Love it or loathe it?  Either way it’s been a long time since we last visited.  We always felt that America was one of those destinations which could be easily travelled if we developed any issues with mobility and compared to the adventurous travel we have been doing it might be a tad dull.  However, we needed to change our original plans at short notice and ended up in America by default as it was one of the places with good weather and air miles flights still available. 

Our trip began in New Orleans, a top destination and Mardi Gras gave it such a party atmosphere.  Our accommodation was superb, people were friendly and the food was delicious.  The tour around Florida was great especially The Everglades, The Kennedy Space Centre and the rocket launch.  Georgia and South Carolina were well worth the long drive and Orlando and Tampa were just what they should be……..lots and lots of fun for kids just like us.

So, what did we like?

It’s easy travelling. No language problem and generally a similar way of life.   Finding something to do wherever you were was easy.  The National Parks were excellent.  Plenty of clearly marked trails & wildlife spotting opportunities, well maintained and extremely good value.   

Towns with any sort of history and heritage were very keen to show off.  Place like Beaufort and Savannah had the town clearly marked with tourist walks and places of interest.  Sadly, in Savannah we missed the St. Patrick’s Day Parade which is, reputedly, one of the biggest St. Pat’s parties in the world.  However, we did notice that every fountain was filled with green water!

The USA is generally clean, tidy and dust free.  The people are very friendly, albeit extremely loud, and happy to chat at every available opportunity.  We had some very interesting conversations with all sorts of people including a Moldovan taxi driver.  We didn’t meet any Trump supporters, and most volunteered the information that they were not big fans so we quickly agreed that if they didn’t mention Brexit, then we wouldn’t ask about Trump!!

Fuel is about a third of the cost although you lose some of that saving due to the slightly less economical vehicles.  Parking spaces are huge so there’s no worries about dents on your car doors.  The roads are wide and easy to navigate and well signed.  Drivers are very considerate to pedestrians but that’s probably because they fear an expensive law suit if they mow you down.  Accessibility for all is a high priority with chair hoists for swimming pools, ramps and moving platforms on buses and everywhere within the adventure parks….we really liked this aspect. 

Most restaurants, and all chains, have the calorie count of food on menus.  There’s also a reminder that an average adult shouldn’t consume more than 2000 calories a day.  However, on one menu we found one starter that was over 800 calories alone and most mains were well over 1000, and that’s before you add on your options for extra cheese, larger fries and extra ice cream scoops on your desert. 

Supermarkets are numerous and well stocked making catering in very easy.  We did this a few times just to have some variety and ensure that we got plenty of salad and decent protein like quality blue cheese, chicken and salmon.

We tended to book hotels in advance, but we probably didn’t need to as you’re always close to some sort of hotel/motel.   They were generally of good quality, but not as cheap as we had expected, and most offered only a coffee maker and no kettle.  Chai Wallah Neil soon learnt how to make the morning tea in a coffee maker!

What’s the downside?

Being environmentally aware isn’t high on the agenda in the US.  Cars and pick-ups are big and gas guzzling.  It’s a very throwaway society with hotels leaving lighting and the A/C full on and cold enough to make you shiver.  Everywhere you go you get single use plastic cutlery and plates for breakfast which are just ditched.  There’s very little recycling and supermarkets hand out plastic bags like confetti.  We bought some reusable bags while we were there.

The food wasn’t great.  We soon realised that we had been spoilt in New Orleans where we had access to the independent restaurants in the French Quarter.  On our tour as we don’t drink ‘n drive we were limited to the major chains located near to our hotels.  The food quality was just OK but often too salty unless you make the point.  Most sell the same sort of stuff, steaks, burgers, ribs etc which became very dull but they did offer some good deals on food and drinks.  We managed to get salad and vegetables in most eateries although variety is limited.  Everything comes with cheese unless you say ‘no cheese’ which we did as it’s tasteless!  Whilst the ‘meal deals’ were good value they did encourage you to eat too much.  We always found a table with lots of little hungry people to give our ‘free’ oversized desert to.

Another irritation, and we couldn’t work out why, was that menus for drinks didn’t include prices so you have to ask every time.  If you don’t ask and just order a G&T you’ll get an expensive premium gin and the same applies to wines.  However, premium and diet tonic water has yet to hit the States.  The only tonic was on tap so was sweet and flat in a couple of minutes.  Cheryl was not impressed.

The obesity problem is truly shocking.  The vast majority of adults are overweight and a significant number are clinically obese.  We also saw a number of young adults, teens and kids who were so big they could hardly shuffle towards the ‘make your own giant waffle maker’ at breakfast.  They needed assistance to make it back to the table once they piled on the toppings and picked up enough bagels, muffins, cakes and pastries to keep them going until snack time.  Along with the bad food options on offer another contributing factor has to be the reliance on cars for everything so that Americans hardly walk anywhere.

Driving standards on the interstates were poor at best and sometimes idiotic probably not helped by the law that allows undertaking.  Otherwise, the driving was very conservative.  We came within a few inches of being totally wiped out whilst doing around 70mph on an interstate from somebody undertaking.

Finally, what was very different?

Just one thing that we noticed, petrol/gas stations have a different colour scheme on pumps.  Diesel pumps are green and unleaded are black. 

Now for the verdict

We really enjoyed it and got to experience a great variety of sights and activities and met a lot of lovely people.  We didn’t expect great cuisine, so we weren’t too disappointed with the food.  The weather was great, not too hot to do some good walking and exploring, and not too cold to enjoy the waterparks and wet rides at the theme parks.

We still want to do Route 66, Vegas, New York, California and return to Chicago.  We would also like to spend more time in the National parks especially places like Yosemite and The Rockies.  

We’ll be back in the USA.

The weather improved so it was time to hit the water parks, Aquatica near Sea World and Volcano Bay, which opened in 2017, and although we could see it directly opposite the back of our hotel, it was across a major highway so not easy to get to.  The rides were great fun, including an aqua roller coaster which propelled us upwards using electro magnets, as well as plenty of raft and tube slides. 

The volcano in the centre of the park housed Ko’okiri Body Plunge a capsule drop slide.  It’s the tallest in America at 125 feet high and the first to travel through a clear tube through a pool full of swimmers.  First you walk up the 200+ steps to the top of Volcano Mountain.  Then you stand in a pod with arms across your chest and legs crossed at the ankle.  The door closes and the drums start to play getting louder and louder.  Without warning the floor of the pod disappears and you drop almost vertically.  Neil did it and it took less than 4 seconds to drop the 125ft to the bottom.  Whilst it did get the heart beating as the drums played it was over much too quickly.  The longer tube rides that twist and turn are much more exhilarating.  Cheryl chose not to try any of these!  We had loads of fun in the water parks but for obvious reasons we don’t have any photos.

For the last few days of our trip we hired a car and moved on to Tampa to go to Busch Gardens.  It is only an hour and a half drive from Orlando but was pleasantly free from the overwhelming crowds.  Cheryl remembered her favourite roller coaster had been Kumba, which had recently opened back then and it was still there.  It wasn’t very sophisticated, but boy did it move and it really rattled your bones! 

As it wasn’t busy we had plenty of time to try out all the rides, and we soon realised that it was well worth it to queue for a seat in the front row.  We loved Cheetah Hunt which was based on the movement of running that a cheetah has when pursuing prey, weaving, dodging and at great speed. The acceleration had us pinned back in our seats! At ¾ mile long it’s the longest in the park. 

Montu takes you high into the air before a twisting drop, a 60-foot vertical loop, an Immelmann loop and a weightless roll and that’s only the beginning on this inverted roller coaster. It has seven inversions, a unique Batwing inversion and was the first coaster in the world to incorporate an Immelmann loop (a simultaneous loop and roll), named after a German fighter pilot.

Cheryl’s favourite was Sheikra.   You climb 200 feet to the edge of a 90-degree drop that inches you mercilessly over the edge—and then stops for about 3 seconds leaving you staring at the ground below.  Then it drops almost vertically straight down into a 70mph roller coaster whirlwind with an Immelmann loop and then more loops and twists. 

Busch is much more than just roller coasters.  It was opened fifty years ago when wildlife parks were PC.  The train that takes you through the wildlife park is still there as is the cable car.  You can see rhino, elephants, giraffe, cheetah, lions, tigers and much more.  They have acres of space to roam and graze so it’s not like your average zoo.  The park itself is looking it’s age but when you don’t have to queue for anything who cares?!

There was a special bonus which Cheryl remembered from all those years ago…..free beer!  The site originally incorporated a brewery run by the family and have always given away free beer, not much, 2 samples per adult around the size of ¼ pint.  It’s given away from 2 venues in the park and your right hand is stamped each time you take a freebie.   Cheryl discovered that the stamp could be easily washed off in the loos so we cheated……..now that’s our sort of park!!

That was almost all the excitement over except for the journey home.  Our flight took off 2hrs late due to the plane arriving late from Gatwick because of bad weather.  Whilst the flight was good, food great, sleep comfortable and it made up 30 minutes it did leave us with a problem.  We had booked a train to get us back to Gloucester which left us with 1.5hrs to taxi to the gate, get through immigration, catch the train from Gatwick to Victoria, cross to Paddington via the tube and catch the 11.30.  Phew we made it but probably only because we chose to leave a few things in the US to allow us to travel with just cabin baggage and because we ran everywhere, barged past people and got very sweaty……yes, we know, TMI!

We’re back home now and living in Neil’s house for the first time in almost 11 years.  We’re running around like headless chickens catching up with people and trying to empty the house before it’s sold at the end of the month……busy, busy, busy.

Orlando is the theme park centre of the world and possibly the Universe.  We hit lucky with our hotel and our basic cheapie room was upgraded to one of the best rooms at the top of the tower. We have a fabulous view across the older part of International Drive, the home of the best or worst, depending on your point of view, that this place has to offer. At night the eateries, sideshows and minor attractions are bathed in neon. Probably only Blackpool could beat it for tackiness. We felt right at home.

The major parks are huge and have a vast array of themed areas containing thrill rides, 3D simulator rides, live performances and shows.  Cheryl came here about 25 years ago when Alex was a little boy so was interested to see how it had all changed.  We bought multi day passes for Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure & Volcano Bay and SeaWorld, Aquatica & Busch Gardens.  We left the Disney Parks for another day just in case we have any grandkids who might like to make the trip???!!!

We came here to be big kids not that we need any excuses normally of course.  We started with an afternoon at Universal, which we discovered was a 25-minute walk from our hotel.  The crowds weren’t too bad considering it was still Spring Break (which we subsequently discovered can go up to May, as each college chooses a different week!).  

Cheryl was delighted to see that the ET ride was still there and exactly as it was all those years ago.  All the other rides have been replaced mostly by 3D simulators aimed at teenagers which was disappointing.  However, the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter was quite incredible, and we’re not even big fans.   

Of all the things in Universal Studios this was by far the best themed area as the replications of Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the streets, the train and carriages and Kings Cross Station were superb. We took the Hogwarts Express for the ride to Hogsmeade, and we passed through the wall to get to platform 9 ¾. The ride ends in Hogsmeade station, in Universals other park, Islands of Adventure.  There are also 2 rides that are done in simulators that include playing Quidditch.  They were so good we had to do them a few times.    Leanne, you just have to go!!

We had mixed feelings about Seaworld as it has several shows featuring animals and we prefer that they be out there in the wild doing what wild animals do.  However, there was an emphasis on the research done by Seaworld, as you would expect, and they work with local wildlife organizations in Florida to rescue lots of manatees which are an endangered species and those that are able are returned to the wild.  Those that can’t be returned are chopped up and fed to the killer whales.  Only joking, they have a permanent home with ideal conditions, playmates, a balanced diet and on-site medical care for the rest of their natural life.

The shows were stunning, the animals seemed really keen to show off their skills and behaviours to the crowds and the interaction with the trainers was incredible, particularly as one was corkscrewed along underwater propelled by two dolphins. We returned to the park a few times and watched many of the shows twice.  We thoroughly enjoyed them either for the sheer power of the killer whales, the acrobatics of the dolphins or the slapstick of the sea lions and the smaller animals.  They amazed us, they made us go ‘wow’, we liked that they encouraged people to try to be ‘green’ and protect the environment (something that the US has a lot to learn about) and we laughed a lot because we love pantomime and slapstick. 

Surprisingly, Seaworld had three fantastic roller coasters which were all different and certainly got our hearts beating faster.   We split up to ride the first one as we weren’t sure if we could take our bag with us.  Cheryl got strapped in and the ride moved forward away from the loading bay only to stop just before the first drop.  What don’t you want to hear at this point?  “Kraken is having a technical issue and is temporarily halted”.  Fear not readers, she made it, and Neil even managed a photo from below.

Mako is the highest, fastest and longest in Orlando.  The plunges and climbs are so fast that you take off out of your seat for a feeling of weightlessness 5 times on the ride.  Manta loaded us into shoulder & leg restraints.  Then we found out why as we were tipped forward through 90 degrees to face the ground.  A slow climb up to the highest point before plunging down to earth, twisting, turning, looping the loop, screaming, hollering and generally having a fabulous time as we flew around.   Sadly, one person didn’t have such a good time on this ride as one set of 4 seats was taken out of service as someone had pooped their pants!  Eeeeeeewwww.

Our return visits to Universal were mixed as the crowds were huge and wait times ridiculously long.  To combat this we decided to be first in the park and the strategy paid off as by luck we saved the best till last.  The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit was absolutely breathtaking.  You sit side by side and a large lap bar comes across to hold you in place.  After the restraints are checked, the train immediately begins to climb the 167-foot (51 m) vertical chain lift with you tilted flat on your back.  

When the train reaches the top of the lift, it drops back to the ground, reaching 65mph.  The ride then takes you through several loop the loops including corkscrews, more drops and sharp twists and turns.  Whilst the vertical climb and the 65mph fall back down are jaw dropping there is another unique experience.  As you load onto the car you are allowed to select a genre of music and a track to have whilst you take the ride.  What better than to sing along at the top of your voice to ZZ Top’s ‘Gimmee All Your Luvin’ as you are taken on the ride of your life.

………because you really don’t know what’s coming next!

Having changed our plans to get us back to the space centre in time to watch the rocket launch we cut down our stay in Savannah to 2 nights, reduced our couch surf in Beaufort, South Carolina to 1 night and canned our proposed visit to Charleston.  We then had to find things to do for the 2 days after the launch and our trusty Florida guidebook bought from an English charity shop, price £1, came up Trumps (tee hee).

On the 3hr drive to Savannah on the I95 which runs the length of the east coast of the US, we had 2 unfortunate events.  The first had us worried that we had damaged the car and the second just scared the **** out of Neil who saw it coming but could very little about it. 

We were in the inside lane doing around 70mph when the breeze blew a plastic bucket into our path.  It was too late and too busy to change lane so Neil just had to go over the top.  We pulled over expecting the plastic trim at the front of the car to be in tatters……phew, no damage! 

The second event was almost game over with us either mashed up and in intensive care or in the morgue.  This time we were in the fast lane doing just over 70mph and Neil noticed a car come off the slip road, cross the nearside lane, cross the middle lane and then attempt to enter the lane we were in.  Again, we had nowhere to go so Neil swerved as far as he could go and in the side mirror he noticed that the driver of the other car, now just inches from our rear wing, swerve back into his own lane.  It was a much bigger car so if it had caught our rear wing it would have spun us around and we would have rolled for as long as it took to stop.  That’s assuming we didn’t hit anything else.  So, 2 positive results and 2 clean pairs of pants later we arrived in Savannah. 

Established in 1733 as an English Colony, Savannah in Georgia was a bustling commercial town importing goods from all over the world and exporting goods from Georgia and The Carolina’s, especially cotton.  It was a key location for the American Revolution battles the English had in the late 1700’s with the French and Americans.  Then in the 1860’s the bitter Civil war between the north and the south dominated the scene with the town being the centre of the Confederate struggle. 

It’s still a busy port with huge container ships passing along the river to the open sea.  They sail past the town dwarfing the buildings.  The town itself is beautifully preserved with tree lined streets intersecting numerous tree covered squares and parks.  It is quite stunning with more than 20 squares and parks including one that featured Tom Hanks playing Forest Gump sitting on a bench with his box of chocolates.    

Next stop was a couch surf with Nancy and Timothy in another beautifully preserved small town, Beaufort South Carolina.  Nancy suggested we stop at the Port Royal Sound Maritime Centre which gave us the history of Beaufort and its crab, shrimp and oyster industries.  In its heyday around 100 years ago it employed several thousand people including children who went to morning school and then spent 4 hours oyster shucking in the afternoon.   

Nancy also suggested that we stop at the Cypress Wetlands board walk trail.  It didn’t disappoint with lots of birds and alligators.  We almost saw a crane become a meal but the gator was just a fraction too slow.  This place is surrounded by housing and it shows that the people of Florida, Georgia and The Carolinas are never far from a gator.

We took the town walking tour and looked at the historic buildings and the town centre.   A number of these have been used as film sets as they typify the Antebellum style used between the wars, Revolution and Civil.  We also drove over the bridge used in Forest Gump as he takes his run across America..   It’s a really pretty town with a waterside walk which passes by some very nice yachts.  The park had a collection of benches on swings overlooking the water – what a great idea.

We had a lovely evening with Nancy and Tim talking about all things America and the UK.  She cooked us a delicious meal of local shrimp and followed it with her home-made brownies……very naughty but very nice!  We asked about living so close to gators and she told us that generally it’s not a problem as they are more scared of us.  However, a couple of years ago a woman was walking her dog and a gator took a fancy to it.  She tried to rescue the dog and also became gator food. 

Their garden is full of lovely trees and colourful birds which had us mesmerised with their colours and antics whilst we sat and drank beer and wine on the upper deck that Timothy had built.  Thank you guys, we really enjoyed your hospitality and we look forward to hosting you on the narrow boat and for you to experience the wonders of canal engineering. 

Davenport was to be our base for 2 nights to visit Bok Tower Gardens which Cheryl read about in our trusty charity shop book.  We would never have known about it otherwise.  Edward Bok was a Dutch immigrant who, basically, made a fortune.  He decided to create a nature sanctuary and gift it to the American people.  The 130 acre park was landscaped by the designer of New York’s Central Park and it was opened by President Calvin Coolidge in 1929 just a few months before the Wall St Crash. 

The focal point is a 205ft Gothic Revival Tower of Georgia marble and pink Florida coquina.  It houses a carillon containing 60 bronze bells ranging in size from 16 pounds to 12 tons, all made in Loughborough. It’s called the singing tower and concerts are given twice a day by the carilloneur, who plays the instrument via a keyboard which is mechanically linked to a clapper inside each bell.   Our visit was on St Patrick’s Day and the concert featured Irish music. We sat in an area which had a live video stream so we could see the carilloneur at work up in the tower itself.   The resident player at Bok Tower is a Belgian, whose father was also a carilloneur.  He’s now married with an American wife and has taken US Citizenship.  We had never heard of a carillon before but there are hundreds all over the world, including the UK so we plan to look them up when we get back.

Do you remember the excitement of the 1960’s and 70’s when space travel moved from films and TV to reality?  Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space and then the race between USA and Russia literally took off.  There were triumphs, failures, break throughs and disasters but it was all exciting stuff.  Since then, for us at least, space travel has fallen out of our top 10 of interesting things in the news.  It’s been taken over by the mind-blowing internet, our own travelling, Brexit, our children and our first grandchild.  Space is old news. 

Not anymore.  We went to Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Florida where all the excitement of US space travel was focused back in the 60’s and 70’s.  We relived those days of orbiting the moon, landing on the moon, seeing a Saturn 5 rocket, seeing the actual Atlantis Space Shuttle and reliving the pain of the Columbia and Challenger Space Shuttle disasters.  Now we are getting excited about the new stuff, the international space station, how research rockets are sent to Mars and if life really does live somewhere else in space, maybe our twin planet nearly 500 light years away, Keplar 186f.

Our day at KSC started with a tour of the site which is huge.  We walked under an old Saturn V rocket which at 360ft tall was almost twice the height of the space shuttle.  It got us thinking just how complicated these things are.  It also got us thinking that the capsule that the astronauts traveled in was around 7ft high meaning that the astronauts were sitting on 350ft of high explosive.  When the countdown gets to T-10 just how fast was their heart beating?  Very scary! 

KSC has got us excited again. Yes, we did some silly stuff on our day out but this is a really serious subject especially as one day our children and grandchildren might just travel in space.  There were plenty of opportunities to learn about the technical aspects of space travel including live talks from the people behind the projects taking place right now as well as a session with an Astronaut who completed three missions on the space shuttle. So far, since good old Yuri captured the world’s imagination, less than 600 people have travelled in space. 

In 1903 the Wright brothers made the first powered flight.  In 1977, just 74 years later, Sir Freddy Laker started the first British low cost, no frills, transatlantic service.  Yuri, bless him, went up in 1961, that’s 58 years ago.  If the technology moves at the same speed that means anyone can go into space in less than 20 years from now.  Wow, now that is mind blowing!

NASA are working positively with Elon Musk, Boeing, Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson to share the cost of making space travel for the masses a reality.  Branson has already stated that he plans to fly into space this year.   Musk’s SpaceX company succeeded in sending a cargo capsule to the International Space Centre a couple of weeks ago using the launch pad they have leased at KSC. All these guys are putting buckets of cash into making it happen so maybe now you realise why we’ve become excited again.

There are multiple launch pads at KSC and there’s a launch of some type almost every month which is something else that surprised us.  NASA stopped the space shuttle in 2011 after around 30 years.  Since then it has been using Russian rockets to get astronauts to the space station at a cost of around $80m each.  That will stop as NASA is getting closer to using new rockets capable of carrying humans to get its own people not only into the space station but also back on the moon.  Along with the privateers it’s looking very promising for real space travel for the masses. 

While we were there we heard that there was to be a launch of a Delta IV rocket taking a military satellite into space on March 15^th at around 7pm.  At over 200ft tall it’s bigger than the shuttle was.  Neil was excited, it must be a boy thing, so next day we quickly changed all our plans for the next week and made arrangements to come back to see the launch.  We got ourselves a picnic, some beers and wine, and took it down to Cocoa Beach which we had been told would give us a great view. 

The launch was scheduled for 6.56pm and we watched the countdown clock tick down. Nothing happened. We knew the launch window would end at around 9pm so we stayed and waited as it got dark. It was late, and we were beginning to think it wouldn’t happen, but then kaboom!  Wow, it was absolutely awesome (that’s an American thing) but, to be fair, it was absolutely awesome.  We watched the light make an arc in the sky  and then after a few seconds it disappeared into space just like The Starship Enterprise when it shot into Warp Drive.  That’s another first for us and was just a fabulous moment.

The Florida Keys are a string of tropical islands stretching more than a hundred miles off the southern tip of Florida. The southernmost city of Key West is its quirky heart and it has attracted a long line of pirates, wreckers, writers, artists, bohemians and eccentrics. Sounds like the place for us!

We had a good afternoon wandering around Key West taking in its laid back vibe and pretty architecture.  Of course we had to try Key Lime Pie while watching the pelicans around the harbour near Mallory Square. It’s easy to see why it’s a favourite destination for wealthy Americans looking for some winter sun and the chance to mess around on expensive boats.   Whilst The Keys were very pretty and the scenery stunning it was a tortuous drive.  End to end is about 100 miles but as most of the road is two-way traffic it can be very slow and frustrating in places.  Hey, it’s the famous Florida Keys and it had to be done but it won’t be done again.

We wanted to stay in Key West the southern most tip of the US.  However, we stayed about a 30 minute drive away as the cost of rooms in Key West itself is horrific.  We took the cheapest place we could find in all The Keys and the simple motel style room still cost £115/night without breakfast.  It turned out to be pretty good, with an unexpected bonus of a balcony view across a canal lined with boats.  The attached bar was, shall we say, amusing with a number of interesting guests and a meat raffle!

Final stop in Florida was to visit Miami Beach and the historic Art Deco buildings.  Once again rooms are very expensive in Miami but we managed to find a very good place a 20 minute drive from the train that takes you downtown.  You then catch a bus over to the beach.  Using public transport seemed a good idea to beat the traffic and avoid a parking nightmare.  However, the process was baffling from start to finish – including working out how to get into the parking for the metrorail, and then how to pay for it.  We finally managed to work it out but it took ages to get there as the traffic getting across the causeway was shocking.  Maybe going to Ocean Drive on a Saturday afternoon at peak holiday season wasn’t one of our better ideas.

The beach is a huge expanse of white sand and miles long and, as it was spring break, full of wannabees on their college break.  Bikinis everywhere, guys pumping the exercise bars saying ‘look at me babe’ and noisy bars all along the main street.  It was interesting to experience America’s infamous spring break and see the stunning buildings all at the same time.  As the US was coming out of the 1930’s depression, Miami Beach became one of the places to hang out.  Buildings flew up along Ocean Drive with views out across the Atlantic.  They are stunning and hats off to Barbara Baer Capitman who started the preservation society in 1976.  

For those of you old enough to remember Crockett and Tubbs they were nowhere to be seen but there was a hefty police presence probably because of all the college kids partying hard.   Nor were there signs of any of their late 80’s fashion statements which would have gone well with some of the very expensive cars and boats to be seen all over the city. 

Next…….to infinity and beyond.

Our tour of Florida began in Naples with Couchsurfing. It’s a great way to meet people, learn about real life and get some great tips on sightseeing. You get to stay with a local, and usually in your own room rather than actually sleeping on the couch. We’ve used it in several countries and offer a mobile bed in our caravan in the summer. 

We arranged to stay with Kathleen, a recently retired lady originally from New York.  She had a beautiful apartment in a gated complex that overlooked a lake with fountains.  She was the prefect host and, by American standards, incredibly well travelled having been cabin crew for Royal Jordanian Airlines.  She had been to most countries in the Middle East, lived in Europe and still had lots of places left to visit on her bucket list.  She took us to see the sunset on the beach, to a nature reserve to watch the birds, turtles and alligators and we met her twin sister and her husband who was originally from the Lebanon.

Dinner on the first night was in a swanky plaza filled with upmarket restaurants and shops.  Naples is a wealthy place and generally people there seem to be enjoying the good life.  On the second evening we had a barbeque and sat chatting until late.  We had a fabulous time with her and we hope that she’ll come and see us in the UK and maybe Goa too.

Next stop was Florida City, about an hour south west of Miami and our base to explore The Everglades.  The park was filled with trails and lookout points so armed with our map from the rangers in the visitor centre we spent a full day seeing lots of alligators, turtles, and birds.  We finished off with a boat trip, where we also saw crocodiles.  The Everglades is actually an extremely wide very slow moving river, most of it shallow with porous sheets of limestone below.  There were a surprising number of distinct habitats which alter with only a few inches of elevation. 

We signed up for the special walking tour with a ranger on day 2.  We were told we needed long trousers and closed in shoes and we ‘might’ get wet feet!  Ha!  If wading knee deep in water that provides a home for snakes, turtles and alligators means you ‘might’ get wet feet then we weren’t disappointed.  We were also given a long walking pole as we needed to test the ground ahead of us for holes in the limestone as we could have gone in up to our armpits! Our ‘waterproof’ boots took a couple of days to dry out but it was great fun.  Ranger John was really informative about the habitat and getting deep into the cypress domes and looking for an alligator hole was exciting. 

Our small group was made up of a dozen College kids.  It’s Spring Break at the moment and in America that’s traditionally a time for College kids to go party on the beach. This group was different and explained they were on an Alternative Spring Break where they volunteered their time to help out in the National Park by clearing trails and litter picking.  We were very impressed with this and had some fun with them as a few of them did drop into some of the holes and got very wet.  They were young, gung ho, so we let them go first and find the deepest holes which we could then avoid. Ahh, the wisdom of age.

Eating in Florida City gave us highs and lows.  Our first night was a disaster.  The USA prides itself on delivering great service.  We don’t think that waiting 35 minutes to order drinks, waiting 10 minutes to get the drinks, having to go to the bar to get your own second beer, ordering a salad without cheese only to get one covered in the stuff or having your main course come with the wrong side dish is particularly good service.  Tipping here in the US is mandatory, somewhere between 15-20%, but this was the first place where we left nothing as we definitely wouldn’t be back. 

Our second and third nights were much better.  Texas Roadhouse delivered excellent food, superb service, great drink offers and entertainment from staff who jumped into a song and dance routine from time to time……we had a ball.

Next Stop – The Keys

The journey from London to New Orleans with British Airways restored our faith in the brand.  The check in was smooth, the food and drinks in the lounge excellent and the flight beverages, top nosh and staff were perfect. 

Immigration was almost friendly, a rare thing these days for the States, and we were swiftly through the airport.  It took a while to work out how to get a taxi, and although some reviews had said that our accommodation was hard to find, we stopped right outside the door.  The apartment was huge, and by huge we mean huge.  The bed was the size of a bowling green, the kitchen had everything and 15 floors up meant we had a great view of the city.  As for the location, well it was on the famous Canal Street and just a 15 minute walk to the even more famous Bourbon Street in the French Quarter.  The only downside was the cost but as we got a heavily discounted late booking of £85/night it was an absolute bargain as most hotels in the suburbs were at least the same and those as close to the French Quarter as we were cost twice as much.

We came to New Orleans to see Mardi Gras which is on a huge scale with parades taking place over a couple of weeks. Each parade has a theme, and the ‘Krewes’ on the floats throw gifts at the crowds. Traditionally these ‘throws’ were strings of brightly coloured beads, but this now includes cups, badges, toys, bags, tokens and all manner of tacky stuff. The crowds go wild for the throws, ‘Bead Whores’ as we call them will do almost anything for a string of beads and as you can see from the photos Cheryl got sucked into the party atmosphere and collected 27 of her own in one night. Some of the crowd also brought nets to enable them to catch more tat.  It really is quite bizarre but the atmosphere is good, the high school marching bands are great and some of the floats are fantastic.  

We also enjoyed wandering around the French Quarter and eating at the many great restaurants. One place had a special offer we just couldn’t resist and ended up indulging in the 25 cent martinis which came with our lunch. We also indulged in a spectacular dessert of bread pudding covered in white chocolate and strawberries. It was all so good we needed a snooze in the afternoon, didn’t wake up until 8pm and nearly missed the parades that night!

The parades on the second night were even better with bigger floats and huge marching bands. Cheryl’s favourites were the Dead Rock Stars who featured over 100 Freddie Murcury ‘lookalikes’ all dressed in the yellow military jacket and white trousers and dancing to ‘Another One Bites the Dust’. The Krewe of Muse parade signature throw is a decorated high heel shoe and even the beads were adorned with shoes and glitter. Even more tat was collected to add to the pile.

We caught a lunchtime parade on our last day run by Bosom Buddies and Breast Friends, a walking parade celebrating cancer survivors and their supporters. The signature throw of this parade are hand decorated bras and Cheryl was lucky enough to be singled out to get one covered in flowers.

The day ended with a tedious wait at the airport as our flight to Tampa with budget airline Spirit kept getting delayed. We collected the hire car, a Kia Soul, and finally arrived at our overnight hotel at 2am.