The end of the road (trip around Florida) May 2018

So that's it!

The end of the 3 week road trip.

We had a fabulous time - from chatting to the Knight Bus conductor in Diagon Alley, downing pina coladas in Key West, swimming with manatees in Crystal River and watching the racing in Daytona.

I think it's fair to say that Florida is synonymous with Disney and theme parks but it is so much more.

We have seen city life, wildlife, night life and every day life. We have soaked up the history and soaked up the sun - we also got soaked by the rain in Miami. We have walked miles in a day then sat on our backsides and watched the sun go down. It has been a fabulous trip - and that's without a panda in sight!

A visit to Daytona May 2018

We were literally driving past Daytona Speedway Track as we motored on down to Cocoa Beach so decided to call in - if only to visit the gift shop.

We parked up and I wandered over to a little hut labelled "Guest Services" to make sure we were parked in the right place for the shop / museum. Before I knew it we had signed a waiver form and were driving through the tunnel under turn 4 to park up and watch an endurance race! Apparently we'd just happened upon a free to the public event - whoop! There didn't seem to be that many people there but we had a fun time watching the race from the bleachers, wandering around the stands and even walking into the pit lane and through the garages! I chatted to security guards and track marshalls. It was amazing - very loud and very hot! 

There was a small bar area open and plenty of seating and toilets. All very accessible (apart from the steps up to the bleachers and viewing areas). It was brilliant. At the entrance to the track there is a museum and shop - you can sign up for tours there (which you pay for) but we were really pleased with what we got to see for free!

A day in St Augustine (May 2018)

After our visit to Kingsley Plantation we got the ferry back over the St Johns River and drove down the coast to St Augustine - reportedly the oldest permanent settlement in the USA, founded by the Spanish in 1565. We booked into our hotel for 2 nights to give us a full day in the town and felt that was a perfect amount of time to spend pootling around looking at the old buildings. It's all quite compact and easily accessible. There is also plenty of information available telling you about the history of the town and it's buildings.

The town also had a lovely marina where we sat and relaxed after our exploration of the town. It was very hot the day we visited so we were glad of some shady spots.

Change of pace coming up as we head down the coast to Daytona Beach.

Kingsley Plantation visit (May 2018)

We used the book above to plan our road trip. One of the suggestions in it was to visit the Kingsley Plantation - so we did. As you may have seen from my previous post - to get to it you can go on a car ferry or drive round. 

The plantation is part of the Timucuan preserve - the link below tells you all about it. It's part of the National Park Service so you know it's going to be well cared for and presented.

https://www.nps.gov/timu/planyourvisit/brochures.htm

Coming from Liverpool - a city built on the slave trade and home to the International Slavery Museum http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/ism/- it was fascinating to see history of the plantation and to put all the pieces together.

We felt the site was well organised and presented the information in a respectful, honest way. This was never going to be a "fun" activity but it was interesting and also surprisingly peaceful and calm. There was plenty to see and I got chatting (of course) to one of the rangers about the gardens and the plants around. 

I took some panoramic photos of the house, grounds and slave quarters.

Getting to Fort George Island via St John's River Ferry

Today we left Sarasota to visit The Kingsley Plantation on Fort George Island. We could have got there on the main roads - a route of about 25 miles - but where's the fun in that?

We chose the shorter - 2.7 miles but much slower Car Ferry route via the St John's River Ferry. This is one of those things you find out about by chatting to locals - both google maps  and our sat nav would have sent us the long way round.

$6 to get across on a ferry that goes every half hour and takes only about 10 minutes to cross the 0.9 mile stretch of water. It was all very organised and efficient. Cars lined up at the entrance and were directed on and off the ferry by staff. 

We loved it - especially as we got to see dolphins as we went across the first time. We didn't have to use it for the return journey - we just wanted to. ⛴

BTW -Everywhere we visited along the Florida coast it was evident that boating is a way of life. We found it fascinating the way they stored the boats on a multi storey racking system - hence the photo!

Crystal River Florida - swimming with manatees. April 2018.

Today we were booked on to a snorkelling with the manatees trip.

3 hours for $65 turned out to be the best value ever!

We used the Plantation Adventure Center for our trip as they are based on site in the hotel we stayed in. The cost included towels, hot chocolate (Swiss Miss mmmmm) and all the snorkel gear.

www.plantationoncrystalriver.com/manatee-tours.htm

The company say they will take between 11 - 14 people on the boat and there were about 14 of us for the 10.30 trip so I assumed we'd all be on the one boat - wrong - we were split up and hubby and I were lucky enough to be put on a boat with just one other couple so we had pretty much a private trip. Perfect!

The other couple were certified divers like ourselves so were comfortable in the water - very useful when you just have to float face down with a large marine mammal milling around you.

There were 2 Captains out with us, Lance and Steve, and they were extremely skilled in finding the manatees and helping us have the best experience in the water with these gently creatures. Steve supervised us (and the manatees) and took a camera underwater and we were able to buy some film footage / photos. 

You have to watch a video all about how to behave in the water for the safety of the manatees - who are obviously the No. 1 priority : - no touching, feeding, standing on (!) or harming in any way the manatees etc etc. All I can say is that someone needs to make a video for the manatees! We were frantically trying not to touch them / harm them etc while the manatees were trying to kiss Hubby ( or eat his face - we couldn't decide), hitting me with their tail, swimming under us and then surfacing bringing us up on their backs. It was chaos - wonderful, heart warming, super cool, fun chaos and we loved it. We were out for over 2 1/2 hours and saw a mother and baby (who we left in peace), a group of up to 5 adults and then a single female who was feeding. We also relaxed at the end of the trip with a snorkel over the springs. Fabulous. 

Homosassa Springs State Park - manatees! April 2018

We had 2 days in Crystal River and I'd noticed this state park as we'd driven along US 19. We'd booked the "snorkelling with manatees" for the next day so decided to check out this park the day before. I knew it had resident manatees so thought at least I'd be guaranteed to see them.

What I wasn't prepared for was how peaceful and serene this park was. It was only $13 admission - which includes parking and allows for readmission - and I felt this was really good value. Here's the link:

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Homosassa-Springs

This park has a long history, first set up in the early 1900's when the animals were seen as entertainment and performers. It appears to be well loved by locals - as evidenced by the campaign to have the resident hippo - Lu - made a Honorary Citizen of the State of Florida so he didn't have to leave the park. The park appears to be making the transition from "animals as entertainment" to a more conservation and animal welfare focused facility. 

Here's some photos:

We spent a good 3 hours wandering around the park. It's easy to navigate as there is a circular route around the park so you can't get lost. All paths are accessible and there are plenty of seats in shady spots for you to relax. There are also the usual amenities - shop, cafe and loos. The highlight for me was the 3 manatees who you can see floating around the area or more closely in the observation area - a clever underwater viewing area. We were there for the 11.30 feeding when you get a bit of background from one of the staff and see the manatees munching on lettuce - how they get so big eating only lettuce is beyond me. The 3 manatees in the park were born in captivity and can never be released as they wouldn't know how to survive, but they are well cared for and clearly adored by all the volunteers - it was lovely to see them.

I was so glad we chose to visit here - it felt like an oasis of calm after a long drive the day before. 

Drving through the Everglades (April 2018)

The next stage of our journey was through the Everglades to Sarasota. We chose Sarasota because it broke the journey up nicely and it all worked out well.

The route was very straightforward, we pretty much stuck to US Highway 41 (the Tamiami Trail) and there were a few places we could stop along the way - including to do an "air boat" trip across the Everglades - but we chose to stop at the National Park Service (NPS) stop at Shark Valley. (BTW Tamiami = Tampa to Miami - genius!)

Here are some photo's we took:

If I'm honest I don't think I believed we'd see any alligators but boy was I wrong! We literally stepped out of the visitor centre to the start of the walking trail and there was one just sitting in the water having a doze. That was just the first of many - we saw some that were about 8 ft long and some little baby ones. There was also an abundance of other wildlife for hubby to photograph. 

The park also had information about the history of the area including how the original roads were built in the 1920s - there is so much we take for granted these days so it is humbling to remind yourself of what those early pioneers had to go through. I will never moan about poor wifi again!!

We chose to walk around the, very accessible, circular trail but you can also do a 2 hour tram tour around the same route. As always in the NPS sites there were excellent toilets, drinking water and a shop, as well as lots of information about the area and the wildlife.

It was very hot here today with very little shade so, as always, plenty of drinking water, cover up, use sun screen, take it easy and enjoy. 🐊

We spent a few hours here and then continued on our way to Sarasota.

Key Largo for the day

We decided to stop off at Key Largo so we could snorkel in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef state park. The website below can tell you more about it.

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Pennekamp

We had to pay to get in the park but could park up there and stay all day on the beaches. There is showers and toilets and a shop.

We booked our trip with the dive shop based in the park itself. Felt it was really good value. http://pennekamppark.com/

I absolutely love being on the water so was virtually guaranteed to enjoy the day. The snorkelling was excellent - a bit choppy so quite hard work. Was excited to snorkel over the Christ of the Abyss statue - a replica of the statue submerged in 1954 off Genoa as a memorial to sailors lost at sea.  

I think I can safely say we both had a great day.

Tonight we went to the pictures (movies) to see the preview showing of Avengers - Infinity Wars (we both love our superhero films). We went to the cinema in Tavernier and watched the film in a screen that sat 135 people. That - for us - is a very small cinema (our average screens hold at least 250 people) and it felt like we had travelled back in time to a time before the large multi-screen cinemas existed. Another notable point for us was the popcorn. In the UK, in the cinemas we get to choose sweet, salty or sweet and salty popcorn. Here you get plain popcorn and then add oil and your choice of topping from the selection below

Needless to say - I didn't add any toppings - they seemed more appropriate to a salad dressing than a popcorn topping. We enjoyed the film though and loved the cinema.

Our next stop is Sarasota - via a drive through the Everglades.

Driving across Overseas Highway 1 Key West to Key Largo April 2018

There is one way in and out of Key West- overseas highway US 1. It is a strange sensation driving along a road where straight ahead of you there is nothing but endless miles of more road but either side you are surrounded by endless miles of ocean.

While it is an easy drive from Key West to Key Largo there are also plenty of places where you can stop and explore, stretch your legs and just take in the views. 

We stopped at Marathon to refuel ourselves and the Jeep and then we also stopped at the Old 7 Mile Bridge. The old bridge is what remains of a rail and car causeway that was ultimately destroyed by hurricanes. The new bridge runs parallel to it. It made for some good photos and also a reminder of the power of nature.

I must mention that the Keys were hammered by Hurricane Irma last year and the destruction is still very evident in parts along the US 1. Many businesses are still closed for repair, much of the vegetation along the roads has been destroyed - it clearly hit them hard. It is interesting seeing road signs we would never see in the UK such as Hurricane Shelters and Evacuation Routes.

Our next stop was Key Largo for 2 nights and our first experience of an AirBnB.

Key West for 2 days -April 2018

We could have just driven down to Key West as a day trip from Key Largo but we decided to stay for 2 days - relax - and see as many sights as possible.

We stayed at the Southernmost House, a historic hotel / museum.

You can see it for yourself here www.southernmosthouse.com but here is the view from our room (302) and of the house from the ocean front.

This hotel was perfectly located for exploring Key West - which is easily done on foot. 

We walked up Whitehead Street, passing the southern most point of the US, checking out the lighthouse - interesting because it's the only US lighthouse that's built within city boundaries - the home of Ernest Hemingway, the road marker for the start of US Route 1 (the overseas highway) to watch the sunset at Mallory Square. We then walked back along Duval Street checking out the bars and shops, stopping for our first taste of conch (pronounced conk) shell fish. The bars along here are absolutely buzzing - every night. It's an assault on the senses but so much fun and always something going on. I may have sampled a few pina coladas - another good reason for not taking the car out.

There is much more to see than that but we were quite happy with what we fitted in. 

I would definately recommend staying in Key West rather than just driving down there for the day. We were there for the Conch Republic Independence Day celebrations (- in 1982, in scenes reminiscent of the old B&W film Passport to Pimlico, Key West declared independence from the mainland US as a protest to some border patrol issues). It's worth a quick google to check it out. It certainly added to all the fun. 

3 days in Miami Beach (April 2018)

Our road trip continues with a 3 day stop in Miami.

I was keen to visit Miami for the Art Deco history and I wasn't disappointed. There is the main, famous, run of building along Ocean Drive but wander away from this main street and you'll come across other less famous, but no less beautiful, buildings. There is a lot of renovation being carried out on some of the Art Deco buildings so a lot of scaffold but still a lot to see.

These photos were taken all over Miami Beach

One thing I was not prepared for in Miami Beach was how loud it is - everywhere! Every restaurant or bar has music thumping and people drive up and down Ocean Drive in cars and on motor bikes with the music blaring out. We even walked along the street behind someone who had music blasting out of their rucksack  - literally the bag had built in speakers. It really is a case of people having to be seen and heard in this town. 

The beach is a big draw here and it kept beautifully clean.  I loved the funky designs of the life guard stations dotted frequently along the beaches. It was too hot to walk along the length of the beach to see all of them but here are some:

Other things we did while here:

It was very hot while we were here so we took advantage of the free trolley bus that drives a loop around Miami Beach. Even taking 10 minutes off your walk feels worth it.

We also had to do the not so glamorous laundry (the downside of packing light for a 3 week holiday!) but that is (almost) fun to do when you're in a strange place - it's certainly a way to meet the locals!

We chillaxed in South Point Park and watched the cruise ships coming in and out (it's a huge cruise port with loads of cruise lines having their bases there). Some of them are so big they look like tower blocks afloat.

We ate at the 11th Street Diner - an old railway car. Fabulous decor and wonderful food. 

Miami Beach was definately worth it for the Art Deco and the beach. If you like noise it'll also be the place for you.

2 days in Universal Orlando Resorts April 2018

We stayed in the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, a Universal Hotel which meant we had a free shuttle to the parks and early entry to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley.

Check out the hotel and Universal park tickets here www.universalorlando.com

The hotel was exactly as described, 50s style retro and is a lot cheaper than the other Universal hotels and has a great pool area complete with man made beach and lazy river.

The website also has better ticket options than the .co.uk site. We bought 2 day passes which got us in to one park each day but didn't let us ride the Hogwarts express. This was perfect for us as we were only in Orlando for 2 days anyway.

Shuttle worked out great - dropped us at the entrance to City Walks (shops and restaurants). Never waited more than 5 minutes for a shuttle - most of the time there was one sitting at the stop waiting.

Day 1.

Universal Studios Florida.

Highlights for me

Diagon Alley and meeting Simon the Knight bus conductor and the Shrunken Head

I was also happy to see The Blues Brothers are still going strong - we saw them when we were last in Orlando 25 years ago (!!!) They've aged better than us 😉

Day 2

Islands of Adventure

Didn't get in early to this park but we were here mid-week just after Spring Break so the parks weren't too busy. In fact we never waited more than 20 minutes for anything.

This park has Hogwarts and Hogsmeade - again staggering in the way they have been brought into being. Just enjoyed being here, people watching and absorbing the atmosphere. Stayed for the night light show which was spectacular.

Also enjoyed Jurassic Park where I got to meet a baby dinosaur and narrowly escaped being eaten by a T Rex. Also hung out with some superheroes.

Theme park fun all over. Total of about 60,000 steps in 2 days. 
On to Miami.....

Flying Virgin Atlantic in the bubble April 2018

We flew to Florida with Virgin Atlantic (VA), Premium ecomony (PE).

Unlike past road trips, where we have booked directly with VA, this time we booked a fly-drive package with Virgin Holidays. When we booked there was a sale on and we got the return flights plus a car (midsize SUV) for less than the cost of our flights to Vegas 2 years ago. We also got free access to the Virgin lounge in Manchester airport so - quite good value really.

Being PE we could choose our seats months before we flew and as I am super organised I had the date saved and did this asap. I wanted to choose seats early as I was keen for us to sit in the bubble. For those that aren't aware the "Bubble" is the top deck of a jumbo jet and it looks like this

with so few seats in it feels like an oasis of calm compared to this (and this is just the economy section of the lower deck)

As well as more space PE comes with quite a few advantages - extra luggage (handy if your hubby wants to bring a chainsaw back from USA and yes that did happen 2 years ago), priority boarding, upgraded food and drink options. Because there are fewer seats in the bubble the flght attendants also seem to have more time for you. If you are flying economy I would also recommend you choose seats in the bubble when you can. You may not get all the perks but you get the peace, the attentive service and you're off the plane quickly as the top deck is emptied before the economy section downstairs. I always check out my seat selection on seatguru.com before finally committing. It lets you know of any issues such as limited seat recline / foot room etc.

Our flight was just over 8 hours. There is hours (days probably) of entertainment to watch - all latest releases too. We had a problem with hubby's screen so they gave him an ipad to watch the films on. Food and drink is excellent. Glass of prosecco on boarding then a constant steam of food, drinks and ice cream - even afternoon tea before we landed (warm scones and clotted cream - mmmmmmmm!) Hubby was driving as soon as we landed but I wasn't so I took full advantage of the drinks on offer.

Here's some photos..

Hubby is never going to "enjoy" flying but at least doing it this way it's as stress free as it can be for him (and I get the vodka - hic!).

Itinerary for Florida Road trip with some potential activities

Here is the bare bones of our upcoming road trip - as stated in previous post this is mainly for hubby's benefit but you are welcome to check it out.

All the accommodation is booked and the Harry Potter tickets but other than that we just have some vague ideas and things we'd like to try and see / do. If anyone's got any suggestions feel free to comment 😀

April 2018

16th Fly Virgin Atlantic to Orlando

        Pick up jeep, check in at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort,

17th Universal Studios Florida - Diagon Alley

18th Universal’s Island of Adventure - Hogsmeade and Hogwart Castle 🏰

19th Drive to Miami and Urbanica The Meridian Hotel for 4 nights.

20th possibly check out the Art Deco history

21st probably drink cocktails 🍹

22nd Maybe explore Little Havana, try Cuban coffee (but not Cuban cigars!) 🍵

23rd Drive along Highway 1 to Key West and The Southernmost House for 3 nights

24th Maybe visit the Ernest Hemingway House, or the bar where he wrote 📚

25th Potentially dive or snorkel or sail or sunbathe - choices choices...

26th Drive back along highway 1 to Airbnb’s Key Largo Getaway for 2 nights

27th Dive / snorkel John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park 🐠

28th Drive through Everglades to stop overnight at Comfort Suites, Sarasota 🐊

29th Drive up West coast to Plantation on Crystal River for 3 nights

30th options for next 2 days include swim with manatees, kayaking along the

        Chassahowitzka River, watching a sunset on the Gulf Coast etc etc……..      

May 2018

1st as above 😎

2nd Drive across to Jacksonville and an overnight stop at the Holiday Inn Express.

        Time for some history as we visit the Kingsley Plantation House on the way.

3rd A short drive today down to St Augustine and 2 nights in TRYP by Wyndham

4th Explore St Augustine - the oldest city in the USA (allegedly!)

5th Drive down to Airbnb River Front - home away from home, Cocoa for 2 nights

      Call in to Daytona International Speedway Track on the way 🏁

6th Visit Cape Canaveral & Kennedy Space Centre 🚀

7th Fly home Orlando to Manchester

8th Arrive home

Florida Road Trip - 3 weeks April / May 2018

For those of you who have been polite enough to show an interest in our exploits in Florida - here's a little taster of what's coming up. 

For anyone planning a road trip in the States, New Zealand or Australia I highly recommend the Roadtripper site. I've used it for 2 previous trips and it's incredibly useful (if not at times a little distracting - there's so much information on there).

I'll post a full itinerary in another post but that'll mainly be for Hubby's benefit as he still doesn't really know where we're going!

Marrakech Photo book - February 2018

We went to Marrakech at the beginning of February.

Here are some photos for you to enjoy.

We had watched Monty Hall's programme about Islamic gardens before we went so were inspired to visit these - so glad we did.

Also had a lot of fun wandering around the souks - as you will see from the photos.

https://www.bonusprint.co.uk/view-online-photo-book/a68ec034-d167-4e06-b87b-f588474cd5c8

Berlin 2017 Photo book

https://www.bonusprint.co.uk/view-online-photo-book/66a67bc7-5dcf-4db3-b261-e5e5dd94e745

Here is a link to my latest photobook - check it out.
I do enjoy making these.

3 days in Berlin in December - pandas (and other sights)

3 days in Berlin

From the outset let’s be clear. I came to Berlin for the pandas. Anything else was totally co-incidental to me.

Hubby, on the other hand has a more cosmopolitan view of life, and doesn’t wear "panda blinkers" so had a list of things he wanted to see. Berlin is quite a compact city with excellent public transport and we were both kept happy.

We arrived in Schonefeld Airport late afternoon. I’d bought a Welcome Card online before we set off so we just had to collect that from the Tourist Information desk in the arrivals terminal and we were able to use all public transport for the duration of our stay. I’d recommend getting one – it gives some discounts which may, or may not be, of use to you – it gave us discount on the zoo and the Trabi Museum so we felt we got value for money from it - quite apart from the convenience.

www.berlin-welcomecard.de

We stayed in the Select Hotel Berlin-The Wall and this was brilliantly located. Come out of the hotel and turn left – you’re at Checkpoint Charlie, turn right and you’ve got the Topographie of Terror and a large section of the Berlin Wall then it’s a short walk to the Potsdamer Platz with its range of shops and attractions

So here’s what we did………

Day 1.

No messing about today – straight up and out to the zoo to see the pandas. Here’s my review of the zoo should you be interested

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g187323-d314008-Reviews-Berlin_Zoological_Garden-Berlin.html

and here’s me looking really happy with a panda.

Because of where we were staying we also visited Checkpoint Charlie and a Christmas Market (which were literally everywhere!)

Day 2

We had pre-booked a visit to the Reichstag

https://www.bundestag.de/en/visittheBundestag/dome/registration/245686

and it was wonderful to see. Following our visit there we wandered back past the Brandenburg Gate and the Jewish Memorial along the Potsdamer Platz back to our hotel. Later that day we visited the Topographie of Terror, a free to enter museum on the site of the former Gestapo HQ, and saw a section of the Berlin Wall which remains in situ. Got a real sense of WW2 history and the post war impact on Berlin. 

Reichstag Building

Brandenburg Gate

Section of Berlin Wall

Day 3

I’m not going to apologise or explain myself – we went back to the zoo to see the pandas again! After that we looked at some of the sites around the zoo – including the ubiquitous Christmas Market!

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, the symbolic centre of West Berlin, an anti-war memorial to peace and reconciliation.

We also checked out the Trabi Museum – a fun attraction, literally opposite our hotel and full of information about this famous East German car. You can do Trabi Tours around the city which all looked rather fun. 

Early flight home the next day so no sight- seeing. We loved Berlin and would happily go back. It’s easy to get round, it has an abundance of historic sights and is relatively cheap for a European capital city. Whatever your interest Berlin will deliver!