Tuesday, February 26, Key West

At 9:00, after pancakes and sausages for breakfast, we were off for adventure in Key West. It is clear, sunny and 25C (78F).

 At 9:20 we stopped at the beginning of the 7-Mile Bridge. It has clouded over & is quite windy.
The bridge on the left is the newer, auto bridge, while the one on the right is the old bridge which is open to pedestrians for a 2.3 mile stretch.

When we arrived in Key West  it started to rain heavily, so we decided to find the Eco-Discovery Centre, an indoor venue. There, we watched an HD movie, “Reflections of the Florida Keys,” a short film on the diverse ecosystem of the Florida Keys by renowned filmmaker Bob Talbot. We viewed a 2400 gallon aquarium stocked with many varieties of sealife and corals.
  http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/eco_discovery.html

By the time we left, the rain had stopped and the pavement was drying up. We drove around looking for a parking spot and finally found one on the beach.

We then walked several blocks to the landmark denoting the "Southernmost Point on Continental USA".
 The marker, actually built to resemble a buoy, stands at furthest south tip of Key West. The monument notes that Cuba is only 90 miles away, and just to its right, a plaque commemorates the brave Cubans who have drowned trying to get to America.

Next stop was the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum. Hemingway bought the 1851 Spanish colonial-style mansion in 1931. The house, set in a lush tropical garden planted by the author, is home to more than 50 cats, descendants of Hemingway's felines. We didn't tour the home, just peeked over the wall.

Before we knew it, lunchtime had rolled around, so we stopped at "Mangoes Restaurant", in the heart of Key West, where we enjoyed a seafood lunch in the courtyard.

For dessert, Chris & I shared a slice of Key Lime Pie down the street at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Cafe.

At 3:30, we found our way back to the car, where the thermometer registered 92F. I got my feet wet in the Atlantic Ocean before heading back to the park.

Back at the Jolly Roger Park, Chris & I went to the pool to cool off. So ended another great day!