Next up: Curacao. This is the only port we didn't have an excursion planned for, so we weren't quite sure what to do. I had been to Curacao before on an 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Breeze. The great thing about the detailed blog that I've kept (I used to be so much better!) is that we can refer back to it and remember what we've done. Rachel had the internet package, so she went to my blog post on Curacao and learned that I had been to Mambo Beach. So Mambo Beach it was!


We were in port with the Carnival Conquest.

The Venice Fishing Pier is a 700-foot public pier located on the south end of Venice Beach.  It's utilized by fisherman of all ages and skill levels, and no fishing permit is required.  Of course, when I first spotted the fishing pier, I planned to take advantage of the viewpoints for photography.  What I didn't expect walking out on the pier was getting a front row seat to watch an incredible sport...



I wandered over to the fishing pier after strolling along the Venice Boardwalk on a Friday evening. One thing I noticed is that several people rode their bikes down the pier. Also, the trash cans smelled terrible... perhaps people had been discarding their bait in them.

On an incredibly warm Friday, I decided it would be a great time for me to explore one of Los Angeles's famous beaches.  After doing a bit of internet searching, I was eager to check out the colorful Venice Beach.

Venice Beach is considered a global tourist destination and has been labeled "a cultural hub known for its eccentricities."  The beach receives millions of visitors a year.

Before going, I tried my best to locate parking.  However, everything I found online was very vague.  The price listed on the Venice Beach website was Winter $4.00 to $9.00; Summer $5.00 to $15.00.  Umm.... that's a huge range!  I found an address for a parking lot, but that turned out to be a garage a ways from the beach, so I kept driving until I found myself on a one-way street.  I was really confused and didn't know how to turn around, so I parked at the first place available, which of course was priced at the highest end of the parking fee spectrum.  $15.00 valet parking in a secure lot for the day.  Sure... why not?

As soon as I left the valet lot, I walked right by a larger public parking area which was listed at $9.00.  Of course, this would happen to me.  Oh, well... at least the valet lot felt really safe.

The beach was a short walk away, but the width of it was huge.  Walking from the boardwalk up to the water was quite a hike.  But it was so large that even though it was well-populated, everyone could really spread out.

It was our last full day in Destin. By now, we have this down to a routine - wake up, eat breakfast, BEACH.



There were a lot more umbrellas on the beach, today. We figured that people had come in for the Fourth.





We were stuck beside the drunks, again. They taught us a drinking game - shotgun. Apparently, it is quicker to cut a hole in the bottom instead of trying to drink it out of the top. This one girl could puncture a beer can with her teeth. It was hardcore.









We decided to eat in, tonight, so we'd have more time for putt-putt and go-carts at The Track. We finally left the beach at 5:00. I don't think any of us wanted to go, though Meredith was the most resistant (Rachel was a close second).

Ahh... same as always. Woke up early, ate breakfast, and went to the beach.

Today, our chair had been moved down. We were also fortunate enough to be sitting by a large group of drunk adults that enjoyed invading our space. One lady spilled beer on my dad while trying to make friendly (drunk) conversation.

We went up for lunch, heated up lean pockets and goofed off, then went back to the beach until...



Helen and I decided to go ahead and take two chairs and our bags to the condo so that we wouldn't have as much to carry when the rain actually came.





We got back to the beach and it hadn't rained, yet. We thought maybe the clouds would pass over without any rain.







Maybe, not...





We decided it was time to pack it up.



And, boy, we made it just in time...




















This thing FLEW!






The aftermath









In the meantime, we didn't let the storm affect our dinner plans. Tonight was sundress night at Harry T's (the Wrights had recommended we do this on Friday because they have fireworks).

This morning, Rachel and I got up and went running. Meredith decided to stay behind, this time.

We decided to just run on the sidewalks. We jogged all the way to the Aegean, then turned around and headed back.

I forgot to mention last time, that there is a garbage truck that comes by between seven and eight every morning and it smells like... well... garbage. It is a sickly smell that makes me gag. And, we happen to be coming back from our run while the garbage truck is leaving. Ew, ew, ew.

Anywho, when we got back to the condo, Helen and Meredith were playing cards, and Mom and Dad had made cinnamon rolls. Yum.

We ate breakfast, then headed to the beach.



We went up for lunch around 12. We were supposed to make enchiladas, but the cook time was an hour and half - too long for us. So, we played a game of Taboo Junior while we made flatbread pizza.

We woke up around 7:00, again. This morning, we had donuts from Krispy Kreme. Yum!

Rachel, Meredith, and Helen headed down to the beach around 9:00. I had to stay up at the condo to work on Junior Miss stuff that was due for about an hour.

I joined them and we took the tubes out to float.















Went up to lunch around 1:00, maybe. We made sandwiches/wraps and made more teddy graham ice cream treats.


Meredith found a dollar while making her sand pig.

We ate a real breakfast - grits, eggs, bacon, and wheat biscuits. It was yummy.

We then headed out to the beach. It was probably 9:30. Our umbrella was in the same spot.



Game of frisbee.





We headed up around noon to eat lunch, again. Today, we ate bagel bites. We then made more teddy graham ice cream creations.











Airplane!





After goofing off at the condo, we headed back to the beach.



But not for long.





The big, dark clouds scared us away.



Since we were up at the condo, we decided to go ahead and get ready to go out for dinner.