Week Vacation in Florida (Bonita Springs & Key West) Part 1 of 2 - Travel PhotographyThis is part 1 of 2. Click here to read part 2! I was born and raised by the ocean. Growing up, when on vacation, I would wake up, change from my pajamas into a bikini, and change again at the end of the day, from the bikini back to the pajamas. So moving from Brazil to Minnesota was anything but natural. Actually, considering this last Winter, it was borderline insane. But back to the *praia story. When I get any downtime, vacation, holiday, sick leave, you name it, it's there where I want to be. Not always Brazil (or Recife, to be more specific), because it's so expensive to fly there, but for sure by the ocean. The first time I went to a beach that was not in the Atlantic, I was in Naples, Florida. I went to the beach and saw - also for the first time - the sunset in the ocean. It is beautiful. Because it's something I had only seen in movies (like snow), it was just like I was in a movie. And people clap once the sun is down. It is so cheesy, and there was I, clapping along. :) When March arrived, it brought all my expectations and tiredness in one vacation package. We went to Florida again, to be near the sand and salt. The first night was about decompressing. We just went out for dinner at Cheddar's and enjoyed the cool breeze without jackets. The next morning was lazy, sunny, and begged us to get out and enjoy it. We went out for breakfast at Toast (nice hearty breakfast - very popular too!), and after quick phone calls, decided to go for an airboat ride at Lake Trafford. That was fun:
After the ride, we went out for dinner at Pizzaro's. Very laid back with great food. The next morning we headed for a couple of days in Key West. I was so excited! The drive was about 6h long, but we stopped to have lunch at Marker 88. It officially felt like vacation.
We arrived in Key West close to sunset. Just enough time to see it. Beautiful, just as suspected.
After sundown, we set out to explore the city. What was there to see, you ask? So much! :)
Day 2 began with some pre-planning. We had breakfast at the Southernmost Beach Cafe and rented a couple of bikes to visit the Southernmost Point of the United States, and Hemingway's House. The house was very interesting and had a lot to see, especially the cats, obviously. <3
I confess I knew very little of Ernest, so I had an intensive lesson on his life and work, right then and there. And bought a few books, too. What was not worth it, honestly, was the bike rental. Too much traffic with motorcycles, mopeds, other bikes, too many people walking and crossing streets from every angle... It was stressful. We turned the bikes in and went for a sunset cruise with a schooner from Appledore, in the Gulf. It was awesome and rendered some of my favorite photos from the trip:
And this is as much as we could see on the way back: the lights on the shore reflected in the water.
After the cruise we had a great dinner experience at the Conch Republic Seafood Company, and decided to walk all the way back to the hotel. On Duval Street, we came across a quaint restaurant tucked in under a lit up tree. I was drawn by the ambiance and we promised to come back to it. And so we did it. The next day we had breakfast at the New York Pasta Garden. It wasn't as special but still very pleasant. We had great food and service. Bellies full, we hit the road back to Bonita Springs. Click here to continue reading! Some photos taken with my iPhone. *praia means beach in Portuguese :)  Part 1 of 2 - Travel Photography&layout=none&ref=https://www.lainetorres.com/blog/2014/3/week-vacation-in-florida-bonita-springs-and-key-west---travel-photography)
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Laine Torres is a professional photographer who provides branding photography and headshot photos in the Twin Cities Metro Area, MN. Laine works creatively to develop a unique concept for each of her clients that best matches their personality and business goals. Click here to book your initial consultation.
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