Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and we were promptly kicked off the cruise ship when it docked in in Fort Lauderdale. Not wanting to end our trip, we stayed in FL an extra day. We rented a car and took a side-trip to Miami to visit the Coral Castle. A man named Edward Leedskalnino came to the USA from Latvia shortly after his 16-year-old bride called off their wedding. He had his choice of two boats when he came over. The one he didn't choose...the Titanic. He eventually landed in Florida where he spent most of his life building this castle, made of coral he mined on his property (much of FL has a coral base with top soil brought in and grass planted on top of that), paying homage to the woman he never married. It is an engineering feat, what he was able to do with ropes, pulleys, and sometimes car parts. I'm glad we made this side-trip.
All rock is one of two forms of coral.
These lizards aren't native to the area but were turned loose from a private residence during the hurricane and now inhabit the area. Can you spot him? He's trying to blend in.
He had a building he slept in, but he actually used this chair and others to sit and read in at night before going to bed. He also had an outdoor bathtub that he used.
This was the "punishment" room. If you were naughty, you went here to be lectured by Ed. Since he never married or had kids, there was no one to punish. :)Interested in learning more? Here's a link to their website.
1 comment:
Cool pics!
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