A holiday to Florida!

Hello lovelies,

I am astonished at the fact that I have not posted in nearly two months! *slaps face*
I didn't intend to leave such a big gap on my blog but apparently I have been very busy .. I'm guessing with uni, although everything seems to be flying past quicker than quick. Either way, I have quite a few posts planned so hopefully that shall make up for my absence!

I just got back from a holiday in Florida, as my Granddad lives there for half of the year; I was lucky enough to be invited to fly over and stay with him for two weeks in Naples, an area quite near the Everglades and opposite Miami on the map. The weather was absolutely beautiful; a little bit cloudy here and there but it was still almost 30 degrees. It only rained once, and that was quite a spectacular sight to see! Luckily there were no hurricanes, heh.

Sarasota
The Ringling Circus Museum 

I don't know if any of you guys have seen Water For Elephants (that film with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson) but it was really interesting to go around this museum and learn about the Ringling Brothers, owners of one of the biggest circus' in the United States in the 1930s. You can view some of the actual carriages of the train that the circus would have travelled on and learn about life in the circus at that time, which wasn't as amazing as it seemed. It was a very difficult life and one that didn't come without sacrifice and loss...

There was also a miniature circus! This woman was one of the members of staff who made and painted the models - what an incredible job. I'm sure it must get tedious at times, but is no doubt very rewarding.

A lot of people in business, celebrities and even regular people like my Granddad often use Florida to home their 'winter estate'. For the Ringlings, their case was no different - they have an astonishing house, apparently built in a Venetian Gothic style (was a new one for me!) It was remarkably decadent and the interior almost gave off a royal vibe but no, they were just very successful people. The house is right on the river, too. What a view! Above you can also see the rose garden of Mabel Ringling, which was beautiful. The roses are very different to the ones we get here in the UK.

Tampa

Tampa is the home of Spring Training for the New York Yankees, so we headed to a game to watch them go head to head with the Tampa Bay Rays. It was ridiculously hot so sunburn was indeed guaranteed, but it was well worth it! 

We also headed to Florida Aquarium, apparently one of the largest aquariums in the United States. It was full of kids and school groups, which I suppose should have been expected, but it was interesting nevertheless. There were some rather interesting beasts lounging around...

^ This was the strangest creature I think I've ever seen; the annoying thing is that I've forgotten what it's called xD .. a 'something' fish. Basically, it looks like a headless chicken, and kind of walks like a duck. Bizarre.

In Tampa we also went to a place called Ybor City. Being so close to the Caribbean and South America, Florida is very heavily influenced by Cuban culture and there are a lot of Cuban immigrants. Ybor City is basically like a mini Havana; it's a trendy area with lots of cigar shops, restaurants, bars and clubs. I would have checked out the nightlife if I hadn't been with my parents...and if I'd have been 21 xD

We also apparently stumbled across and ate at the largest Spanish restaurant in the US! It seats several hundred people, so it's absolutely huge, and the menu is extensive with lots of paragraphs about the restaurant and the food's history. I don't doubt it's popular because the food was absolutely delicious! I had the most tender lamb with chorizo, black beans, rice and plantain. Nom!

Naples

Beach life

The interior of this restaurant in Capri was lined with signed dollar bills from the customers who had given tips. Every single note in there was personalised .. awesome.

^ I took time to do some reading for my course!

Chokoloskee

We went on an airboat tour around the island of Chokoloskee, which is an Indian word meaning 'old home'. It was amazing to literally travel through the mangroves and get a glimpse of all the hidden wildlife, so different to what I would normally see at home. It was a very windy ride and our captain kept us on our toes for the journey but it was so incredible to see the surroundings from a different point of view. It meant we could get up close with dolphins as well, which was amazing. 

Apart from these few adventures, we did spend a lot of time relaxing. In my opinion, there isn't so much to do in Florida as there is to do in, say, Europe, as the culture is very different and America is a much younger country. However, there's great weather and great food so it's definitely not to be passed up!

A post on outfits will be done tomorrow!

Rhi x