USA – A trip to Key West, Florida

We bought an over-priced but strong mojito from the drinks truck outside the cruise ship, then we headed slowly back to the hotel. After a powernap, we were ready to rock. We hit the Rum Bar on Duval Street, just under the Speak Easy Inn. 240 varieties of rum. Heaven on earth. Neil asked the bar-tender to recommend one to try straight up. She took out a bottle of Venezuelan rum, Diplomatico, which he has had plenty of, so he went for her reserve option – Plantation 20 years old from Barbados. It was beautiful, and he was spinning after just one glass straight up. Perfect. We could have stayed all night, but it was past 10pm, and we hadn’t had dinner. We went to a lovely Italian, and enjoyed lobster ravioli and lasagna, washed down with some lovely Malbec. This was as classy as the night got. We hit the oldest bar in town after this, Captain Tony’s saloon, where ‘legends have been drinking for decades.’ This place is not just a bar- it’s a piece of living history. There are dollar notes pinned up everywhere with business cards and car registration plates, and hundreds of women’s bras hanging around the bar. Hemingway used to pop in, drink and write. They say he met his 4^th wife here before he buggered off to Cuba. A tree that is in the middle of the bar was a hanging tree that was used to hang pirates and one woman who is said to haunt the bar. There’s an arcade game in the corner. The player is a hunter who hunts elk, moose, deer, and annihilates them with a big shotgun.  Yeeeaaahhh!  A rum runner seemed fitting for the place, then we headed off to Sloppy Joe’s bar for another drink, and a dance. The last spot on our little tour was an Irish bar. There was an amiable chap playing acoustic guitar with a decent singing voice. We liked it. They had a huge banner that read ‘Thank you for protecting our freedom’ with the flags of the Navy, Army, Airforce, Coastguard and others underneath.  Here in the US. The American flag flies high and proud from most houses and businesses. People are proud of the forces, and there are Military Nights in many pubs where military get free entry and cheap drinks. People in America are proud to be American. They are a patriotic people.