Miami and the Everglades
Downtown Miami is best seen from the elevated track of the Metromover. It's free and easy to use. Small driverless cars run at intervals of 90 seconds during peak hours. The ride on the inner loop, which as the name says, is shorter than the outer one, was a good photo opportunity.
One of the most popular spots in this area is Bayside Market Place with numerous shops, restaurants and bars. The most remarkable of them is Hard Rock Cafe with a huge rotating neon guitar on its roof.
Not far from there is the world's busiest cruise port. Although boat tours are said to be an excellent way to see the city from a different perspective, we didn't go for a ride. Instead, we took a few pics in front of the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat, and headed for the Everglades.
On the way we made a short stop in Little Havana. Because it was 'early' morning, (10-11am) almost everything was closed and there were no people in the streets so we weren't able to feel the ambience of this lively and vibrant community.
The Everglades, or the River of Grass as it is sometimes called, is the most spectacular part of Florida. The airboat ride in the Miccosuke Indian village was truly breathtaking, because in many places all you can see is sawgrass. It seems there's no water, and still your driver is going full speed ahead, which makes you think of CSI. You can't talk, shout, laugh, you can't hear yourself, let alone other people on the boat.
The Everglades National Park is located south of Tamiami Trail. It represents only 27% of the area called the Everglades, which covers almost half of Florida. It was amazing to see crazy tourists (me being one of them) to come unbelievably close to lazy alligators just for the sake of a photo. Aren't gators supposed to run fast? Well, those were obviously well-fed since they showed no interest in eating tourists. We rented bikes, this was an unforgettable experience.
One of the most popular spots in this area is Bayside Market Place with numerous shops, restaurants and bars. The most remarkable of them is Hard Rock Cafe with a huge rotating neon guitar on its roof.
Not far from there is the world's busiest cruise port. Although boat tours are said to be an excellent way to see the city from a different perspective, we didn't go for a ride. Instead, we took a few pics in front of the American Airlines Arena, home of the Miami Heat, and headed for the Everglades.
On the way we made a short stop in Little Havana. Because it was 'early' morning, (10-11am) almost everything was closed and there were no people in the streets so we weren't able to feel the ambience of this lively and vibrant community.
The Everglades, or the River of Grass as it is sometimes called, is the most spectacular part of Florida. The airboat ride in the Miccosuke Indian village was truly breathtaking, because in many places all you can see is sawgrass. It seems there's no water, and still your driver is going full speed ahead, which makes you think of CSI. You can't talk, shout, laugh, you can't hear yourself, let alone other people on the boat.
The Everglades National Park is located south of Tamiami Trail. It represents only 27% of the area called the Everglades, which covers almost half of Florida. It was amazing to see crazy tourists (me being one of them) to come unbelievably close to lazy alligators just for the sake of a photo. Aren't gators supposed to run fast? Well, those were obviously well-fed since they showed no interest in eating tourists. We rented bikes, this was an unforgettable experience.