Florida road trip - 14 days of adventure

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23/06/2015

Going to Mexico to the USA was easy and coming to Florida even easier. We were so excited to get there and thougt it could be our return to reality. Well well it was in the end absolutely different than what we had expected it to be. And still getting used to it. Even though it may seem that our countries are quite similar in many aspects in our oppinion the USA is completely diffeent, as well as people living there. Maybe it was Miami’s fault because we were really blowed over after landing at the airport. 😉

Miami

We spent many beautiful days in Miami and durig these days we travelled and walked all the city. But mainly we went the so famous Miami Beach and enjoyed our time there and walked along so many rich condos we had seen only on TV before. Comparing to South America and Mexico it felt like being in a completely different world. We also bought there SIM card with unlimited calls and SMS in the USA with 2GB data in 3G network provided by Smart.

Our stay was more pleasant thanks to locals who gave us tips and tricks where to go, what not to miss and what to do without. And to be able to explore and discover everything on our own and meet everyone we set out for our Florida road trip. We picked up a car at Fort Lauderdale Airport in the morning through Alamo but the service was provided by travel agent from Czech JEDU.cz. Huray, we can go! 🙂

Florida Keys

Our first stop were Florida Keys. Absolutely amazing and beautiful spot. Thanks to Czech compatriot Hanka who let us stay in her home we were able to enjoy Keys as much as possible! We explored the island of Duck Key where we saw dolphins and were observers of their fantastic acrobatic sessions. We drove through many islands dow to south and of course we visited the most known city in this part of Florida that is at the same time the Southernmost point in the USA – Key West. This city lives! There are many tourists and bars an it is one of the least places where you can drink on the street so the mood here is more than good. Besided the Southernmost point we recommend everyone to visit local port, stroll the city lanes, take a tour in the Hemingway’s house, snap local lighthouse or walk on the beaches here.

Everglades

Everglades National Park was one of the attractions we could not miss. Our original plan was to stay here for more days and camp but then we met many people who warned us not to do it in this time of the year. They say May is one of the worst months for camping in the Everglades because of mosquitos. Well it is difficult to plan round the world trip the way everything is everywhere possible. But we did not want to miss the opportunity to come there anyway and therefore we decided to compromise and come here for 1 day trip. During this day we visited Alligator Farm where we cradled a crocodille in our arms and also found out what the difference between crocodille and alligator is. It is possible to cuddle also other animals here. The admission fee was 23 USD/person with a ticket on the air boat ride in the wetlands included. This was a super trooper experience! And after several hours spent on this farm we left for Sarasota on diverse Route 41.

Sarasota and Adventure Island

Never heard of Sarasota before? That is a mistake! Because there is a number 1 beach in entire United States. Siesta Beach is very beautiful and we were so lucky to spend here our afternoon when it was almost empty. Make sure to come here if you are close or in the town. But it is not all. Sarasota is also a great spot for culinary. They make the best beefsteaks in the world here! And we can guarante it. Our hosts Marketa and Robert from the Czech Republic treated us like kings and our stomachs were totally full all the time. They introduced us buffets with all you can eat for only 8 USD per person (during the lunch time, dinners are more expensive). You cannot go there everyday but if you want to eat sushi or just to have a big portion of meat and do not want to spend fortune on it, this a place to go! 😉

Apart from eating we went for several jaunts and did some sports. One day we went to Tampa and its local aquapark Adventure Island. Entrance fee was 44 USD/person (tax excluded). If you are going here buy your tickets online and save 5 USD.

But the most spectacular day for everyone was the one on the beach with the jet ski. We were like small kids having fun all day. Just see our pics or watch the video. It was definitely worth it! 😉

Orlando and Disney Land

Orlando is a city of attractions and theme parks where tourists coming here usually spend their holiday. Of course we visited one of them and it was Disneyland. We enjoyed our day and loved it there! It was so amazing to feel like e child again and get crazy on the roller coasters and other attractions. We admire the ideas of Walt Disney World. Everything here was so magic and like in a fairy-tale that you feel like a part of the story. The nice experience could be a good excuse for the overpriced entrance fee 111,50 USD per person/day + 17 USD car parking/day. But once you are in Orlando, go downtown too. It is beautiful and not touristy at all like our Couchsurfer Ben explained us. We decided to go for a short walk, went to city park and were mesmerized by a unique white-black swan and other birds.

Disney Land

Orlando

Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center

Cape Canaveral was a spot we did not want to miss at all. And it was a good choice and perfet timing. We arrived to the town just one day before the rocket launch and not knowing about it. Coincidence? We don’t know but we still feel lucky and grateful for that. Our Couchsurfer Clint helped povided us detailed information from his friend Marty who works for Kennedy Space Center and we were able to drive there early the other morning. Seeing a rocket launch for yourself is a unique and absolutely amazing spectacle. For locals it is kinda boring but for us it was beautiful and precious moment. Precious also because we later on found out that the rocket Atlas 5 transported satellites to the universe with transporders developed, built and tested by the Laboratory of experimental satellites at Czech University in Brno. 😉 Skilful guys they are! If you wanna come here, follow Kennedy Space Center website in advance because they always pin info there about every rocket launch with a counter to start.

After this strong experienced we took a tour in the Kennedyho Space Centrum itself. We bought multiday ticket for only 75 USD per person. This ticket is valid for the whole year from the date of purchase and can b used anyime. Within our 2 day visit we made it to see everyting and we also met the astronaut and were able to ask her questions and take a picture. It was very interesting and enlightening.