Day 178 - MERTA Done!

Our bags were packed and we were standing at the front desk checking out for the final time on this amazing trip, it felt surreal that it was all coming to an end and soon we would be back in UK and returning to our old lives.

We decided that the only way to finish the trip was with some..... chicken wings!!! So we jumped in an Uber to Bayside Marketplace and grabbed a table in the first Hooters of many that we visited during the 6 months.

We are now expert chicken wing'ers so we don't waste our time with any of the saucer kind, we order the dry rub, far tastier, easier to eat and they don't leave you with orange fingers. In memory of the start of trip we also had one of our first cocktails, a Miami Vice (frozen Strawberry Daiquiri and frozen Pina Colada poured together into one glass).

We spent the rest of the day lying on the beach trying to top up our tans and take in some last minute vitamin D in the Miami sunshine.

We've mentioned the Dakota aircraft in a couple of previous posts, it's Lee's Dad's favourite plane. Whilst we were lying on the beach, a Dakota flew over, reminding us that whilst it's sad that the trip is coming to an end, it wouldn't be long before we got to see friends, family and of course our cat Mitzy again.

The time eventually arrived when we took a taxi to the airport and checked in for our flight. We were flying business class with BA so were lucky enough to have lounge access. We did some research beforehand and decided that we would try to American Airlines Flagship Lounge. It was by far the best lounge either of us have ever been to.

There was a large buffet with really good food, help yourself champagne and a full bar service with cocktails. But the best part was being able to have a shower after a day sweating on the beach.

The flight home was quiet. Not long after take off we ate dinner, toasted the end of MERTA with drink and then slept in our flat beds all the way back to the UK.

It's impossible to describe the trip, amazing, fantastic, phenomenal just don't seem to do it justice. I could say it's 'once in a lifetime' but I really hope we have the opportunity to do something like this again in our lifetime. Whatever it was, it will remain with us forever as an experience that has shaped us as individuals and as a married couple.

MERTA done!