Key West and Key Lime Pie

Two weeks ago, Cliff and I (Hamlet included), finally decided that we should go visit Key West. Imagine, we have been here in Florida since 2005 and have never set foot on what was known as the "Gibraltar of the West." Everytime I get those nice weekends off, we try to make plans to visit but it always falls through, until finally we decided to just forget about the weekends and just go and relax. It was a perfect moment given that we went on a weekday and that we were also able to get a really good hotel deal.

Hamlet enjoying the ride

Driving scenery towards Key West

And so we went on Thursday, left the apartment at around 5:00 AM and did not get there until 9:30 AM. Day 1 schedule was to turn Cliff's dream into a reality - to actually go snorkeling in the ocean. First order of business was to drop Hamlet off to his day care (which was not even a nice place to start with, Hamlet ended up getting sick after 2 horrific days in that place!) and then we had breakfast at Croissants de France. It is a very quaint bakery located in Duval Street. 

 Croissants de France

Cliff decided on a Quiche Lorraine, while I chose the Nutelle Beignet. We also got a Spinach and Ham Croissant because it looks so yummy from the display case. Overall rating is 5 star! Breakfast was delicious, although I am sure the Beignet in Cafe du Monde taste so much better - but this will suffice for the mean time. =)

Nutella Beignet, Spinach and Ham Croissant, and Quiche Lorraine

By noon we headed to the Marina where we boarded the "Fury" Catamaran for snorkeling. The wave currents were to strong but we had a blast. Cliff was able to take some pictures under water with his disposable underwater camera. (Still have not had a chance to develop it.)  There were a lot of fishes swimming and you can actually see it because the water was crystal clear plus we saw some jelly fishes too. 

We did not get back to the Marina until 4:00 PM after which we went to pick up Hamlet and checked in to our hotel - Sheraton Suites Key West. Thanks to moi, we were able to stay in a nice suite with courtyard view.  So after freshening up we drove down to Duval Street were we get to experience Key West at its best. We were supposed to have dinner in Hogs Breath but had decided on a different type of adventure: Food Tripping. A trip to Key West is not complete without trying the best conch fritter in Key West which can be found in the Conch Shack in Duval Street.

Cliff and Hamlet outside the Conch Shack

The conch fritter is served with a Key Lime Aioli - phenomenal!

Conch Fritter served with Key Lime Aioli

One bite of the fritters and it hits you right on the spot. It was very flavorful, crispy on the outside and sweet and savory in the inside. One can actually taste the sweetness of fresh conch not the gooey batter that others have been serving. Truly the best conch fritter we ever tasted.

The Best Conch Fritters in Key West

We also tried the other seafoods such as fried calamari, tuna tataki, crab cakes as well as sausage with onions and peppers in a bun, from different restaurants and everything was exceptional.

Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum

Day 2 began with a visit to the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. The house is where Ernest Hemingway wrote some of his best works such as Farewell to Arms, To Have and Not to Have, Hills Like White Elephant and more. The museum also houses six toed cats considered to be lucky according to some fishermen.

We also visited the Key West Lighthouse Museum which was actually beside Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. The lighthouse was 86 feet with 88 iron steps and was ran by several women the most famous one being Barbara Marbrity. The lighthouse was built to aid the ships navigating the reefs in the lower keys and also during the hurricane seasons.

The last stop is the ever famous Southernmost Point here in the United States. From that point, we are officially 90 miles from Cuba and 97 miles from the next Walmart.

Southernmost Point

By around 2:00 PM we decided to have lunch at A&B Lobster House where we had a bowl of Conch Chowder, Fish Nuggets, Shrimp and Chips, and Baked Key Lime Oyster. Yummy!!!

Cliff with the Conch Chowder

Baked Key Lime Oyster with Corn Salsa

Our trip does not end without buying the best Key Lime Pie at Kermits. The pie is a bit tart because of the key lime and the sweet because of the condensed milk. I normally dont eat key lime pie but this one was to die for. It was really good! By around 5:00 PM, we drove back home.

Kermits Key Lime Pie

The trip was fun and relaxing, but we both said that we wanted to go back again someday even for just a slice of key lime pie.