Key West: December, 2007

The plan was simple.

We would enjoy a leisurely breakfast on our balcony before taking a pre-booked snorkel excursion in Key West.

When I awoke at sunrise and went for coffee, however, I chanced a glance at the port.

Notwithstanding the fact that a Parrothead like myself who brought "Tales From Margaritaville" to read on this trip would want to spend as much time exploring Key West as possible, it turns out the dock area is quite enticing in its own right.

Jetskis for rent are lined up beside fishing boats and tour catamarans.

You can fall off the ship and find lots to do in Key West.



Julie was quite content to enjoy the tranquil view from our own balcony while awaiting room service, but I managed to convince her to come with me for a morning stroll through Jimmy Buffett's hometown.

We headed over to Duval Street, famous for lots of bars, shops with outrageous tee shirts, and restaurants, including Cheeseburger in Paradise and Margaritaville.

We found a mini-mart where we bought two disposable cameras with which the images in this blog were captured.

As we headed back to the ship, ominous-looking clouds delivered light sprinkles before heading north without further incident.

We met up with our Catamaran Sail and Snorkel group, which as usual with ship sponsored excursions resulted in a certain amount of waiting around.

After being outfitted with snorkel gear, we headed out on a one hour power catamaran ride to a dive spot by a lighthouse.

Unfortunately, despite the fact that our guides said we had picked a good day to snorkel due to only a one foot chop, the conditions were murky.

I decided to use the furnished snorkel equipment rather than bringing my own, and this proved to be a mistake.

When I got in the water, I found I had trouble breathing, and I also ended up swallowing quite a bit of sea water as it splashed into the unguarded snorkel tube.

I'm not sure what type of silicone material the snorkel and mask were made from, but I realized later when I saw a rash on my face that my problem had not been simply the design of the snorkel but also an allergic reaction to it during the designated hour of snorkeling.


On the ride back, I didn't want any of the free beer, although I did feel better when I purged some of the sea water (along with breakfast) out of my system.

I also slashed open my thumb on a bathroom lock, so all in all I would have preferred to have spent the day visiting the Hemmingway house and other points of interest in the southernmost town in the continental U.S.

After the one hour boat ride back to the ship, we enjoyed a terrific lunch aboard Jewel of the Seas, and then we headed toward Margaritaville for a drink.

On the way, we stopped at the Conch Republic Store, where we learned that Key West, upon having a roadblock set up on the road north to check for proof of citzenship 25 years ago by the federal government, had declared they would secede from the union.



"At noon, on the day of secession, at Mallory Square in Key West Florida, Mayor Wardlow read the proclamation of secession and proclaimed aloud that the Conch Republic was an independent nation separate from the U.S. and then symbolically began the Conch Republic's Civil Rebellion by breaking a loaf of stale Cuban bread over the head of a man dressed in a U.S. Navy uniform.

After one minute of rebellion, the now, Prime Minister Wardlow turned to the Admiral in charge of the Navy Base at Key West, and surrendered to the Union Forces, and demanded 1 Billion dollars in foreign aid and War Relief to rebuild our nation after the long Federal siege!"

I'm looking forward to returning to Key West at some point.

There are lots of ship wrecks along the reef if you know how to find them, although I think you really need to use scuba gear rather than snorkels to explore them with a knowledgeable guide.