{"id":62137,"date":"2013-05-20T22:13:52","date_gmt":"2013-05-20T20:13:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/?p=62137"},"modified":"2025-05-21T23:25:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T21:25:00","slug":"road-trip-through-florida-my-diary-part-5-the-gulf-of-mexico-beautiful-beaches-escalations-and-abandoned-places","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.misterunique.de\/?p=62137&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Road Trip Through Florida \u2013 My Diary \u2013 Part 5 \u2013 The Gulf of Mexico, Beautiful Beaches, Escalations, and Abandoned Places"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 4, 2013<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

On the Road to Naples \u2013 Everglades<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

After treating ourselves to a hearty meal of alligator meat and a calorie-packed birthday cake at Joanie\u2019s Blue Crab Caf\u00e9, we continued our journey toward the Gulf of Mexico\u2014more precisely, to the retiree paradise of Naples.<\/p>\n

\"Karte-1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A little side anecdote:<\/strong><\/span>
Since we were still technically in the Everglades and continued driving along the Tamiami Trail toward the Gulf Coast, the canal still ran parallel to the road on our right-hand side. Suddenly, Mary shouted from the back seat that she saw alligators basking in the sun among the tall grasses near the water\u2014and not just one, but loads of them lying there at short intervals.<\/p>\n

\n

One portion of alligator food to go, please!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There\u2014a parking lot on the left! Wanting to make the girls happy, I pulled in, and the adventure began. They immediately ran back across the road and began scanning the opposite bank for alligators from behind the guardrail.<\/p>\n

\"krokodil\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And there it was. Lying in the sun, seemingly asleep. Mary immediately had the idea to throw a stone into the water to wake the scaly creature and get it moving. They all climbed onto the guardrail, and then she tossed the stone. The attempt worked \u2014 the alligator opened its eyes, started moving, and slid into the wet depths. It swam in our direction, and the girls squealed with delight, snapping dozens of photos with their phones.<\/p>\n

I think that was the moment I secretly hoped the gator in the water was just a baby \u2014 and that, at any second, Mama Gator would emerge from the shore and devour my girls. Now that<\/em> would\u2019ve been something. What a clip for the video \u2014 I probably could\u2019ve made some good money with that!<\/p>\n

But sadly, it was just a daydream.<\/p>\n

As we stood there, more tourists followed our example, pulled into the parking area, and rushed straight to the gator-watching spot. It\u2019s worth mentioning that this kind of thing is actually prohibited and strictly punished if you’re caught. Just as we were heading back to the car, a State Trooper pulled up \u2014 thank God, only now \u2014 and sternly warned the remaining tourists by the guardrail to move on immediately.<\/p>\n

We were lucky \u2014 and we were the ones who got the others into it in the first place. Poor souls. (laughs)<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Naples \u2013 The Stronghold of Wealthy Retirees<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

But on we went, as it was already late in the afternoon, and we slowly but surely had to start searching for our next hotel in Naples. All we needed now was Wi-Fi, and we found it at the very first McDonald\u2019s we came across after leaving the Everglades. As we already knew, they had fast and free Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n

For Florida visitors who don\u2019t want to stay in one hotel at one location but are planning a road trip instead, I can highly recommend the \u201cPriceline\u201d app (http:\/\/www.priceline.com\/download-priceline-negotiator-app<\/a>). It helped us compare hotel prices quickly and book on the spot \u2014 every single day.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how we found the Best Western in Naples and hit the road toward it. We left the Everglades behind, civilization returned, the road became two-laned again in both directions, and traffic picked up.<\/p>\n

\"naples-hotelflur0\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At a great price \u2014 even cheaper than the \u201cyouth hostel\u201d in the Everglades \u2014 we checked into a suite on the second floor of the hotel, complete with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a beautiful bathroom. Well, we didn\u2019t really get to enjoy much of that \u201cluxury,\u201d because we quickly freshened up and headed straight down to the beach, where the sun was already setting on the horizon, treating us to a spectacular display of colors.<\/p>\n

\"naples\"<\/a>\"naples2\"<\/a>\"naples3\"<\/a>
\nA moment we thoroughly enjoyed. But then everything happened quickly. The sun was gone, and suddenly it was pitch dark. Since we were now the only ones left on the beach, we quickly left as well and drove south along Gulf Shore Boulevard toward the town center. The beachfront mansions we saw along the way were incredible\u2014some looked almost like palaces. And then it becomes clear why Naples is known as a hotspot for wealthy American retirees.<\/p>\n

\"naples5\"<\/a>\"naples4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On 5th Avenue South, we strolled past the upscale restaurants, and thanks to the streetlights wrapped around the trunks of the palm trees, it already felt like Christmas. Although we were hungry, we preferred something a bit more down-to-earth, so we headed back in the direction of the hotel, as Mary had spotted a Greek diner along the way earlier in the afternoon. That\u2019s where we ended up\u2014and after indulging in all the delicious Greek specialties, we were completely stuffed.<\/p>\n

Since we were almost the only guests at that hour, we quickly got into a conversation with the Greek owners, who told us they had emigrated from Greece a long time ago to start a new life here.<\/p>\n

But now it was time to head back to the hotel after this eventful and exhausting day\u2014and call it a night.<\/p>\n

March 5, 2013<\/strong><\/span>
Naples \u2013 Best Western Hotel<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n