From Miami to Key Largo
We start at the Alamo Car Rental headquarters. We are lucky — our reserved midsize car was overbooked, so we receive a minivan at the same price and head toward Key Largo.
Along the highway there are a few outlet stores we simply cannot pass by. Fortunately we have a large trunk.
In the early afternoon, after a few more stops, we reach Key Largo and meet Anya, a German expat who runs her own diving center on Key Largo.
Scuba Fun – Key Largo was shortly afterwards featured on Voxtours and is absolutely recommended. Due to Spring Break everything was hopelessly booked out, so Anya offered us a private room.
Thank you again for that!
Together with 4 other divers from home we head to Sharky's bar, where mostly locals chat about the day's adventures. Sharky's is right on the boat dock — a great place to hang out. Tonight an Irish holiday is being celebrated.
We stroll along the canals and watch a nurse shark catching its dinner.
Dive Key Largo
Sunday, March 18:
The alarm goes off at 7:30 a.m. After a quick coffee we drive to the Scuba Fun dive base and board our boat.
With fairly rough seas we head out into open water. Shortly after we jump in and free-dive down to 16 meters. We reach a WWII wreck that originally sank and was later bombed by the Navy to prevent a hazard to shipping. We spot numerous fish including grouper and moray eels. After 54 minutes we surface feeling slightly chilly — but that absolutely does not diminish the beauty of this dive.
2nd Dive off Key Largo
We continue by boat to our second dive spot, where beautiful corals and plenty of grouper await us. After approximately 58 minutes at around 15 meters depth in still quite cool water, our wonderful diving excursion comes to an end and we look forward to a warm blanket for the return trip to Key Largo.
Islamorada - Florida Keys
We have lunch at Shaggy's before heading south toward Islamorada.
At mile marker 77.5 we reach Robbie's Pier. Here for $1 you can stand on a dock and marvel at — and feed — tarpon, open-water fish that can grow up to 2.5 meters long.
www.robbies.com
On the way back we enjoy a breathtaking sunset before sorting out dinner. Over a bottle of wine, Anya organizes a kayak trip with Garl into the Everglades for the day after tomorrow.
Onward to Key West
Monday, March 19:
Today we leave Key Largo and set off along the Overseas Highway toward Key West. We cross the famous Seven Mile Bridge and enjoy the breathtaking drive over open water. At Big Pine Key we stop for breakfast and hope to spot the rare Key Deer. The endangered, deer-like animal is protected here and can be seen with a bit of luck. We are out of luck today and drive on to the Blue Hole — a former quarry that filled with water and now is home to turtles and alligators. (MM 30.5)
Before continuing to Key West, we grab one of the last available rooms for "only" $146 on Big Pine Key (Spring Break strikes again).
Along the way we keep running into Harley-Davidson groups heading south.
Key West
In the early afternoon we arrive in Key West and barely manage to find a parking spot. It is absolutely packed, and it is only Tuesday. We first head to the Southernmost Point, the southernmost tip of the USA. From here it is just 80 miles (about 129 km) across the sea to Cuba.
We continue toward the harbor, pass Mile Marker 0 of US-1, and take in the Hemingway House from the outside.
Old Town Key West & Mallory Square
Next we shop and stroll along Duval Street. After a coffee we hunt down some quarters (always good to have a supply for the parking meters) and feed our meter.
Old Town - Mallory Square
We continue past the Old Bell Tower and through Old Town, the historic district at the end of Route 1 (Mile Marker 1), to Mallory Square for sunset watching.
The sunset here is celebrated every evening by hundreds of spectators from all over the world.
Many artists perform their acrobatics and comedy acts, giving the atmosphere a true street-fair feel.
Amid this unique atmosphere we witness a sensational sunset and enjoy our cocktails on the pier looking out over the small offshore islands.
We wander through the city for a while longer in the evening and visit Hemingway's favorite watering hole, the world-famous Sloppy Joe's Bar, before driving back to our motel.
Bahia Honda State Park
Tuesday, March 20: We head back along Route 1 to Bahia Honda State Park. After a leisurely walk through the grounds we have a relaxed breakfast on the beach. We brave the cold water twice and walk out to the old railroad bridge at the end of the park, where the remains of the road later built on top of it are still visible.
On the way back to Key Largo, Anya from Scuba Fun Key Largo calls and invites us for a barbecue. We organize some wine and a wonderful evening around the grill unfolds.
