A trip through Florida

A shot of a canal in Ft. Lauderdale (Photo: Saim Orhan)

Based on population size, Florida is the fourth largest state in the US, but it only has the 22nd largest land mass.

Interestingly, the Floridian economy alone is almost the same size as Turkey's. The Latin American residents of Florida conduct a lively trade with their countries of origin.

Florida has beautiful beaches running from north to south along the Atlantic Ocean. The Greater Miami Metropolitan Area is composed of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and some 5.5 million people live here.

We headed to Fort Lauderdale -- according to some, the Venice of America. The area boasts lots of canals, big and small, with beautiful homes built around them. You can see yachts and fine boats anchored in front of many of these homes. It feels like a whole different world here. Draw bridges have been built over the canals to allow the yachts through. Throughout the day, these special bridges rise and fall countless times.

There are also canal tours here that allow people to see the city from the water; as you can imagine, these are filled with tourists.

The most important boulevard in Fort Lauderdale is Las Olas. Here, you can finds lots of cafes, restaurants, beautiful shops and so on. It is the main artery of the city and its most popular tourist spot.

The beach in Fort Lauderdale boasts absolutely beautiful sand and, of course, stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. Though perhaps not as famous as the Miami beaches, the Fort Lauderdale beach proves that the city is not only famous for its canals.

Heading toward West Palm Beach

We left Fort Lauderdale to head north to West Palm Beach. We drive on the ocean road, the A1A, with countless homes with ocean views on our right.

In West Palm Beach, we took a look at the city's famous Worth Avenue, with its luxurious shops. It is reminiscent of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, which is also renowned for its high-end labels and expensive shopping opportunities.

We wound up touring the entire state of Florida, on the road, night and day. We found ourselves at rodeo shows and Native American festivals. The state is by far the southernmost in the US and filled with lots of tropical fruit, curio shops, antique cars and glass-bottom boat tours. Heading back to Istanbul on the plane, the memories of this trip are strong. From the tourism capital of Miami, to the collection of islands called the Florida Keys and the sense that Cuba is not far off in the distance. We also experienced an exciting fast boat tour in the Everglades -- the largest national park in the US -- and saw Little Havana, all the crocodile memorabilia you could wish for, and more. Yes, there is definitely much to draw a person to this state.

A canal in Ft. Lauderdale

Los Olas Boulevard

West Palm Beach

---

Quick facts

Capital: Washington, D.C.
Official language: None (English has acquired official status in 28 of the 50 states)
Government: Constitution-based federal republic
President:Barack Obama
Area:9,826,675 square kilometers
Population:316,438,601 (July 2013 est.)
Gross domestic product (PPP):$16.24 trillion (2012 est.)
Main religions: Protestant (51.3 percent), Roman Catholic (23.9 percent), Mormon (1.7 percent), Jewish (1.7 percent), Buddhist (0.7 percent), Muslim (0.6 percent)