Cruising to Key West!

I have just gotten back from a day in Key West on my first cruise ever! My family and I have chosen to take a cruise vacation this February break and it has been such a great experience so far. We first arrived on our cruise yesterday, and spent the whole day exploring the enormous ship and meeting so many new people. Today, we spent time in our first destination, which was Key West, also known as the Conch Republic. We took a shuttle bus to Mallory Square, which is where all the shops are. The weather was sunny and bright, which was so refreshing after living in below freezing conditions for the past three months in New Jersey. Before we left the shuttle buses to explore the small city, the driver accosted a message over the loudspeaker, "If you are not back by 1:30, the buses will leave and you will not be seeing the cruise ship for the rest of your vacation." Even though he was not that nice, my family and I disregarded his attitude and were ready to shop like crazy!

The first gift shop that we came across was a big store that sold all sorts of ornaments, magnets, and other nick-knacks. What made this gift shop unique was the behemoth made of sea sponges that stood outside of the shop! Everyone was eager to take pictures with this "sponge monster" because it was so big and unlike anything they had ever seen! As we continued to walk about Mallory Square, there was a small little store that sold that best key lime pie that I had ever tasted! Everything they sold had a trace of key lime in it, including lotions, iced tea mixes, and frozen, chocolate dipped slices of key lime pie. The shop was very welcoming due to its bright and vibrant decor, and was one of my favorite places that we discovered. Next, my dad was craving something to eat, so we came across a little shack that sold an odd comestible, which were conch fritters. Conch is probably the most horrific tasting fish that I have ever tried, but of course my dad found them to be absolutely delicious! They were deep-fried, and the dipping sauce that they were accompanied by was a spicy Dijon mustard. This delicacy is popular among people living in Key West, and proved to win the taste buds of my dad as well!

My mom and I then began to search for a jewelry store, and soon came across a lady that was selling homemade jewelry along the sidewalk. She was selling ancient keys on different chains, which caught my eye right away. I wound up picking out one that was on a satin gray chain, and realized that she was making keys because we were in Key West! I thought that was a very cute concept and had her tie it around my neck so that I could wear it. Another store that sold very unique items was called Crazy Shirts. At this store, the shirts were dyed with all natural sources including lavender, hibiscus, wine, money, beer, coffee, and chiles. My mom bought my dad a key lime-dyed shirt as memorabilia of this amazing place we were exploring. As it began to get hotter, I was in desperate need of a drink to satiate my thirst, and of course there was Starbucks right around the corner! I ordered a iced tea lemonade, which definitely hit the spot! On the way back to the shuttle bus we saw many roosters running around, and one of the people informed us that drivers would be indicted and fined if they were to run over these animals. Key West was a very special place that was concerned with the well-being of their wildlife and environment which I found very interesting. Overall it was an enjoyable day in a place that I had never seen before!