Key West

 Conch houses

 Portuguese Man O' War

  Key West is saturated with roosters

Just south of Miami lies a string of islands known as the Florida Keys.  Connected by The Overseas Highway, these small islands make the perfect spot for a short vacation, or day trip while in Florida.  The journey over the highway is beautiful, 120 miles of driving out into Caribbean Sea.  Adjacent the highway stands the remains of the previous bridge, eaten away by the salt of the sea (this is what was used to shoot Arnold Schwarzenegger’s True Lies).  At points, some of the keys are so thin there is room only for the highway, with a view of the sea either side.
The Keys, the southernmost point of the continental U.S. are unlike the remainder of the country.  The islands give more of a feeling of being in tropical Central America, than one of America’s 50 states.  Vendors througout Key West sell fresh coconuts to drink straight from.

The entirety of The Keys is coated in candy shades, with beautifully painted pastel houses lining the white sand beaches.  This element gives The Keys a fairytale atmosphere and other worldliness.  Oh, to live in a pastel pink house on the beach.

Our second day in Florida we drove all the way down to Key West.  The weather was gorgeous, I wasn’t sure what to expect for January, as I have only been in March.  For lunch we had an American classic, the eponymous sandwich from Sloppy Joe’s.  The bar has a bustling atmosphere, with open doors and live music.

We followed our sandwiches with a wander down the key’s famous Duval Street.  Each of the Keys is filled with character and artistic flare.  Nearly every house, or building has somekind of decoration, or paint job broadcasting the resident's personal style.

We stopped for cocktails at a little bar on a beach across from The Southernmost House, a beautiful bed and breakfast at the bottom of the Key.  I had a Key Lime Margarita.

Fort Zachary Beach is a beautiful white sand beach, with crystal blue water, characteristic of The Caribbean.  The beach is located inside of Fort Zachary historical site.  We saw two beach wedding whilst walking along the waters edge, as well as the departure of a cruise ship.

Allegedly the sunset in Key West is one not to miss, a huge crowd had gathered at the pier for the event, however with the sky clouded over thre wasn't much to see.  We finished off the night with ice cream cones by the water, before making our way out to our resort in Marathon.  I think my new favourite flavour of ice cream is Pineapple Coconut, tropically appropriate.