Little Pieces of Heaven

With the blessing of opportunity to travel to some uniquely attributed and magnificent beaches, as well as a holy curiosity that constantly leads me through online and word-of-mouth inquiries, I've compiled some opinions and salty dreams about a few destinations. I hope to someday provide insight and tips about tackling a globally extensive list of beaches and their own personal traits and magic, but for now my list is reletevily small.

Magen's Bay, St. Thomas

I can do only say so much to describe it, and even that would most likely fall short of justice for the expansive paradice, but it is always worth a try. Magen's Bay is a relatively small pocket of land, with a shoreline about a mile long, tucked away in a Virgin Island hideout. It was coined "one of the worlds most beautiful beaches", and that is not without good reason. The beach itself is surrounded by 68 acres of pristine land consisting of an arboratum, campground, coconut groves, and tropial wetlands. For such a highly regaurded beach with soft white sand and striking turquoise waters, the shoreline is reletively quiet and the people are generally looking for relaxation rather than recreation. However, the snorkeling is divine and the beach offers paddle board and kyak rentals for more adventurous explorers. While on the particular day that I visited, the weathr was overcast with intermitent rains and storms. Despite the lack of favorable weather, clouds or rain or storms took nothing away from the prisine location. Even though we loved the seclusion, we didn't mind sharing (and dropping in on) a beautiful tropical wedding taking place next to us. If you are looking for an adventure, a breath of fresh air, and a dip in the warm waters of the Virgin Islands, I recommend a visit to Magen's Bay to see it for yourself.

St. Petersburg, Florida: Sunset Beach

 Some places have an affintity to keep a little piece of your heart when you leave, and that place is different for everyone respectivly. For some, they find a home in nature, people, sports, cities. A place that will forever hold my gaze is St. Petersburg, Flordia, and while I only merely stumbled upon it while traveling, I yearn to go back and feel it again. Sunset Beach, rummored to be a destination of inspiration for Jimmy Buffet's 'Margarittaville,' captivates with its bohemian ambaiance, beach lovers oasis, and go with the flow mentality. With constant live music, unique houses, tiki-huts, and famously radiant sunsets (I can surely attest to this), the entire scene is one of salty paradise and love. What I found most striking, and an attribute which set this beach apart from others, were the people. I came in knowing no one besides my mother/traveling campanion, and left feeling welcomed by locals who wanted to dance and surf and share their little bits of wisdom with me. The sunset at Sunset Beach is one of absolute power and grace, and brings a scattered population together in unison down to the waters to watch. It was in this moment that a passerbyer shared with me a statement which has become a reoccuring mantra in my life: "Clear skies are okay, but the clouds make for a beautiful sunset." I couln't see it then, but shortly I knew what he meant.