Holocaust Memorial, South Beach, Miami - Beautiful, Haunting and Thought-provoking

Holocaust Memorial, South Beach

South Beach's Holocaust Memorial is not a depressing place.

It's beautiful, haunting and thought-provoking, and not to be missed if you're in Miami Beach, or even elsewhere in Miami-Dade County.

Illuminated at Night
The memorial is open day and night and is illuminated after dark.

Giant Green Arm
As you approach the memorial the giant green arm of the centrepiece Sculpture of Love and Anguish is visible in the distance, soaring skywards.

“A Serene and Peaceful Garden”
Architect and sculptor Kenneth Treister commented, “Some artists depict the Holocaust only in the dimensions of its horrors with concrete, metal and barbed wire. I broadened the theme to include a serene and peaceful garden, dedicated to the memory of the beautiful European culture and its six million Jewish souls, now lost.”

Miami Metromover - Driverless Trains in Downtown and Brickell with Free Wi-fi

Metromover Train, Downtown Miami

Miami's elevated Metromover train system is a convenient way of getting round the sights of Downtown and Brickell and a driverless novelty worth riding just for the experience.

Trains and Wi-fi Both Free
Also, it's completely free and free wi-fi is being introduced on the system.

High Bridge Over River
If you have limited time, take the Brickell Loop, with its high bridge over the Miami River – shown in the photo – and its roller-coaster-like section.

Three Overlapping Metromover Loops
The Metromover system has three loops which overlap in the Downtown shopping district.

Downtown (Inner) Loop
A Downtown (Inner) Loop connects places such as Bayside Marketplace, with its marina and shops, and the Metrorail Government Center Station, where you can take a train on Miami-Dade's single rapid-transit line, or catch a bus at the nearby Downtown Bus Terminal. This Downtown (Inner) Loop operates in a clockwise direction.

Nudist Beach, Haulover Beach Park, Miami

Haulover Nudist Beach, Miami

Haulover Nudist Beach is in Haulover Beach Park, to the north of Miami Beach, between Bal Harbour Village and the City of Sunny Isles Beach.

Signposts at Fences
It is clearly signposted at the fences which mark the boundaries of the nudist beach and at most other entrances.

However, the signs aren't as prominent as the one in the photo appears to be.

Wide Sandy Beach
The beach is wide and sandy, sloping gently towards the water and 0.6 km (0.4 mile) long.

Clothing-optional Beach, Not Naturist
Strictly speaking this is a clothing-optional beach rather than naturist, so some people do wear swimsuits, even though there are textile beaches immediately to the north and south. I don't understand this, in fact I think it's bad manners to go to a nudist beach and remain covered up while everyone else is naked.

See Alligators In the Wild and Close-up - Shark Valley, Everglades National Park

Alligator at Shark Valley, Everglades

The alligator in the photo is roaming free at Shark Valley, in the Everglades National Park, just an hour's drive west of Miami. I took the photo.

Shark Valley is one of the best places that I know in the Everglades to see alligators. You can walk along a paved trail and see them close-by, basking in the sun.

Commercial Everglades Tours
When I first visited Florida my wife and I took an Everglades tour, which included an airboat trip, hoping to see alligators in the wild. The airboat was so noisy that if I'd been an alligator I would have slunk away before the boat got anywhere near.

We did see alligators on this commercial tour, but not on the boat trip or in the wild, just some mangy specimens in a fenced compound.

Shark Valley Alligators, Turtles and Birds
At Shark Valley you can expect to see as many as a dozen alligators in or near the water during a walk of an hour or so. Also, look out for turtles and birds such as anhingas, blue and white herons and cormorants.