Alarm at 2 AM

Saturday 2 May 2015. It's get-away day. Here's proof that I need a sabbatical:  I purposefully booked a flight at 5:20 AM. That flight time required getting out of bed at 2 AM. Say what? Let me just say that even if you do get up and make it to the airport with all your stuff, it is not because your brain helped. It was all muscle memory and luck. One neglected factor - the 2:30 AM traffic. This drive time coincides with all those folks who left the bars at closing time. Defensive driving took on a whole new meaning. One guy almost sideswiped us, then tried to hit the freeway median. Let's just say I wasn't sleepy after that.

The day took a great turn with our first flight - I upgraded to first class when I checked in, on one of those cheap deals. Just the leg to Miami. First time in first class and it was wondrous. First to board, two big reclining seats, and breakfast! The flights to Miami and then on to St. Martin were uneventful as desired. Arrived at 1 pm. Picked up the rent car and drove 10 min to our condo. Another win. This location on Nettle Bay is just perfect. It is centrally located, so that we reach all the beaches and shopping without a long drive. Very different from the more remote Anse Marcel beach hotel at the north end where we stayed in 2012. And we are on the beach, so cool.

At dinner time, we discovered a French pastry shop and a pizzeria directly across the street. Convenient calories!