The Florida Keys are decidedly not Berlin -- but in their own way just as sophisticated. The slender archipelago runs some 170 km westwards to Key West -- where the United States officially ends. To reach there you traverse Highway One, the string which holds together a string of pearls -- the 40 islands that are linked by bridges and causeways.
While June to November is the hurricane season, the reality is that you have more chance of being struck by lightening in your back garden.
To set you in the mood for what lies ahead, start your journey in Miami. Make sure you have an open top car for you are about to experience one of the most spectacular drives in America.
Miami already will make you forget the plastic theme parks of Orlando: Disney's Animal Kingdom; a version of Europe, Russia or India at the Epcot Centre; Jurassic Park at Universal. A few days slogging around them makes you wonder why Florida has never started to just be itself.
Only in Miami does it begin to come clear what the real Florida is: there's a rhythm to the place which is distinctly Latin and its d��cor belongs to another time when art-deco reigned supreme and men in white suits and fedoras escorted women in slinky dresses in the constant 23 C degree temperature, making Florida an authentic all year round destination.
It is not just the sun that is dazzling in Miami. It's the pink limousines and buildings painted in peach and banana yellow.
And all roads lead to Ocean Drive, the city's we-never-close strip of restaurants, bars and no-need-to-book hotels.
It was here that one of the world's most controversial designers, Gianni Versace, lived part of his life. Nearby is the Amsterdam Palace where every day people gather to pose on the marble front steps where he was gunned down. It's what passes for culture in Miami.
If that is what you are looking for, take a trip to Little Havana. There are authentic Cuban restaurants and galleries. The daiquiris are potent, the noise vibrant, the music sets your feet tapping and Buccis, thimble-sized cups of expresso coffee, will keep you awake all night.
At the airport on downtown Miami, every car rental firm in the country seems to be touting for business, offering unlimited mileage, insurance, all taxes paid and a full tank of petrol. For under $300 you can rent a Ford Mustang which is ideal for topping up your tan as you start to cruise down Highway One.
In no time you are in Keys Largo. Remember the movie of the same name with Bogey and Bacall? Well, somehow the place itself does not quite live up to its screen image. It's like a black and white movie that has been colour tinted; the idea is good but the end result seems to leave something missing.
Next pitstop along Highway One is Islomorada. It greets you with a billboard that says this is the "sport fishing capital of the world". Well -- maybe. But it depends on how you measure things. The fish is freshly caught and grilled to perfection. For $10 you can eat your fill.
Then, suddenly the scenery improves. Marathon and the Lower Keys are beautiful and worth a stop to stroll around.
Then it is on to Key West, the laid-back jewel in the archipelago. It may be the result of being less than 120 km from Cuba, but the whole place has the magic of the Carribean: sun-bleached clapboard buildings and feel good vibes at the daily sunset festival in Mallory Square.
The whole town seems to turn out to mark the passing of yet another lazy, beautiful day.
Grizzled fishermen rub shoulders with super-rich yacht owners. Muscular men on Harley Davidsons and immaculately made-up drag queens strut their stuff.
Its like a human zoo for the passengers who emerge from the cruise ships that pass up and down, pausing only to allow tourists time enough to sample the food and drink at Sloppy Joe's, Captain Tony's and the Green Parrot.
Key West's most famous restaurant is Louie's Backyard. Candle-lit, it serves some of the best seafood anywhere in a town where eating is a serious business.
Conch, stone crab, lobster and mahi-mahi are the staples of any menu. For those who want to enjoy them in a glitzy atmosphere, book a table at Kelly's Caribbean Bar on Whitehead Street. It's owned by Kelly McGillis and the house speciality is a mouth-watering coconut shrimp, known as Key West Gold. It's worth every mouthful of the $20.
For any visitor, Key West has one main attraction. It was here the Ernest Hemingway lived, opposite the town lighthouse, and wrote most of his books -- including the only one he set against the local background. He called it, To Have and To Have Not. He said it was his worst novel.
But it's still on view in the bars in town who all claim that Hemingway drank there. Given his legendary thirst, it is just possible that he did!
More certain is that on his birthday, July 21, Key West stages its annual Hemingway festival. There are book readings and a parade of Ernest look-alikes. Only Memphis, with its obsession about Elvis, pays such homage to someone who was not even born within its borders.
The small studio where Hemingway wrote from 6 am until noon every day is much the same as he left it. His old typewriter stands on an old oak table on which he used to tap out 2,000 words in a good morning's work. The white-washed walls are covered with shelves of his books. An old-fashioned fan whirrs at the centre of the ceiling.
Promptly as the clock struck noon, poor Hemingway would set off to one of the bars. Then there were only a dozen or so; today there are over 300, selling garish cocktails and filled with the music of rock bands.
Drop into the Blue Heaven Caf�, where "Papa" used to box and referee. Or better yet, sit in the Old Town's oldest bar, the Green Parrot. It used to be Key West's former mortuary; today it still has a brooding feeling, where old-timers sit at barstools like extras in one of the commercials that are shot here time and time again.
Sitting in Turtle Kraals, a bar close to the "Hemingway House" in the Old Town, can be an eye-opening experience. The day I was there my fellow drinkers were a dwarf Elvis, a too-slim Hemingway imitator and a bearded Marilyn Monroe smoking a cigar.
It should be mentioned that many hotels have a no-children sign outside, and gays-only establishments make a point of announcing their preferred clients. But that said, it is a friendly place that is really a party town for grown-ups.
There is nothing to match the hotels of Berlin. But there are several places you can stay in comfort. I bedded down in the Southernmost Motel on Duval Street and spent a night in Dewey House, which serves an excellent American breakfast. It includes a slice of lime pie -- tangy enough to have your eyes blinking.
As you stroll through Bahama village, where the local Afro-Caribbean community sit on their stoops and gossip, the cold of Europe seems a long way away. But the Christmas decorations remind you its time to be heading for your own Christmas tree.
>Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement