Arrived In Miami

Up early to watch the sunrise from our hotel window before breakfast.

Our shopping day. The largest shopping mall in Southern USA is not far from Miami, so that's where we headed for our binge. Called Sawgrass Mills, it has it's own shuttle bus to get people from one entrance to another if you mistakenly wander out the wrong door.

We though the 4 hours would be enough to get around, but no, we still ended up rushing to get down some lunch before we had to leave. Bought enough to fill the spaces in Mandy's suitcase created when we gave Brendan all the things we'd brought for him. Mandy ended up with some casual shoes, a pair of boots, two pairs of jeans and a top. What a spunk.

With minutes to spare we dashed to the car, and progammed the car rental return at the airport into the GPS. Still a 40 mile dash down freeways though, punctuated by several futile attempts to fill the car with petrol at service stations that turned out to be closed, and we arrived with minutes to spare. A huge operation at the airport. Probably 100 cars in the process of being returned, and a similar number in the process of being borrowed.

Took the public express bus from the airport to Miami Beach for $2.35!, and it dropped us almost at the door. Have a lovely room in the hotel part of the Clay this time - last time we were in the down market hostel section. The hotel's rooms almost cover the first floor of a city block over the top of all the shops.

Miami Beach is very busy and crowded, and parking is almost non-existent, but it's lovely and warm wandering around in the evening. The final of the college football is in town on Monday. It's between Alabama and Notre Dame, and there are thousands of football tragics everywhere you look. Everything in the town is either crimson or shamrock green. Even the hotels and restaurants are decked out depending on who is staying there. Streets are closed, bands are everywhere. It's a great atmosphere.

Had dinner in one of the outdoor restaurants in the street under our hotel room window called Espanola Avenue, which is the heart of the old spanish quarter of Miami Beach. Every building is art-deco. We ate Brazilian!