Day #16 - ...and relax!

After such a relaxing day yesterday, it was quite an achievement today to be even more chilled! This Florida Gulf Coast living is certainly promotes a more gentle pace of life and you can't help but be drawn into it. You definitely don't want to be rushing around.

We started our second day here with a beautiful breakfast that hit all the right spots. A chorizo omelette, yoghurt and fruit set us up for the day and we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know the serving staff here - they're all so welcoming and friendly. 

After that we decided to explore the island a bit more. We jumped into the car and headed back down on to Sanibel Island. The speed limit on the islands is usually 25 mph so you are forced to take everything at a leisurely pace. 

As we drove, we could see the extent of the deviation caused by Hurricane Ian last year. Some properties have bounced back quickly (better insurance? More wealth?) than others. There is still much to rebuild but the islanders are positive about it all even though it must be horrific to have your life literally blown and washed away.

One lady in a shop we visited recounted her traumatic experience of clinging onto the outside of her building, enduring the 12ft surge of water that swept across the island. It took three hours for her to be rescued and all she managed to save was her parrot. She now lives out of her car.

On our return we, hung out by the pool for a light lunch and a swim before spending time chilling in the room dealing with emails, social media and of course this blog! 

The afternoon came around quickly and we took a lovely long walk along the beach once the sun had calmed down a bit. It was lovely to listen to the sound of the waves rhythmically stroking the shore - a sound that universally relaxes everyone with a soul! We came across The Mucky Duck "English" Pub, which of course, required a visit. I never know with these "English" or "Irish" pubs what makes them specifically aligned to the named country, but it was a nice bar none the less. Sidenote, do you ever get "Scottish" or "Welsh" pubs outside of the UK? Just wondering!

Our evening meal was once again spent in the Shipyard restaurant on site and we both opted for pasta dishes for a change. Although for me, it turned out wearing a whit shirt was not a great choice since I ended up splattering a fair amount of delicious pasta sauce all over it! Luckily we took in the sunset before my messy eating and took the opportunity to take even more selfies - well, it would be rude not to with such stunning views.