We arrived into Miami Airport with feelings of trepidation in the wake of some none too positive reviews from Mum and Dad. We thought that our recent passport stamps would count against us too, but we sailed through all the necessary checks in double quick time.
A lovely Venezuelan uber driver took us to our Air BnB in Miami Shores – situated to the North of the city itself. Our home in the sunshine state was Orlando’s Condo:
Abi’s Rating –
Mike’s Rating 9/10 – A wonderful little home with excellent amenities. We were lucky that Orlando was away as it might have been a little bit cosy with him staying there too (especially with a shared ensuit) but we thoroughly enjoyed the stay. A point off for the location being a little out of the way but it was quiet and safe.
We treated ourselves to Papa John’s as the night was closing in and we were desperately in need of some fast food after a month long hiatus in Cuba. Top notch Pizza and a delightful cookie!
Despite this being the best time of the year to visit Miami (“guaranteed blue skies and sunshine”), it rained intermittently throughout our stay. The first port of call was the Wynwood walls to take in some highly impressive graffiti. We dodged the downpours by taking refuge in the gallery area and by having an excellent (but expensive) sandwich at a nearby establishment.
With the skies brightening, a group decision was made to walk to Little Havana (we obviously couldn’t wait to get back to Cuba)! The hour and a bit walk was a touch sketchy in places as we made our way along quiet streets and occasionally passed through underpasses populated by the homeless.
Fortunately for me this was a group decision (see above) and therefore I could only be held partly responsible. Abi is just as reluctant to spend money as I am if the truth be told!
We were both pretty tired as we approached our destination but we were treated to a great view of the Miami skyline from a place that was undoubtedly a tourist cold spot. No one else would have ended up on this bridge if they tried! I like to think that it is my USP as a trip leader…the beaten track is never in the same postcode as us.
Little Havana was teeming with activity as a Pride festival was in full swing. We enjoyed walking down Calle Ocho and taking in the atmosphere before diving into an ice cream shop for a much needed sit down.
After a long day on our feet we only made it as far as the local McDonalds for dinner. The first time in history that I have failed to finish a portion of chips from the fast food giants…the portion was huge but the real issue was the salt content!
Monday was spent in the South Beach area and we had a lovely time cruising around the Lincoln Road area before spending a couple of hours on the packed beach. Brunch was served in a Cuban (still can’t get away) cafe. Service was slow (shock) but the food was fantastic and I filled my boots with steak and eggs.
There was time for a trip to a souvenir shop to pick up the essentials (magnets and a cap) as well as a stop at H&M. Abi finally completed her trip character arc by purchasing the cardigan that she had been searching for throughout the first two months of our expedition. Better late than never I suppose!
A walk to the Botanical gardens was fruitless as it was closed on Mondays which was a shame as it looked rather beautiful. Instead we headed for South Beach…the usually crowded sport that was reinforced further by President’s Day weekend.
Nonetheless we enjoyed a couple of hours of relaxation (today the sun shone throughout) as well as some exciting people watching. A rotund teenager was the highlight as he battled with his ferocious latina Mother on the subject of food. It was a joy to watch as they switched between Spanish and English in the middle of a whole family trip to the beach. The youngster’s protestations that “he just wanted to enjoy his long weekend” were brutally shot down as his Mum rattled off a list of things that he had already eaten that day. It was good drama.
Abi and I were forced to off the beach after a couple of hours as we resembled the now infamous parched (Shout out to the Peter Crouch Podcast there…give it a listen #PassthePod). We had tried to get a bottle of water on the edge of the beach but for some reason the woman had tried to charge me $5 for a 500ml bottle. I nearly died before staggering away in disgust.
We found a 7/11 instead and Abi had a slush puppy type thing while I settled on a much more reasonably priced bottle of water! There was time for one more stroll down Lincoln Road (we stuck our heads into a candy store but did not take too kindly to the $7 for 1/2 lb price tag.
We returned to our Condo to drop off the beach gear so that we could walk to the local supermarket. We must have looked strange as we revelled in the varied produce and the stacked shelves. It was difficult not to fill a trolley but we settled on a combination of treats and a healthy pasta based dinner. The undoubted MVP was the Brookie (cross between a brownie and a cookie).
Our final day in Miami was again interrupted by rain but we braved the conditions and had a fun couple of hours messing around on the deserted North Beach. Much narrower than its counterpart to the South but much less crowded (it was raining and no longer a holiday). We spent the first 20 minutes under Abi’s umbrella and trying to protect the canga from getting too wet (it got soaked).
The sun did eventually come out and we pranced around in the sand collecting shells amid feelings of delirious excitement…we would be heading home the following day and it was safe to say that we were ready for the homeland.
Spirits were momentarily dampened by Liverpool’s abject performance against Atletico Madrid but this was soon forgotten as we settled down for a movie night with the leftover snacks from the previous day.
With our flight back scheduled for the afternoon there was just enough time to indulge in a calorific lunch of Mac n cheese before we headed to the airport.
What an incredible 6 months it has been as we have travelled across a continent and created memories that will last for a life time. The plan was to do an End of Season awards style blog to give an overview of what we have done and our favourite places along the way. But as this is only Part 1 of our honey year I have decided to save that for May!
#WhatOddsPaddy
Abi has done very well to put up with me 24/7 for such a long period of time so I think it bodes well for a successful marriage. Going forward, I would say that wandering into shady neighbourhoods has a detrimental effect on the relationship so it will be limited to a maximum of 2 per trip. Now that is what I call compromise.
Divorce Odds: More chance of an American President that doesn’t qualify for a free bus pass.
Honey Year Travels 