Checca Lodge was fantastic, great location great service and an all
round good place to be but unfortunately we had just one more night on this
wonderful trip. Our final stop was in Key West at the Ambrosia Inn on Fleming
Street.
We set off along the Sea Highway on an overcast and humid day. Traffic,
as with almost all the trip, was light so we bowled along enjoying the views
and wondering at the changing landscape since Boston all those weeks ago.
Ambrosia Inn was just fantastic, a clapboard house a couple of small
pools for keeping the temprature down - very much needed, and slap bang in the
middle of Town for an easy stroll to all possible points of interest.
We unpacked - Philip taking the upstairs and me downstairs in our quaint
(that word again) one up one down cabin. Then went off in search of lunch. We
ended up in the Lighthouse on the Boardwalk where the waitress looked mightly
relieved when we said we'd take a table in the airconditioned bar. It was
dripping humid outside and 90 in old money.
The seafood and burgers arrived and we looked out across the harour with
its mix of professional and day tripper fishing boats - lovely and busy. Groups
of folks having a rest from the heat were hovering over their beers prolonging the
need to go back outside - indeed so did we. Great spot for doing nothing in
particular.
Eventually we strolled back through the subtripical gardens of Key West
to our Inn. Philip to sit in air conditioning and read. Me to sit in the pool
and read. Here's a helpful hint - it takes three of those long thin foam
inflatables looped together in a pretsel like arrangement to support your head
and upper back in such a way that if you then rest your feet on the pool steps
you can float all day and read a book without it getting too wet.
As evening came it cooled just a little. We strolled to the southern
most point in the USA admired some very strange architecture and strolled the
length of Duval Street which still manages to retain some of the frontier style
and spirit even though some of the chain stores are trying to turn it into yet
another high street. I just hope it manages to hang on in there, it would
be a real shame to loose it's spirit to political correctness.
We went to Mallory Square for the pagan celebration of watching the sun
set - unfortunately the oppressive cloud cover that had been with us all day
rather blocked the idea of a setting sun but never mind, the conjourers and
unicyclists were fun.
A pleasent meal of more burgers and seafood and a stroll back to the
Inn. Both of us being rather sad that the trip was drawing to its close and in
the morning we had to hand back the car and board our flight from Key West to
Miami and then on to London.
After a deep and peaceful sleep we awoke to a splendid al-fresco
breakfast by the pool. Bamboo and palm trees with the rustic clapboard houses
all around us gave a truely relaxing start to the day.
We packed for the final time and set out to drop the hire car off.
We sort of liked the car in the way one sort of likes an old sofa. It
was a Chrysler 200 drop top. It rode rather like a barge which meant all roads
came over as smooth and comfortable. I had no idea what its turning circle was
officially but Ark Royal could have given it a run for its money. As for
acceleration it never gave me the impression that it had any but get it to its
cruising speed and it would sit soundlessly, sip petrol (I don't think we spent
more than USD 200 covering 2,103 miles) and swallow all bumps as it rode in a dead
straight line even if you turned the steering wheel through half a lock. With
the top down we could just get our minimal baggage into the boot. There was
enought room when the hood was up for golf bags et-al but roof down - no
chance. Would we buy one definitely not - would we hire one to cruise to the
West Coast 'fraid not - it's got to be a Mustang.
Dropping the hire car off gave us a chance to drive around the back
streets of Key West. For some reason - which can only be money related, Alamo
decided to have its drop off point on the opposite side of the airport to all
the other car hire firms. Luckily the competition was happy to advise us of
this fact with knowing smiles. It was by pure luck that we spotted the tiny
sign sitting back from the road for the drop off lot and was able to say
goodbye to our trusty steed. There were fond glances back as we said goodbye
after all she had delivered us safely through a horrible rain storm and done
all that was asked of her.
Key West airport is perfect everything is 20 yards from one place to
another and you stroll out to your plane parked on the pavement outside - once
all are on-board and the door is closed it's 30 seconds until you are in the
air. What was more pleasing however ,was that the barman in the terminal was
doing a roaring trade in last minute Mojitos at 10 am in the
morning.
The flight to Miami was short and a much better way to retrace steps
ather than turning back on one's self. It also gave us a chance to admire the
Keys - they will be revisited.
Miami airport was rather like our impression of Miami - not a place we
would go out of our way to revisit. Virgin did their bit taking us to London
where with the absolute minimum of fuss we were through passport control and
parting our ways, Philip in the hands of the local cab firm and I on to
Istanbul.
It was a great drive - smooth and uncomplicated. The great American
public treated us extremely well the entire length of our trip from ticket
touts in Boston to diner waitresses in Florida it was fun.
The country is proud of what it's achieved and where it thinks it's
going. It's proud of its armed forces in a way that I think is lacking in the
UK. It is sometimes horribly schizophrenic with 50 yard billbords
advertising the next church and sex supermarket jostling for space on the same
stretch of highway.
The radio stations are a scream just for the adverts that cary more
legal waivers than the product information especially for medical stuff. The
guys that read out the legal stuff must have the fittest tounges in the
business!
The weather can be momentous, the storm we passed through on the way to
Savannah was just extraordinary. The heavily wooded Eastern Seaboard was lovely
to see with cities like Philedelphia almost dissappearing into the trees. The
subtle change in vegitation from Boston to Key West was a slow story of how
nature adapts to climate.
The bald eagle nest at Kennedy Space Centre was just extraordinary as
were the olive green aligators resting in their creek but for me the most spectacular
of all were the great lumbering pelicans of Bal Harbour. They were just the
greatest reminder that flight is not easy.
We saw some extraodinary structures. Fenway Park, The Empire State
Building, The Chrysler Building, Brooklyn Bridge, The USS Intrepid, The Statue
of Liberty, The Vehcle Assembly Building, Saturn 5 rocket, The Capitol, St
Augustine in general though Philip will dissagree, Savannah and 2,000 miles of
I95.
The greatest surprise on the trip was the Police Museum at Cape
Canaveral - it was thoughtful and had some truely magnificent exhibits such as
Nixon's resignation letter and the 30's ganster memrobilia when the idea of
gansters was still a little romantic.
The sprit of America is difficult to capture in a few lines or for any special
place or event beause it's just so huge but the two places that capture a big
chunk of this 'spirit' for me are Cape Canaveral for its engineering and 'can
do' attitude overriden by the stupendous bravery of the astronauts and Duval
Street for its ability to still be independent and a place of fun.
Great trip with great cmpany, wonderful sights, places and people. We
will be back...
