Stop 10: Miami (again!)

We arrived into Miami and were pleasantly surprised to find our shared shuttle transfer was actually a luxurious Lincoln for 2 - result! Not for long.... Our taxi driver saw an opportunity to triple his fare and we were soon squashed in like sardines - the final passenger, a rather ample Spanish old lady, chose to quibble with the driver about his choice of route - cue non-stop diatribe of abuse from driver, more than a little awkward...

We pulled up at..... Pov Pad Take 2! Not quite up to the standards of our first Miami apartment, but beggars can't be choosers..... Overjoyed to be back in the warmth, we glammed ourselves up a bit and treated ourselves to G&T's at the Fountainebleue Hotel bar. Drinking on an empty stomach is never clever, and we attempted to order a 1am takeaway to stave off starvation (it being at least 6 hours since we last ate by this point, unheard of...) but were stood up and had to go without.

Unsurprisingly woke up famished with our bodies in shock at this careless lack of maintaining our 'foie gras goose' style of feeding ourselves, and so decided a Trip Advisor-recommended breakfast at Jerry's Famous Deli was required. After a soul destroying experience involving a barren menu, swatting off flies, hairy toast and generally poor service, the waitress made the huge mistake of accosting Nat as we left, to ask about the lack of tip - FOOL. Do not cross a still-hungry Nat who has been disappointed over food - the waitress was lucky not to be scalped, instead escaping with an ear bashing, and a subsequent Trip Advisor rant!

We spent the afternoon soaking up the rays on Miami Beach, before hiding out in a rum bar opposite Helen's parents' hotel awaiting their arrival from the airport. After a false alarm in which Helen crept around the back of a parked mini-bus and almost grabbed a couple (who remotely resembled Madeline and Bill) as they disembarked, disturbing them just a little, they luckily arrived before Helen could be arrested for groping tourists. After allowing Helen's parents mere seconds to recover from their 13 hours of travelling, we caught up over tapas and rum - perfect!

After a fleeting but lovely catch up involving plenty of eating and drinking, we waved off the holidaymakers and set off on our travels once more. Next stop - Seattle. After enjoying being back in the Miami sunshine we have to admit to feeling more than a little unenthusiastic about Seattle - aka the Manchester of America......