We needed to call into the management offices this morning as the door into Sophie's bathroom wouldn't open yesterday after she'd closed it. We'd heard her plaintive calls for help but luckily she has a door that opens out onto the patio so she was able to get out that way! Keith and Mike managed to sort it out but we wanted to report the door, so we drove to the office to find it closed even though it was past 10am and they should have been open!
It was a short drive from there to Naples and we parked in the town centre, planning to go and find the pier. However, after blundering about for a while (and coming across some beautiful shops and restaurants) we decided to try and drive there instead as it was very hot. I carried along the main street and then turned back and headed back the way we came along some side streets which were stuffed with gorgeous houses...they were absolutely beautiful and I dread to think how much they cost. Easily multiple millions!
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| Soph and Mike in Naples |
We vainly looked for the pier but it was obvious we'd missed it so we carried on along the Tamiami Trail (Route 41) towards Marco Island instead. It wasn't a long drive and when we saw signs for the island we turned off the 41 and onto a road that crossed several bridges with fantastic views. We had high hopes for Marco Island and Sophie said she wanted to get married in the Marriott hotel there!
We entered Marco Island and headed for the beach but there was no way we could see it. There were huge hotels and condominiums all along the coast and we didn't see any parking at all. In fact, we couldn't see any access to the beach although Sophie did spot a narrow walkway that probably led down to the sea. It wasn't what we were expecting at all and if we'd thought we'd be visiting another Anna Maria Island type location, we were very wrong.
We went as far as we could and saw lots of signs forbidding us from parking anywhere. However, we did see signs for Tigertail Beach with parking and amenities so we turned around and headed for that instead. The beach itself was tucked away in a residential area and after paying $8 for parking we headed towards the sea.
Again, I'm not sure what we were expecting and we certainly weren't dressed for the beach, but we were all a little bit disappointed when we arrived to find a flat stretch of sand and a strip of water with another long area of bushes behind it. Looking at the sign we saw that to get to the actual Gulf, you had to either wade across the strip of water or walk around to the headland. As it was very hot (have I mentioned this before?) and none of us were dressed to go sun-bathing we decided to give the long walk a miss!
We did climb some steps in a viewing tower though and had a good look at the view. This is an important conservation area and there were tall poles with nests on top of them and areas where we were forbidden to enter.
There was a little cafe by the entrance to the beach so we re-traced our steps and sat and enjoyed a beer. Another British family arrived and I think they were in the same situation as us because I heard one of the women say that they weren't really dressed for the beach!
We left Marco Island and headed back to Naples, but before we went back to the villa Mike wanted to go into a large thrift store he'd spotted. He headed straight for the tee-shirts and shirts and had soon picked out a load of clothes, some of which were designer! His total haul of eight tops came to $38 and I think the man on the cash desk was impressed with what he'd bought. He was very funny, but very grumpy with a real droll sense of humour!
Back at the villa we had lunch and then spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool. It clouded over and when we headed out in the evening we could see that a storm was developing. The people who owned our villa had recommended a nearby Aldi for shopping so we drove there to get some bits that we needed. Again, I don't know what I was expecting (an exact replica of our Kettering store perhaps?) but it was very different! Sophie and I searched in vain for our New Zealand Pinot Gris but we soon realised that the food and drink on offer bore no resemblance whatsoever to our UK supermarket!
Keith bought some beer that was considerably cheaper than Publix and we put butter, eggs and snacks into the trolley. The store was very quiet and typical of an Aldi in that there wasn't a huge amount of choice, but it was a lot cheaper than Publix, so we will definitely go there again.
Our dinner venue for the evening was The Olive Garden in Naples and we drove there under the gathering clouds. I had feared that the restaurant would be busy but we were seated immediately and our friendly waitress came over to take our drinks order. Again, Sophie ordered a Margarita, frozen this time, and she wasn't asked for ID. This was good news as she's always had a bit of an issue with The Olive Garden after the first time we ever visited when she was about 13 and had dressed up for the occasion with make-up and they'd given her the children's menu! She's never forgiven them!
We ordered a sharing sampler for a starter (bad idea) but each main meal comes with either soup or salad and garlic bread sticks. Sophie, Mike and I ordered the soup while Keith had a huge bowl of salad with croutons. The starter was OK, but it was very heavy with cheese...we had mini lasagnes coated in breadcrumbs, mozzarella sticks and mushrooms stuffed with clams (ewww!). Thankfully Keith polished off the mushrooms!
For mains I had chosen Chicken Marsala, Keith had a stuffed version, Sophie chose grilled chicken parmigiana and Mike had lasagne. We were all stuffed ourselves by the end of the meal. We were sat by the window and every time I turned to look at Keith the sky had become darker...the clouds looked really ominous and when we went outside to get in the car we could see flashes of lightening and rumbles of thunder.
By the time we reached the villa, the rain was really coming down and we sat by the pool with a drink and watched nature's entertainment!
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