Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Key West, Day 3

Day Three of our vacation in the Keys dawned sunny and warm.  Those of you who know me will not be surprised to find that our first stop on this morning was the Key West Cemetery.



As I was looking at the map of Key West the night before, I saw that our townhouse was only about two blocks from the cemetery ... you know I had to go.  I was surprised at first to see that graves here are mostly above ground in concrete or stone vaults.



Some are stacked on top of one another, as many as three graves high.



Like Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery, which I have shown you many times, this cemetery has serious personality!  There was a wonderful variety in the monuments and plants, and we walked around for about an hour taking pictures, reading tombstones, and trying to identify the plants and trees.





Around the corner from the cemetery, we saw this colorful protest. 







Our next stop was the Duval Street area, to soak up some the Key West tourist scene. 









The second floor bar and the rooftop deck of this building is 'clothing optional'.  We didn't go there, but I thought the rooftop garden looked neat from our view at ground level.



Next stop, the Hog's Breath Saloon for lunch.  Keeping to my plan to eat as much fish as a human can possibly eat, I had a fish sandwich, with homemade chips and a Hog's Breath Beer.  Yum!





After lunch, we headed to the Shipwreck Museum.  The guides there were in character, portraying some of the salvagers that made a living from the shipwrecks that were all-too-common in Key West in the nineteenth century.



I'm such a history freak.  I loved listening to the stories of shipwrecks and the people who made their fortunes salvaging the wrecks.





One of the coolest parts of the Shipwreck Museum is the observation tower.  From there, you get a spectacular view of Key West!









The day ended with some shopping for trinkets to take some of the folks back home.  I loved this hat, though we didn't buy it.



More to come.
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