We got up early but not really early. We’re on VACATION! So on the morning we started for Key West we got stuck in the early morning traffic jam. Side note: we left at 6:45. So our first stop was in Fort Myers where we had breakfast at IHOP.Karsten and I decided to share an omelette as the portions are quite big. Good thing we did, things haven’t changed. After that we really started off. We had a six hour drive ahead of us. At one point I thought Karsten might fall asleep as the road was just plain straight and no traffic. This was as we were driving through big Cypress. The first highlight was me wanting to stop at a visitors center in Big Cypress. As Karsten almost sped past it he had to make a small u-turn in order to drive on the parking lot. Upon turning around we saw alligators in the side ditches.
The drive was otherwise uneventful. Except when we reached Key Largo and once again stopped at the visitors center. After picking up some brochures we were guided to the front to receive some visuals on what they had on offer. That’s when Karsten said: Look, don’t those people look familiar? I had to laugh as standing next to us was a family from Harsefeld. Their son and Eric used to play soccer together many, many years ago. It’s a small world!
We chatted a bit and then parted and headed on to Key West. We arrived in the early afternoon at the Southwinds Motel. Funny was that we stayed there 8 years ago. It had a different name then. It has been modernized a bit but it was not really special but the reason I choose it was because of the close walking distance to Duval Street which is THE main street where party life takes place.
The first thing we did though was to visit the Butterfly and Nature Conservatory. Amazed by the colors and the sizes we wandered through the indoor garden. So many beautiful butterflies and tiny birds flitting about.
We had our dinner at Pinchers which was quite good. The seating was great. I love the quaint houses that you only find in the South. Key West has a certain flair that needs to be discovered. But probably not in tourist areas. So I’m already planning on coming back. Of course the main attraction is the sunset. For this you head to Mallory Square. Problem is that the sun sets behind a small island so that you don’t see the sun setting in the Gulf of Mexico. The best place to take pictures was blocked by a crane on the water. But I think we got some nice pictures anyway.
After the sunset we headed back to Duval Street with great intentions of drinking some cocktails. To be more precise: Margaritas. We were quickly brought back to reality and the American way of life. Guns are not a problem for juveniles to access but juveniles accompanied by adults who just happen to be their parents are not allowed in bars after 8 pm. Sundown was at 8:20 so guess what: no bar for us. We were able to have one Margarita at Margaritaville but since this is a restaurant we ordered two Key Lime pies to go with them. Supposedly these are supposed to be the best Margaritas, if you like really, really sour then they might be the best. I guess this gives you an impression of what we thought of the Margaritas. But at least they were frozen.
We headed back to our hotel. All the way back the song “Margaritaville” was going through my head. Tired, sweaty and aching we headed for our beds.
The next morning we planned an hour at the beach before checking out. But before the beach we headed to the Southernmost Point to take a mandatory picture. Upon arriving at the beach we decided we weren’t staying. The former crystal clear water was dark and murky. Not very inviting.
So it was then : Good bye Key West. But we had to head for Marker 0 first. Driving down to Key West you are on Route 1 and heading towards the South the miles are counted down. In the Keys these are called Markers. All sights aren’t mentioned by agrees but with their Marker lo
