Key West Adventure: Day 1

It's been a while since I've gone somewhere warm for February vacation, and trust me, I needed it. Back at home, we've had seven snow days, meaning seven extra days at the end of the year. Great. Exactly what I needed. Well, now I'm in Key West,  Florida; the sunny, eccentric island with wild chickens roaming through the streets. Like I said... Eccentric.

I'm here with my cousin, Sophie, and our flight came in around 10:10 last night. My grandmother flew down with us, and we were picked up by my grandfather at quite possibly the smallest airport ever. We drove home, with a couple history lessons on the way there. I mean, it was dark out, but somehow they still ended up happening.

We got to their house that they rent all winter, and settled in. My grandfather had bought some cookies earlier that day and we had some before going to sleep.

This morning, Sophie and I woke up around 9 and sat down in our grandparents' dining room and ate some breakfast. Neither of us being big breakfast eaters, we both had a sesame seed bagel with cream cheese. I also tried papaya, which I discovered isn't my favorite fruit.

After that, we got dressed. It was strange because, being used to negative degree weather, we weren't used to putting on shorts and t-shirts. But it was a beautiful day, and I can't remember the last time I've seen blue sky:

Our first task of the day was to get rental bikes for Sophie and I down at a little bike shop.

Both Sophie and I were a little rusty around the edges in terms of biking. It had been a couple years for the both of us. So my grandmother brought us over to the Key West cemetery to get some practice in. It was perfect; the ground was completely flat, and there were some turns and corners here and there. When we decided it had been enough, we went back home.

At that point, it was time for lunch. We went to a little restaurant called Pepe's, and no, it is not pronounced peepee's. I had a lemonade with a grilled cheese and tomato basil soup. (Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of my food. Silly me.)

Once that was over, my grandparents had somewhere to go, sans kids. So Sophie and I went on a train tour of the island. I totally should mention the part when Sophie and I didn't have enough money for the tickets and the poor guy selling had to put in 90 cents of his own. For about an hour, we sat on a bumpy train with a bunch of other touristy personalities, and learned all about the island. 

Then we got off the train at Duval street, the famous street in Key West. We weren't sure what to do, so we went into a few stores. Then we found this:

This kept us busy for quite a while. 

And I found Rice Krispie Treats bigger than my head!!

A long day of bike riding, being chased by roosters, and touring the island was a great way to start off this vacation. And now, we're about to leave to go to a Sunset Celebration. More pictures coming soon.