Today was one for E and BW……translated: eating and boat watching. And what a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining with some passing clouds, and it was warm with a breeze. No showers. What more can you ask for?
Well, sleeping in a little later would have been nice, but once that first glimpse of daylight sifted through the lacy drapes, one of us was up…bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. For some folks, it is much easier to deal with the time change, which is good.
Each day we are here, we have a plan to make the rounds to our favorite restaurants and stores. The first thing to do was find that cute café we spotted last January, and go there for breakfast. It is about a mile walk, and in the direction we needed to go. Very near Publix supermarket is a place called Joe's Café. It is your typical mom and pop restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch only. We have a chain out our way called Country Waffles, which serves the same type of home-cooked food. Last year, this place was filled to the gills with customers, and we would have had to wait an hour for a table. That is a good sign that the cuisine is good. So this morning, we found there was plenty of tables, and we were seated immediately. Just as we expected, the service and food were excellent. Great choice. We will return there tomorrow.
Following that, we made a sweep through Publix, picking up a few necessary supplies for room snacks on the ship. Once we leave the port here, we will not find these same dips and chips as well as a few blocks of cheese. Back at the hotel, we were waiting for the elevator, when our friend Martha appeared. She and husband Bob were having breakfast in the hotel, so after stashing our groceries, Bill went down to say hi, while I worked on a phone call to home. We will have many days ahead on the ship to catch up on news. And also tomorrow evening, when we all meet for a group dinner with our treasured agents and owners of the agency.
After a short stay in our room, we headed towards the Gold Coast and the Las Olas area. Heading across the bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway, we found there were four ships in Port Everglades. They were the Carnival Sunrise, Independence of the Seas, Koningsdam, and Majesty of the Seas. Three of them were gigantic, with the Majesty the smallest. Just doing the math on the total of passengers coming and going in one day, we can see how Ft. Lauderdale thrives from this industry. Tomorrow there will be four more ships, an the day we leave, there will be a total of seven. Almost overwhelming.
As we were watching the boat activity, the bridge alarms went off, and the road barriers stopped all car and foot traffic. On the hour and the half hour, this bridge raises to let the taller vessels pass through to the Atlantic Ocean. Pretty neat process to watch. And also a good excuse to make use of the benches up there while waiting. This time, the road remained raised for 15 minutes, since there was a long line of sailboats, yachts, water taxis, paddleboat rides, and several sizes of fishing and pleasure craft. Sure is a whole lot of money in these waterways. Some of the yachts were pretty sleek, costing in the millions for sure.
Time to move on, we made our way to the public beach along the AIA Highway. There were many beach-goers today, but only on the sand, not in the water. Slowing down while passing a few of the park and beach workers, we gathered that a shark was seen yesterday and possibly tagged. A purple flag was flying with the yellow flag at each lifeguard station. Reading their chart, the yellow flag was for caution with the riptide, while the purple cautioned about dangerous sealife. Yep, sharks would fall into that category.
About halfway down this strip, we stopped at Bubba Gump's for lunch. They were crowded with about a 15 minute wait. It was worth it, since their burgers are excellent. And their chilled Caesar salad was fresh and crispy. With a couple of drinks, we were relaxed and ready for the hike back. But not before sharing a slice of Key lime pie, which happens to be made right here. Needless to say, it was delicious.
On the way back, we stopped once again on the bridge, but this time we stayed for almost an hour. The breeze up there was wonderful, but then we realized that some of the ships were ready to leave the port. Starting with Carnival, followed by the two Royal Caribbean ships, they departed within ten minutes of each other. We did not see the HAL ship leave.
Back at the hotel, we kept busy with photos, phone calls, and emailing until it was time to eat again. So around 7pm, we hiked up the road to Duffy's, a most fun sports bar and restaurant we discovered a few years ago. Last January, our waiter talked us into signing up for the Duffy's Club, which gives us special deals. The only problem was that we do not have these out our way in California. He insisted it did not matter, as long as we watched the offers, it might still give us something this year. And it did. We had $10 expiring at midnight today, and another $10 good to the end of the month. Using both credits, our dinner cost half of what it would have. Sort of makes up for the $100 dinner last night.
Getting back after 9pm, we heard our names being called from the hotel's restaurant. It was Leslie and Handler, enjoying their shared dessert. So good to see them. We figured we have known them since 2005, and have sailed with them on many world cruises since then. Handler said, "What a life we all have". Could not agree more.
With all of the miles we walked today, sleep should come easily. Tomorrow will be a busy day connecting with more friends.
Bill & Mary Ann
