Día 282: Real love has no opposite.

Slow mornings are the best. I rolled out of bed at leisure to find Tia enjoying a novel in her room. She offered me a traditional Colombian breakfast of arepa and chocolate, which we enjoyed over a conversation about the insane technological transformation witnessed by members of her generation.


After breakfast, she returned to her novel and I sped me to The Power of Now before a splendid hot shower and some yoga. I dozed back off the bed and before I knew it, it was time to take our tiny appetites out for some lunch. We visited Suna, an organic restaurant nearby (Zona G has the best cuisine) and I ordered a knock-off Indian arroz Bengalí. Stuck record over here!


I requested that we spend the rest of the day downtown, and so we set off for La Candelaria, the heart of the city. The drive into town was absolutely idyllic, with the sun reflecting off of Monserrate to the left, Guadalupe to the right, and the red rooftops of Bogotá all around. The town itself is beyond charming. There's nothing quite like visiting a cathedral, so the first thing we did was pay our respects at Templo de San Agustin.


We wandered about the picturesque streets . . .


















. . . and arrived at Bolívar Square.



















Having bemoaned the graffiti splattered on every inch of the square, we settled in for a cup of Juan Valdez. My capuccino arequipe was so scrumptious I could have polished it off in one swig, and my pan de chocolate was messy but delicious. Over coffee, Elena Auntie reminded me that just as she is my Spanish practice partner now, I "taught her English" when I was younger. "No wonder your English is so good!" I exclaimed when she reminded me of this fictional fact.


After our little treat, we ventured into one of Tia's favorite bookstores. As she perused the Russian literature section, I read the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet in Spanish. ¡Que romantico!


The sky darkened as we rushed out of the libreria and homeward to buy some groceries. At Carulla, we purchased baby spinach, baby carrots, and . . . baby bananas! All the essentials.


I meditated briefly at home before catching up with Nizar, eating my cereal dinner, and beginning this post. I already love this town!

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