There wasn’t too much to blog about during the last week in Punta Gorda, as our time was spent mainly relaxing in the pool, or catching up on email business.  We did take my sister on a day trip to Marco Island for a tour down memory lane. She’d spent a week there forty years ago and for some reason wanted to see if she could find the house that she’d stayed in.  If you enjoy looking at grandeur and seeing how the wealthy live, then Marco Island is the place to go. Although I got a few photos, it isn’t a place that I would go to again, and the five hour trip proved to be not what my sister expected.  We did find the street where she’d stayed, but the house had either been renovated beyond recognition, or had been torn down and replaced. The water front avenues now are lined with huge mansions or high-rise condominiums, most gated and preventing public access to the beach.

This past Monday, we all went on another road trip, this time to Miami where my sister had a day of hospital tests booked for the next day.  We arrived early in the afternoon so had enough time for some shopping and an excursion to Miami Beach. That’s a funky place with it’s renovated retro style restaurants and outdoor cafes and lots of colourful people!

Interesting drinks! None of us was up to trying one.

Main Drag, Miami Beach

Retro Renovations, Miami

We stayed at the Springhill Suites Marriott Hotel in Miami and we were all impressed with the cleanliness, the very accommodating staff, and the large modern rooms at a very reasonable price. I would highly recommend it.

Jim and I had Tuesday to ourselves, but it was too hot to be outdoors for any length of time so we took refuge in the massive Dolphin Mall for a few hours. After a light lunch and a yummy dish of gelato, we took a drive through “Little Havana”, a stroll down memory lane for Jim as it reminded him of his trip to Cuba many years ago.

Little Havana Architecture

Little Havana

Little Havana

We were back in Punta Gorda in time to pick up the RV (we found out that with a permit it could be parked in the driveway for up to a week) and started to get ready for our departure on Wednesday. We’d planned to make it into Georgia by Wednesday night, but by the time we got away and then decided to make a side trip into Tarpon Springs, we didn’t get quite to Ocala!

Tarpon Springs was worth the time. I’ll tell you more in the next post.