rosie
21-07-2005, 03:39
Day 6 – Friday July 1st
Almost a week into our trip and the time has flown by.
Slept like a log right through to about 9am, which is very unusual for me at any time, but as soon as my feet hit the floor last nights events came rushing back…..
Today was our last day in Key West and I was determined that a few blisters wouldn’t spoil it, so once we were all up and ready we walked down to a small Cuban café for a breakfast omelette, yummy, and discussed our plans for the day.
I wanted to take the Conch Train round the town, so when we walked back to the hotel reception to get tickets. The temp was already in the low 90’s and when we were told how far it was to walk to the pick up point we opted for the tour bus instead.
A quick walk down to the bus stop by the Cuban café we had just had breakfast at. The bus arrived within a few minutes and we took our seats and started on our journey of discovery. First stop was the Southernmost point in the USA. (Forgot to mention, we had already walked down to here yesterday when we arrived) so we stayed on the bus. The guide was very entertaining and as we passed the Southernmost Hotel, the Southernmost Bar, the Southernmost Pharmacy and the Southernmost everything else, he was giving us a good history of the island.
We decided to get off at the stop for the Ernest Hemingway House and the Key West Lighthouse. Now I know the others weren’t keen on seeing Ernest’s house, but they were very patient and indulged me in taking it all in. I have to say, it was a lot less impressive than I had imagined, but I do like to do all the touristy things anywhere new.
Across the street is the Key West Lighthouse, so we all trouped in, posing for pictures by the sign beforehand, as you do. We climbed the 88 steps to the observation platform and the views from the top are spectacular. You can see the big cruise ships docked and awaiting their eager cargo of passengers from one side, and magnificent views across the island from the other sides.
After the photo sessions we all headed back down to the Lighthouse Keepers cottage which is now a museum, at least that had air conditioning, so we sat a while and cooled down.
Back to the bus stop to continue the tour (it’s one of these hop on/off whenever you want affairs) and we were picked up this time by Louis, who was even more entertaining and made the tour that much more enjoyable when he spotted his niece walking down Duvall St and proceeded to thoroughly embarrass her by yelling at her from the bus.
He also seemed to know most of the locals and just stopped the bus to talk to them regardless of the traffic behind, and best of all no one behind was in the least bit bothered by this….. this place is seriously mellow.
We reached Mallory Square about 3pm and Louis recommended a local Cuban restaurant, so we wandered in there and had a great meal in very nice surroundings.
We had spotted some shell shops last night that looked worth a wander round while we waited for the bus again. Back on the bus and this time we finished our tour of the historic district and started up Flagler Avenue towards the new part of Key West. This was not something I was expecting so it was a real bonus and I’m not sure that the Conch Train covered this much ground, so we really had picked the right choice for newbies.
By now I was seriously starting to flag, my feet were killing me again and I was feeling the heat pretty badly. (I’m not usually this much of a wimp, honest, but some recent health problems weren’t helping matters). We finished the tour at our starting point and I needed to go lie down for a while before dinner. Mr & Mrs CDV were still raring to go on, so they took the car and went off on their own, agreeing we would meet up again for dinner later that evening.
Yet again, no sooner had I hit the pillow, than I was fast asleep for a couple of hours. This was just what the doctor ordered and I awoke refreshed and feeling much better. We got showered and met up with the CDV’s and decided to try the original Margaritaville, but tonight we got a taxi there
Almost a week into our trip and the time has flown by.
Slept like a log right through to about 9am, which is very unusual for me at any time, but as soon as my feet hit the floor last nights events came rushing back…..
Today was our last day in Key West and I was determined that a few blisters wouldn’t spoil it, so once we were all up and ready we walked down to a small Cuban café for a breakfast omelette, yummy, and discussed our plans for the day.
I wanted to take the Conch Train round the town, so when we walked back to the hotel reception to get tickets. The temp was already in the low 90’s and when we were told how far it was to walk to the pick up point we opted for the tour bus instead.
A quick walk down to the bus stop by the Cuban café we had just had breakfast at. The bus arrived within a few minutes and we took our seats and started on our journey of discovery. First stop was the Southernmost point in the USA. (Forgot to mention, we had already walked down to here yesterday when we arrived) so we stayed on the bus. The guide was very entertaining and as we passed the Southernmost Hotel, the Southernmost Bar, the Southernmost Pharmacy and the Southernmost everything else, he was giving us a good history of the island.
We decided to get off at the stop for the Ernest Hemingway House and the Key West Lighthouse. Now I know the others weren’t keen on seeing Ernest’s house, but they were very patient and indulged me in taking it all in. I have to say, it was a lot less impressive than I had imagined, but I do like to do all the touristy things anywhere new.
Across the street is the Key West Lighthouse, so we all trouped in, posing for pictures by the sign beforehand, as you do. We climbed the 88 steps to the observation platform and the views from the top are spectacular. You can see the big cruise ships docked and awaiting their eager cargo of passengers from one side, and magnificent views across the island from the other sides.
After the photo sessions we all headed back down to the Lighthouse Keepers cottage which is now a museum, at least that had air conditioning, so we sat a while and cooled down.
Back to the bus stop to continue the tour (it’s one of these hop on/off whenever you want affairs) and we were picked up this time by Louis, who was even more entertaining and made the tour that much more enjoyable when he spotted his niece walking down Duvall St and proceeded to thoroughly embarrass her by yelling at her from the bus.
He also seemed to know most of the locals and just stopped the bus to talk to them regardless of the traffic behind, and best of all no one behind was in the least bit bothered by this….. this place is seriously mellow.
We reached Mallory Square about 3pm and Louis recommended a local Cuban restaurant, so we wandered in there and had a great meal in very nice surroundings.
We had spotted some shell shops last night that looked worth a wander round while we waited for the bus again. Back on the bus and this time we finished our tour of the historic district and started up Flagler Avenue towards the new part of Key West. This was not something I was expecting so it was a real bonus and I’m not sure that the Conch Train covered this much ground, so we really had picked the right choice for newbies.
By now I was seriously starting to flag, my feet were killing me again and I was feeling the heat pretty badly. (I’m not usually this much of a wimp, honest, but some recent health problems weren’t helping matters). We finished the tour at our starting point and I needed to go lie down for a while before dinner. Mr & Mrs CDV were still raring to go on, so they took the car and went off on their own, agreeing we would meet up again for dinner later that evening.
Yet again, no sooner had I hit the pillow, than I was fast asleep for a couple of hours. This was just what the doctor ordered and I awoke refreshed and feeling much better. We got showered and met up with the CDV’s and decided to try the original Margaritaville, but tonight we got a taxi there