Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - March 27, 2013

The first day out of Grand Cayman was cloudy and chilly with winds that reached 40 knots.  We were unable to open the door to our veranda and the ship had a decided port list.  It was the first day we didn't go outside.  We spent most of the day in the Garden Lounge, where we watched waves crashing in the pool.

We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale in the morning, where it was partly cloudy with a temperature of 70 degrees.  After an annoying security procedure to go ashore we took the free shuttle to the Galleria shopping mall.  We had no intention of shopping, but from there we were able to walk a few blocks to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park.  We did some birding, left for lunch, then returned for more birding.  We were fortunate to run into a local birder, who gave us some good tips.

Birch Park is a tropical jungle.

There are Zulu fig trees, which are quite amazing.

We returned to the ship in time for afternoon tea.  We sailed at 5:30 for New York.