Back from the road – Florida

Florida Was Wonderful

I don’t love America as a power, but I adore Americans. The way they interact with each other—we cold Northern Europeans could learn something from that. I met only courteous, open, and warmhearted people. At a certain point, I almost became unwell from it. I truly grew dizzy from so much cordiality. As if I were swimming in a warm sea of goodwill.

As a tourist, of course, you live in a bubble. We didn’t see poor America. That remains well hidden. We saw no beggars, and no violence either. Once, at a McDonald’s along the highway, we caught a glimpse of that other America. Many elderly poor people come there to eat, from what we could see. People who can sometimes barely stand or walk, helping themselves to the industrial food.

Apart from that, it’s a beautiful region in a fascinating country. The road from Miami Beach to Key West is called the Overseas Highway. It’s the only way to reach Key West by car—spectacular in itself with magnificent views, with the showstopper being the Seven Mile Bridge, where a bridge stretches more than 10 kilometers across the sea.

Alongside it, a large section of the old bridge is still visible, which was once a railway bridge. Mr. Flagler’s company, which built the railway, went bankrupt in 1935 after a hurricane destroyed key sections. The state of Florida was able to acquire the remaining parts for a pittance and turn them into a roadway. The old bridge served until the current one opened in 1982.

We also ate extremely well, I must say. Not at McDonald’s, of course, where I only went for an American coffee (weak joke). No, we consistently found excellent restaurants. Expensive, I should add. It’s not cheap—at least not if you’re accustomed to a certain level of luxury, I must shamefully admit.

I came back completely refreshed and inwardly illuminated, and returned to work. There’s still a bit of euphoria lingering inside. I have no regrets about the excessive expense. I don’t need to do it again. I’ve had the experience and I’m thoroughly delighted with it.

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