Sunday, February 27, 2011

St Augustine - Tantalising It

St Augustine Beach 

Cloudless sky, year-round sunshine, a barrage of beaches, springs and woods, smiley faces and friendly greetings.
Welcome to Florida :) 


Pigeons and seagulls alike, hovering above our heads.
A splendid welcome parade :) 




Endless shoreline...
Everyone has his/her own way of enjoying the beach:



Some take a leisure walk;


Some take captivating pictures;


Some take lazy naps;


Some take a bathe in public;


And some take determination to build their own castles :)


The rest? Simply take off their slippers and enjoy <3


Omnia vincit Amor. Is the saying true? 

Go Gators!!! :D



Despite the chilly water and temperature, we were overjoyed :) 


Kelvin's scale of happiness is always greater than the rest ;) 







I always think that being close to the sea is equivalent to being close to a forbidden drug. 

The monotonous waves gently absorb away your worries and thoughts,
yet from the far far blue horizon, sends waves of melancholy down to the very core of your soul as the water returns to the shore and kisses your naked feet.  
Slowly and unknowingly, you lose your senses of time and being. And you lose yourself.
Deadly addictive.  


Me embracing the sea or the sea embracing me? 
Yes, the water is not crystal clear. But still much better than any of the beaches in Singapore.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder   :P








Been struck by several major enlightenment ever since I set foot in the land of America. 
I came here for a good number of reasons and purposes. Some of them have already been fulfilled :) 
I consider myself lucky and I'm extremely grateful. 

Will save the sharing session for another time. 



Be it the ridiculously beautiful or the beautifully ridiculous, St Augustine has it.
Florida has it. 

:)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

St Augustine - Feeling It

St Augustine Lighthouse

Built in 1874 and nestling on the Anastasia Island, is a 165 ft high landmark that has been faithfully directing the sailors and boatmen for over a century. 





On our way to conquering 8 flights of spiral staircase

A bird-eye view of the picturesque town 

A tiny museum where we had a glimpse of a sailor's life

Peter Wong... LOL

I witnessed the most beautiful sunset in my life at a small quay behind the lighthouse. 
The pictures below are straight from Tommy's and my cameras, I don't even have to edit them :)




Nature is the best painter. No lens or digital software could better present the breathtaking view that my eyes eagerly and hungrily feasted on. 


I dwelled with gratification and delight on the wonderful hues 
and lingered with glee and contentment as the evening breeze gently caressed my hair. 

Isn't it lovely? :) 





The sun slowly and reluctantly set behind the curtain drawn by Nature,
and we stood in silence trying to comprehend a different side of St Augustine. 



As the day concluded itself, I felt as if I was brought back to the ancient European time and had a surreal encounter with the Bennet Sisters (Pride & Prejudice). 
The jovial and passionate Elisabeth and the shy and sensible Jane, St Augustine is a perfect manifestation of both.  



We watched birds gliding smoothly across the water surface in search of dinner and were delighted by how graceful and elegant they dined. 

A perfect background music for the enchanting evening and the thoughts running in my mind:

Friday, February 25, 2011

St Augustine - Exploring It

Founded by the Spanish in 1565, St Augustine is commonly considered as the oldest city in the United States of America (oldest continuously inhabited city). 

As we strolled along the busy street of St George, I couldn't get enough of all the age-related superlatives. 



A shop selling nothing but glassware 

How about some eternal flowers? :)

And paintings that never fade? 

Welcome to the secret garden....


As the mystery unveiled itself...

I found myself mesmerised by the glittering reflections. 

:)

Fortune & Enlightenment fell from the sky and landed by the roadside...
Or, was everything just a scam...?   ;P  





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Horse-drawn carriage clip-clopping past modern engines....

Beautiful waterview by a monument to lonevity - Castillo de San Marcos (oldest masonry fort)

Castillo de San Marcos 

Optical illusion 

Maybe I can pass this picture as the Great Wall of China ;) 

Great shot~

Tommy's murdering Kelvin. :D

Ahhhh~~

I lost the sakura rubber band that I got from the Tokyo airport~!!! :( :( :( 
That was my only material evidence of being in Tokyo...



The world is our oyster,
The canon is our playground. 


Kelvin and his new hairstyle




Superstars' arrival :D

I'm not done yet~! 
To be continued....