(pictures to follow soon)
The more we get south,
the more it seems like the amount of water I ingest makes no
difference in the dead bloated fish state I am now officially in.
My feet are so swollen,
my shoes no longer fit. Ayayaye!
On the upside, the view
takes my mind off my enlarged walking pods, as the blue sky is only
outmatched in splendor by the deep blue-green water (I should have
said turquoise but it didn't feel right).
Once we are in the
Keys...I can feel my heart grow three sizes as I take it all in.
First, there is the tropical flora which is exceptionally colourful
and dense. Second, I suspect the entire place to be a weekend
pirate town and the only reason we do not see them is because it's Wednesday. Then the tiny and adorable houses, which proliferate
everywhere just make you want to move in and never leave!
I am short on words to
describe just how unique the personality of this place is, particularly as we may be
in the US, but the mood is definitely Caribbean!
Even Key West, the
tourist part of the Keys is absolutely charming. People are beaming
and everyone has a smile on their faces.
However, I
had not realized just how hot it would be, so I buy a little dress
completely appropriate for the Keys, a dress that brings me a little
further away from my usual solemn wardrobe. With the now appropriate garb, I feel
like my Montreal life is in another dimension, that I am now a
different Isa. It's hard to believe that just a week ago I was in the cold weather of Montreal as I strut around the streets feeling right at home and swear to myself that one day we will live here.
It brings out the
romantic side in Seb and I (in the popular meaning of the word, as I
certainly do not plan for my love story to end in a tragic affair ;))
and in order to celebrate our engagement we decide to buy a ring
each, at a jewelry store on a lovely street called Duval. For some
reason, the idea of getting engaged was celebratory enough in and of
itself at the time that we never did anything more than bask in the fact that we
would eventually get married, but this place, and the fact that we
have time and are so merry makes it such an appropriate a gesture!
Even the fact that they have my size (I have small fingers so usually
I have to have rings made) is proof that the Keys were waiting for
us, I tell myself :) We will most certainly have custom made rings
when we get married, but those will definitely do until then!
After kissing
interminably like a two week old couple we decide to go for a swim and,
just like the rest, the beaches do not disappoint with their white sand and warm waters.
The only shadow on this otherwise impeccable moment is background noise provided by a woman near us that speaks loudly in Spanish on a cell phone. At first, it's OK, but she spoke the ENTIRE
time we were on the beach, and we stayed for a long time!.
She was doing it leisurely, all the while sitting on the knees of a
man that looked at her with resigned patience.
I have no idea what she
is talking about nor why she feels the need to do it on the beach but
I suddenly remember this teenager on the bus once, who bobbed his
head with vigor to huge headphones that (he unfortunately did not
realize) were obviously not plugged to anything. So I decide on the
spot that she is from a remote place and upon arriving in America
she saw everyone with these devices glued to their heads but without
understanding what they are for, she is just content talking to
the phone. I'm sure it's therapeutic because she is unrelenting!
Eventually having soaked
in all the sun we could to the sound of the sea woman, we decide that our body
lacks massive quantities of alcohol of some fruity
island drink.
We walk towards the other
side of the island and find this lovely place on a dock that features
an incredible menu, both for food and drinks. My feet are by now killing me and I even have blisters under them (how I've managed, I have no idea) but I refuse to let that fact deter me from my excellent mood. I tell myself that alcohol will help with the pain and indeed it does and life is good.
The sun is now setting
and the moment couldn't be better. The drinks are exactly what
they should be (strong in alcohol and full in flavour) and I can look
at my fiancé against this backdrop of paradise: this is a flawless
moment in time and space. Just like some classical pieces of music,
if even a small thing was different the perfection would be absent,
so I sit back and wallow in this pure joy.
We walk around
everywhere, taking in all the charm of the Keys like some kind of
precious perfume we will bottle and bring back with us.
Too inebriated by the
charm of the city, once again time flies by and now that we've walked enough to have a little room for desert, most places are
now closed.
As it is inconceivable to leave Key
West without some key lime pie in my tummy, we ask around and
eventually manage to find a place. After having bought two enormous slices, we settle for
eating in on the beach, as it has a magic charm, perfect to savour the sweetness this pie has in store for us. To my dismay, the pie is really commercial and actually way bellow
in quality from what I can buy at our local grocery store so I am left with a general unease from having eaten too much, which is not compensated by the pleasure I've had in overeating. Woe is me! Oh well..I
guess this is just a reminder that I can't expect life to be perfect
all the time ;)
So on that cue, we start
making our way back to the normal world. I'd love to stay longer and although we try to see what we can do to stay another day,we have to come to the inevitable realization that with the
limited time we have to get back to Montreal, we cannot extend our stay if we want to have enough time to take the scenic road all the way home.
So again (I feel I'll be
saying this often on this trip) all good things must come to an end
and after a last stroll on the beach, we get back in the car and
leave.
