Florida -> Tallinn 25.07 & 26.07

No tavaliselt ma reisi viimasest lennust eraldi postitust ei tee aga seekord teen erandi. Päeva alustasime siis 25.07 Miamist, Radison Red lennujaama hotellist. Kuna lend oli 8:30 ja vaja kaks tundi varem lennujaamas olla, siis hommikusööki nii vara ei saanud. Ja niipalju ka, et edasi-tagasi lend samast lennujaamast on mitte ainult kaks vaid mitu korda odavam, kui lennata New Yorki ja tagasi lennata Miamist. Seega, vältimaks edasi-tagasi autosõitu New Yorkist Key Westi (ja miljonärid me ei ole, et üheotsapiletiga seal maanduda ja tagasi Miamist startida), sõitsime siselennuga Miamist New Yorki. 

Siselennu saamine mitte ameeriklasena, või omamata kohaliku aadressi, oli ka põnev. Kasutasin American Airlines'i. Pika mässamise peale sain piletid. Seal ei ole ühelgi piletil vist pagas hinnas, ma äriklassi kohta ei oska kommenteerida. Pagasi ostsin eelmisel päeval juurde. 

Niisiis. Eelmisel õhtul pakkisime kohvrid kokku. Kõik Rossist saadud kaup mahtus ära😁Hommikul istusime lennujaamabussile, mis toimetas meid tasuta ja mugavalt õige terminali ette. Sellest hoolimata, õige värava leidmine oli huvitav, sest kuigi äpis oli värav näidatud, siis kohapeal sellist varianti selle lennufirmaga ma ei näinud. Aga ega sellepärast värav leidmata ei jäänud. Kohvrid antud ja kontrollist läbi saime kiiresti. Pikka turvakontrolli järjekorda ka ei olnud. 

Hommikusöögi sõime lennujaamas. Burger-võikud. Siis juba pardale ja tagasitee esimene, kolmetunnine siselend Miamist New Yorki võis alata. See läks plaanipäraselt. 

New Yorkis maandusime natuke pärast keskpäeva. Eelmisel päeval sain teate, et lend lükatakse natuke edasi, aga see oli minutite küsimus. Siselennu võtsin selle arvestusega, et saaks kiirustamata JFK lennujaamas maanduda, kohvrid kätte, Tallinna lennule registreerida, kohvid ära anda ja turvakontrollidest läbi saada. Seega edasilend pidi olema alles 19. 

Kohvrid saime ilusti kätte. Leidsime Euroopa lennu registreerimiskoha ja saime suht kohe kohvrid ära anda. Turvast saime ka läbi ja siis lõunasöögi jahile. Saime päris korralikud portsjonid ja hind ka mõistlik. Meie terminalis oli üks toiduala, JFK kohta väga vähe, võrreldes teiste lennujaamadega, mida kasutanud olen. 

Allesjäänud aega kasutasime imetledes Charles Fazzino loodud 3-d kunstiteoseid. Käisime kõik väravad ja kõik tasandid läbi, kuhu lubatud liikuda. Lihtsalt hämmastav. Isegi Eesti oli maailmakaardil ära märgitud, erinevalt teistest Baltimaadest. 

Lennule saime ja teate, et lend hilineb. Milaanos pidime maanduma 9:05 ja sealt edasi 11:05 aga nüüd räägiti vähemalt pooletunnisest hilinemisest, mis tähendaks mitte Euroopa Liidust tulekuna korraliku turvakontrolli läbimist ja uue terminali leidmise aja vähenemist. Aga kuna pagasit ei olnud vaja välja võtta, siis ei muretsenud. 

Lend, 8 tundi, möödus märkamatult. Õhtusöök, film või paar, tukastamine ja olimegi Milaanos. Kust edasilend hilines. Ei, seda ei öeldud isegi välja, et lend hilineb, ainult, et oodatakse väravat. Ka siis, kui lend pidi juba toimuma. Aga see osutus küll probleemiks, sest viimane lend Helsinkist pidi minema 15:40 ja sinna maandumine 15:05. Kuna Euroopa Liidust st. turvakontrolli ei olnud vaja ning kohvreid ka mitte välja võtta, oleksime poole tunniga jõudnud. Nii kinnitas Finnair, kui nad mõned kuud varem Helsinki-Tallinna stardiaega varasemaks muutsid. 

Võtsin ühendust Finnairiga. See oli omaette põnev, sest sain ootele ja mingi aeg sain teate, et minu mitteaktiivsuse tõttu oli ühendus lõppenud kuigi olin kogu aeg aktiivse ekraaniga. Aga pärast mitmendat katset sain chatiga ühendust ning kinnituse, et kui meie lend hilineb, siis pagas tuleb koos meiega.  

Selleks ajaks oli kõht jälle tühi. Järgmine päev ju ning eraldi hommikusööki ei pakutud. Aga kuskile liikuda ka ei julgenud, sest äkki teatatakse sellel ajal värav. Käisin vahepeal emale peavalu vastu valuvaigistit ostmas. Kui tuli järjekordne teade, et värav selgub x minuti pärast, käisime lõpuks süüa tellimas. 

Milaano Helsinki hilines kokku 2 tundi ja 50 minutit. Ehk siis 10 minutiga pääsesid võimalikust kompensatsioonist. Aga saime lõpuks Helsinkisse viivale lennule. 

Helsinkis selgus, et Finnair tegeles asjaajamisega ise ning meid oli tasuta kella 21sele lennule ümber tõstetud. Enne olin uurinud, kas üldse on võimalik samal päeval edasi liikuda ja kuni lõpuni ei uskunud, et pagas tegelikult meiega koos reisib, aga Tallinnas oli see meid ootamas.

Ehk siis tagasireisi alustasime 25.07 kl 6 Miamist ja lõpetasime 26.07 ca kl 22 Tallinnas. 

Nagu öeldud, 3300 km, 10 osariiki, mis toob USAs läbitud osariikide arvu 14ni + Washington D.C. Seekord mitu endist pealinna. Jeep. Uus aastakümme. Tänan kaasa elamast💗 See aasta ei ole veel läbi ja järgmisel suvel pubid ootavad😁 Heh. Ja kuna 2022 Iirimaa jäi kirjutamata, siis alustan järgmisena sellest, kes soovib, saab veel lugeda.  

I don't usually make a separate post about the last flight of a journey, but I'll make an exception this time. We began our day on the 25th of July in Miami, staying at the Radisson Red Airport Hotel. Since our flight was at 8:30 am, and we needed to be at the airport two hours earlier, we couldn’t have breakfast as it was too early. And just to mention, a return flight from the same airport is several times cheaper than flying into New York and then returning from Miami. So, to avoid a round drive from New York to Key West (and since we aren’t millionaires to afford a one-way ticket there and start the return from Miami), we took a domestic flight from Miami to New York.

Obtaining a domestic flight ticket as a non-American without a local address was quite an experience. I used American Airlines. After quite a bit of effort, I managed to get the tickets. No ticket seems to include luggage, though I can’t comment on business class. I purchased an additional luggage allowance the day before.

So, the previous evening, we packed our suitcases. Everything bought from Ross fitted in perfectly 😁 In the morning, we took the airport shuttle, which conveniently and free of charge dropped us off at the correct terminal. Despite this, finding the right gate was interesting because the app showed the gate, but I couldn't find any signs of that option with this airline on site. But it didn’t stop us from finding the gate eventually. We quickly handed over the suitcases and got through the security checks. There wasn’t a long queue at security either.

We had breakfast at the airport – sandwiches. Soon enough, we boarded, and the first part of our return journey, a three-hour domestic flight from Miami to New York, began. It was on time. 

We landed in New York a little after noon. The previous day, I received a notification that the flight would be slightly delayed, but it was only a matter of minutes. I chose the domestic flight with the thought of having sufficient time to land at JFK without rushing, collect the suitcases, check-in for the Tallinn flight, drop off the luggage, and go through security checks again. Thus, the onward flight was set for 7 pm. 

We collected our suitcases without issue. We found the check-in desk for the European flight and were able to drop off our luggage almost immediately. We passed through security and then went in search of lunch. We managed to get decent portions, and the prices were quite reasonable. There was only one main dining area in our terminal, which is quite odd for JFK compared to other airports I’ve used.

We spent the remaining time admiring Charles Fazzino's 3D artworks. We walked through all the gates and levels we were allowed to. Absolutely astonishing! Even Estonia was marked on the world map, unlike the other Baltic States.

We boarded the flight and received news that it was delayed. We were scheduled to land in Milan at 9:05 am on the 26th and continue onwards at 11:05 am, but now we were looking at at least a half-hour delay, which would mean less time to clear security (as we were not arriving from within the EU) and find the next terminal. But since we didn't need to collect our luggage, I wasn’t that worried. Yet. 

The eight-hour flight went by without much notice – dinner, a film or two, a quick nap, and we were in Milan. The onward flight was delayed. They didn’t even announce it directly but simply mentioned that they were waiting for a gate, even when we were already meant to be boarding. However this did become an issue, as the final flight from Helsinki was due at 3:40 pm, and we were scheduled to land at 3:05pm according to the original plan. Since we were arriving from within the EU, i.e., no security checks were needed, and we didn’t have to collect our luggage, Finnair had assured us that we’d manage within half an hour when they brought the Helsinki-Tallinn departure forward a few months ago.

I contacted Finnair. It was quite the adventure, as I was put on hold, and at one point, I got a message saying the connection was lost due to my inactivity, even though I was actively using my screen the entire time. However, after several attempts, I managed to reach the chat and received confirmation that if our flight was delayed, our luggage would accompany us. 

By then, I was hungry again. It was a new day, after all, and there was no separate breakfast provided. But I didn’t dare move away in case they announced the gate while I was gone. I quickly went to buy some painkillers for my mum's headache. When another announcement came that the gate would be confirmed in x minutes, we finally went to order some food.

The Milan-Helsinki flight ended up being delayed by a total of 2 hours and 50 minutes – just 10 minutes short of the potential compensation window. But eventually, we got on the flight to Helsinki.

In Helsinki, we found out that Finnair had taken care of the arrangements themselves, and we had been moved free of charge to the 9 pm flight. I had already checked if it was even possible to continue travelling on the same day, and up until the very end, I didn’t believe that our luggage would actually be travelling with us, but it was waiting for us in Tallinn.

So, our return journey began at 6 am on the 25th of July in Miami and ended at around 10pm on the 26th of July in Tallinn.

As mentioned, 3300 km, 10 states, bringing the total number of states we’ve travelled in the US to 14 + Washington, D.C. This time we visited several former capitals. Jeep. A new decade. Thanks for following along 💗 This year isn't over yet, and the pubs await next summer 😁 Heh. And since the 2022 trip to Ireland went unwritten, I'll start with that next, for anyone interested in reading.

Key West, Miami, Florida 24.07

Hommikul võtsin jälle ette umbes tunnise (või natuke pikema) geotuuri. 

Esimesena pidin pildistama kunagise maffia külalistemaja kollast ust😁 Ehk siis praegust Angelina külalistemaja, kus 1920ndatel toimetas brodell ja mängupõrgu, millel võis või võis mitte olla seotus maffiaga. Aga seda aaret tuleb külastada ainult päevavalguses. Ja Key Westis oli hommikul kell 6 pime. Ja sellega ma ei osanud arvestada. Minu mõte oli lihtsalt see, et saan päevavalguses rahvarohketes kohtades rahulikult tegutseda. Seega. Tegin selfie igaks juhuks ära ja suundusin edasi järgmise topsi juurde. 

Tops asub sõjaveteranide kogunemiskoha ja Ronald Tylor Woodle mälestusmägi juures liiklusmärgis. Päeval oleks seal põnev võimelda aga pimedas, inimtühjuses, polnud probleemi. Inimesi ei olnud aga kukk kanadega liikus tänaval ringi. 

Järgmise juurde liikudes märkasin, et päike hakkas endast märku andma. Ja nägin paari inimest liikumas. Tops avaldus kiiresti. 

Siis tuli välja, et järgmine jäi kaardi järgi päris lähedale, aga asus aiaga ääristatud pargis. Ugh. Seega edasi Mallory väljakule. 

Kuulsin puu otsast kaagutamist. Kana ju ei lenda keset linna puu otsa? Aga ei, kui puust mööda kõndisin tahtis üks mulle südarit tekitada kui kaagutades puu otsast alla potsatas. Enamuses puidust majad ja ilusalt hooldatud aiad. 

1823. aastal rajas kommodoor David Porter Mallory väljakul piraatlusvastase baasi ning pärast selle mahasurumist said piirkonnast laevavrakkidest pärit kaupade ladustamiseks ja oksjoniteks. 1961. aastal otsustas kohalik valitsus selle väljaku taastada. Päevaajal pidavat see Key Westi keskus olema, seega ülirahvastatud. Hommikul oli seal ainult politseiauto ja üks elunautleja. Proovisin võimalikult tähelepandamatult tegutseda, politsei vähemalt ei tulnud uurima, millega ma tegelen. Topsi tagasi panekul sain oodata, kui mingi inimgrupp mööda loivas.  

Siis on Key Westis, Mallory väljaku läheduses 1997. aastal avatud Key Westiga seotud oluliste isikute memoriaalkujude park. Kujud asuvad punastel tellistel, mida toetajad saavad 100 dollari eest soetada ning lasta oma nime sinna graveerida. Raha läheb Key Westi toetuseks. Pronksist kujude autoriks on James Mastin. Ja pargis järjekordne kukk oma karjaga. 

Jalutasin mööda Duval St tagasi majutuse poole. Leidsin veel ühe topsi ja enda nimelise tänava. 

Hommikusöök oli huvitav. Valikuid vähem kui mujal, vorste ei olnud. Mitte, et ma neid kuskil sõin aga ikkagi, neid ei olnud. Ega munaputru. Igale inimesele oli ette nähtud 1 saiake. 1 mitte rohkem. Saiad olid naisel kandikul, mis asus tagaruumis. Iga kord, kui keegi küsima tuli, tõi naine kandiku ja andis saiakese. No niisama saia ja jogurtit ja helbeid oli ka. 

Kas te teadsite, et Hemingway kirjutas oma kõige kuulsamad raamatud, näidendi ja lühijutud Key Westis? Ja ta armastas kasse. Kuuesõrmelisi kasse. Kokku elas kirjanik saarel kaheksa aastat, 1931-1939. Tänapäeval saab tema majamuuseumi külastada. Kuna oli mingi päev, siis saime pileti peal dollari allahindlust. 

Hemingway majamuuseumis elavad kassid. Umbes 60 kuuesõrmelist kassi. Hemingway sai oma esimese kasis, Lumivalgukese kingituseks ja edasine on ajalugu. Selgub, et kuusvarbalisus on tõust sõltumata. 

Selleks, et maffia maja pilt kindlasti arvesse läheks, käisime veel ühe ringi maja juurest läbi. Vanemad eriti vaimustuses ei olnud. 

Registreerisime välja, auto rooli ja viimaseks sõiduks Jeepiga valmis. Keydel märkasime mitmeid Sandaalitehaseid, mis osutusid suveniiripoodideks. Tagasiteel tegime ühes peatuse aga midagi huvitavat ei leidnud. Küll aga külastasime veel korra Rossi, kust ostsin seekord kõik asjad ära. 150 euro eest kolm kleiti, käekott, Guessi jalanõud ja boolero. Minu kohvris ruumi on. 

Tagasiteel tekkiski mõte, et Eestis oleks sellel teel tohutu mööda kimamine käinud, kui seal sõideti kannatlikult pikkades kolonnides. 

Siis olimegi juba Miamis ja teel lennujaama poole, kust järgmisel hommikul väljasõit. Kõigepealt viisin vanemad majutusse, lennujaama lähedal, pakkudes tasuta lennujaamatransporti, on Radisson Red Miami Airport hotell. Auto parklasse, vanemad kohale, sisseregistreerimine ja auto lennujaama, Avise tagastuspunkti. Kokku 3324km, ja üllatavalt ei ole see suurim kilometraaž, mida reisidel sõitnud oleme. 

Kuna Radisson asub lennujaama kõrval, vähemalt Avise kõrval, siis kõndisin selle maa tagasi. Seekord toa leidmisega probleemi ei olnud. 

Reisi viimase õhtusöögi sõime Don Camarón Mereanni grillis. Auto oli tagastatud, siis kasutasime jälle Uberit. Mulle mereanni paella, ema sõi mingit krevettidega kaetud kala ja isa liha. Klienditeenindajatest üks enam-vähem sai inglise keelest aru. Viimane poekülastus ja oligi aeg päev lõppenuks lugeda. 

In the morning, I set off on another hour-long (or a bit longer) geocaching tour. First up, I needed to take a photo of a yellow door that once belonged to a mafia guesthouse 😁 Nowadays, it’s known as Angelina Guesthouse, but back in the 1920s, it was a brothel and gambling den, that may or may not have been linked to the mafia. However, this cache should only be visited during daylight. And in Key West, it was pitch black at 6 am, which I hadn’t considered. My idea was simply to get the upper hand of the daylight to move easily in otherwise crowded places. So, I took a selfie just in case and moved on to the next cache. 

The cache is located within a traffic sign near a veterans' gathering spot and the Ronald Tylor Woodle memorial. During the day, it would be fun to scramble around there, but in the dark, deserted surroundings, it wasn't a problem. There were no people, but a rooster and some chickens wandering around the street.

As I moved toward the next one, I noticed the sun was starting to rise. I even spotted a couple of people moving about. It turned out that the next cache, according to the map, was fairly close by, but it was in a fenced-off park. Ugh. So, I headed to Mallory Square instead. I heard a clucking sound from a tree. Surely, chickens don’t fly up into trees? But no, as I walked past the tree, one startled me by clucking loudly and plopping down from the branches. 

Most of the houses are wooden and have beautifully kept gardens.

In 1823, Commodore David Porter established an anti-piracy base at Mallory Square, and after piracy was suppressed, the area became a storage and auction site for goods salvaged from shipwrecks. In 1961, the local government decided to restore the square. During the day, it’s supposed to be the heart of Key West, packed with people. In the morning, there was just a police car and one person enjoying life. I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible; at least the police didn’t come over to investigate what I was up to. When I was putting the cache back, I had to wait for a group of people to shuffle past. 

Nearby Mallory Square, there’s a bust park with statues dedicated to notable figures linked to Key West, which opened in 1997. The statues are placed on bricks that supporters can purchase for $100, with their names engraved on them. The funds go toward supporting Key West. The bronze statues were created by James Mastin. And in the park, there was yet another rooster with his flock. 

I strolled back towards Truman Hotel along Duval Street. I found another cache and an Ann Street. 

Breakfast was interesting. There were fewer choices than elsewhere. No sausages. Not that I’d eaten them anywhere else, but still, they weren’t available. Nor were there scrambled eggs. Each person was entitled to one pastry. Just one, no more. The pastries were on a tray in the back room, and every time someone asked, the lady would bring the tray and hand out a single pastry. There was also plain bread, yoghurt, and cereal. 

Did you know that Hemingway wrote his most famous novels, plays, and short stories in Key West? And he loved cats. Six-toed cats. The author lived on the island for eight years, from 1931 to 1939. Today, you can visit his house museum. Since there was some special day, we got a dollar off the ticket price. 

Around 60 six-toed cats live at the Hemingway House Museum. Hemingway received his first cat, Snow White, as a gift, and the rest is history. It turns out that having six toes isn’t breed-specific. 

To make sure that the photo of the mafia house counted, we did another loop past the building. My parents weren’t too thrilled about it. 

We checked out, got into the car, and prepared for our last drive in the Jeep. On the Keys, we noticed several Sandal Factories, which turned out to be souvenir shops. We made a stop at one on the way back, but there was nothing particularly interesting. However, we visited Ross once more, where I finally bought everything: three dresses, a handbag, Guess shoes, and a bolero for €150. There’s unlimited room in my suitcase.

On the way back, I couldn’t help but think that in Estonia, this road would have been a mad dash of overtaking cars, while here, everyone drove patiently in long columns. 

Then we were already in Miami, heading towards the airport, where we’d depart the next morning. First, I took my parents to our accommodation, the Radisson Red Miami Airport Hotel, which offers free airport transportation. I parked the car, dropped them off, checked them in, and then drove to the Avis return point at the airport. Altogether, we’d driven 3,324 km— surprisingly not even the longest distance we’ve covered on our trips!

Since the Radisson is next to the airport, at least next to Avis, I walked back. This time, I had no trouble finding the room. Finding a way out of the Avis building is another matter. 

For our last dinner of the trip, we ate at Don Camarón Seafood Grill. With the car returned, we used Uber again. I had the seafood paella, Mum had some fish covered in shrimp, and Dad had meat. One of the waiters almost understood English. A final visit to the shops, and then it was time to call it a day.