Key West to Orlando, Florida

Our intention once we left Key West was to stay at Cocoa Beach where the characters in 'I dream of Jeannie' theoretically lived, close to Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre. 

We found out that Dom's cousin from Switzerland, Simon, was staying in Orlando for work, so we've set that as our destination for tonight instead. 

I liked Key West, but a two night stay was enough to see the town and relax a little, and I was keen to get back on the road. 

The drive out wasn't so relaxing - it's a one lane road for hundreds of kilometers, with only the briefest of overtaking lanes, and traffic was heavy. People were taking silly risks to get ahead, including using turning lanes and the shoulders to overtake! Hard to enjoy the view. 

We took the Florida turnpike (a toll road) north to Orlando. It has fewer accesses and services than the interstate. 

It was a lovely warm day in Florida so we enjoyed a quick swim in the huge hotel pool before meeting up with Simon, whom Dom hadn't seen for 22 years. 

We wandered through the pleasant evening to the Yard House, a favourite chain of ours that has many craft beers on tap and a wide variety of tasty dishes. 

It was a fabulous night of stories and catch up - thank you, Simon!