5 on Friday: 5 From Florida’s Sunny Shores

Just a couple of weeks ago, although it feels much longer, (how does that happen?) I was enjoying a week under sunny Floridian skies.  We spent an entertaining  couple of days in Miami, particularly entertaining because It was Spring break.  If you are reading from over the pond you may well be sniggering at the moment, and snigger you might! If you are in the UK Spring break is possibly not a concept you are familiar with and you will know nothing of the general raucousness and scantily clad bodies that make up Spring break in Miami!  I could go on but I won’t; suffice to say the beautiful art deco architecture of Ocean Drive faded into the background in comparison to the noisy, colourful peacocks strutting past it.

After the craziness of Miami, we welcomed the laid back vibe of Key West.  The island that sits at the very bottom of Florida, just 90 miles across the ocean from Cuba is brimming with sunshine, colour and sunsets.  I first visited Florida over 20 years ago with my then boyfriend (now husband)  We were backpacking, staying in youth hostels and making our way up the east coast of the USA on greyhound buses.  It was great to go back and relive some of those memories and of course create new ones.  If you have never been to Florida I would recommend it simply for the drive from Miami along to Key West. One road, Highway 1, flanked by dazzling aquamarine seas takes you across the tiny islands and enclaves that make up the Keys.  It is possible to fly to Key West but why would you want to miss this spectacular road trip?

Anyway, these are 5 of my Florida highlights……

Life Guard Huts on Miami Beach. These colourful huts are dotted all the way along the beach.  The Mid Way Cafe is the perfect stopping point on the drive from Miami to Key West.  Ice coffees and wraps to die for.
Sailing into the Sunset at Key West.  The Sunsets are vast in Key west and the crowds that gather to watch the sun dissolve into the sea each night are just as vast. Of course the best way to see it is to sail right into it, preferably with a glass of cold white wine in hand, which is exactly what we did aboard the Jolly Rover!Hemingway.  My love for Ernest Hemingway is growing and a visit to his Key West House was a wonderful way to absorb the Hemingway vibeThe Blue Parrot Inn is where we stayed in Key West.  A gorgeous wooden house with a cool, shady verandah, a tiny pool shrouded in palms and pretty rooms decorated in pastel shades and tropical prints.

I  look forward to sharing another post all about my visit to Mr Hemingway’s House.

In the mean time have a lovely weekend doing things that make you smile X

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