Tuesday, 23
February
The
other day I couldn’t find Little Havana. But research has shown that it
was wrong to look for at at 2. Avenue, when it’s supposed to be at 12.
Avenue. So today I take bus no. 8 to 12. Avenue, and there it is. The
area is most inhabited by exile-Cubans, waiting for that guy Fidel to
step down – or at least that’s what they used to wait for. There are
cigar-dealers, patriotic murals and other kinds of Cuban symbolic
around. And then there’s Domino Park where the old guys are playing
Domino. If it had the TV-attention of Poker these guys could be rich.
Video - Live Domino |
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The afternoon
is spent relaxing in the apartment. There is soccer – Champions-League Stuttgart
– Barcelona on one of the channels, so you don’t have to watch the Olympic
curling today.
In the evening
it’s time for more sport – but this time live. Basketball – Miami Heat vs.
Minnesota Timberwolves – in American Airlines Arena. Section 124, row 22, seat
10 is a good spot for the game. The atmosphere is hyped by DJ’s, cheerleaders
and a lot of different action. Now and then there is Basketball as well. Miami
Heat is without its superstar Dwight Wade and is behind most of the game.
Finally they get were close to catching up the Timberwolves, but they loose by
91 to 88, and the home crowd is disappointed.
Video - Basketball |
Wednesday, 24
February
A quiet day
today. First I take the hopeless public transport to Coral Gables. The Metrorail
to Vizcaya, and then bus 24 to Coral Gables.
Coral Gables is
a cozy and rich area. There are some nice buildings, small shops, plenty of
palms and a nice atmosphere. I spend a few hours out here.
Back home there
are threats on the TV. “Severe thunderstorms” they say. And since I prefer not
to get soaked again, I stay inside. The thunderstorm arrives at 8 pm, and it
doesn’t look that severe. |
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Thursday, 25
February
It’s pretty
cold today in Miami. It’s so cold you have to wear a jacket going outside.
I take the
Metrorail to Coconut Grove. That’s another Miami suburb in the rich end. There
are some nice houses and some shopping-activities. Then there’s the Barnacle
State Historic Park, which is a nice oase down to the Biscayne Bay. It was made
by Ralph Monroe in 1891. He was one of the first “snowbirds” – rich north
Americans going down here in the winter. |
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A few
hours is spent here, before returning to the hotel.
The
second trip is in my local neighborhood Brickell – or Financial
District. Here there are plenty of office buildings and high
apartment-blocks. On the small island of Brickell Key the buildings are
almost leaning on one another. You can take a walk on a path around the
island, with nice views of the bay, the harbor and downtown. |
Friday, 26
February
I have been
looking for at good tour to the Everglades, but haven’t succeeded. They are all
crap-tours, so I’ve had to take one of them. Miami Nice Tours takes you to a
Gator Park in a corner of the Everglades. Then you get 20 minutes on one of the
fast boats. That’s pretty fun. It’s speedy and you get to see alligators and big
birds. Then there’s an alligator-show in the park. That’s disgusting. A big guy
jumps on to an alligator that is half dead, and they call it
alligator-wrestling. The police should stop things like that.
I’m back in
downtown at 2 pm and spend some time walking around Bayside Market before
heading back to the hotel.
Video -
Alligator-tour |
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Dinner
is picked up at the local Publix – a good supermarket. For 6 $ you get a
decent meal, that I take back to my apartment. Today’s subject in the
elevator is the extremely low temperatures. We are down at 20 degrees
Celsius. In the local news they talk about the snowstorm up north, and
mentions that Miami has also been hit. For instance one of the people
from the news had to put on a sweater. |
Saturday, 27
February
You will have
to get up early in Miami if you want to follow the action. The Premier-League
match between Chelsea and Manchester City is live at ESPN2 at 7.30. But it’s a
nice thing that they show anything else than basket and curling.
Today's
sightseeing is in Miami Downtown. It’s a strange mix between modern glass and
steel buildings, some tourist-industry and some parts pretty much run down.
Among others I visit the nice Southern Florida Historic Museum. There’s a nice
exhibition about “Crime in Miami”. I get to see Don Johnson and Miami Vice, and
you have to leave your fingerprints as you leave the exhibition. |
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When I’m done
in downtown I walk back to the hotel along Brickell Avenue. That is a part of
Highway 1, which runs all the way from Key West to Brunswick in Canada. It
passes Miami River, and when I do the bridge is up to let a small boat pass
underneath. So they hold back the whole east coast-traffic for one single boat.
Dinner is
picked up at Publix on 9. Street. The evening-entertainment is commercials on
ABC, which now and then is interrupted by a Harry Potter movie. |
Sunday, 28
February/Monday, 1 march
I’m leaving the
formidable Fortune House. It’s been a great place during this trip. The bill is
for Henning Nielsen, Utell International, 605 3rd Avenue, 26th
floor, New York. I wonder who they thing I am.
Taxi to Miami
International Airport. Then a flight to Detroit. The entertainment is the
captain’s updates on the hockey-final between Canada and USA.
From Detroit to
Amsterdam at 10 pm. The plane is full and cramped. Just as we are about to go to
sleep at around midnight they start to serve dinner.
The plane
arrives in Amsterdam at 11.30 local time on March 1st. I have been to
Schiphol several times, so I know where they’ve hidden the nice and cozy chairs
that are good for sleeping.
At 16.30 we
leave for Billund. So the trip back home is pretty tough – but it was
dead-cheap. Bus from Billund to Aarhus, where I can open the door to my home at
about 20.00.
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