Blogger: Stephanie Lynch
We arrived in Florida for the start of our 6 week adventures throughout the USA and Canada. We woke early on our first morning with excitement to explore this sunny paradise. We started our first day with a 6am swim with the sunrise.
When we think of America, we cannot help but think of the treats so it was only right that we started our day with American style pancakes. We stumbled across a typical American diner called the ‘Village Inn’ which was full of local people enjoying their breakfast. We knew it must be good if the locals we there. We sat down and ordered our buttermilk American pancakes…. delicious!! The perfect way to start the 6 week adventure.
We decided to go explore Sarasota as a local had recommended the area for us. We headed off on a day of exploration. First stop was Siesta Key beach. Siesta Key Beach is central Sarasota’s gateway to the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a spot with luxurious amenities and a relaxed vibe. It has been voted the number 1 beach in America. Year after year it is voted in the top 10 beaches in America but this year it made number 1. The soft, powdery sand on our feet, the sun shining down on us and the crystal clear WARM sea… a perfect start to the adventure. (QT tip: Drive the beach route from Bradenton south to Siesta Key Beach… it’s beautiful).
We then explored the area of Sarasota… we fell in love with so many houses that we lost count. Perfect, wooden, fairy-tale houses which lie with views of the sea and situated on small lakes where you can park your boat in front of your house… now that is the life.
Next stop for us was to drive out towards Lido beach. What a stunning view while driving out towards this gem. Driving across a big bridge called Ringling Causeway just took our breath away with views on both sides which were out of this world. We stopped off at St. Armands circle for a walk and a little bit of shopping in their unique boutiques. We couldn’t leave without a delicious ice-cream in Kilwins. Kilwins is a homemade chocolate, fudge and ice-cream shop which drew us in with the delicious smells.
Onto Lido beach which was very quiet, compared to Siesta Key Beach. We loved it! We parked the car and walked over a little bridge and arrived in a little piece of heaven. Another swim in the turquoise waters(I have never swam in water so warm in my life, the water is just like walking into a bath… you could spend hours and hours swimming in it).
We then drove up to South Lido beach and park which would be a great spot if you had kids. You walk through the woods and playground to the beach. No waves are on this end of the beach so it’s perfect for little kids to swim. Lots of picnic areas and even BBQ areas to enjoy a family BBQ after a day at the beach. We arrived back at St. Armands circle for a delicious meal and headed back to our house(we did a home exchange with homeexchange.com) after an exciting day of adventures.
Over and out for now from sunny Florida,
Steph
