The striking all-white architecture of Alys Beach may conjure Europe and the Caribbean, but its walkable streets and luminous Gulf beaches are pure Florida.
Golden sunlight kisses your bare arms as you stroll through a maze of whitewashed concrete buildings, stark against a bright blue sky. Your sandals tread stone pathways, passing Grecian trellises draped in purple bougainvillea. In the distance is a chalk-white beach with sand soft as sifted sugar and an emerald green sea: a backdrop from Homeric myth. But as you make your way past chic boutiques and pavement restaurants, a Moorish archway pops into view; further down, an Andalusian-style courtyard. Elegant homes are topped with Dutch gabled roofs. There’s not a car in sight, just the tinkling chime of bicycle bells.
You’d be forgiven for wondering where in the world you are: Amsterdam, Andalusia, Greece. But look closely; it’s Gulf oysters on those bistro plates, and your waiter speaks with a southern US drawl. This is no European escape; you’re in the Florida panhandle.
Source:
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260402-the-floridian-beach-town-that-looks-like-santorini
Diem ‘Richard’ Nguyen
Liên Minh Bảo Hiến Mỹ Gốc Việt
Vietnamese American Conservative Alliance (VACA)
https://freedom-vaca.org/vaca-blog-tieng-viet-nam/