Day 20 Going Home

I can't believe it's time to go home today!  Still, our flight wasn't until 10pm, so we had the whole day.  We got up early and had a kayak around the bay for half an hour.  Then we had breakfast watching the sea, and Matt saw a dolphin!  I'm gutted that I missed it, but pleased that Matt saw one.  We set off to the Turtle Hospital, which was on Marathon Key about half an hour away from our Key.  The hospital was really good.  They do fantastic work, and it's all funded by donations.  The poor turtles have been injured by boats, or predators, or have 'bubble butt' where they get air bubbles under their shells, so they can't submerge.  It looks very uncomfortable!  They have 14 permanent residents, which we fed, including one very rare type of turtle, which only surfaces once every few hours to breathe.  I managed to get a photo of him!  We fed the permanent residents, who are so funny.  They can sense the vibrations of the food when you throw it in, and instantly turn around and bee-line for it.  We spent some money in the shop to support the work they do, and then hopped back in the car to go over the road to a Cuban cafe.  Matt had a Cuban sandwich, and I had a chorizo burger, which was delicious!
 

We got back into the car, and headed to what has been voted one of the most beautiful beaches in America 5 times!  It really was stunning.  We could walk over a bit of the old disused railway, and Matt had a swim in the wonderful turquoise water.  It was seriously hot, way over 30 degrees!

We stayed for a couple of hours, then began the drive back to Miami airport.  We stopped off for some Key lime pie along the way, which was delicious.

We got to the airport at 7, just in time to return the car (I miss it already).  We got some food and a magazine, and settled in for a few hours of waiting.

Iberia is not a brilliant airline!  You get as much leg room as on one of their short haul flights, so Matt was very uncomfortable.  I had watched an entire film, before they had even got round to us with drinks.  The staff weren't particularly friendly, and the food wasn't great.  I wouldn't fly with them again.  But at least the flight was only 8 hours.  I did manage to sleep for a bit.  I slept for the entire flight from Madrid to Dusseldorf.  Matt managed to watch the football while we were in Madrid airport, so he was happy.

We travelled for nearly 24 hours, so are very tired.  Our lovely friends picked us up at the airport, and we managed to stay awake until 11, before going to bed.

Today, we got up at a reasonable time, and i'm only just beginning to get tired now.  We went into Duisburg to the harbour where there was a market, with some friends for lunch, which was nice.  The weather here is lovely at the moment, which has really helped.  I'm actually really looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow, and at least there are no children to worry about.  I think it's going to be an exhausting week though!