Welcome to Miami

So on Valentine’s Day, while many of you were getting loved up (well, I hope you were, or at least treating yourselves), I was doing one of my favourite things: flying to the States. In this case Miami, Florida, to embark on a cruise to the Caribbean.

You know that song Welcome to Miami? I’ve been there many times and although I absolutely love the city, unfortunately the passport control queue to get in is the exact opposite of welcoming; it’s actually one of the worst I’ve experienced in the US. Compare it to Tampa, where it takes around 15 minutes to get in, and even with the extra busy factor it makes no sense to me WHY it should take so long (or why you should only get air conditioning when you’ve actually reached a checkpoint): fingerprints, weird Minority Report-style eye photography thing, a few confusing questions that make you start sweating even though you KNOW you’re perfectly innocent…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, two hours after landing, we were in Miami and checked in to our hotel, the luxurious JW Marriott. Oh I do like an American hotel room. So roomy and comfortable, with such big beds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miami has such an amazing buzz, and although we were too tired to go out in South Beach we did manage some cocktails, natch (strawberry mojito, a new one on me, but absolutely delicious)…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and incredibly fresh chicken quesadillas…

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and the following morning woke up early to brilliant sunshine so decided to go for a walk in search of breakfast: a hot toasted bagel with cream cheese and freshly squeezed OJ. Nom. (This is my Happy to be in the Florida Sunshine face. I really should move there.)

And then it was time to head off to the Port of Miami to board the ship for our cruise, Carnival Breeze (more on that story later).

So, this was our final view of Miami as the sun started to set. No filter. Stunning, right?