Carnival Sunset

The carnival is over. Two days of dancing, of drinking, and laughing, sunshine and costumes and music. This poor town is tired. It's time for it to rest. But what many people don't know is that now is a rather exquisite time, a special time, as special as the carnival itself, when the town is extra quiet and extra still. The moment is ripe to take a tour and drink in the drowsy atmosphere. So let's take a little walk and see what there is to see. Before we set out, I always like to do a little wind down exercise. Tonight's exercise is a really simple breathing exercise. So when you're ready, let's begin. First, get comfortable in your bed. Now, just bringing the attention to the breath, noticing where you feel it, in the nose, the throat, the chest, the diaphragm. You're nice and relaxed. We're going to be taking a deep breath in for four, holding it for four, and then breathing out for six. So are you ready? Let's begin. In for four, two, three, four, hold it for four, two, three, four, now breathing out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. In for four, two, three, four, holding for four, two, three, four, out for six, two, three, four, five, six. Great and now, returning the breath back to normal. You pass a strange building. It is a riot of turrets, all piled on top of each other with the artlessness of Coro. the windows are leaded, and set deeply into the walls. It resembles a Scottish castle, a king's residence at quarter scale. The stones of its walls are honey colored, and seem to glow in the half light of the moon. Who was it that thought that this was the right spot for a little castle? You have to admire their audacity. This is a place for costume. So why shouldn't the buildings have their turn? Does it matter that the builder's wife said she preferred a simpler home? Not a bit. He gave it to his son, who named it after a place in Ireland. It is a paradox, both unusual and typical of this place. It is a building in a state of permanent carnival. The weather vane on its smallest turret turned slowly in the breeze from the sea. If you listen carefully, maybe you can hear it creak. A wall runs along the length of the street. The wall is not too tall, you can see over it. You can see pleasant trees from a large park behind it, but it's not the park that interests you, it's the wall itself. In the weak light, you study it, walking along its length on this quiet road. The wall...