the bells of st. augustine

We visited St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin in the United States (f. 1565). Walking around like a tourist, I was struck by the way the historic areas were preserved. The narrow streets, churches and old houses echoed a bit of Old Manila (but where the Americans seekd to protect the past, we only want to bulldoze and build whatever), and the lines of micro-retail along the heritage walk were all apropos - from the naming conventions to the merchadise sold.

Lunch at Cordova was the usual gastronomic feast - lamb, roast beef, salmon, oysters, prawns and a mountain of appetizers and desserts capped with mimosas and coffee.

Pushing my sleeping child's stroller, I disciplined myself and bought not a single thing (okay, I did give in and buy a bottle of water by later afternoon) despite the temptations - fudge folded right before my eyes, pastries fresh and fragrant, caramel apples and other chocolate confections. No, no.

After a while, like Sage, all I wanted was to take a nap.