For more about this series, see Part One; Part Two; Part Three; Part Four.
On our last morning in Key West, the group split up and people did different things. I went down to the restaurant, Bistro 245, to have breakfast first. It's right by where cruise ships dock during the day (they have to be gone before sunset, so they don't block the view).
Breakfast was good! Or I was hungry. Or both.
Look, hammocks on the cruise ship balconies! Now you have my attention.
A woman at the bar had her canine friends with her.
The trip back was fine. The cabin was not as freezing cold as I feared it would be. We hung out and chatted and whatever. Some of the group spent much of the ride back at the bar, which is their right of course, although let's just say I was glad that they weren't driving, and I hope none of the other passengers who had clearly had a lot to drink were driving either. V's husband was there to drive the three of us home, and wow was I tired, so I was very glad not to be driving either.
After that, I went up to my room, packed up, checked out, and left my suitcase for Paradise Porters to pick up and bring to the ferry terminal. As it was still hot and humid (from the rain earlier), I didn't want to push myself too much, so after another visit to Cuban Coffee Queen, I noticed that the Audubon House was just across from the bus stop, and had the magic words "gift shop" and "air conditioning," so I stopped in.
What a good idea! The a/c felt great, of course, but also it was one of those wonderful gift shops where you can go around and around and keep seeing new things. I didn't want to buy too much that I would have to carry, but I did get a few small things, and very much enjoyed it.
After that, I got back on the Duval Loop bus for a cool ride around the island one last time, getting off by the waterfront in order to be nearer the ferry terminal. I ended up at the Waterfront Brewery, and though I had planned to get a "real" lunch, I ended up ordering the hot pretzels instead. They were delicious. And huge.
I did some people-watching from there, then a little wandering, ending up back at the brewery when a couple of my friends decided to try it for lunch. We then wandered around the area and spent some time in Local Color, which had fun clothing (though much of it not made for my size, alas). But I bought a couple of pearl bracelets that are very pretty.
By this time we were ready to amble down to the ferry building and get ready to head home. It had turned into a beautiful day (if still hot--no, I won't stop mentioning it).
Here I will leave you with the remaining photo dump. Sunset was spectacular, and I went on the top deck for a while, swiveling between sunset on one side and rainbows on the other. Enjoy!
