Today was Mardi Gras in Key West and we were in the middle of it all. A few days ago when we were at the bakery on Amelia Island the owner’s daughter reminded us of what the date was going to be down in America’s most-southern point and we were a bit apprehensive. Knowing what it’s like in New Orleans on the big day and having seen videos from Fantasy Fest here in Key West during the week of Halloween, we didn’t know what to expect. No worries.

Key West may not actually celebrate the biggest party that the Big Easy puts on, there are still plenty of establishments that honor it including Fat Tuesday, Rick’s Mardi Gras Bar, the New Orleans House, and the Bourbon Street Pub. Guess where the apartment was that we rented?

Yep, right across the street from this last establishment that had a 24-hour party going on. I wondered why every other semi-reasonably priced accommodation was already taken. There’s a reason that we carry earplugs when we travel.

There may have been a bit of noise but at least the weather cooperated so we could walk from one side of the island to the other without ever getting wet…except our thirsts, of course. Why else would we call today’s post “Put on your drinkin’ shoes”? While we had ample opportunity to try out those shoes, we also had some pretty good meals. Thanks to Bill’s sister Lee, we had dinner last night at Santiago’s Bodega with several plates of tapas plus a great bottle of Martini Cabernet from California’s Sonoma valley. Fresh fettuccine and shrimp from the New York Pasta Garden made for a great lunch and we couldn’t resist picking up some breakfast items from Croissants de France on the walk back to our apartment.

To add a bit of culture and history to this part of our trip, we toured the Earnest Hemingway house. We both enjoyed seeing the interior rooms, the impressive gardens, and hearing the tales of this prolific American writer. Getting to see his writing studio as he left it in the 1930’s was especially interesting.

What’s up next? The Everglades: gators, pythons, and airboat rides–yee ha!