Travel to Miami

Our plan for today: sleep in so we can enjoy a late breakfast, then inform the reception that we will be checking out soon and ask them to call a taxi to the car rental. Of course, before that, we need to pack everything calmly.

Our implementation: We didn't set the alarm for Saturday. Panic wakes us up a little after 9, jump out of bed, get ready, brush our teeth, store our belongings, pack our suitcases, and go to the reception. The time is 9:40, not bad at all. Then we briefly explained to them that we need our taxi in 15 minutes. We checked out and while waiting for the taxi, we quickly ate something breakfast-like and it arrived.

The taxi driver was about the same age as us and didn't have a meter in his minibus. Strange. But he was very talkative and asked a lot of questions and also told us a lot. We chatted about movies, Disney, us as Germans, our vacation, wedding traditions, and much more. In the meantime, he asked if we thought that this was the right station because he believed that the car rental listed address was actually located in a Disney hotel, and that turned out to be true. He asked for a friendly $28. Actually, a great price for the distance.

We found the car rental after a little searching in the hotel. Last night, we had to book a different category because our Mustang convertible wasn't available. However, it is recommended to book through the German website in order to have German conditions (jurisdiction, negotiation). Today, we had to negotiate to get an upgrade, insurance, and a second driver included. Of course, with an additional fee, it was no problem for the car rental. The choice was a white Mustang convertible - 5-liter displacement with a V8 engine. Yay!

At first, we drove with the top down, and then on the highway, with the top closed and the air conditioning at a comfortable temperature. Except for a stop to change drivers and a lunch burger, the drive to Miami went by pretty quickly. But by now, we're used to 4-hour drives.

Almost everything was green and full of palm trees along the way. A completely different drive than to Las Vegas.

We have become real pros at check-in and answering questions. No wonder if we have to go through it every few days - where are you from? How long are you staying? Oh, from Germany - they build beautiful cars. Here's the Wi-Fi password, please don't smoke. Have a great stay and out of the office again.

We now have a huge apartment with multiple rooms and our own kitchen with a refrigerator. This offers the luxury of being able to cook and eat for ourselves again, maybe even a little healthier.

After the usual distribution of our belongings throughout the apartment, we took the rest of the day off and went to the beach. It's a 4-5 minute walk down the street. The view is overwhelming. Here and there, there are a few skyscrapers or hotels in the background, then a wide beach as far as the eye can see. We immediately jumped into the water, which is extremely warm. Without the classic 'oh, it's too cold, I have to slowly wade in until I can briefly submerge myself', you can jump right in here and swim through the waves. The water feels as warm as in your own bathtub. Simply wonderful.

Afterwards, we bought out the supermarket to be well stocked for the next few days with breakfast and dinner. A quick check to make sure the car is safe for the night and then back to the apartment.

Now there was a quick clothes check - 'What clean clothes do we have left for the remaining days?'. No panic - we have enough :)

We finally managed to go to bed earlier tonight. Tomorrow, we want to leave at 7 o'clock to catch the coastal road towards Key West. This place is the southernmost tip of the USA.