It just tastes like water.
02:30But I guess a lot of people travel here hoping it'll work.
02:33Luckily, there's a lot more to see here like ancient huts and daily cannon firings.
02:40Plus, there are tons of peacocks that live here.
02:42Just be careful around them.
02:43Beware of peacocks?
02:45Maybe they want to stay young too.
02:46And of course, a gift shop selling mini peacocks, gladiator helmets, baby pirate ships, chain mail,
02:52and a life-size Ponce de Leon.
02:54Sorry, Juan.
02:54But if you weren't rich, you would live like this.
02:57This is the oldest house in the city, built over 300 years ago.
03:00And it definitely has not been renovated.
03:02Here's the kitchen and the living room.
03:04Welcome to our new crib.
03:05The rent's only 5,000 a month.
03:06Five pennies.
03:07Back in the day, people would put their food on these swinging tables with bells on them.
03:11So if a mouse tried stealing some food while people were sleeping,
03:14they would literally hear the tables move.
03:15At least the upstairs is a bit more modern.
03:16I definitely could sleep here.
03:18We're about to check into one of the oldest hotels in the city.
03:20But first, this video is sponsored by the Pokemon Company International.
03:23Ever since I was little, I've loved Pokemon.
03:25And recently, I've been playing this game Pokemon TCG Pocket,
03:28which lets you open packs and battle on your phone.
03:30I'm so proud of my rare Charmander.
03:31And because Pokemon Day just happened, they're celebrating.
03:34There's a brand new themed booster pack called Triumphant Light.
03:36And just like we're in America's oldest city,
03:38the world's oldest Pokemon, Arceus, is available in the pack.
03:40You can open two packs for free every day to collect your favorite Pokemon,
03:43with incredible artwork and special effects.
03:45Plus, by logging in now, you can obtain special Genetics Apex booster packs,
03:49guaranteed to include at least a 4-diamond rarity card or higher.
03:52There are even special missions available to obtain rewards,
03:54like trade tokens and pack hourglasses so you can open even more packs.
03:57Collect your favorite cards, battle, and get ready for ranked matches coming at the end of March.
04:01I love playing whenever I'm bored at an airport or on a train,
04:04and you can download Pokemon TCG Pocket right now on iOS and Android.
04:07Just scan the QR code on screen or click the link in the description.
04:10This is our hotel for the night.
04:11It's a bed and breakfast built in the 1860s.
04:13And it could be haunted.
04:15Walking in the hotel room is very colorful and definitely not new.
04:19It's so pink.
04:20And you're immediately greeted by this creepy old lady on the wall.
04:23Who is she?
04:25Let's do a tour.
04:26Really old bed.
04:27An ancient desk.
04:28It's very, very creaky.
04:33The bathroom is interesting.
04:36Super comfy flower chair.
04:37You still get a TV.
04:38It just wasn't working for me.
04:41But I can't help but wonder if this place is haunted.
04:43And that's because St. Augustine is called Ghost City,
04:45because tons of people think it's haunted.
04:47Like a woman passed away in this house,
04:49and people claim to see her ghost in the window to this day.
04:51But I don't think I saw anything.
04:53And in this ancient graveyard,
04:54a little boy is buried who loved climbing this tree.
04:57And of course, people still see him there today.
04:59Maybe he was sleeping when I was there.
05:00But it's time for bed,
05:01because the next day I wanted to try a horse taxi.
05:03I'm not sure why this one's wearing a top hat.
05:05But sadly, horse taxis were booked for the entire week.
05:07But luckily, St. Augustine also has insane stores.
05:09Like a pirate store where you can buy pirate hats,
05:12if they fit you,
05:13pirate clothing,
05:14cups,
05:15fake skulls,
05:16and fake swords.
05:17They actually fit really perfectly.
05:19And being the oldest city,
05:20they have a prehistoric store,
05:21where they sell a giant T-Rex skull,
05:23bones of old animals,
05:25expensive crocodile eggs,
05:27and real pieces of the Titanic.
05:28I mean, who is spending that much?
05:30Do you think it's worth it?
05:31Or if you're rich,
05:32a giant meteorite.
05:34It costs more than a car.
05:35Can we get a meteorite out of this case?
05:36So I decided to buy a smaller one.
05:39There's a seashell store selling seashells,
05:41giant seashells,
05:42turbo shell.
05:43I never knew seashells could be so expensive.
05:45Plus a giant shark jaw.
05:47And my favorite store?
05:48Oh yeah.
05:49Manly toys and hobbies.
05:51Here they sell it all.
05:53Tiny metal soldiers,
05:54and a metal crocodile.
05:55This is what the inside of my brain looks like.
05:57Nearby, you can also buy a Minecraft sword,
05:59and these hats.
06:01Looks just a bit off.
06:03From 11ish to 6ish,
06:04you can even visit this store selling the most random items.
06:07An ancient helmet,
06:08rocking horse,
06:09baby cannons,
06:10horns to drink out of,
06:11and just what I needed,
06:12a raccoon hat.
06:14Nice.
06:14There are even restaurants in 300-year-old buildings.
06:17Like this ancient British pub.
06:18And you can really tell it's old because of the paintings on the walls.
06:21Like, that's the king of England.
06:22That's weird.
06:24This place is awesome.
06:25Of course we ordered classic British meals,
06:27and yeah, it was really good.
06:28You can even visit this building that used to be a blacksmith shop,
06:31and is now a coffee shop.
06:33You definitely feel its age on the inside.
06:34It's really tiny and all wood.
06:36Just a cappuccino, please.
06:37Do you know how old is this building?
06:39I'm curious.
06:40Wow.
06:40You literally feel like a time traveler here.
06:42Like in this mansion,
06:43designed to show you what life used to be like for families.
06:45I guess this is who lives here.
06:47But it's almost 300 years old, and
06:49And held up pretty well for 300 years.
06:50Before showers, you had to use this.
06:52And before toilets, you would use this pot.
06:55No way.
06:55There are ancient notebooks on the desks.
06:57How can people possibly read that?
06:59And soldiers have even stayed here.
07:01Also, I'm pretty sure clothes back in the day were just way cooler.
07:03Not too far away, you can visit medieval times.
07:06There's a castle in the middle of Orlando.
07:07I love it.
07:08It's basically a night-themed dinner show that's supposed to take you back to the 11th century.
07:12But it cost us over $200 for two front row seats, so is it actually worth it?
07:16The inside is busy, and there are knights everywhere.
07:18A medieval bathroom.
07:19And an ancient shop, selling some things that are kind of unsafe.
07:22We got VIP tickets.
07:24And assigned to the red team.
07:25How do I look?
07:27Basically, you come to watch a tournament with many different colored knights.
07:30I like the medieval Avengers.
07:32And you're basically assigned one to vote for.
07:36So everyone in our section was cheering for this guy.
07:39Everyone got pretty fired up.
07:41This guy, red is gonna win.
07:43I like the Super Bowl.
07:44And because we're team red, blue stinks.
07:48And what even is that, team checkers?
07:50There's a whole show to watch with like a royal family.
07:54They have a ton of super well-trained horses that we kind of felt bad for.
07:58They have talented horses at kicking dirt, dancing.
08:01And of course, they wear costumes.
08:03There's even a trained hawk that we thought might have passed out.
08:06Oh, he's alive.
08:10But turned out he was okay.
08:12Then it was our favorite part of the night, dinner.
08:14Yeah.
08:16They give you these old-timey plates with one rule.
08:18No silverware.
08:19And they're served by waiters called wenches.
08:22First, tomato soup.
08:23It was really good.
08:24It was fine.
08:25And then your main course, half a chicken.
08:27Yeah, it's gonna get messy.
08:28But then it was time for the main event, the Battle of the Knights.
08:31Also, whatever you call this move was pretty sick.
08:33Basically, the knights from all of the different teams put on their armor and go to battle.
08:37They start with jousting.
08:39And then they fight to the fake death.
08:42Of course, our team won the first battle.
08:46And then you watch the other teams compete.
08:48It's so much fun.
08:48You get really into it.
08:50Huzzah!
08:51Onward!
08:52In the final round, Red went against the Green Team.
08:54And it started off pretty rough for us.
08:58But Red pulled it together.
09:02And our team won it all!
09:07I've never been so fired up at a restaurant before.
09:09But after the event, you can go to the Medieval Gift Shop.
09:12Selling swords that must be pretty strong because you have to be at least 18 to buy them.
09:15You can pay $11 to get your picture with the sword and the stone.
09:18But there's one thing I wanted.
09:19Can I buy one of those helmets?
09:21The king's helmet costs over $200.
09:23Or you can be a Viking.
09:24I needed this.
09:25To see a guy like this in the parking lot while you're walking to your car, what do you do?
09:29But now let's travel to a town that's over a thousand years old.
09:33It's called Rotenberg, Germany.
09:34And it's the most medieval place I've ever seen.
09:37Here there are horses in the streets, kings, and people sword fighting.
09:41Like there's a lot of sword fighting.
09:42This guy even teaches kids how to fight better.
09:47But you can go shake hands.
09:49Or chop them off.
09:54And really, tons of locals come to camp, cook, dance, and just live like their ancestors used
09:59to hundreds of years ago.
10:00Tons of animals are brought into the city.
10:02Although this one's a little far from home.
10:04You can enjoy super old music on the harp.
10:07Or ancient heavy metal.
10:10About 11,000 people still live here today just going about their normal life.
10:14But today, cars can still drive around the old streets where you really can see just how
10:17old these buildings are.
10:18That's why some people call it one of the world's most beautiful towns.
10:21This unknown little town in Germany is a living fairy tale.
10:24But is it actually worth the hype?
10:25Maybe someone's living in this little home that's 500 years old.
10:28This building that's 600.
10:29Here's one over 700.
10:30And this yellow restaurant is over 1,000.
10:34But it's time to eat at the master builder's house.
10:36I guess the guy who lived here was in charge of building the city.
10:39But now it's become an old restaurant.
10:41This is the oldest restaurant I've ever been in.
10:42There's literally a sign on the wall telling you it was made in 1596.
10:46But it's held up pretty well.
10:48There's still ancient art everywhere.
10:49And tons of antlers on the walls.
10:51I got a classic German meal for 12 euros.
10:53Oh yeah.
10:54I could eat this for every meal.
10:56Happily.
10:57But next, let's visit the criminal museum.
10:59Let's go meet some criminals.
11:01When you walk in, you'll see this sign, which is concerning.
11:04And old technology that was used to punish villains.
11:06There are old weapons that were preserved.
11:08And I don't want to know what these scissors were for.
11:10This guy was definitely in trouble.
11:11And I guess inside this thing is a bunch of spikes.
11:14The scariest museum I've ever been to.
11:16Plus there's even more outside.
11:17I guess this is how you would get publicly shamed.
11:21That is awful.
11:22There's a teddy bear store with a giant $4,000 teddy bear.
11:26And hundreds more inside you can buy.
11:28They even have robot bears.
11:30And probably my favorite store ever.
11:32It's a medieval shop.
11:33Inside there are suits of armor, fake knives, swords, cloaks, gauntlets, helmets, and these
11:39guys.
11:40That is the saddest night I've ever seen.
11:42What's wrong?
11:43You can even buy this robe that costs $300.
11:47Who is paying that?
11:48But it's time to check into my hotel in an 800-year-old building.
11:51For around $80 a night, you get this simple room.
11:53It's like really simple.
11:55Candles.
11:57TV.
11:58Bed.
11:58Okay, first impressions.
12:00Easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to, ever.
12:03But you can also see they really appeal to the tourists.
12:06About 5,000 tourists come here every day, which is kind of crazy for a small town.
12:10So of course there's a tour guide to welcome everyone in.
12:12He teaches history.
12:13General led an army about 400 years ago in a war.
12:17And explains about the city's clock.
12:19Two windows will open.
12:21The bells will play.
12:22Which later that night became the home of a massive parade with projections and hundreds
12:27of people celebrating this town's ancient past.
12:29People watch the parade out their windows and take it pretty seriously.
12:33This is easily one of my favorite things I've ever seen while traveling.
12:37The next day, the festival continued and I met this shop owner.
12:40Hello, I'm Masa.
12:41My shop, welcome.
12:42This is Masa and he runs a shop selling all sorts of weird items.
12:45It's some of the most random things I've seen in a shop.
12:48He sells suitcases.
12:49Hot.
12:51Sunglasses.
12:52He introduced me to his friend Gerarda, who also owns a shop.
13:00I sell military stuff.
13:03That's good stuff to sell.
13:05There is so much cool stuff in here.
13:06Like clowns, old toys, and helmets.
13:09Wow.
13:10What do you think?
13:12I think they would ask me some questions at the airport if I arrived at this.
13:16I think it may be a problem.
13:18I really got to talk to Masa and it just seems like he's an amazing dude.
13:20Over 10 years, I have shopped here in Rotenburg.
13:24I think, what can I try in the future?
13:27I don't know.
13:28Time is money.
13:30I'm now is 42.
13:31I must try because my life is too short.
13:35I'm not 20 years.
13:37Now it's 42.
13:38I must try.
13:39Okay, if you come to Rotenburg, come say hi to Masa.
13:42Rotenburg is such a beautiful medieval place that locals have kept alive and in perfect
13:47condition.
13:47Even though a ton of tourists like me are swarming the place every day.
13:50But the locals are so fun to talk to and have such a great attitude.
13:53I can't wait to come back.
13:56St. Augustine nails the ancient vibes with tons to do like amazing restaurants and walkable
14:00streets.
14:00I had such a great time.
14:01I guess I'd say go find an old city near you and try to make a friend.
14:05Hopefully you guys enjoyed this video.
14:07If you did, be sure to subscribe and YouTube thinks you would like this one next.
14:10Tony, I'm a Viking.
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