2 for 1, 10 for 10 and 101 pieces

So, one day later than usual and after a delicious ice cream, I have overcome my writer's block from yesterday and I will now try to somehow describe to you in the following lines what we have been doing all day. You may have noticed that there is not one big adventure after another here. But that was exactly our intention when we decided to have a solid base for a few weeks. And we also thought it was more suitable for Frederik than being on the road permanently.

So let me start where I left off. Therefore, we are on Friday:

In the drawers of our apartment, we found various flyers of restaurants and activities. Among other things, a flyer for a permanent flea market with 600 stands, about 20 minutes away from us, caught our curiosity and we went there directly after breakfast.

We were greeted by two parallel, endlessly long sheet metal halls, in which the stands were located on both sides and in the middle. It wasn't the most spectacular experience of our vacation. Actually, it was more like one big pile of junk. Because here, a flea market does not mean the type of flea market as in Germany, but every exhibitor has a wild accumulation of new Chinese junk. From kitchen utensils, cosmetics, gold chains from rolls, headgear, phone cases, etc... really just junk! In between, a real Cuban who rolls cigars live and a man who decorates leather goods with motifs and inscriptions on individual request apparently got lost, but those were also the extraordinary highlights of this tour. Even the Tiki Bar announced on the flyer was more like a makeshift tent.

So we still had the whole day available, since the first item on the agenda was quickly dealt with. Since we were just around the corner, we made another detour to the outlet.

There we encountered additional discounts in addition to the already reduced prices. For example, BUY 2, GET 1 FREE. This is nothing special here. In the supermarket, you can find daily bargains with offers like these. My favorite offer: 10 ice cream packs for 10 dollars!!!! Of course, I had to take advantage of that!!

The best investment of the last few days: 10 dollars for 101 cookie cutters!!! YESSS, that's right!!! And they include everything thematically and we have already used them extensively for learning words, counting, drawing shapes, or as a substitute for fishing!! Once cleaned and disinfected, we might actually make cookies ;) Until then, we'll test what else we can do with them.

Not far from our neighborhood, there is an upscale shopping and dining area called VENETIAN VILLAGE - located right by the sea, of course. We started our Saturday morning there. There's not much to tell about it. We didn't go into the stores and it was too early for ice cream.

So we got back in the car and just drove through the streets. And luckily, Frederik fell asleep early, so we could go for a few more rounds. Well, what can I say... We saw houses that I only know from TV or could only guess behind huge driveways. Even I am lost for words here.

But it was very interesting to see how the area completely changes when you cross the 'main street'. Here, everything is still neat, tidy, and has a lot of charm, but you can immediately tell that 'normal' people live in a personal neighborhood here. That's when I could finally take a breath. ;)

With a growling stomach, we found a small pizzeria with white garden tables and plastic chairs, and here too, 'normal' people and really delicious food!!! and it was right by the Naples Dock, so we naturally had to walk up and down it.

Next stop was TIN CITY, a collection of sheet metal halls, which are converted on the inside into a kind of ranch style and divided into various small shops and restaurants. Of course, everything is for 'Miss Tourist' and there was considerably more going on than we were used to at other places.

Nevertheless, it was interesting and we will come back for a lunch at a restaurant with an outdoor terrace overlooking the small harbor. They supposedly have very delicious GUMBO there and that must not be missed in this vacation! Gumbo is a typical Southern dish and a kind of stew made with ingredients such as okra, onion, celery, green pepper, fish, and meat.

We got the tip right on the spot from an older couple we met through Frederik (who would have thought). This time the men got caught up in conversation, but really interesting things came out of it:

The 83-year-old Gus - aka Gunther - aka Günther, was born in Germany and lived somewhere in the Black Forest until his 6th birthday. After his parents died in the Holocaust, but he survived, he fled to Sweden where he lived for many years. He said he even saw Hitler live.

We both didn't quite understand why and when exactly he moved to the USA. Here, he met his wife, studied law, worked as a lawyer, then as a judge, even at NASA, and met Werner von Braun, then he dedicated himself to the investment industry and taught his knowledge to younger people. He has written two economic books and most recently his autobiography. Marius and he had a lot to talk about. We got his card, then they said goodbye, because they had just rushed over from their home in Homestead near Miami for a day trip with their new car just for lunch. Very nice people and maybe we will actually contact them again.

But then we had to slowly go back to the apartment to cool off and have some snacks.

Since we were both too exhausted for the beach and pool, Frederik only had a little boat bath that day. But he also thought that was great and fished diligently with the cookie cutters.

Then it was already Sunday again and we started our day once again at 'our' beach. Oh, it's just really beautiful! :)

Next on the agenda, of course, was the UEFA Euro 2016 and at goal number 3, Frederik understood how to celebrate.

We spent the afternoon getting to know new stores again. This time it was furniture/home decor stores and a craft store. Everything was really great!!!

To conclude our 3-day report, we want to leave an important greeting to SABRINA AND MICHI:

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LITTLE PRINCESS!!!!!

We hope you are all healthy and fit and can start this new phase of life without worry. We wish you serenity, calmness, the best sleep possible, togetherness, and the ability to be amazed by your little miracle every day!!

We are very happy for you and even more excited to meet little MILEEN!

We were busy today at the beach with a little family project for Mileen's greeting. We thought a first (sand cake) candle for her birth would be a good idea ;)

Take care and have a good start as a small family at home!