Our 2025 Anniversary Trip – Day 2 & Departure

The next morning after enjoying coffee on our balcony, we took an app ride-hailing service to see Vizcaya.  A National Historic Landmark, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is a 1916 waterfront estate home with 32 decorated rooms and 10 acres of formal gardens.  It was built for James Deering, son of William Deering who, in the 1870s, founded his own agricultural manufacturing company that merged in 1902 with McCormick Harvesting Machine Company to become International Harvester.

After driving up a thickly wooded drive that makes you feel like you must be miles from Miami, you approach the home from a well landscaped path.  Although enclosed with a glass ceiling today mainly to preserve the historical building, the previously open courtyard welcomed visitors with numerous plants and fountains.  It was in a few rooms just off this courtyard where we started our very informative audio tour.

As we strolled from room to room, we learned the home, incorporating themes from Italian villas, was built to look old just like an ancient Italian villa.

A major motif of the home was a galleon seen here hanging on the southern side of the courtyard, and in some of the stain glass windows.  In fact, this theme was carried outside where a seawall built to shield the property from strong seas, was built to look like a sailing ship.  It was here that the guests were first received the day the home was finished.

Many of the walls in the interior were absolutely gorgeous picturing Italian scenes

The home had many modern features such as electricity, an elevator and this interesting panel that could communicate with many of the rooms.

There was a grand staircase up to the second floor, but it also included a 3-story spiral staircase.

The only downside of our visit was that in a number of the rooms, the furnishings were being crated up for transfer elsewhere to allow for restoration work in those rooms.

From there, we went out to explore the gardens which also were made in the fashion of an Italian garden.

The gardens were surrounded by mangrove wetlands and at the edge, it was blocked off with warning signs to watch for crocodiles (although I did not see any).

The other main thing we wanted to do that day was to go to Little Havana, so we caught another app ride over there.  My wife had wanted to shop there but first we strolled through the area exploring the famous SW 8^th Street.  She had done her research and first directed us to the Domino Park.

This is a park where elderly individuals, both male and female, play dominos, chess or checkers.  You have to be a resident of at least 55 years old and join the club to play there.  It was most interesting strolling through and watching the players.

When we thought of having a cool, refreshing adult beverage, my wife recommended this famous hangout.  However, with live music performers, it was way too loud for us senior citizens to enter.  In fact, we passed numerous bars with live musicians all playing too loudly.  I commented to my wife that there must be a lot of deaf patrons.

All along the street were cigar shops where cigars were being handmade.  My wife had the great idea of getting cigars as Christmas gifts for a couple of our cigar smoking friends.  When we entered one, we learned what we suspected that you could not buy Cuban cigars in the US.  So, the next best thing was one hand-made in Little Havana, although I was quite surprised by the price, some going for as much as $40 a piece.

We finally found a restaurant quiet enough for us to enter and to have that Cuban beer we had been thirsty for.  After a while we decided to make it an early dinner as well.  And of course, I had to have a famous Cuban sandwich which was absolutely delicious, one I told my wife was one of the best sandwiches of any kind I had ever had.

We then caught another ride back to our hotel to start an early evening of reading on our balcony (and just for the record, the cost of our three rides that day was less than the cost of overnight hotel parking).

We planned on turning in early as we had a fairly early morning flight back home.  After dark and just before going inside for the night, all of a sudden, some nice fireworks were set off on the beach reminding me of the great display we had seen that summer on the fourth of July on our Gulf Coast vacation.  Just as we were about to go to bed, we got a text from our airline that our flight the next morning would be delayed 30 minutes.

I was actually pleased as we would not have to leave the hotel so early.  Also, we had a lengthy layover in Atlanta, and this would shorten it.  Overnight, we got another text that the flight would be delayed an additional hour.  When we got up the next morning and discovered that text, I told my wife this was the only time I had ever welcomed a flight delay.

As we caught our ride to the airport, it was very sad to be leaving.  Because of the closeness of this trip to Christmas, it was the shortest anniversary trip we had ever taken.  But at the same time, it was the closest to our actual anniversary in all 46 years of celebrating.  We felt happy with what we had gotten to do in our short time and pleased that we did not try to overpack activities into our two full days. Because that is always a good sign of a trip when you are sad when it is over rather ready to get home.

When we walked up the jetway in Memphis and felt the cold air radiating off its walls, I commented to my wife that I already missed the warmth where we had been that morning.  With the fun time we had in the Miami area, we would definitely consider going back.  But wherever we go next year to celebrate our anniversary, I am again going to vote for traveling to someplace warm!