Late Saturday afternoon, we headed to Ybor City, near Tampa to explore! It's a very eclectic part of town, with a Cuban flavor, and the city streets and variety of shops reminded us of downtown Frederick! 
We ate dinner outdoors at a New York style pizza place (where you fold the pizza in half!) and Isabella loved watching the guy toss the pizza dough!
After dinner, we drove to the Bayshore section of Tampa to watch a sunset airshow and fireworks display that was part of the Gasparilla Extravaganza! Next year, we'll go for the parade because everyone had on beads...you would have thought it was Mardi Gras!
The Legend of Gasparilla sounds like an exotic drink...or perhaps even a rare, tropical flower. But, as any Tampa resident can attest, "Gasparilla" means boats, pirates, parades, merriment and more. The name and foundation of Tampa's traditional Gasparilla Carnival come from legendary pirate Jose Gaspar, "last of the Buccaneers," who terrorized the coastal waters of West Florida during the late 18th and early 19th century. Gaspar, given to calling himself "Gasparilla," served as a lieutenant in the Royal Spanish Navy for five years until 1783 when, upon seizing command of a Spanish sloop-of-war, he with his fellow mutineers set sail for the Florida straits. And so the young Spanish aristocrat-turned-pirate began an adventurous life as outlaw of the sea.
You can learn more about Gasparilla here.
You can learn more about Gasparilla here.
Even Cooper snagged some beads!
Cooper was so tired from his adventures that he crashed on the console in the car on the drive home!
3 comments:
LOVE that pic of Cooper! How cute!!
I've been to Ybor City, my uncle lives in Tampa. It's a fun place!
I'll bet downtown Frederick wishes it had palm trees! Great pics!
How fun. I love seeing you in a photo. You look great!
Post a Comment