Florida: a very special trip

Bound by a strange fate once again (the fourth time in the last five years!), on the 21st of April we set off on a holiday...... The alarm goes off very early, shortly after 4:00, and getting up would be a problem... if it weren't for the departure of a trip. The adrenaline rush comes to our aid and, once the last few things are sorted out, after an unusual breakfast with darkness still reigning outside the window, the grandparents arrive right on time to pick us up and drive us to the airport. At 4:58 we leave home, bound for Miami and then Florida!... For us it's a welcome return to the States, after the fantastic "Western Tour" of two years ago, with those amazing rocky landscapes still in our minds that, we know, we won't encounter this time, but, we're certain, the United States will once again manage to amaze us...

In a way, it's also a return to Miami, given last year's stopover that took us, after troubled events, to the American Virgin Islands. Florida, however, is still far away when, a quarter of an hour after leaving, we get on the motorway at Faenza, swiftly following the ribbon of asphalt northwards... and, given the time, everything flows smoothly, so at 5:52 we're in front of Bologna's Marconi airport, suitcases in hand, ready to face this new adventure. After saying goodbye to our drivers, we confidently pass through the doors of the Bologna airport and, having checked our bags straight through to Miami, we go through the metal detector and start waiting in front of gate number 15, only to realise almost immediately that there's a mistake on our tickets because the flight is actually departing from gate 21.

The wait is short and, despite a small delay that shouldn't cause us any problems, about half an hour after the scheduled time we board flight AF 2329 which, at 8:00 sharp, takes off for Paris. The Air France Airbus A318 quickly climbs and shortly afterwards flies over the snow-capped Alps, tackling the vast French plains, so, about an hour after take-off, we spot the French capital below us, with the Eiffel Tower standing out crystal clear, a short distance from the winding course of the Seine. Almost simultaneously the landing gear comes down and we find ourselves slowing down on one of the many runways at Charles de Gaulle. After disembarking at Terminal "F" we quickly transfer to "C", putting all our experience of this airport into practice (which, however, doesn't spare me a ruinous and clumsy fall from the shuttle bus... and the resulting embarrassment!).

We go through customs and, once again, the metal detector, arriving, with no time to spare, at gate C87, just as boarding is beginning. We get in line and, after waiting a few moments, we board the gigantic Air France Boeing 747 which, slightly delayed, at 11:29, takes off, identified as flight AF 090, bound for Miami. Unfortunately, we're seated in the middle rows and won't be able to look out of the window, which makes the journey a bit more boring... Meanwhile, I set the hands of my watch to the Florida time zone (six hours behind) and in an instant we find ourselves, once again, at the dawn of this long day. The journey is endless: according to the on-board navigation system we first fly over the Azores and much later the infamous Bermuda... while Federico, growing impatient, keeps asking how much longer until we arrive.

We skim past the Bahamas, with the slender outline of Eleuthera clearly visible out of the window at the tail of the plane, and shortly afterwards, at 14:36 local time, we happily land at M.I.A. (Miami International Airport). We face all the customs formalities with a bit of apprehension, given the problems that arose just over a year ago right in front of these counters, which made us miss our connection to the Virgin Islands, but everything goes smoothly and, having found our suitcases safe and sound too, we take the Alamo shuttle to collect the car we booked from home. Having sorted out, without any argument, a small issue regarding the rate, we finally set off in a stunning and colossal gold-coloured GMC Envoy SUV (licence plate U75 1FF) towards the centre of Miami... We still can't believe it: we're really on the roads of Florida...

it's only one of the 51 states that make up that enormous country that is the United States of America, but for this holiday it will be enough. Still disoriented, we go the wrong way and lose a bit of time, while the sun disappears behind a big cloud, so, having crossed the bridge over the coastal lagoon, we reach Miami Beach at almost 19:00. The first lights of evening are fading and fortunately it doesn't take us long to find the Rodeway Inn South Beach, which will host us for the first two nights of this trip... We take possession of our room, leave the car in a multi-storey car park nearby and go out: the place at first glance looks appealing, although very busy. We take a short walk along the pedestrian Española Way, have a gelato for dinner and then rush to bed... we've been up for almost twenty-four hours and Sabrina, but especially Federico, are starting to feel the strain...

we'll explore Miami Beach tomorrow, with the clarity that sleep will restore to us.

Thanks to the tiredness built up yesterday, jet lag can now be said to be completely digested: we get up shortly after 7:00 to the sound of the alarm and, having had the first American breakfast of muffins, a few minutes after 8:00, we can officially kick off our exploration of Florida. First of all we start looking around: we're in Miami Beach, an island located about three miles off the main coastline, the most famous and representative place in the city... and to think that less than a hundred years ago it was just an unhealthy and inhospitable area, until the owner, a certain John Collins, having obtained the right funding, decided to reclaim it and somehow launch it into tourism.

It was finally "thanks" to a hurricane, which in 1926 destroyed all the wooden buildings, that houses began to be built with reinforced concrete structures and in the style then in fashion: the so-called art déco. The Art Déco District, which includes about fifty blocks in the southern part of Miami Beach, is a succession of buildings (about 1,200), more or less interesting, characterised by the typical pastel colours, which have helped create some of the most famous and recurring images of the city... and we enjoy them in the almost unreal peace of the early morning hours, when the area is still dozing, after yet another night at a frenetic pace.

We go along Washington Avenue, observing among other things the original circular building of the Miami Post Office, and when we reach the end we head back up along the famous Ocean Drive, dotted with trendy venues that are very slowly awakening from the torpor in which they still find themselves. We park in front of one of the most famous buildings: the Versace Mansion, a building strangely not art déco, purchased in 1992 by the famous Italian designer Gianni Versace who lived there for five years, until the date of his murder, which took place right on the white staircase leading up to the villa... and after the obligatory photos we set off on foot towards the beach.

We pass by the Beach Patrol Station, another characteristic construction, especially when seen from the sea side, and walking calmly we reach the edge of the ocean: today rather rough and certainly not inviting, in fact nothing special were it not for the setting, with the parade of skyscrapers in the distance and the most classic and colourful of lifeguard stations in the foreground giving a thoroughly American touch to the panorama, embellished among other things by a sky clearer than ever... It's divine: there's lovely sunshine and a pleasant breeze that mitigates the temperature, plus we're on holiday and all this contributes to putting us in decidedly good spirits.

We return to the car and head, this time, for the mainland: we leave Miami Beach, pass by the American Airlines Arena, where the NBA basketball team the Miami Heat play (testified by a giant poster of the famous basketball player Shaquille O'Neil occupying much of the facade) and arrive at Downtown: characterised by very tall skyscrapers (and numerous others under construction). We park near Bayfront Park and from here we get on the metromover: a sort of elevated metro. Following the Downtown Loop line we thus suggestively travel around the whole centre of Miami at a certain height, enjoying daring glimpses... a convenient and original way to enjoy Downtown, and completely free too! We do two complete laps and after a walk in Bayfront Park, a relaxing and well-kept garden on the edge of the lagoon, we get back in the car to continue with today's planned visits.

We go a little further south and, crossing the Rickenbacker bridge, we arrive on Key Biscayne. Driving the whole road that crosses it we reach, at the southernmost tip, the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to spend some time on its beach, characterised by the white Cape Florida Lighthouse (historic lighthouse erected in 1845). The beach, with a few too many seaweed patches, isn't exceptional and the water isn't the best you could wish for either, but at least it's a pleasant temperature and we can enjoy a refreshing swim. For lunch we move into the shade of the trees behind the beach and laze there for a while: everything is going perfectly and there's only a hint of worry due to a problem with one of Sabrina's feet... and it's no small thing given our style of holiday, anything but sedentary.

After the necessary good-luck charms, for the afternoon we move a few kilometres further north to Crandon Beach Park, about which I had good reports from home... in fact the beach, dotted with palm trees, is splendid. The same can't be said, however, of the water, murky and packed with seaweed... but we didn't come to Florida for beautiful sea! We spend the whole afternoon in the shade of the trees, seeking above all, far from the stressful daily routine and in the tranquillity of the place, the right holiday dimension, until shortly after 18:00 when, without hurry, we gather all our things and start heading back towards Miami Beach. We pass again in front of the American Airlines Arena just as numerous fans are entering... there must be a game scheduled.

In fact, when we get to the Rodeway Inn we turn on the television and see that the play-off game Miami Heat-Chicago Bulls is about to begin... it's only been a day since we arrived but we already feel a bit like we've been adopted... go Miami! For dinner we have a pizza in the spartan place located below the hotel, then we treat ourselves to a stroll along the pedestrian Lincoln Road, which in the 1950s was considered the most elegant shopping street in America after New York... today it no longer is, but it has nevertheless remained an interesting and lively area. After about an hour of walking, now tired, we drag ourselves to our room. It's been a lovely day, full of interesting ideas, the climate at this time of year is delightful as we expected, and on top of that Miami won 111 to 106... and if the morning is anything to go by, Florida will, we believe, be a very pleasant experience.

We wake up in a half-deserted Miami, given the public holiday. We have breakfast, sort out our luggage and set off on our "on the road" tour of Florida. We leave Miami Beach behind us and, passing through Downtown again, we take Interstate number 1 southwards. We pass the turn-off, on the left, that leads to Key Biscayne and, crossing the immense southern outskirts of Miami, we come in sight first of Florida City and then of the vast swamps that are the prelude to the Keys. The Florida Keys are a chain of over ten thousand small islands (of which only about fifty are inhabited) that stretch from the southernmost tip of the state, towards the south-west, for over a hundred miles (160 kilometres), ending up only ninety miles from Cuba. Having crossed the Barnes Sound lagoon, Interstate number 1 arrives on the first island, one of the largest: Key Largo...

and here we start looking for the John Pennekamp State Park, the state park that can be considered the natural springboard for the Florida Reef, a vast coral reef located a few miles off the coast. Having found the entrance we buy the ticket and immediately head to the visitor centre, to get information about the organised excursions of the day: there's space on the 12:30 snorkelling tour, so we pay the very steep participation fee (including flipper rental) and, after a quick look at the aquariums of the small adjacent museum, we wait for the time on the nearby little beach (decidedly ugly!)... Just time for a snack and then we head to the boarding point to get on, a few minutes later, El Capitan, the vessel that will take us out to the reef.

We first cross channels lined with dense mangroves, then a nice stretch of sea and arrive, after almost an hour of sailing, at the planned spot, where the water, a few miles from the swampy coast, is beautiful and transparent. We don't need to be asked twice and, having put on our gear, we get off the boat and reach the reef with a short swim... We encounter numerous coral formations and many beautiful colourful fish, as well as an enormous barracuda that sits motionless near a rock, ready to spring its deadly trap: truly a beautiful seabed, rich in life... not quite that of the Red Sea, but nevertheless of a good standard for the Caribbean area. We thus return satisfied on board after a good half hour of snorkelling and around 15:00 we dock at the starting point, concluding a highly successful excursion.

We have lunch, even though the time is a bit unusual, and then get back on the road: we drive the whole of Key Largo, encountering the classic yellow "School Buses" picking up the children from school, then Islamorada and the tiny Matecumbe, Fiesta and Long Key, with the ribbon of asphalt that, hopping from one islet to another, becomes evocative at times. We finally pass Layton and arrive on the island of Marathon, where we take accommodation at the Holiday Inn Marina... It's just after 17:00: there are no interesting beaches nearby and we decide to spend some time in the hotel pool, to the delight of Federico who can thus satisfy his irrepressible desire for a swim.

Later we go out for dinner to eat Conch Fritters, a tasty speciality of the Keys, in a small restaurant on the seafront (which, according to some photos on display, was half-destroyed by a hurricane no more than eight months ago) and then we go back to our room to rest, pondering on how much beauty we've seen today too.

A day that's anything but difficult lies ahead, so we get up slowly and, after a good breakfast at the Holiday Inn, we get back on the road towards the southern end of the Keys and then towards Key West, its capital. We cross the whole island of Marathon and drive the incredible Seven Mile Bridge, the longest bridge in the Keys, opened in the early 1980s... evocative, but not as much as the old one which, mostly inaccessible,

It's sweet to wake up in Key West... we have breakfast at the edge of the Best Western pool and then we set off (this time by car, given the size of the little town) to complete our visit to the capital of the Conch Republic. To begin with we go to photograph the southernmost house in Florida and the southernmost point of the United States... from here Cuba is much closer than Miami! We take a quick tour of the Bahamian Village, scattered with old houses and chickens scratching around freely (proud descendants of the fighting cocks from colonial times... protagonists of a relatively recent past), then we go to see mile zero of Interstate number 1 (a significant cartographic reference) and right after that we stop in front of what was, for a long period, Ernest Hemingway's house: undisputed ambassador of overseas literature.

We visit the home which, bought by Hemingway in 1931, still has the original furniture and the atmosphere in which the writer conceived some of his most famous novels (first among them "The Old Man and the Sea")... We look at his study, which was reached via a rope bridge that no longer exists today, and the garden, where the swimming pool stands out, the first built in Key West, for the love of Pauline, the last of his four wives... All around, about fifty cats scamper about, descendants of the original ones bred by the famous character, among which some stand out with six claws per paw, a distinctive genetic trait, witness to the era when the felines, ancestors of this peculiarity, lived alongside the writer.

After leaving the house we observe, on the other side of the street, the old Key West lighthouse, one of the first built in Florida (in 1847) and still working, then following characteristic streets on which, given the time, the typical tourist buses are starting to circulate, we slowly make our way back to the hotel. We arrive at the Best Western in good time for the 11:00 check-out and, once we've fueled up and done a bit of routine shopping, it's almost noon when we leave behind the extravagant and magical Key West, which will indisputably remain the southernmost point of our trip, as well as an indelible memory. The Keys really take a long time to drive all in one go: we pass Big Pine and, leaving Bahia Honda State Park on our right, we tackle the astounding causeway of the Seven Mile Bridge.

Having also crossed Marathon in its entirety, a little later we stop to have lunch, by the sea, at Islamorada, and once we set off again, in the afternoon, we also pass Key Largo and regain the mainland, arriving in Florida City around 3:30 PM. We start looking for the Travelodge, which will host us for the night, and we struggle quite a bit to find it, losing a good half hour, then, having left our bags in the room, we promptly set off northward. We skim the outskirts of Miami and take road number 41 (the Tamiami Trail) heading west: the strip of asphalt runs along the northern edge of Everglades National Park, one of the most interesting wetlands in America, and it's precisely from here that most of the Airboat excursions depart, those strange boats equipped to move with an enormous propeller outside the water, seen until today only on television.

We cover a few miles and stop at Coopertown Airboat, while unfortunately the sun disappears behind sudden big clouds. I go to ask for information and I get energetically addressed by the folkloristic character standing at the counter when I inquire about whether or not there are crocodiles... "No crocodile... alligator!", he answers almost offended... but that's enough to convince me. After photographing a sad alligator in a cage near the parking lot, we take part in the tour with that strange means of transport and, navigating along a small canal, we immediately encounter a few reptiles, this time free, with their unsettling eyes and the profile of their snouts emerging from the water's surface...

With earplugs on (given the deafening noise) we then let loose on the thrilling run through Shark Valley, also known as the "River of glass" (the river of grass), something that in appearance recalls an immense rice paddy. Then, traveling along narrow canals, we encounter numerous marsh birds and other alligators, and after about half an hour we return to the starting point, certain of having lived, in many ways, an unrepeatable experience. At the end of it all "Mister Alligator" gives us the chance to hold a baby of those notorious reptiles in our hands... first Federico (very brave) holds it in his arms, then me, but not Sabrina, particularly frightened. Pleased with the day we return in complete calm to Florida City, while the sun just won't come back out.

In the evening we have dinner at Pizza Hut with the all-American "All you can eat" formula (fixed price and you eat all you want!), then we go to sleep: tomorrow we'll try to get up early, in view of the longest stage of the trip.

Luckily the beautiful sun has returned, so we get up early and, after breakfast, we leave the Travelodge, with all our luggage, heading towards the interior of the region. We drive about ten miles and then enter the Everglades National Park, established after troubled events in 1947 by President Truman, with the aim of preserving at least a part of the vast marshy areas in southern Florida, characterized by a delicate ecosystem and extraordinary biological richness. It's always a wonderful emotion to enter a great American natural park: you immediately perceive the order and extreme respect for the environment, while the feeling is that nothing, truly nothing, is left to chance.

Only one paved road runs inside the Everglades National Park, number 9336, and driving along it we soon come in sight of the Royal Palm Visitor Center: from there a couple of trails depart, including the Anhinga Trail, which should be the best one of all. Given the time (it's just after 8:00), there are no other tourists besides us and only a few bird watchers silently lie in wait, with their oversized telephoto lenses in hand... so as soon as we start walking we encounter numerous birds that, not at all frightened, let us approach and photograph them, while in the water, just a few yards away, several alligators swim undisturbed. Further on the path winds over some wooden boardwalks that go deep into the swamp, and the spectacle staged by nature is extraordinary...

it feels like living inside a documentary; only the relaxing background music and the calm commentary of Piero Angela are missing. The stagnant waters around us are teeming with life, with fish jumping and the unsettling silhouettes of alligators advancing silently... a large turtle trudges laboriously on the bank, while among the surrounding vegetation hundreds of birds flutter about, sometimes busy tending to their young, which peep chirping and tenderly poke their heads out of their nest. We linger long and rightly so on the Anhinga Trail, which alone can be worth a trip to the Everglades, then we also venture into the nearby Gumbo Limbo Trail.

This time the path winds through thick vegetation (the Gumbo Limbo is a tree typical of the park) and scenically it can't be compared to its neighbor, but we manage to see a snake slithering away just a few yards ahead of our steps, and that's enough to make the experience positive. We get back in the car and, after noticing some signs warning about the presence of the panther, we drive along the park's main road to the small detour that leads to the Pay-Hay Okee Overlook, basically a lookout tower that sweeps over the immense sea of grass of the Everglades: a fascinating view, a shame only that, given the dry season, most of the marshes are now completely dried up, naturally at the expense of the presence of wildlife. We move even further on, while quite a few clouds have appeared and now the sun comes and goes, and we arrive at the Mahogany Hammock Trail...

The hammocks, characteristic of the Everglades, form where the ground is only a few inches higher than the water level and are a sort of islands covered by thick vegetation... This trail, quite evocative, ventures with some boardwalks right inside a hammock to explore it completely, but here too the lack of water proves probably crucial because we don't encounter any animal, not even the spiders for which the place is famous. Following the whole ribbon of asphalt we finally reach Flamingo, at the point where it ends: here there is only the visitor center and a small marina, so nothing keeps us longer than the time needed to make a quick U-turn and resume driving.

Heading back towards the park entrance we stop at West Lake, a body of water the color of mud surrounded by vast mangrove swamps, into which we venture by means of a short trail, then by the lake shore we stop for lunch, immersed in an almost unreal silence and peace... the high season is truly over and around us there's not a living soul... fantastic! Completely free from stress, shortly before 13:00, we must however get back on the road because there are still almost five hundred kilometers to the end of the stage... We leave the Everglades very satisfied, with no more than three mosquito bites (a real success given the reputation of the place), and head decisively north. We bypass and pass Miami, which we'll see again on the last day of the vacation, and go to the town of Fort Lauderdale, a little further on, along the coast.

Of high rank, the "Venice of America" (as some call it) doesn't disappoint, and the dense network of canals, built in the twenties where there was a mangrove swamp, is today dotted with elegant villas, in front of which millionaire yachts are moored: a vision enhanced by long and scenic palm-lined avenues. After devoting a (more than due) moment of attention to Fort Lauderdale we immediately get back on the highway and continue north, to exit shortly after at the town of Lake Worth... From here we reach the coast and start following it, encountering more and more often villas that are a real slap in the face to poverty, until we reach the aristocratic town of Palm Beach, chosen, since the end of the 19th century, as the favorite refuge of America's richest personalities...

The town, in fact, is a living room tailor-made for its exclusive inhabitants, and we, to tell the truth, don't feel at all at ease, so we take a few photos, just in time before the sun goes away, and then "escape", also because it's getting late. Half an hour later, as we drive along Highway number 95, the "universal flood" is unleashed... nothing bad, because the day, in practice, is over: we drive another two hundred kilometers and arrive in the evening in the town of Cocoa, where we take lodging at the local Best Western. We quickly freshen up and then go out for dinner at Denny's (an excellent fast-food chain), then tired, but extremely happy with the extraordinary experiences lived on this very long Wednesday in April, we go to rest our limbs... never satisfied with the wonders that Florida offers us daily.

As announced by the television news, this morning a few too many clouds are sailing in the sky, but we don't despair because, as the hours pass, it should only improve, and as proof of this, large patches of clear sky already stand out in the distance. We get up calmly: we do the shopping and refuel, then, flanking a folkloric water tower all painted with the colors of the American flag and following Interstate number 1 north, we come across a rather unusual scene, at least for us Europeans. At the edge of the roadway the sheriff keeps watch over two prisoners, recognizable by their clothes with the classic white and blue stripes, who, with ball and chain and shovel in hand, carry out some maintenance work... further on three female prisoners collect garbage at the edges of the road...

an attitude towards those who, rightly, must serve a sentence that we would do well to import! After a handful of miles on number 1, later we turn right along the bridge that leads to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center... it's a drawbridge and it's being raised to let some sailboats pass, so we stop and during the wait Sabrina spots some dolphins swimming freely in the lagoon... A wait that, however, unexpectedly drags on because only the bridge of the opposite lane lowers and not ours... it's incredible: we're going to the most technological place in the world and we're blocked by a simple drawbridge that just won't close!... After 45 minutes the police must intervene: with order they direct the traffic onto the passable lane and we can finally reach the Kennedy Space Center...

What an emotion! From this universally known place all the most important American space missions have departed, including the one that, in 1968, took man to the moon, and the NASA emblem combined with the stars and stripes flag, which welcome us at the entrance of the Visitor Complex, are two indelible icons in the history of world astronautics. After purchasing the Maximum Access ticket and crossing the main door we immediately go to visit the Space Shuttle... it doesn't seem real, it looks like just a faithful reconstruction and instead it's the original!...

We then go to see a nice 3D film about the international space station, and on the way out, after a quick lunch, we review all the pieces of the evocative Rocket Garden, among which, besides many epic launchers, stands out the walkway through which Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin walked before boarding the flight that landed them on the moon. In the early afternoon we tackle the bus tour that leads to the discovery of the base: we pass by the colossal Vehicle Assembly Building, one of the largest buildings in the world (from its doors the Space Shuttle emerges already in vertical position, ready for departure!)...

We see the enormous tracked mechanical platforms and the tracks on which they travel when they transport the space vehicles to the launch areas, and further in the distance the launch pads, from which, with enormous roars, man has been departing regularly for almost half a century to conquer the cosmos. We stop at the section dedicated to the Saturn V and the Apollo missions... the dimensions of the rocket that took man to the moon are impressive: exactly double the height of a Space Shuttle, so much so that one wonders how such a heap of iron can fly! On the way back to the Visitor Complex we also encounter an alligator (reptiles are at home at the Kennedy Space Center and are not hard to see), then we still have time for another 3D film (about the moon landing) and for a small show dedicated to children (Mad Mission to Mars): nice, but we expected something completely different.

At 18:00 sharp (making the most of all the time at our disposal) we leave the Visitor Complex, then, back on the morning's road, we cross the drawbridge (which in the meantime they have repaired) and stop at the Astronaut Hall of Fame, included in the ticket price, which closes at 19:00. Here some memorabilia and a few interesting simulation games are preserved. An hour passes quickly: we leave the Hall of Fame too and start following the road that runs in the direction of Orlando, while in the distance a large fire can be seen darkening much of the sky... Luckily it's not on our way and after a few miles we leave it ominously behind us as we continue towards our destination. We reach the town of Kissimmee, south of Orlando, almost in the dark and take lodging at the Rodeway Inn Main Gate, which will see us as its guests for the next three nights...

We're at a short distance from Walt Disney World, which we'll see tomorrow, and if Federico is already in seventh heaven, all together for now we enjoy the unforgettable day just concluded and go out for dinner, since it's almost 22:00, at Ihop, another good chain that offers decent dishes at excellent prices.

Exactly one week after the departure of this trip we wake up under the bluest sky ever of Florida and, after a providential breakfast at the hotel, we catapult ourselves towards Disney World... For a day we'll be children again, but, above all, we'll please Federico (our child in every sense), who is bursting with joy and can't wait to cross the gates of his dream world. Walt Disney World is enormous, in fact it extends over an area of 11,200 square kilometers (a small county) and includes within it well four main theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom), plus a couple of minor ones and numerous resorts...

We decide to see Magic Kingdom, the first historic park built in Florida (in 1971) and the second overall after the one in Los Angeles, California: we believe it's the most genuine, but above all we choose it because we think it's the most suited to our characteristics... One thing is certain: you absolutely cannot visit them all, unless you're a fanatic of the genre, but more than anything if you don't want to spend a small fortune in the span of a few days, because they're anything but cheap, despite some combined offers. A few minutes after 9:00 we cross the entrance gate, or rather the toll booth (like a highway one)... The parking lots are vast and luckily, judging by the current flow of vehicles, today they don't seem like they'll fill up, nevertheless the swarm of people at the park entrance is impressive.

After riding a monorail and paying the "mere" 63 dollars (per person) for the ticket, we find ourselves, with great emotion, at the entrance of Main Street, the fairy-tale main street of the Magic Kingdom, at the end of which stands out the unmistakable Cinderella Castle, seen so many times in photographs or on television. A short stroll along the street takes us, in the heart of the park, in sight of the attractions, which we decide to tackle, on the guide's advice, counterclockwise, in order to avoid as much as possible the long waits... I don't know if thanks to the suggestion or by pure chance, but the first lines we tackle are really short.

We see in order: the "Swiss Family Tree House" (a fanciful treehouse), the "Jungle Cruise" (a nice boat excursion in the jungle) and "Pirates of the Caribbean" (the really well-made reconstruction of the legendary world of pirates), this as regards the area of the park called Adventureland. We then enter Frontierland and, after tackling the "Splash Mountain" alone (Sabrina and Federico didn't feel up to it, but apart from the last drop it's a walk in the park and you only come out a little wet), I convince the little one to follow me, not before a very quick visit to the intriguing "Tom Sawyer Island", on the "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad"... it's his baptism of roller coasters!...

and in the end he says he had fun, but his face doesn't look convinced to me! We move to Liberty Square and see the "Haunted Mansion" (the house of spirits): in many respects captivating, but Federico didn't like it and partly tackled it with his eyes closed. Here we are in Fantasyland: we dedicate ourselves first of all to "It's a Small World" (one of the first historic attractions, very simple but truly hilarious), then we book with the Fast Pass the "Peter Pan Flight" and go to see the 3D cartoon "Mickey's PhilharMagic"... to say the least fantastic!... Finally we go out and have lunch, in harmony with the environment, with hot dogs, coke and ice cream (something that would horrify an anti-globalist!).

Duly refreshed, we get moving again and, having reached Tomorrowland, we take part in the "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin" (a scoring course that Federico loves like crazy) and on the way out we run to Main Street, because it's almost 15:00 and it's time for the traditional "Share a Dream Come True Parade"... very beautiful! All the most famous Disney characters parade one after another: from Mickey to Alice, from Aladdin to the Seven Dwarfs, and then Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck, Pinocchio, Cruella De Vil, Cinderella, Belle and, naturally, the Beast... a feast for the children (more or less grown up) of the whole world! After the parade we finally allow ourselves the "Peter Pan Flight", booked in the morning... nothing special, then the "Snow White's Scary Adventure" (a calm journey into the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs).

Having definitively left Fantasyland we go to "Mickey's Toontown Fair", Mickey's town, to see the nice house of the world's most famous rodent and that of his girlfriend Minnie... and it's right here that Federico manages to get an autograph and a photo together with the legendary Pluto! There's still time to complete the visit of Tomorrowland, so I accompany the little one first on the "Indy Speedway" (children always appreciate miniature race cars), then on the "Tomorrowland Transit Authority" (a banal futuristic little train) and in "Stitch's Great Escape" (an attraction of which we understood little or nothing), finally, while I enjoy two breathtaking rides on "Space Mountain" (roller coasters that dart at full speed in almost complete darkness), Sabrina and Federico go for a second round on the "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin".

At the end of it all, unfortunately, we won't be able to see the famous fireworks exploding against the backdrop of Cinderella Castle, in fact at 19:00, after ten very intense hours, we must of necessity leave the Magic Kingdom, because it closes its doors... and the child, tireless, comments with a single word: "Already?!...", while we are exhausted, but satisfied with the day, which we conclude, a little later, at Pizza Hut, in front of a "gluey" plate of tomato pasta... a small culinary heresy, but effective at soothing the pangs of hunger.

We allow ourselves a wake-up without too much haste, in fact the SeaWorld park, which we'll visit today, doesn't open its doors before 9:00 and is just a few miles from our hotel. A few minutes after the above-mentioned time we thus arrive in the enormous parking lot in front of Orlando's most famous attraction complex, after Disney World, and, having paid the very salty ticket here too (62 dollars per person), we immediately cross the entrance gate. We skim the flamingo lake and the turtle lake and arrive, following the swarm of people, at the Sea Lion & Otter Stadium, where we take our seats to see the first of the scheduled shows... "Clyde & Seamore Take Pirate Island" is a nice show revolving around some sea lions and several otters, which we later also see in the "Pacific Point Preserve", the reconstruction of their natural environment.

Without wasting time we then run to the Whale & Dolphin Theater to attend "Blue Horizon", a stunning show with the inimitable dolphins, whose intelligence and charm far surpass the other inhabitants of the sea, even when, shortly after, we watch them while they eat at "Dolphin Cove" and, playing, splash us abundantly. After a personal refreshment on the big slide of the attraction called "Journey to Atlantis" we all go together to the Seaport Theatre to see "Pets Ahoy!", a funny show of trained animals (especially dogs and cats), and at the end, while Sabrina and Federico have lunch with a nice ice cream, I unleash myself on "Kraken": breathtaking roller coasters. What are penguins doing in Florida?...

That's what we ask ourselves when, in the early afternoon, we visit the "Penguin Encounter", before taking a walk in the park while waiting for the next show at the Nautilus Theater (nice but a bit boring). While the sky slowly darkens we explore the "Shark Encounter" (sharks are always fascinating), then, after a stop at the bar at the foot of the Sky Tower (one of the symbols of the park, today closed due to the annoying, not exactly warm, wind blowing from the north), we head towards the Atlantis Bayside Stadium, where we watch, a little later, the engaging show called "Fusion", with divers, acrobatic skiing and daring stunts on jet skis.

Once this show is over too, we visit the beautiful "Wild Arctic" pavilion, with polar bears and enormous walruses, plus the very rare beluga (an albino cetacean), and on the way out, when it's now 18:00, we have only one performance left to see, at the Shamu Stadium, the most representative one: that of the orcas... Magnificent!... Although, perhaps thanks to the first shadows of the evening and expectations that were too high, deep down, deep down it left us a little disappointed... Or maybe it's the tiredness: two parks in two days!... We're a bit worn out... Who knows how so many Americans manage to spend an entire week in Orlando!... We'll leave the area tomorrow, mind you, satisfied, but it's time to change the tune!...

We return to the Rodeway Inn and later go out for a pizza (naturally at Pizza Hut), then, having finally found the Florida license plate, which we'll add to our collection, we go back to the room to rest, because tomorrow we have quite a few miles to cover, and, we hope, another beautiful day.

We promptly prepare to get back on the road, because one of the longest stages of the trip awaits us... apparently, however, splendid weather conditions won't assist us: the sky is completely covered by an annoying haze and a rather cold wind is also blowing. We leave the hotel heading north along Highway number 4, pass through the center of Orlando, which only forty years ago was a quiet country town and today, thanks to tourism, has become a metropolis, and continue as far as the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, to arrive, a little further south of Daytona Beach, at Ponce Inlet.

We drive along the coastal road, flanked by vacation homes in which large porches wrapped in thick mosquito nets stand out (there must be times of the year when the hated insects are truly numerous in this area, and the proximity of the Mosquito Lagoon says it all) and at the end we come in sight of the red Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, the historic lighthouse (the tallest in Florida) active from the end of the 19th century to the seventies. One could also climb to the top of the structure, but the bad weather discourages us from doing so. We then head back north along the coast road, always accompanied by an odious grayness, and once we reach the center of Daytona Beach we would like to drive along the famous driveable beach, but it's not possible: the ocean is furious and large waves almost completely invade it.

I take a sad photo and, having inevitably abandoned the idea, we leave Daytona Beach, pass by the famous Daytona International Speedway, temple of speed capable of holding 150,000 spectators and venue, since 1959, of important automobile races, and get on Highway number 95, proceeding quickly further north. When it's just past noon we arrive in the town of St. Augustine, the oldest permanent inhabited settlement in the United States. The Spaniard Ponce de Leon, who gave Florida its name, landed in this place in 1513, but it was only on Saint Augustine's day in 1565 that the town was officially founded... After numerous battles and alternating dominations, succeeding one another over the centuries, the historic center has come down to us almost intact and then skillfully restored, a true exception for the historic heritage of the States.

We park near the fortress and, given the cold wind that continues to blow incessantly, we have lunch huddled inside the car, then we set off on foot for a little sightseeing tour of the central streets, while, fortunately, the clouds thin out and let out a few auspicious rays of sun. After passing the ancient City Gate we enter the pedestrian St. George Street, flanked by old and characteristic houses, among which is also the Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse, as the name says the oldest wooden school... in all of the United States though! Continuing among beautiful views we arrive at the central Plaza de la Constitucion, dating back to 1598 and dominated on the northern side by the imposing bulk of the cathedral.

We then briefly go up King Street and arrive in front of the scenic Flagler College, today the seat of a school, but a hundred years ago the luxurious Ponce de Leon Hotel, winter refuge for the richest and most powerful personalities of the nation. With wide and welcome patches of blue sky above our heads we retrace the route in search of intriguing perspectives with a European flavor, finally, having exited the City Gate, we go to observe up close the walls of the surprising Castillo de San Marcos, very well preserved, which don't show their 400 years of age. With the strong ocean wind whipping our faces we return to the car and put an end to the visit of St. Augustine, so, back on the road, we dedicate ourselves to the second part of the stage, which is just transfer.

We say goodbye to the Atlantic and the "Route Number One", which has practically accompanied us from Key West to here, to cut across Florida from east to west and arrive at the Gulf of Mexico. We cross bucolic, slightly hilly landscapes, accompanied by the extreme variability of the weather, with the sky that, repeatedly, clears up and then darkens, and we arrive, ahead of schedule, in the town of Crystal River, where we take lodging at the local Days Inn. From here tomorrow morning we'll set off for a boat excursion (booked from home) to discover the manatees in the river that bears the same name as the town... we just hope good fortune assists us and the sun returns to shine unchallenged. In the evening we have dinner at the nearby Denny's and then return to the room, in anticipation of the early wake-up to take part in the excursion that will depart at 7:30...

in the meantime we close the worst day since we left... and we boldly hope it stays that way!

At the start of a new week and a new month the alarm goes off shortly after 6:30: an original boat excursion on the waters of the Crystal River awaits us. We don't even have breakfast and we present ourselves, enthusiastic, at the dock, where they give us the necessary equipment: mask, fins, life jacket and wetsuit... We then proceed with the dressing and, after an informative video on manatees (exclusively herbivorous cetaceans, relatives of common dolphins) we set sail, traveling along narrow canals flanked by lush vegetation. An odious cold wind from the north is still blowing, even though today the sky is completely clear, indeed limpid, and the air temperature certainly doesn't invite a swim. After about forty minutes of navigation, among marshy landscapes at times fascinating, we arrive near a small island and are invited to get into the water.

The first sensation, in contact with the temperature of the river, is not among the best, the second, once we put our heads under, is decidedly worse: the water is murky and you can't see a hand's breadth from your nose... Nearby, however, a fin emerges and shortly after we are grazed by two large manatees... it's a splendid emotion, but immediately after they disappear into the marshy and anything but "Crystal" River. Impossible to take underwater photos: I give up, while another manatee passes beside me and I stroke its enormous tail... They are completely harmless and chubby, but it's not exactly pleasant to see beings weighing several hundredweight pop out of nowhere, even if well-intentioned... We come across a few more and then, partly because of the cold, we return to the boat.

A bit disappointed, especially because of the characteristics of the water, I ask the guide for clarification, because in the videos and photographs we had seen it much clearer... He explains that the clarity is only there in the winter months and that it is almost completely lost in the warmer season... We believe him and start watching those nice animals that every now and then resurface at the sides of the boat emitting strange sounds, similar to mooing. A little later we tackle, all in all satisfied and a bit chilled, the return trip and along the way we also see a large alligator lurking on the banks of the river... and our thoughts inevitably run to when we were in the water... sure, if we had met it on the way there... but all's well that ends well, as they say in these cases.

A few minutes past noon we have lunch at Denny's (but for us it's also a slightly late breakfast) and then we leave the Days Inn and Crystal River heading south. Along the road we notice signs warning about the presence of bears (in Florida?!... I didn't think there were any) and after a few dozen miles we reach the town of Tarpon Springs, known for its large Greek community, once engaged in sponge fishing. We thus pass by the most classic of Orthodox churches and continue to turn, further on, towards the sea, onto the bridge that leads to Clearwater Beach. We drive along the entire main street of one of the most interesting tourist towns of the Gulf of Mexico and, after crossing another bridge, we stop on the small island almost completely occupied by the Sandy Key Beach Park...

It's now late afternoon and we decide to spend a couple of hours on the beach of the park, which is certainly not to die for, but not bad either, a shame only about the annoying wind that keeps blowing. We play a bit with the seagulls and allow ourselves a good dose of healthy relaxation, before returning towards the center of Clearwater Beach and taking lodging at the nearby Travelodge. Having taken the luggage to the room, we get ready in a hurry and go out in time to reach the very central Pier 60... where, in a pleasant setting that recalls, in due proportion, the spectacle of Key West, an extraordinary sunset is staged, characterized by the intriguing profile of the pier against the fiery sky... and then we have dinner at a place on the waterfront, concluding this first of May in the best possible way.

We calmly prepare to leave Clearwater Beach, while a splendid day is forecast, with the sky completely free of clouds and the temperature set to rise. After crossing the bridge that separated us from the mainland, we drive through the entire vast outskirts of St. Petersburg, do a quick shopping trip, and arrive shortly after 10:00, a short distance from the city center, at the Salvador Dali Museum. However curious it may seem, in St. Petersburg is located the largest collection in the world of works by the extraordinary Catalan artist, and this thanks to the vast collection of a Cleveland businessman who in the forties, strong in a solid friendship with Dali, bought a great number of canvases, later exhibited in this museum starting from 1982. We thus immerse ourselves in the cultural visit, fascinated by cubism and surrealist paintings, with the famous ectoplasmic clocks...

and initially we also consider ourselves lucky for the unexpected discount, of fifty percent, applied to the ticket price... a reduction which, however, we would have gladly done without because, as we discover step by step, quite a few paintings are unfortunately enclosed in large wooden crates, piled up here and there in the museum, probably returning from an international exhibition. They are working hard to put them back in their place, but we'll have to settle for seeing only those currently present, though very beautiful and worthy of the time we wanted to dedicate to them... In the end, however, it was a small disappointment, which in the end we also politely express, in black and white, in the appropriate box marked "Comment", shortly before the exit.

By noon we move to have lunch on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, on the island where Fort De Soto Park is located, a small well-kept state park full of tranquility, which develops around a late 19th-century fort and some decent beaches, where it's worth spending some time. After quickly exploring, in the early afternoon, the old walls of the defensive positions, we get back on the road, passing over the impressive Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a remarkable engineering work that spans Tampa Bay saving us quite a few miles, and once we reach the town of Bradenton we deviate again towards the sea to reach Anna Maria Island. The island, narrow and long, develops from north to south and, traveling almost all of it, we stop, near the southern end, at the wide Coquina Beach... truly a beautiful beach: white sand as fine as talcum powder, lapped by blue and transparent waters...

without a shadow of a doubt the best seen so far in Florida. A shame only that the pleasant breeze that was blowing, within less than an hour, turns into an annoying stiff and biting wind, which ends up spoiling the party a bit... With Federico, however, I enjoy a pleasant swim in the warm and inviting waters of Coquina Beach and then we stay to spend some time on the sand, dominated by an enormous wooden Coast Guard lookout tower, under which the most classic of American rescue vehicles is parked. Around 18:00 we conclude our seaside relaxation and resume the itinerary following the road that conquers, one after another, the islands that develop parallel to the coast, up to the town of Sarasota. Here we return, with yet another bridge, to mainland Florida and right in Sarasota we stop for the night, in a hotel of the Super 8 chain.

In the evening we find nothing else to eat but a takeout pizza, but we make do and in this way we close a day in some ways not very lucky, but in any case positive.

It's the calmest morning since we left... the alarm goes off at almost 8:00, because the Ringling Museum we're going to visit, located less than a mile from our hotel, won't open its doors before 10:00. The multimillionaire John Ringling, magnate of the American circus, one of the owners of the Ringling Brothers Circus, very famous in the States at the beginning of the last century, accumulated great wealth and by the twenties already owned a fortune estimated at about two hundred million dollars. In Sarasota he established the winter headquarters of the circus and built his sumptuous residence... Later destroyed by grief over the death of his wife in 1927 and impoverished, two years later, by the stock market crash, he died in 1936, apparently with only three hundred dollars in his pocket... He left to posterity, however, there in Sarasota, the testimonies of his incredible life.

After breakfast and having left the Super 8, we present ourselves a few minutes before opening in the parking lot in front of the estate and punctually, a little later, cross the entrance gate. We begin the visit from a brand-new pavilion, recently inaugurated, which houses a wonderful miniature reconstruction of the Ringling Circus, then we move on to the adjacent and interesting Circus Museum, with colorful wagons used to transport animals, a large cannon that fired human cannonballs and numerous memorabilia recalling an old and famous Hollywood film: "The Greatest Show on Earth", with Charlton Heston... and the reference is not random since there's also a corner dedicated to the famous film. Once back in the open air we go to see the "Rose Garden" and then visit the "Ca' d'Zan": literally, in the Venetian dialect, John's house... John Ringling.

It's a building in "Venetian-Gothic" style, scenically built and with great taste on the shores of the lagoon, wonderfully set in the environment that surrounds it and anything but tacky, knowing the American inclination for excess. The interiors are also very beautiful, which, skillfully furnished, can be seen entirely only with a guided tour, in which we of course take part... We emerge from it, well impressed, after about half an hour, and immediately afterwards we get on an electric vehicle that takes us to the Art Museum. John Ringling loved art and within a few years acquired over five hundred works by great masters... a collection that today is considered one of the best of its kind in the country: in particular several paintings by Rubens stand out, but also numerous paintings of the Italian Baroque, with Tintoretto and Veronese at the forefront.

We complete the visit of the surprising Ringling Museum when it's already past noon and, having gotten into the car, we head towards the sea, in search of a beach where we can spend the rest of the day... We thus cross a bridge that spans the lagoon and arrive at Siesta Key, then, in its southernmost part, at Turtle Beach, which is a beautiful stretch of sand, washed by a splendid sea and certainly deserving of a stop. We have lunch in an area equipped for picnics and then, following the guide and Federico (particularly intrigued), we decide to move about ten miles further south, to Venice Beach, where it seems you find shark teeth galore along the shoreline... Result: maybe it's not the season, but shark teeth found zero and a beach a hundred times less beautiful than Turtle Beach, with murky water full of algae!...

Not all donuts come out with a hole, in fact this one came out swollen in the middle and a bit burnt! By now it's late: useless to go back north and a little further south there don't seem to be valid alternatives. We resign ourselves to spending some time at Venice Beach, which seems to have in common with the lagoon city only some smelly algae and no positive characteristics... At least today the temperature is optimal and the breeze pleasant. We stay on the beach until shortly after 17:00 and then, following Interstate number 75, an hour and a half later, we reach the Days Inn of Fort Myers where we'll spend the night. For dinner we go out on foot, across the street, to Pizza Hut in search of a plate of pasta, and then return to the hotel to rest, while, alas, the remaining days of this pleasant vacation are drastically dwindling.

After a hearty breakfast offered by the Days Inn we take to the road and head towards the center of Fort Myers, an important town located in the southwestern part of Florida. On McGregor Boulevard we go to see what were the houses of Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford... The inventor of the light bulb and the legendary founder of the famous car company were close friends at the beginning of the twentieth century and in their time bought their winter residences, one next to the other, right here in Fort Myers.

We park the car in the square in front of the historic site, where there is, among other things, the largest banyan tree in Florida and in all of the United States, with a canopy circumference of over 400 feet (about 120 meters), and after briefly observing, only from the outside, the two dwellings, entirely made of wood in a style typical of the region at the dawn of the last century, we immediately set off again towards the sea and the islands facing this stretch of the Gulf of Mexico coast. We cross a toll bridge and arrive on Sanibel Island, presented as a tropical paradise by numerous

It's the last full day to spend in Florida and the intention is to spend it at the sea, in complete relaxation. We're in Naples, a very elegant resort located at the southern end of the Gulf of Mexico, and we go to the beach at Lowdermilk Beach Park, a tiny semi-equipped park that lies north of the town... The sandy beach, bordered by palms, is appealing, while the water, as usual, is a bit murky and yellowish, but at least there's little seaweed. The morning is particularly hot and, although the sea is not exactly inviting, we often go to seek a bit of coolness among the waves and this, in practice, is our only commitment until 1:30 PM, when we leave the beach and move to have lunch, comfortably seated in the shade, at the nearby picnic tables... There we stay lazing about during the hottest hours of the day, in the company of some voracious geese that squawk freely around the park.

Around 3:00 PM we set off again, driving along magnificent avenues lined with an uninterrupted series of palms, to reach the Naples Pier and on its beach we settle in to spend the second part of this quiet Friday. Once the towels are laid out and the backpacks set down, with Federico I go to scout around on the pier... Fantastic! The sea all around pulsates with life, teeming with fish, and just a few dozen meters further out some dolphins keep jumping. The pelicans are numerous and the screeching of the gulls incessant, as is the action of the fishermen pulling out of the water, one after another, big catches that then (apparently without reason... but there must be one) they immediately throw back into the sea. We also spot a ray that, elegant, seems to fly in the liquid environment...

we're enthusiastic: the Naples Pier alone is worth a stop in this town (it's better than yesterday's outing to Captiva and on top of that completely free). On the way back we invite Sabrina to go in turn... she doesn't need to be asked twice and after a bit here she comes, also extremely satisfied... We stay thus near the Pier until 6:00 PM, then we quickly head toward the hotel because before dinner we want to go back and enjoy the last sunset over the Gulf of Mexico of this beautiful vacation. We arrive once more in front of the pier just, just ten minutes before the sun goes below the horizon line... a beautiful sunset, no doubt about it, but not as much as those seen in Key West and Clearwater: indeed the solar disk this evening found a few too many clouds in its path, but it still worthily closed the curtain on this wonderful trip to Florida.

On the way back to the hotel we ask Federico where he intends to have the last dinner on American soil and the choice is, obviously, Pizza Hut, and there we stop... then we go to the room to pack the suitcases for departure and enjoy a good sleep, because tomorrow evening, on the plane, sacrificed in those uncomfortable seats, it will certainly be less pleasant.

The return operation begins, and to avoid unnecessary complications this morning we won't go to the beach, but will calmly drag ourselves toward Miami. So, after an abundant breakfast at the Best Western, we pack all the luggage in the car and set off. We take Highway number 75 heading south to exit shortly after toward the sea, following the signs for Marco's Island, which is a semi-artificial island created exclusively for residential tourism... indeed there are beautiful houses and very well-kept gardens, but the sea is practically inaccessible. After a quick pass we leave the town and also the Gulf of Mexico, heading along road number 41, which ventures into the Everglades toward Miami.

The asphalt strip runs straight, as if traced by an enormous ruler, between two wings of marsh vegetation, and has its own particular charm, which ends up fueling our desire to travel, despite it being the last day... We absolutely don't want to leave and we come up with every trick to stretch out the stage. So we make a small detour to also see Everglades City: a place at the edge of reality, almost ghostly in view of the imminent season... of mosquitoes. Back on the main road we also reach the remote village of Ochopee and there we stop to see the smallest post office in America: a little white hut two meters by two built provisionally after a fire destroyed the original building in 1953... the rest seems like an Italian story, with the provisional becoming permanent and, indeed, the smallest Post Office in the States.

It almost seems like a joke and yet up close you can hear an old dot-matrix printer running... so there's even a clerk inside it (let's hope not two!). We take a souvenir photo and then resume traveling along the interminable straight stretches of number 41, with the boundless sea of grass of the Everglades at our sides... Along this road there is also an Indian reservation: the descendants of the ancient Seminole tribe were naturally confined to one of the most inhospitable areas of the country, and the terrible treatment reserved for the natives is unfortunately a great blemish on American society. We stop for lunch on the reservation, in front of a Gift Shop, in the Miccosukee Indian Village, surrounded by various species of exotic birds, which hop around us looking for crumbs, and around 1:30 PM we go back to churning out kilometers...

Shortly after we pass in front of the Coopertown Airboat, from where we set off ten days ago for the swamp excursion, and thus we close the circle, leaving the Everglades behind us as well. We enter the outskirts of Miami and when it's almost 2:00 PM we're at Alamo to return the car, with which in Florida we covered 1,890 miles (3,024 kilometers), then already before 3:00 PM, with the rental car shuttle, we're in front of Miami International Airport (M.I.A.). We pass through the airport doors and, after facing a long line, we check in at the Air France counter, after which we go through (without shoes for security reasons) the metal detector and wait at gate F13. We spend our last pennies of dollars at the duty-free and then board flight AF 095...

Fifteen minutes after the scheduled time, at 5:52 PM, the enormous Boeing 747 of the French flag carrier lifts off with destination Europe, while below us the skyscrapers of Miami scroll by... bye America... rather, see you again. The roar of the engines grows as we climb in altitude, then we race toward the night and it arrives quickly, just as quickly, moving the clock hands to the French and Italian time zone, it also arrives...

The dark hours over the Atlantic pass slowly, between one nap and another, then, finally, we look out over Europe with the first light of dawn and at 8:03 we land in Paris, where a cold and gray day awaits us, with only twelve degrees. We move from Terminal "C" to Terminal "D", pass through the metal detector again and a little later, from gate number 53, we board flight AF 1628, an Air France Airbus A318 that at 10:59 takes off, with its nose pointed toward dear old Italy and toward Bologna. We climb above a thick blanket of clouds, which stretches as far as the eye can see and thins only once we've passed the Alps, then we begin to descend toward the capital of the Emilia region and land at Marconi airport at 11:27 AM... Florida mission accomplished! We wait for the luggage, which is slow to arrive, then one arrives, but only that one...

a suitcase is missing: it had never happened to us and sooner or later it had to... better on this occasion than another, maybe at departure when it's much worse... We file the report and learn that the missing piece remained erroneously in Paris and that perhaps it will arrive during the day. More relieved we go out and find our grandparents waiting for us, so around 12:00 PM we set off to cover the last stretch of road that separates us from our home... An hour later we're in Faenza and at 1:12 PM we happily conclude this trip as well in front of the gate of our house. Another little piece of the States conquered: Florida, an immense plain that managed to amaze us in countless ways...

and to think that it's not easy to win over pure-blooded Po Valley dwellers like us with flat landscapes, but its overwhelming nature, its sunsets, its desire to live and have fun, its irrepressible craving to rise well beyond the mountains it doesn't have... into infinite space, involved us from the first to the last instant, giving us a trip that, lived and consumed in the proper way, will remain forever in the hit parade of our memories.

P.S.: Suitcase recovered in the early afternoon... All's well that ends well!

From April 21 to May 7, 2006 From Miami to Miami km. 3,024