Chilling at Key West

Key West
Friday March 6

I have a wonderful night's sleep at the Ambrosia and am greatly refreshed by the cool air on my terrace at 6am, aided and abetted by a lovely cup of Typhoo.
There is, of course, not a soul about and, with breakfast still three hours away, I pile into the mountain of brochures I have already accumulated and plan the day ahead.
By the time breakfast is out in the gazebo below, I have a pretty good grasp of the day in front of me, rather different from the originally-planned itinerary.
Not being a fan of driving, I have decided to leave the car parked where it is until Sunday and spend my day trying to really get a feel of Key West. I am supposed to drive 30 miles north, but after yesterday, am going nowhere except on the saddle of my bike.
Breakfast is, by some distance, the best I have had, since Apalachicola. The variety is hugely impressive, from wonderfully fresh fruit to excellent tasty breads and pastries. It's impressive, but then everything at the Ambrosia is. It's well run with particular attention to detail, while the level of equipment and thought that has gone into your room is truly amazing. I've even found books to read, never mind the tea and coffee making machine, microwave and fridge. My travel kettle is temporarily redundant!
After breakfast, my US mobile telephone starts to ring. Julie has clearly been busy and all sorts of local folk are buying into the 'Hidden Florida' agenda.
My first port of call is to the Fort Zachary Taylor historic State Park. (www.fortzacharytaylor.com and www.forttaylor.org). I am honoured that my guide has come in on his day off to see me, but also that he is a General in the Conch Republic Army. I am anxious that Harry Smid will be in his full dress uniform, but today he's in Key West relaxed kit of shorts and t-shirt.
Begun in 1845, to guard the entrance to the harbour against the British, French and Spanish, it remained under federal control during the American Civil War and was in use for almost a hundred years. I remark upon the similarity to European firsts but am told by the General that a French architect, Simon Bernard, had been recruited after Waterloo.
There are some amazing cannon, including an 1865 Parrott rifle, which could propel a 300 pound shot between 4 and 5 miles.
In a later phase, the fort was equipped with 145 cannon and when it was decommissioned, to save time and money, the weaponry was simply buried deep in the walls, where most remain to this day. Once a year, a volunteer brings some special equipment, which finds more and more hidden deep in the concrete.
The General needs to attend to some important Conch Republic duties, so I am left to explore on my own. I stumble into an area that I thought was public, but is clearly not. The supposedly peace-loving Republic has a huge stash of cannon and other live munitions. I feel honour-bound to report it now, in case the Republic does decide to declare war on the mighty USA to the north. I just hope that the CIA, the Conch Intelligence Agency, does not read this.
At my time of visit is an excellent sculpture trail. On the beach, widely regarded by locals as the finest in Key West, I spot an amazing mirror sculpture. A passing seagull is just as fascinated as I am. He struts back and forth wondering why another gull is starting back at him.
At the Eco-Discovery Centre, I meet with Craig Wanous. This excellent centre, built at a cost of $6.5 million only two years ago, does a really good job of interpreting the offshore wildlife habitat. There's a nice introductory video, except that the director clearly has an eye for the ladies and concentrates on the female swimmer almost as much as the fish and plant life.
Craig tells me that they are already up to 30,000 annual visitors. I am not surprised, the exhibits are very well presented, with a lot to interest both adults and youngsters alike.
Nearby is the USS Mohawk, a former WWII coastguard cutter. (www.ussmohawk.org). Fritz Zivic shows me around. Mohawk was rescued from a scrapyard in a totally dilapidated state. But piece by piece, a loyal band of volunteers are bringing her back to life. It's a costly business. Just towing her to Key West cost $60,000. The Captain's sea cabin has been converted into a rather bijou three-berth room to let, although there's a lot of work still needing to be done to the bathroom area to make it ready for paying guests. I am fascinated by some of the memorabilia they have amassed, including a lot about the ship's dog, Ricky, who seems to have been quite a character. Apparently Ricky did not like the Captain and was prone to biting him!
As I cycle towards the waterfront to catch a better view of the two enormous cruise liners that are in port, I discover the Truman Annex complex. Used for guests of the then President, this is a charming sand beautifully-maintained area, some of which now available for rentals. www.compass-realty.com.
I've steered clear of the Mallory Park area until now because of the visit of the huge cruise liners, Carnival Destiny and Celebrity Century. Between the two, some five and a half thousand passengers will have been allowed ashore.
As I watch the two leviathan liners prepare to leave port, I get chatting to a young American, Ben MacMillen, who knows nothing about shipping and is pleased I can explain some of the intricacies of what he is seeing happen. Ben, who is the son of a baptist missionary, is passionate to travel and questions me interminably about where I have been during my travels. On his way back to meet his brother and sister in law, with whom he has travelled from Atlanta, he pops by for a beer and to marvel at my wonderful terrace at the Ambrosia.
I have had to get my smart trousers, shirt and shiny shoes out of my main suitcase. Word has reached The First Sea Lord of the Conch republic Navy, Admiral Finbar Gittelman, that I am in town and I am invited to dine with him and his good lady.
I am regaled with salty sea stories and a somewhat frightening tale of losing a ship in a hurricane, then riding through the storm in a rubber dinghy.
The Admiral, looking all the world like Captain Birds Eye, very kindly invites me to visit his flagship, the schooner Wolf, tomorrow and I have much pleasure in accepting.
When I first drove into Key West, I thought what a horrid place it is. Well, for sure on Duvall Street, it's a party town. But scratch under the surface, get off the main drag and, quite clearly, the 'Hidden Florida' is right there waiting to be discovered.