Bridge of Lions 5k

I neglected to post last week, so we’ll get two today.

My husband and I participated in the Bridge of Lions 5k last weekend. Picturesque start at the Castillo de San Marco (the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States, built beginning in 1672), then crossing the Bridge of Lions, then continuing through neighborhoods in St. Augustine.

Wikipedia says:
“The Bridge of Lions is a double-leaf bascule bridge that spans the Intracoastal Waterway in St. Augustine, Florida. A part of State Road A1A, it connects downtown St. Augustine to Anastasia Island. A pair of Medici lions made of marble guard the bridge, begun in 1925 and completed in 1927 across Matanzas Bay.

From its earliest days, it was hailed as "The Most Beautiful Bridge in Dixie." It has long been a symbol of the nation's oldest city.
It gets its name from two Carrara marble Medici lions statues that are copies of those found in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy. The statues were a gift of Dr. Andrew Anderson (1839–1924), the builder of the Markland House, who spent the last decade of his life putting works of art in public places in the Ancient City. The statues were his last gift, and he did not live long enough to see them installed. He had them made by the Romanelli Studios in Florence, Italy, which a decade earlier had provided him with smaller versions which he displayed on the front steps at Markland. The lions are a symbol of the Spanish royal family.”
A week or so before the race, St. Augustine unveiled a set of two lions on the other side of the bridge. I was eager to see them, but was disappointed. For one, they are positioned facing the bridge, a short distance from the base, so they don’t offer the same ‘guarding the bridge’ look that the original lions present.  Secondly, we are told they are made of granite instead of marble. That is obvious, but to me they look more like poured concrete. Can you cast granite? They are grey and monotone and don’t have the same detail. Oh well, I guess it is better than no lions, but I’d have tried harder for a more art-like look rather than the more ‘pedestrian’ result. 

Just my opinion.