Onward journey to Everglades/Keys

In the morning we say goodbye to Leonie 😪Funny feeling to continue traveling with just the two of us.

We decided to rent a car and see the Everglades and the Keys. We originally wanted to stay overnight in Key West, but the hotel prices are ridiculously high and sometimes unaffordable. We decided on a transit hotel that was centrally located to the Everglades and in about 3 hours we reached the lowest tip of Key West.

When we wanted to pick up the Kia Rio we had booked, we were shocked: there was no car. Since we booked relatively spontaneously, we overbooked 🙄 the woman at the car rental company promised us the next car that would be brought back would be ours. What's in store for us: a white Ford Mustang convertible 😁it would have easily cost twice as much and had at least 40 horsepower, lucky for us. So we set off with our white sleigh ➡️ further south of Miami.

Driving alone in Miami is quite an experience 🫣 did you know that? Unimaginable in Germany: At intersections with four equal streets, the car that arrives first has the right of way. This always works in Florida. If several vehicles arrive at the same time, right before left applies. In Florida you can overtake from the left and right. In addition, there are no stationary speed cameras, the Americans always flash from the police car. Down to Key West, we probably saw 20 cops lurking behind bushes, walls...

On the first day we went to the Everglades, a complete contrast to bustling Miami. Nothing but nature and endless space. A total of 350 different bird, 300 fresh and saltwater fish, 40 mammal and 50 reptile species have been identified. (Careful: Be sure to apply mosquito protection🙈). We read this in advance but discreetly ignored it. Within a few minutes we were completely stabbed, something we had never survived before...

The next two days we explored the Keys. Just the way down to Key West is worth the trip, tons of bridges to drive over, boats and cute houses on every corner. (I found my dream house 😜)

We liked Duve Street and Fort Zachary Taylor Park best, the beach is idyllically surrounded by trees. There we watched the beautiful sunset before returning to the hotel for almost 3 hours.