Miami gave us a beneficial change of scene -- getting to see a city with such a different feel from ours made it a real getaway for us -- and the trip was just long enough not to feel rushed but short enough that we were ready to be home again only when it was time to leave. We managed to explore a good portion of the area too, so every day had new things to offer.
On our first day, we toured the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, which introduced us to some pretty unique plant and animal life. The grounds house all kinds of palms, numerous fruit-bearing plants, and gorgeous flowering trees. The pineapples were especially cute ...
... and the jackfruits were enormous. These are apparently the largest tree-borne fruits in the world.
There is also an orchid sanctuary ornamented with glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly, whose origins and artistic influence in the Pacific Northwest have made his name familiar to us since our move. It was a fun surprise to see his work as we entered the greenhouse.
But the orchids, of course, were the stars of the show.
My favorite part of the gardens was the cactus grove. We got caught in a brief downpour in that area, so we got to linger a little longer (under an umbrella) by these unusual specimens, some of them from as far away as Madagascar. In the post-storm half-light, they had an austere, sculpture-like beauty that I was especially drawn to.
After the rain subsided (showers tend to be frequent but brief), we chased some iguanas and other lizards. D managed to catch a few on camera, which was impressive. They're speedy! And they run with a rather bizarre gait -- a cross between scrabbling and rowing with their stumpy legs. Effective, albeit strange.
The most curious creatures by far, though, were the tiny crab spiders. In general, I don't like to be anywhere near arachnids, but these don't look anything like your usual eight-legged creepy crawlies. They are -- dare I say it -- kind of cute. If I had seen these on a beach, I would definitely have pegged them as crabs first. Their webs were the only giveaway in the garden.
After Fairchild, we went back to our hotel to get ready for the wedding, which was beautiful and very much deserves its own post. So stay tuned for that later! All I'll say for now is that the bride and groom know how to throw a terrific party.
On our second day, we went to Crandon Park Beach on Key Biscayne, which was recommended to us as a less crowded piece of the coast with nice changing facilities to boot -- hooray for insider tips! It was overcast, which made it very comfortable (no burning hot sand or blistering glare on the ocean). The water was cloudy, though, so we couldn't see much on the bottom (I was hoping to). We guessed it was a product of all the grass and seaweed growing there. We stayed in deeper water to avoid stepping on it -- not a pleasant feeling on the soles of your feet!
Just as we decided to go back to our car to eat lunch, the clouds opened and a huge thunderstorm broke (talk about lucky timing!). We headed for the Seaquarium a few minutes down the road. The biggest attractions there were the numerous animal shows -- dolphins and killer whales doing tricks while their trainers provided some basic facts about their diet, anatomy, and behavior. The weather thinned out the crowds, so we had better seats than we would have gotten otherwise. The experience was interesting, but after a bit, the performances seemed repetitive from one arena to the next. Definitely not worth $36 plus $8 for parking. Part of me also began to feel a little sad that the animals were trotted out day after day to do these routines. The Seaquarium does have a program that allows you to swim with the dolphins, which would have been really amazing (and a lot more interactive for all parties involved), but that would have required an additional hefty charge as well as reservations long in advance. Perhaps another time -- like when we have kids.
We hit Little Havana for dinner, which was very casual and a great chance to go out with D's officemates who were also in town for the wedding. There was much hilarity (largely continued from the previous evening), and I got to know yet another of D's friends whom we hadn't seen at any of the previous get-togethers at home. Plans are in the works for another dinner in Seattle before I take off again.
On our third and final day, we went to the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, which was originally a limestone quarry that was converted to a luxury swimming hole. The pool is fed by an aquifer and features gentle waterfalls and (small) caves you can swim through. Very tranquil -- except for the seven summer day camps that brought their kids (by charter coach, no less!). Fortunately, the pool was enormous, so there was plenty of room for everyone. Quite the popular destination ...
For our last evening, D and I dressed up and went to South Beach, where we had dinner at a place called da Leo Trattoria. Simple Italian fare, done marvelously. I had linguine with clams in a white sauce (butter, garlic, clam juice) that beats any I've ever tasted. We also had a treat for the eyes after our meal -- up the street was a Peter Lik photo gallery. We had never seen any of Lik's work before, but as amateur photographers ourselves, we were immediately interested when we stumbled across the boutique (apparently he has several across the country and in his native Australia). The images on display were what is called landscape fine art -- and so beautiful and intensely colored that they looked nearly unreal. We wondered if they had been digitally manipulated, especially some of the panoramic shots that could have been assembled from several photos, but the curator on the premises told us that Lik uses real film, nothing more. Not sure we believe that entirely, given his evasive answers to questions about his methods (per interviews on his website). I'm not sure I prefer his style of photography for every part of nature either (too perfect, perhaps, for some aspects of it -- nature does have its darker side). But there is a distinct joyous quality to his work that I do appreciate.
And that, in a really big nutshell, was our trip! Wow, that was a lot to blog. Consider me officially back online. More on the wedding itself in the near future.
1 comment:
best blog title to date :)
and gorgeous photos!
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