Day 5 | 22.03.2019 | Homestead - Fort Myers Beach

First of all, happy birthday dear Jenny, stay just the way you are and stay healthy!

Time flies by, I'm already getting confused with the days. Good thing I can always check here.

Today we are driving a large part of U-41 towards the west to the west coast of Florida. First stop is Naples, but on the way there we stopped at the Visitor Center of the Big Cypress Preserve - because we saw some alligators on the roadside again, as we have been constantly seeing so far. I would say that in my life I have seen fewer wild boars, deer or deer in the wild than alligators today, unbelievable. A pier had also been built at the visitor center from which you had an even better view, and again, the animals live here completely wild but also under the protection of humans.

This area of over 6,000 sq km of Everglades is very sparsely populated, there are hardly any towns, no gas stations and few people, perfect for a healthy nature.

That this nature is naturally always in danger we say a few miles later when a bush fire reached the road. However, the firefighters seemed very relaxed and radiated a sense of routine. Still, it made us a little uneasy.

We then arrived in Naples and headed for the historic district and especially the pier from 12th Avenue. All very, very chic, a high density of Ferraris and Maseratis and many expensive shops that we didn't dare to enter. Nevertheless, a wonderful place where walking around is simply a pleasure. Also your pier, the landmark of the city, was very lively and exudes pure holiday mood.

Now it wasn't far to Ft. Myers Beach where our accommodation for today was waiting for us, but when the navigation system said "still 15 minutes" it would take another two hours. A construction site, an accident? No... Springbreak Madness! The young people have declared the holiday resort a party zone and brought traffic to a standstill. Even the police could only help to a limited extent. Still, everything very peaceful but just as crazy.

We then decided to enjoy our homemade bagel dinner by the canal behind our Tahitiann Inn. Once again, fantastic!!! See you tomorrow...