Key West, FL--Notorious as being a haven for adventurous scuba
divers, amazing sunsets, a serene location for writers and artists, and a place
where the colorful characters emerge at sundown. I have always been intrigued
with the idea of visiting Key West. Many years ago, my husband and I were
trying to coordinate a vacation to that destination without success. The
problem was that we were trying to arrange Marriott points with frequent flyer
points, and it just wasn't happening.
We opted for a different Florida location for that particular
vacation, but I knew I would someday try again regardless of how long it might
take to arrange. The opportunity arose this spring when we were staying at the Sanibel
Harbour Resort. As I scanned through brochures featuring local activities, I
spotted an advertisement for the Key West Express http://www.seakeywestexpress.com.
There it was right before my eyes--the opportunity to take a day trip to Key
West from Fort Myers Beach and just check it out. No need to find a hotel
there, as we would only be in Key West for a few hours. It would offer me a
little taste of this popular destination, and I would then know if I would ever
want to return for a longer stay. Perfect.
It would be just like sampling different ports when cruising and
deciding where you might return to spend more time in the future.
So off we drove to Fort Myers Beach in the early morning hours to
climb aboard the Key West Express, a large catamaran that transports passengers
to Key West's vacationland in just three and a half hours. There is only one
problem. The boat leaves Fort Myers by 8:30 a.m. (last call at 8:00 a.m.) and
arrives at the terminal in Key West at approximately 12 noon. You spend a few
hours sightseeing, and before you know it, you are boarding for the sailing
that returns you to Fort Myers. This boat departs Key West at 6:00 p.m., with
last call being 5:30 p.m. You do the math: 3.5 + 3.5 = 7. With 7 hours total
travel time, you are on a boat longer than you are in port. We had to make the
most of our exploration time.
How to maximize our short stay? We bought tickets for the Conch
Tour Train http://www.conchtourtrain.com,
which took us to all of the highlights that we needed to see and offered a
great deal of local historical information. We decided to hope off at Hemingway
House for a fascinating tour. See http://www.hemingwayhome.com. A guided tour provided much
history and insight about the author, Ernest Hemingway, the home, the lush
gardens and the approximately 40 cats that roam the property. This tour
immediately inspired me to choose some of Hemingway’s
books for my Kindle, and I intend to read a biography of this very interesting
and talented personality. It would seem that he had a short attention span
relative to his love life, and being there in the room where he did much of his
writing was incredibly inspiring. I’m
not a person who thinks much about ghosts, but I have to say that being in that
house gives you the feeling that his spirit is very much alive.
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| Hemingway's Writing Room |
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| Another View of Hemingway's Writing Room |
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| Pool in Hemingway's Lush Back Yard |
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| Lazy Days in Key West-Cat Sleeping in a Plant |
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| Artwork in the Living Room |
We were hungry after all of our touring, but
didn’t want to venture too far off the
beaten path from the terminal, where we would catch the return sailing of the Key West
Express. We stopped in an Irish pub called Finnegan’s
Wake Irish Pub & Eatery. Strangely, we ordered pizza, which turned out to
be absolutely delicious. With tummies full, we headed back to the terminal to prepare
for the voyage to Fort Myers.
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| Fred & Mary at Finnegan's Wake Irish Pub-Key West |
Caution: Three and a half hours is a long time to sit and
do nothing. On the sailing to Key West, I had a very nice chat with a sweet lady
seated beside me, which made the time go quickly. My husband dozed and watched
a movie that was offered for public viewing. As soon as we boarded for the
return, I desperately wished I had either brought my Kindle or a paperback or had purchased a book at the Hemingway House Bookstore. I ventured into the snack bar area and
discovered that on their posted list of menu items was “Playing
Cards.” That would do the trick! So I talked
my husband into playing Crazy 8’s and
Around the World until he just couldn’t stand it any longer. Lesson learned. Always have access to something to read!
In spite of the quick turnaround, we loved
having a few hours to explore Key West.
Without question, I will return to this tropical paradise in the future
for a longer visit. And do you know what they say about those Key West sunsets? Just take a peek and swoon...
Stop by for more visits to amazing places!
Mary
Anne Benedetto
Author of Eyelash, 7 Easy Steps to Memoir
Writing: Build a Priceless Legacy One Story at a Time!, Never Say
Perfect, From Italy with Love & Limoncello and Write Your
Pet's Life Story in 7 Easy Steps!
*****
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