All things old and new

My Tita Anabelle said (and this came from a very intelligent doctor who can totally claim a literary reference to an Edgar Allan Poe poem) one day she woke up and the pain from losing her Papa was gone. She was, simply put, just happy. And though there might be a tinge of sadness here and there, guilt was gone. Loneliness was gone. There was, in her state of being, no excuse for being unhappy.

I'm kind of waiting for that moment. I am currently in between. Traveling to the places I used to read about brings back memories of my dad which is good, but not when it comes strong and in periodic waves. To compensate, I'd like to think of this trip as the culmination of whatever it is I have learned in college and a gift from my wonderful parents. They've always been most supportive of my education. :)

Anyway, I have pictures rotting in my hard drive. It is so easy to neglect uploading when one is caught up with events that are, suddenly, not so international anymore (Ok, this is about the oil spill. I didn't say it felt awesome, I'm implying that it feels surreal-ish). For the first time, I don't feel so far off from what I'm studying. :) So, without further blah blah blah.. in five sets!:

These are some of the sights in St. Augustine. You have the river (Water bodies are very present here in Florida), Fort Mantanzas (but we have Intramuros, so this is not really new), the oldest wooden schoolhouse in America (a family lives above, students go to school down below and this one's over 200 years old) and some other replicas (some are really old buildings, some were just made to look old) of the town centuries ago. There are limitless ghost tours all day in this place, as if the cramped and vintage feel of the town is not creepy in itself.

These are pictures of the buildings in St. Augustine. The last three are of the Hilton, the city hall and a Catholic Basilica. The first three pictures represent the highlight of St. Augustine, for me at least. It used to be a hotel for Ponce de Leon (one of them big ones) but is now called the Flagler College. And what a beautiful, ornate college it is! I really, really, really love the place and I'm so glad we were able to go inside and check out the residence halls. It's like Hogwarts, only Southern. (HAHA at that reference, I'm a dork) My mom would love to be in this place. The whole place is a huge piece of art. It may take me a while before I'm able to go to Alhambra, Spain (dream destination #749) but St. Augustine can tide me over, for now. :)

The first two pictures are of the St. Augustine Light Station, located northeast of Andalasia Island. It is a working light station and the revenue from this historical tourist attraction supports private marine aid. The last four are of a secluded beach we visited, a rather solitary one at that. I did not bother getting the name because beaches here in Florida are like screwball Hollywood movies, if you've seen one.. you've seen them all. I just posted because it is cue for my Tita E to say I am terribly, wrongly dressed for the ocassion. I am. You'll have to threaten me with intense flagellation before I wear beachwear. >:P

I had a lot of fun in the Great Cross, not because I carry a lot of Catholic dogma in me (far from it, trust me) but because a place like this reminds me of my family. The world's tallest cross stands here, it marks the approximate site where in 1565 the cross of Christianity was first permanently planted in what is now America, the great. The park also houses the ancient Spanish shrine of Nuestra Senora de la Leche--where the first mass of colonialism (or indoctrination, in case you're atheist and you think I'm stupid) was held. It is a beautiful small chapel which, forgive my uncultured bias, strongly reminded me of the wedding scene in Mamma Mia! The site also has a shrine dedicated to all the innocent victims of abortion. My political and personal stance has always been pro-choice rather than pro-life but I do appreciate the tribute. There's nothing wrong with that.

That's about it for this entry, ta-ta for now! :)