TROPICAL FAREWELL NIGHT

Back in Miami, it’s a balmy evening as I leave the airport for Coral Gables in a cab, with a slightly disappointed cab driver, because the fee is fixed in the cabs from the airport to prevent fraud. Nevertheless, he engages in a conversation for the 22 dollars. He comes from Haiti, has a family, of course, and Uber is tough competition. In Houston, you only use Uber by the way. Due to the huge distances within the city, a ride often takes more than 30 minutes and costs between 30 and 70 dollars. In Miami, a warm Caribbean breeze blew through the window, it was my last evening in the USA and after my cozy family life in Houston, I was back on vacation. I had deliberately chosen my hotel in this lively neighborhood, it’s expensive and chic and this one night is almost beyond my budget… but I thought it would be good to relax again before the night on the plane. Chic, good looking people, often Latinas and Latinos around me, but the bar closed at 11pm and I had two quick margaritas. It seemed a bit makeshift, a hotel of this class really deserved a more spacious drinking area and classier counters, it wasn’t cozy. Some kind of candlelight concert was playing in the courtyard behind huge billowing curtains, with an enthusiastic audience, a bar pianist would have been enough for me. But it was already late, I had lost an hour from Texas, so I hoped for the morning of the next day.

Of course the sun was shining, 25 degrees, and I set off on foot to buy some shoes, and like all pedestrians who walk further than from their car into a store, you are sometimes eyed with suspicion. But Google actually directed me to an outlet store not too far away where I found numerous offers in my size. I made two purchases, there was no more room in my suitcase, which was already half packed. Before that I had eaten a nice Eggs Benedict outside in a chic café to the sound of parrots screaming, yes it was indeed a tropical day and by now it was already lunchtime, check out time at the hotel, yes sir we can keep your luggage this is your receipt. Thus relieved of my burden, I strolled through Coral Gables again where people from the offices were now streaming in for lunch, I wanted to go to a certain bar, unfortunately it was full, but the Hillstone on Ponce de Leon still had a seat at the bar and a capable young bartender. I thought, well, one more margarita before the flight home and it tasted excellent. Then a message came in on my cell phone: “Dear passenger, the departure of your flight LH 461 to Munich is delayed by 3 hours. Check in will be open longer.” It’s a good thing I wasn’t in the cab yet, with a wave of my hand the next margarita was in front of me. I didn’t want to risk a mix from the successor bartender and preferred to have a small dinner at MesaMar Seafood on Giralda Av. where I enjoyed the unlimited service of three waiters in the afternoon, and of course white wine and the lobster with garlic butter…..

With this last 88 dollar bill, I then left Coral Gables for the airport with such a chaotic security check that BER seems almost exemplary, I had to cheat my way through to supposedly get to the gate on time…. But I found out, there was no need to hurry, the departure was delayed further, the plane had to turn to Iceland on the flight to Miami in the middle of the Atlantic, which I was able to check on @flightradar24 between the margaritas in the Hillstone. The reason, as we found out later, was a medical emergency. It was rather uncomfortable in the waiting areas at the gate, and then the crew boarded. The day that had started so beautifully in the sunshine became longer and longer, so I was glad when I could finally take my seat, it was my first flight with an A 350, which really cuts through the air like butter, and yet the A 380 remains my favorite. Well, in Munich it was 4 degrees, just like in Texas, and that’s how I felt.