Key West Florida

   We receive tickets as a Chrisrtmas gift, from our sons Cyril and Mark and their wives, for a trip to Key West aboard the Key West Express. A large catamaran from Fort Myers to Key West. The trip takes about 4 hours. The boat holds around 400 passengers.

Check out the size of the haul.

 It was an early rise for us. We boarded the boat a little after 7 in the morning. Beautiful morning sky in Fort Myers. Update; We returned the next day. The boat left Key West at 6 PM. When you schedule you can choose a different day to return. You can return several days later. Just make your reservations to suit your schedule. see www.keywestexpress.com

    We left the dock about 8:15. We were in Key West about noon. We booked a hotel that was 2 blocks from the ferry terminal. Its was a 10 minute walk. Our room was ready and we checked in and dropped our bags, each had a small backpack.  We walked about 4 blocks to catch the City View trolley. It was a hop on - hop off trolley. We paid for a two day ticket. There are three different trolleys running about the same routes.  There were 8 different stops. In between we walked many many miles. The narrations was a good way to learn some of the history of the town.There is so much history to tell, so we will try to hit some of the highlights. One of the places we wanted to visit was the Earnest Hemingway's home. In the photo below, the upper left is the front of the house. Top right is the room on the second floor were he did a lot of his writing while in Key West. Lower left is his desk and the inside of his office. Next the master bedroom with one of  the 40-45 cats. The cats are said to be descendants of the legendary original six toed cats of Hemingway.  The house is on one of the highest locations in Key West, 18 feet above sea level. The only house on the island with a basement, according to our very informative tour guide. There was a walkway from the balcony off the master bedroom to his office. It is not there now.

   We also wanted to tour The Harry S Truman Little White House. This house was used mostly by President Truman. Unfortunately we could not take any photo's inside the home. It was small and not elaborate at all, rather plane.

  There are about 8000 chickens running loose on the island. And they are multiplying. Note she is using the cross walk. The residents don't care for the roosters as they crow at all times of the day. But even the chickens are tourist attractions.

      In the evening many street performers gather at Mallory Square. Besides the street performers, its a great place to see the sun set. The street performers were just ok, but the dog stole the show in our opinion. He did several tricks, but jumping thur hops was funny. Note the height of the hopes. But then again his legs are only 3 inches long. There were several jugglers and even a performer with trained rats. Yes "rats".

Here we are at the southernmost point in the continental US.

   We only got to visit the exterior of the Audubon house. At one time Key West was the largest city in Florida and the wealthiest  city per capita in the U.S.. There were many Cuban residents and  many cigar barons, along with many cigar factories. This trade latter moved to Ybor City after the devastating fire in Key West. Sponge harvesting was also very profitable along with capturing of green turtles. We also visited the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center. There is a aquarium and a live video from the reef.
   Being surrounded by water there are many many water activities, like sitting on a beach, dolphin watching, Eco tours, fishing, glass bottom boats, jet boats, paddle boards, scuba diving, etc.
   There are many dinning options. Fresh seafood is abundant in many restaurants. There are Tropical and Cuban influences in many restaurants. There is a very lively nightlife. On Duval street, once called the longest street in the U.S. because it goes from the Gulf Of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, but is only a mile long and claims 150 bars. According to Anheiser Bush Sloppy Joe's sells more Bud them anywhere else in the U.S.. And there is Jimmie Buffet's Margarita, and Hogs Breath and 150 more. This is a party town. It reminds us of a town in the Bahamas.
    Welcome new followers Allen and Donna.  We are now in Wauchula FL at the Thousand Trails Peace River Park. Next we will be in Davenport at Fawn Ridge. If anywhere is near by give us a call. Thank for stoping by.