.......SO HERE WE ARE, just arrived! As I said, Clearwater, FL is known for its sandy WHITE beaches, and as you can see, it's true!! I am on the right, next to Manuela, ----you can't see our feet but that sand was HOT and the reflection of the sun off that white sand almost blinded us!!

This is the condo we rented for 2 days. It was immaculate, beautiful and BIG! - Sonia, Claudio, Mario & Manuela are in the background.

SUCH LUXURY!! I wish we had one of these jacuzzis at home!!

The kitchen/dining area, which of course we never used since we ate out both days!

So ya wanna come in and cool off by the pool?? But there was no time for swimming either.... We had lots of unique little towns to visit like the Greek town near Clearwater, which is known for their good food and sea sponge industry. This was also where I bought some sea shells because I wasn't having much luck finding good ones on our beach-combing expeditions. We took drives up and down the coast, saw all the gorgeous homes, and later visited "Little Cuba" in Tampa where Mario bought a big box of Cuban cigars for his father.