Friday - January 18, 2008

Fort Lauderdale

Having been to Fort Lauderdale before, we didn't feel the need to rush off and see everything there is to see, because frankly, there isn't that much. The center of Fort Lauderdale is quite pretty, with a few high rise buildings and a lot of restaurants, but it is the gorgeous, and incredibly expensive, houses and yachts lining the canals that the place its color and interest. Fort Lauderdale is called the "Venice of the South" and for good reason. I know that a lot of cities make this same claim, but in the case of Lauderdale, it seems justified. The city is criss-crossed with a series of canals that can be seen by boat, and we even saw a Venetian gondola tied up with a sign advertising Gondola Rides. 

We enjoyed a great lunch at an Asian restaurant called "The Wild East", courtesy of a friend who lives in Fort Lauderdale. Then we walked over to the Museum of Art where we saw a great exhibition of contemporary furniture that was all based on Chinese designs. The exhibition was beautifully displayed with antique Chinese furniture alongside the contemporary pieces they had inspired. We also saw an exhibition of paintings by William Glackens, an American painter who worked during the late 1800s and early 1900s. His style seemed to have been influenced by whatever new painter came down the pike! I looked at his work and saw Renoir, Matisse, Manet, Degas - he gave a whole new meaning to the word "derivative" but his art was pleasant to look at. 

We took a water taxi back to the ship, which proved interesting, because the fellows operating the boat were happy to take us by the fancy houses and tell us who lived where. The idea of a house costing over $17 million, with a yacht that cost slightly less moored outside, is hard to comprehend, especially when you are told it is a second or third home for the owners! 

Then it was time to depart. The Victoria left first, accompanied by circling helicopters and fireboats shooting off their water cannons. She will be heading for the Panama Canal and this is where we part ways. 

We left at dark about a hour later, and as we passed the apartment buildings at the end of the harbour, the residents were sounding horns, waving flashlights and stobelights, flicking their balcony lights off and on, and cheering - just as they did in 2005! It was both exciting and bittersweet to think that this was the last time these people would be giving the QE2 their own unique, rousing sendoff.