December 31, Orlando (Universal Studios)

Today I have tested the bounds of motion sickness tablets and come to the conclusion that I am getting old. I'd carefully selected rides that I'd enjoy and unfortunately I left most of them feeling a little bit sick.
We were also one person short in our outing, Dad decided to have a day at home as he wasn't feeling very well.

Mum and I headed off, arriving at Universal at around 8.15am. This gave us plenty of time to sort out our tickets. We purchased a 2 day 'Base ticket' (which means we can go into 1 park on each day, but not hop between the two parks during the day) for an extra $50 (or so) we added an 'express pass' which gave us access to preferred seating at shows, and got us onto rides without having a massive lineup.

At around 8.40am the park gates were opened (apparently they weren't supposed to open to 9am) so we were excited. We'd already planned which rides we wanted to do, so started working on our list:

- Despicable Me: we got sent away as they were having 'Technical Difficulties'
- Shrek 4D: Great 4D movie experience, and very funny to boot.

Our first real ride was the ET ride. Of all the rides we went on today this had the best lead in. It started with Stephen Spielberg explaining the point of the ride (quite interesting) then we progressed through, gave our names to an attendant and received a card (this meant that at the end of the ride ET greeted us by name). The line from this point was through a gorgeous dark forrest, it was cold and dark and with heaps to look at. It was then time to get on the ride. Sure enough, up pulled a row of bikes (mounted on a base plate) with a basket on the front and an ET! The ride took us through ET's escape and back to his home planet. The ride was so good that we went back in the afternoon to have another go.

Next up were The Simpsons Ride and Men in Black. In the Simpsons we were mounted in a cart and raised in front of a screen ... kind of like "Soarin over California". It's an escape from Sideshow Bob, and by the end of it (most of it I had my eyes shut) I was not feeling very good.

To recover from this we headed to Men in Black. From what I'd read it sounded like another ride I'd been on at Disney Land, Buzz Lightyears Astroblasters. Buzz is a family favourite! We got there and discovered that all belongings had to be stowed in lockers prior to riding. Unfortunately our backpack wouldn't fit. So Mum said she's wait while I rode. The ride was nothing like I thought, lots of spinning and sudden movements. At the same time we were busy shooting at aliens. By the time I got off the ride I was feeling quite green and Mum opted out of going for a ride herself.

In order to give me some time to recover we headed to the 'Animal Actors' show. Our Express tickets meant we lined up in a special area and were the first people to go in, directed straight into the front row. The show was very funny, lots of dogs (and some of them were being naughty ... great to see it's not just mine that play up!), a cat, pig, organgutan, and plenty of birds.

Our next stop was an awesome candy store that we came across, I was a very happy girl because they sell chocolate coated gummy bears! This has to be my favourite candy ever!

I was feeling better, so we were ready for another ride. Next on the list was 'Disaster'. This was absolutely awesome! In the holding area we had a briefing and a series of people were chosen to be cast in the 'movie' that we were 'filming'. We moved into the next room which was a sound stage. As we watched a series of scenes were very quickly filmed (and I mean insanely quickly) one at a time. Finally we moved into another area and were loaded onto a subway car. Our car travelled down the track into an area where an earthquake happened, followed by gas explosions, a number of other collisions, the roof collapsing etc. During the time we were being filmed. After 'cut' our subway cart took us back to the loading area, and while that was happening we watched 'our' film. The scenes shot into the soundstage cut into professional scenes and scenes of us on the subway. It was very cool and very funny. Mum spent the rest of the day spotting and talking to the 'stars' of the film (those who'd been volunteered).

Because Mum and I were a little peckish we stopped for lunch, sharing a shrimp cocktail and some chilli.

 Before moving on to see a movie about Horror Movie makeup. It was also very funny. The hosts did a great job. Out in the lobby was also a great display on Horror movies with interesting facts. I love seeing some of the costumes from the Munsters.

Feeling fortified and still laughing at some of the gags we headed back to try the Despicable Me ride. Described as a 3D ride we had a bit of a wait this time (around 20 minutes with our express tickets. The standby line was running at 100 minutes!). The guy handing out the glasses assured us it was very tame and I wouldn't have a problem, just like a 3d movie. I loved the preamble videos (VERY funny, and now need to hire the movie 'cause I haven't seen it) and headed happily into the the actual seats. The ride turned out a lot like the Simpsons Ride ... but without the huge high movements. So I was once again not feeling too good by the end. But the worried 6 year old next to me (worried at the start) loved it and was heading on again.

Mum was keen to try the Twister ride, and the same guy who'd told us Despicable Me was tame had said it was one of the best 'rides' in the park. We headed in through the Express Line, even though Standby was only 10 minutes. The first stage of the ride (once you're past the queue) is a short video where Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton introduce you Twister the movie and Twisters in general. Bill Paxton is the most 'plastic' person for this. I don't know how he manages to act. We then moved through a ruined house to another holding area, where we watched another video (a bit more about filming and how they managed to create the tornados. After that finished the doors in front of us opened and we moved into a large sound stage. On our side was a 3 tiered area, with timber floor, under an iron roof, with lights hanging down. Directly in front of us was the drive in that you see in the movie. A jeep parked on the left in front of us, with a restaurant behind us, street in the middle another building and car on the left (a gas station I think). Then the lights went down and it started. The sound was amazing, roaring and moaning, the wind was phenomenal as right in front of us a twister formed. The stage was slowly destroyed, cars started to move, a cow went whizzing past and then the roof on top of us started to lift up and the floor began to shake. By this stage it was also 'raining' inside. Finally the climax is the roof falling on top of us. It was fantastic. So good in fact we went straight back in for a second go so I could try to film it. I don't think I did too bad a job, but it's very dark.

With all this excitement we stopped for some funnel cake (little deep-fried ribbons of cake covered in icing sugar). It tasted a lot like Crostolli.

Funnel Cake

It was now getting late in the afternoon, so after another go on the ET ride we went to stake out some spots for the 5pm parade. We were lucky enough to share a bench with a lovely young family with a little boy and he made the wait for the start of the parade a joy, playing in the street, making friends with another toddler and when the parade started, high-fiving the characters, giving the thumbs up and even blowing kisses at the girls.

Asthma puffer carrying bunny. My kind of girl!

We left before it got busy (the park is open till 1am in the morning!) and headed back to our hotel, managing to arrive while the complimentary dinner hour was on. A fantastic day, and I'm looking forward to Harry Potter and Butterbeer tomorrow.

December 30, Orlando (Epcot at Disney World)

It's amazing how the weather in Orlando can change. Yesterday at Kennedy it was so hot that were wishing we had shorts on. So that was the plan for today. Thankfully I checked the weather this morning, because today was bitterly cold. Highest temp was 13C at 3pm!

We made an early start and arrived at Epcot a little before 8am when the park opens. We'd bought our tickets on our first night in Orlando so the idea was that we'd have a quick, easy entry. The only problem was that the lines through the purchasing windows moved quicker than the line we were in. I blame Dad for this. Whichever line he's in is always the slowest one.

Once we got in we hightailed it over to 'Test Track' and secured a 'Fast Pass'. This gives you a time to return to ride the ride, without having to wait in the line. Not all rides offer this, and you can only have a couple at a time.

Dad then directed us to 'Spaceship Earth'. This was in part because the ride was inside, in heating and he wanted to get out of the cold! The ride was very Eurocentric, but explored the development of civilisation with animatronic robots. It was very interesting.

Mum and Dad on 'Spaceship Earth'.

We spent some time exploring the exhibits at the end. Things like a driving simulator, and body health check (testing hand eye coordination, reflexes and memory).

Next stop was The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The ride was cute, but the story didn't make too much sense. Outside was a huge aquarium complete with divers cleaning inside some of the tanks.

Following that we moved to 'Living with the Land'. The best part of this ride was the end where the boat takes you through the amazing greenhouses and fish farm. I saw Lemons called 'Pound Lemons' the size of volleyballs! They also had tomato trees and white eggplants. I can't wait to have a go at growing a tomato tree.

Giant Pumpkin

White Eggplant.

From there we went back to the 'Test Track' and walked straight on. Good because the 'standby' (or non-fastpass line) was now suggesting a 100 minute wait. The ride is sponsored by Chevrolet and is a test track for a car ... kind of. The best part was the outside speed test ... although it was a little cold and my hair got mussed up :)

By the time we finished it was after 10am and therefore the World Showcase part of Epcot was open. This was great because the other ride I really wanted to do is in the Norwegian section. We headed straight there, intending to get a Fast Pass, only to find the World Showcase very quiet and the 'Maelstrom' ride was nearly vacant. So on we got.

The ride is an exploration of Norwegian History, in a Long Boat. It was interesting and again the animatronics are great.

Off the ride and we decided to sample some Norwegian food to help us warm up. While we were in the bakery sorting out what we wanted our Australian accents were overheard, and I turned around to find one of my colleagues from school! It certainly is a small world.

We tracked our way around the different world showcases:
- China: we saw a 360 movie on Chinese culture. It was lovely.

- Germany: purchased Werthers carameled corn. They also had the most amazing caramel and chocolate covered apples.

- Italy: Had beautiful architecture.
- USA: We stayed to watch 'The American Adventure'. A gorgeous animatronic presentation about US history. Although it was warm and dark in the theatre ... and some of us may or may not have fallen asleep.
- Japan: More cool buildings, and a huge shop with all kinds of cool Japanese nicknacks.
- Morocco: we stopped to have lunch here. A Shawarma plate with lamb, chicken, a falafel, couscous, tabouleh and hummus. It was VERY good.
- France: Dad contemplated lining up for the Bouglangerie and pastries, but the queue was a little long (over 50 people I reckon).
- United Kingdom: had a tea shop selling real chocolate, like Cadbury Fruit & Nut and not that cocoa tasting icky Hershy's chocolate!
- Canada: We stopped to listed to a Celtic Rock bad called 'Off Kilter'. All in kilts, and using the bagpipes in their rock numbers.

At this point we seemed to be finished with the World Showcase so we headed back into Future World.  We had a few rides that we hadn't done so we went to 'Journey into the Imagination with Figment'. Obviously this ride is for a younger audience because for me it was a little 'ho-hum'.
Moving on to Captain Eo we watched a VERY old 3d movie. Mum loved it. She was really impressed with Michael Jackson (who stars in it) and his dancing. I was not very impressed with the movie, all very 80s. Add to that the fact that I thought something was wrong with my eyes (couldn't manage to focus on the 3d stuff). Dad thinks this might have been because it was dodgy 3D.

Our final stop was the only 'thrill' ride we hadn't done. Mum and I chose the green option for 'Mission: Space'. There are two options for this ride, a 'green' gentler option or an 'orange' adventurous option. The queue for us was 50 minutes, for the orange option it was 100!
We got inside and discovered what the ride was about. It's a simulator ... except they sit you in a chair in the pod and then close a control panel over you. After the briefing I was a little nervous but Mum wanted to do it, but didn't want to do it alone. So I kept going. As we were lining up for our pods we discovered that half the people who'd come through us had opted out after the briefing! Anyway, after blasting to the moon yesterday, today we went to mars. We all had jobs to do on the flight, buttons to press at different times and a joy stick to fly if needed.

I was glad to get out, and obviously my motion sickness tablet had warn off because I did not feel good ... so it was a good thing that we were finished for the day and able to head back to the hotel.

For anyone contemplating going to Disney World (especially at this time of year!) here are my suggestions:
- Be there at opening
- Go to the busy rides first and get fast passes (Soarin is very popular, but we'd already done it so didn't bother with it).
- After you've got Fast passes, go and check out some of the slower, less popular rides.
- Check out the food in the world showcase. It's amazing!

Despite crowds, we did really well today and managed to see everything we wanted to see. Lets hope we have the same luck tomorrow at Universal Studios.

December 29, Orlando - Kennedy Space Centre

'On the wings of an eagle I find myself lifted to the sky,

Lifted up above the world to see.'

Russell Morris

Today we joined approximately 10 000 other people, visiting the Kennedy Space Centre. I can't think about space travel without thinking of the songs from the movie 'The Dish'. If you haven't seen the Dish, go and get it and watch it ... the download the music! The movie tells the story of the Satellite at Parkes (In Australia) and how it broadcast the footage of Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon. Awesome Aussie actors in it too.

Entry to the Space Centre costs is $55 (+tax) for adults. We paid an extra $20 something, for a special 'Launch Pad tour'. Totally worth the extra cost, I'll get back to why later. If they have up 'Sold Out' signs don't be afraid to ask. According to the signs today everything was sold out (except general admission) but Dad asked and we got a seat (or rather 3!) on this tour.

After stopping for some pictures and a bit of a look at some of the rockets on display in the Constellation Court we headed straight for the Imax theatre to experience 'Hubble 3D'. The movie was great, and unlike other 3D Imax movies I've seen I didn't feel seasick. The way they used the Hubble pictures to take us on a tour of some of the nebulae that are beyond my imagining in terms of distance away. 

I have to say here that 'space' is not, and never has been one of my favourite things to study. It's too big, too vast and I can't wrap my brain around it. I prefer the Ancient perspective that the stars are pinpricks in the curtain of heaven, through them we see heaven's glory shining through. But that's the poet in me. Today I came to a totally new understanding of 'space exploration'.

We went for a wander through the 'Early space' exhibit. Which was a little bit interesting, but I was wanting moon rocks, and moon dust and Buzz Aldrin's space suit. And it wasn't there.

The next stop was fascinating. Three times a day, an astronaut talks for 25 minutes sharing their experience of space. Today was Jim Reilly who's flown on 3 missions taking items up, and attaching them to, the International Space Station. His presentation was awesome, lots of pictures and funny stories, and he was very personable. We were in the front row and as he was leaving I got a big smile from him which was pretty cool!

Following this, we messed around for a bit, checking out the gift shop and the space exploration exhibit. I found a poster recruiting 'Teachers for Mars' ... I don't think so! I also had a got a docking a space craft with the Hubble Telescope and failed MISERABLY.

By this stage it was 3.40pm and time for our tour. Instead of doing the normal bus ride, we got on a special bus to take us out to launch complex 39. This was great, because the tour for the normal buses (and there are 40 of them that circle the complex) had a queue that was 2 hours long! 

On the way out to the launch complex we got to check out some of the wildlife that is protected in the huge nature reserve that is the Kennedy Space Centre. We saw a pair of Bald Eagles, and their nest. Which is as big as a King Sized bed. A few Alligators poked their heads out too, but what the Americans call big has nothing on our Crocs.

Bald Eagle

Eagle Nest

Next we circled the buildings that make up the hub of the two launch pads that are part of Launch Complex 39. The biggest building on the site is the Vehicle Assembly building. This is where the space craft are put together. The building has an enormous 'garage doors' that are 139 metres high. The need to be opened all the way to the top for some of the big rockets, but only 1 or 2 doors for a space shuttle like Atlantis. The building is so tall that they have to build special moisture evaporation areas because in high humidity clouds form inside and it starts to rain! The US flag on the outside is so huge it's hard to get a handle on, but each star is nearly 2metres across.

Mum at the Vehicle Assembly Building

Next door to this is the 'Orbiter processing facility'. It has a special garage door too ... but it's shaped to allow for the Space Shuttles tail fin. This building is where the shuttles go to be repaired once they've done their mission and returned.

We followed the 'crawler track' out to Launch Pad 39A. This launch pad is still set up from the final Atlantis mission in 2011, the final mission of the US Space Program. The launch pad has a huge support structure, that surprisingly survives each launch largely intact. Around the pad is a large grassy exclusion zone called the 'Fuel Field'. One one side is Liquid Hydrogen on the other Liquid Oxygen. Both are used to fuel up the big orange tank that you see strapped to the underside of the Space Shuttle.

Mum and Dad in the Fuel Field. Above their heads is the Rotating Service Structure. Above Mum's shoulder is the Fixed bit and below it sticking out to the side is the Mobile Launch Platform.

The launch pad is made up of a couple of bits, the Fixed Service Structure, the Rotating Service Structure and the Mobile Launch Platform. The MLP goes from the vehicle assembly building out onto the launch pad and kind of fits into the Fixed Service structure. The rotating service structure can then be moved over the top and is used to fit equipment into the payload bay of the shuttle. It also protects the shuttle from weather in the 30 days (or so) that it's waiting for takeoff. This bit then swings away from the shuttle for take off.

After being allowed a stop for photos on the fuel field, we were taken around and into the 'Flame Trench' (how cool does that sound!). During a launch this area is used to deflect the head and flame out  and away from the Space Shuttle. It's a massive cavern that is pumped with water during the launch. While the water does help to prevent fire, it's main function is to act as a noise suppressant. It's the reaction of the heat with this water that creates most of the cloud of smoke you see in a shuttle launch.

Looking up from the Flame Trench. The Mobile Launch Platform is on top of us, and the Fixed Service Structure is on the right.

The bricks on the floor in the flame trench. Even the flame retardant is being burned off!

The water tower and tubes that pump water during the launch.

The fence at the back of the Flame Trench. Completely rusted.

The flame deflectors (since removed from the flame pit).

Coming around the back of the Pad we were able to see the cables that carry the escape pods. Jim Reilly had spoken about the NASA test that's done prior to flight. The astronauts get all ready, go up into the shuttle, get strapped in and do everything down to the '0' count. But then they abort the take off. Instead they hop out of the shuttle and get into the escape pod ... unfortunately the risk of allowing them to use the pod to 'flying fox' their way down into nets below is deemed an unacceptable risk, reaching up to speeds of 55 miles. So no one (aside from 1 guy testing it) has ever had that fun!

The little black line about half way down is the zip line that carries the escape pods.

Nets the pods would slam in to.

Safety bunker for hiding in. Shower outside for cleansing prior to shower. This was in case of imminent explosion. They also had an option of a Armoured Personnel Carrier to drive themselves to safety, straight through the barrier fences.

Interestingly once the Astronauts are put into the shuttle everyone evacuates the launch pad, moving back to the Launch Control Centre which sits alongside the Vehicle Assembly Building and is over 3 miles away. The Astronauts don't get in and take off either. They sit there for approximately 2 hours. Jim told us that the pilot and navigator are really busy during that time ... but everyone else is stuck waiting. He managed a 35 minute nap on his 3rd trip.

The launch pad sits as it was left when Atlantis left in 2011. NASA has no plans to dismantle it, but perhaps one day in the future private enterprise will use it to take tourists into space.

Looking up the crawler track. You can see the two 'fins' that held Atlantis in place.

The bus dropped us off at another facility that we hadn't realised existed. Here we discovered moon dust, examples of the luna lander, and space suits covered in moon dust (which is very abrasive!).

We didn't poke around here much, but took another bus back to the main centre. The final order of business was to experience a simulated take off. I wasn't sure (these things sometimes make me very sick!) but I had a go. As we were 'blasting' into space (very rough, lots of bumps and I did feel the 'g's) I was thinking of my Nanna who once asked 'Think of me when you are standing on the moon looking back at earth.' Well Nanna June, this is the closest I'm going to get. If God wanted me on the moon he'd have put me there in the first place. (that was what I said to her at the time too!). It was quite beautiful when they opened the doors above us and we 'hung' upside down looking down at the earth. Not sure how they made me feel weightless (my chains were hanging into my mouth so I know I wasn't) but it sure felt that way!

Standing outside looking up at the night sky it was pretty cool to reflect that I was standing in the place where people had got to go up and look at those stars more closely. Our world is a small place.

Some random things I also learned:

- In space the sun rises and sets every 90 minutes

- Training for work in space takes place in Houston in a huge underwater pool. The pool is 4 stories deep ... wonder if Shamu's tank is that big? They submerse relics of Hubble and the International Space Station so the astronauts can practice space walks.

- The only part of the space shuttle not reused is the big orange fuel tank called the 'External Tank'. It burns up on re-entry.

Tomorrow we are off to another 'star' themed place. 'When you wish upon a star ...'

The moon over our hotel. 39A launched Neil Armstrong to the moon!

December 28, Orlando

Today has been an absolutely amazing day!

After mucking around last night to get tickets printed and sorted we headed to Orlando SeaWorld today. For those wondering, tickets cost around $79 + tax (everything is plus tax, but all the states have different tax levels so it's hard to work out what it is!).

We paid $20 ($5 more than normal) for premium parking which had us within 100m of the front gate. This meant we didn't have too many problems finding the car on leaving.

After the obligatory bag check we were in to SeaWorld, and the first order of business was to sort out which shows we were going to. First order of business was the dolphin show called 'Blue Horizons'. On the way to the show we encountered our first animals, Carribean Flamingos and they were the most amazing orange colour. So delicate too in their movements.

We headed to the Dolphin arena arriving about 15 minutes before the show started, plenty of time to pick seats we were happy with. The show was awesome. Not only dolphins, but also amazing tropical birds flying in and around (just metres above our heads). Additionally we had humans doing the usual dolphin type tricks, but also high diving ('cause what else can you do with a huge deep pool!), and rope work. It was so different to the shows at Dolphin Cove at home which are all conservation focussed, and about introducing the dolphins and the handlers and explaining what behaviours they are doing and why. None of that in this show. It was all about the spectacular.

The next stop was to the Manta Aquarium where we saw funny sea horses, a large octopus among other things. From there we had fun petting the mini-rays at the sting ray lagoon.

With 45 minutes to go before the 'One Ocean' Shamu show we started to head toward the Shamu Stadium. It was a good thing we went when we did, because the show was already starting to fill up. Once again we were able to secure good seats, this time out of the 'splash zone'. The time before the show went really quickly, helped by a variety of videos playing on the big screens in the stadium. Not to mention watching what was going on in the big pools behind the main stadium.
The show was absolutely amazing. The things that the whales do, and in the space was just phenomenal. Once again I was disappointed to not get more information on the particular animals that we were seeing though.

At the end of the One Ocean show we went for a bit of a wander through the park, and ended up with some food. The most enormous turkey leg that Dad had apparently been craving since Disney Land. Surprisingly I had a few nibbles and quite enjoyed it, although the meat looked more like ham than Turkey. Judging by the number of people also enjoying the turkey legs, there are a lot of legless turkeys out there!

We tried to go and see the 'Pets Ahoy' show, but arriving 15 minutes before the show, found a 'Show Full' sign already up. So we headed across to the 'Clyde & Seamore Take Pirate Ocean' show at the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium. It was a good thing we did as within 10 minutes the stadium was completely full. Once again the time passed quickly this time with a mime clown.
The show did not entirely make sense, but the most amazing thing was Walrus that wandered out on stage. He was HUGE, and pink and apparently blind.

Before we left Florida we wanted to see the Manatees, so we went to line up at the 'Turtle Trek'. To a certain extent the joy of seeing the Manatees and Turtles has been removed because you have to queue to look at the tanks. Huge groups are then taken in for 10 minute sessions where someone talks at you and the people push to the front and don't let others get close. You then go on to a 360 3D life of a turtle experience. The last part was the best. The earlier parts would have been so much nicer if you could just move through the aquariums at your own pace. I got stuck standing behind an 8 foot giant and he did not move, so seeing was difficult.

Our final stop was the only ride I wanted to do, 'Journey to Atlantis.' Mum got herself some 'dippin dots' and she and Dad found a comfortable spot to sit and wait near the bottom of the hill. Atlantis is a typical flume (like the log ride at Dreamworld) but the boats also run on railway tracks so at least part of it is like a roller coaster. I popped on my rain coat and went into the 'Single Rider' line. I was on the ride within 5 minutes (which was great given that the queue was 20 minutes ... and by the time I got back 50 minutes!).

After finding out way back to the car, we headed home. Dad and I had a lead on a place that would help him with his camera so we headed back out, into down town orlando. After getting lost in a very dodgy looking part of town, we eventually found the store and, praise God, one of the guys at the store was able to get the filter off the lens! So now Dad has his good camera back.

Tomorrow the weather is not looking good, so we are off to the Kennedy Space Centre.

Here is some video footage of the shows. Apologies for dodgy editing

December 27, Monticello to Orlando

What a huge day today has been ... no photos at all, because I haven't had my camera out once!

We started off with a leisurely breakfast of Miss Pat's yummy blueberry pancakes. From there we headed off to Orlando. With the prerequisite argument with Chuck (the satnav) out of the way we did a uturn and began again in the correct direction.

Arrived in Orlando around 3.30pm and checked in to our hotel. We're about 40 minutes north of International Drive which is where all the main action is, and after experiencing the traffic today, I'm glad to be far away!

We decided to check a few things off our list tonight. First stop was the 'Titanic Experience'. I've always been fascinated with this story. Started off by watching 'The Raising of the Titanic' with Dad one afternoon on TV when I was about 7, and further aided and abetted by Kate & Leo when I was in late Primary School. More recently I enjoyed James Cameron's programs on the 100 year anniversary. So I was very excited to see actual artefacts from the ship.

The 'tour' or experience cost $21 plus tax. An actress took us through various stages of the ship, starting with embarkation, moving through the areas of the ship (First class state room, the grand staircase, Scotland Road, The Bridge) before coming to the sinking. She had a story as part of the ship and was dress and spoke the part very well. In each part of the experience more artefacts are displayed. I was moved to tears as she spoke about 'her' experience on the ship. Mother of 9 children, one of her daughters was separated from the family and she told us how she prayed never to see her daughter again. Unfortunately, despite getting into a life raft, the child could not locate her family and so gave her spot to someone else. The whole family then perished. As we were told this story we were standing on the 'deck' looking out at glassy waters and the sky of stars, hearing the lapping of the water against the ship, the shooting up of the flairs and feeling the intense cold of the night air.

After we finished the tour we went back around for another look and had the whole exhibit entirely to ourselves. Not another soul there. Some parts of it were quite eerie and it's amazing to see what they've recovered ... playing cards, money, pieces of jewellery. They have a huge ice berg too and touching it you can imagine how cold the water would have been that night.

At the end there was an interesting justification of the company that has the right of salvage. They claim that the rusticles on the ship will totally destroy it in 40-90 years and therefore salvage is necessary to preserve anything. I've always supported Bob Ballard (the guy who originally found the ship) who did not bring anything up with him after finding it (therefore not 'claiming' the ship) instead saying that it's a grave yard and should be preserved as is.

On leaving we looked at the Titanic Coal for sale ($25 for a tiny piece in a little box). Apparently raised from the sea floor, but I ended up buying an egg cup.

We left the Titanic Exhibit and drove back up International Drive to the Premium Outlets. It was terrible trying to find a park. Never seen so many people!!! We did a little shopping and then headed back to the hotel for a late dinner (9pm), followed by a wrestle with the worlds oldest computer to print etickets for our trip to Sea World tomorrow.

December 26, Monticello

In the US they do not do Boxing Day and in fact we've had lots of questions about what Boxing Day actually is, and how we celebrate it.

Because they don't recognise Boxing Day lots of places are open. So we drove up into Thomasville, Georgia. There we went to visit the Pebble Hill Plantation. This is an amazing site, absolutely huge!

Originally it was a working farm, but the final owners really developed it, adding a huge dairy that eventually was turned into stables. The amazing part is the house. It's not an old house (like we were hoping) but it was pretty darn amazing. Built after a fire in the 1930s it was designed as a winter residence for the Hay family. They would come down from Cleveland in November and stay until March. The lady's of the house (and it was traditionally a woman that owned the house) firstly Kate and then her daughter called 'Pansy' loved to entertain. The house had 17 bedrooms, and they were joined suites so that the man wouldn't disturb the woman when he got up early to go hunting.

The entry fee was around $15 and it was well worth it. I was a little disappointed with the docent though. In other places we've visited they say 'Ask me anything' and then they give a little speech and you can ask questions and they answer them. At PHP the lady said the same thing, but beyond the patter of her rehearsed speech she couldn't answer any of the questions we asked.

After we left there we went back into Thomasville for lunch at a place that our Innkeeper at the John Denham House had recommended ... but we turned up at 2.15pm and lunch service finished at 2pm. So we hopped in the car and headed back to Monticello where we had lunch at Pizza Hut. The whole restaurant, all to ourselves.

Getting back to the House we went for a walking tour of Monticello and it was lovely. We even managed a tour of the Opera House. It is a gorgeous little town. Particularly interesting was the cemetery. Started in 1827 I love the way they write life histories on their grave stones. Also interesting are the closeness of the graves. No space to walk between the graves. Some of them were brick all over and others have head stones but also a mini-headstone at the foot of the grave.

We wandered back to a very full B&B, with lots of guests turning up. It was nice to be back too because the temperature had been dropping all day and the wind was up!

December 25, Monticello

This morning we discovered the dangers of the multiple named 'Monticellos' that dot the countryside. Dad had worked out that we would be going to Christmas morning church at the local Episcopal church here in Monticello, FL. We organised to have breakfast at 9am, to allow plenty of time to get to the church for the 11am service. When looking up directions (realising that there seemed to be '2' Episcopal churches in town) he realised that he had in fact been looking at service times for Monticello NY (New York!!!). Finding nothing online about the church here we jumped in the car and went for a look but the place was all closed up. It would seem that most services down here happen on Christmas Eve.

I suggested that we use our free time and go and see Les Miserables, it being the US tradition to premier new movies on Christmas Day. Driving to Tallahassee was no problem (it's 30 minutes down the road) and we went to the 11.30am screening. Surprisingly the place was packed!
The movie was amazing! Favourite moments included Anne Hathaway's 'I dreamed a dream', the incredible sweeping shots of Paris (can anyone tell me where I find the place where the elephant would have been located), Javert pinning his medal onto Gavroche's chest, Eponine's 'On my Own' (always my favourite) and her ending on the barricade, the comedy that was Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter not to mention the ending of the film
Despite this the critic in me was disappointed to see that Gavroche's song was cut, and I didn't really care for Rusty's singing. I was also surprised by one or two of Hugh's notes. My favourite portrayal of Jean Valjean still belongs to Mr Baker who played the role numerous times in Gold Coast productions.
I left the cinema with tears running down my cheeks, which didn't start till Gavroche died surprisingly.

We were exactly on time for our lunch reservations at the Hotel Duval in downtown Tallahassee. We dined at 'Shula's' named after a coach of the Miami Dolphins. I'm wondering when the Sofitel is going to open "Bennett's".  We mustn't love our coaches as much.
A traditional Christmas lunch of pistachio encrusted salmon with smashed potato and seasonal greens, for me. While Mum and Dad both had Crab Cakes. Skipping appetisers to save room for dessert proved futile as the meals were very filling. Instead we came back to the B&B for the traditional Aussie 'nap after lunch on Christmas day'. According to our waiter, this isn't just an Australian thing either!

December 24, Macon to Monticello

Tonight's blog post comes to you from a very comfortable lounge in front of a gorgeous real Christmas tree! (Normally blog posts are written while I sit up in a very uncomfortable sofa bed) But not tonight. Carols are playing out in the hall, and the house is quietening down after Miss Pat's Christmas Eve gathering, but more on that later.

The drive from Macon to Monticello took us through some gorgeous, prime cotton growing country. I've never thought about what cotton looks like when it's growing, but it's a little ugly.

We arrived in Monticello in good time and were allowed to check in early. After dropping off our luggage we headed in to Talahassee to see if we could find a camera shop for Dad. His filter has got stuck on the lens of his camera, and it has a crack in it. Unfortunately we had no luck today, but we've asked some questions and hopefully we'll have more luck on Boxing Day.

The touring around in Talahassee did mean that I could visit a Super Walmart and man are those places huge! Thing Big W, combined with Woolworths, with a pharmacy and a Harvey Norman for added benefit.

Back at our accommodation we joined in the family & friends Christmas eve celebration and had a fantastic time. Our accents are apparently 'just gorgeous' and we were able to learn a lot of the similarities and differences between Australia and the US. We also sampled oyster soup and chilli for dinner. Very yummy!

I hope that everyone home in Australia is having a lovely Christmas Day, and keeping safe and cool. We are looking forward to Church tomorrow morning, followed by a trip into Talahassee for Christmas lunch.

December 23, Macon

It's amazing how quickly Christmas is sneaking up! Tomorrow we head to the John Denham House in Monticello, Florida which is where we'll be spending Christmas. It will be fantastic to make this gorgeous B&B our home for a few days.

Today we had two major targets; shopping and the Hay House.

We started off by making the 40 minute drive toward Atlanta to visit the Tanger outlets at Locust Grove. Arriving around 10.30am we had a lovely morning shopping. I was lucky and got 2 more pairs of the really comfortable Sketchers that I had bought in desperation in Washington (Seriously, go get some Sketchers 'GoWalk' they are so light and comfortable!!!) as well as some pants, and tops and jumpers. It was a VERY good morning.

When we left around 1.30pm the carpark was insanity. So many people coming and going.

From Tanger we drove back to Macon, to visit the Johnston-Felton-Hay House (Hay House).  Built between 1855-1859 by William Butler Johnston and his wife, it is constructed in the Italian Renaissance Revival Style. The house cost $100 000 to build, and another $100 000 to finish. Today that would be around $10 million! It's 7 floors and I've never seen anything so grand in my whole life. The whole first floor has been restored, and it's just beautiful, or beyond beautiful really. I unfortunately don't have any photos taken inside, because they don't allow it, but would recommend looking up photos of the interior.

It cost $11 for the 1 hour tour, which took in the basement, restored ground floor, and the not yet restored bedroom floor. They also offer a 'Behind the Scenes' tour which does the whole 7 floors, finishing up in the Cupola, and were I to return, that's the tour I'd do.

After we'd finished the tour we headed back to our hotel, stopping in at Kroger's supermarket. They sell an incredible range of stuff. The bakery was amazing (we've come to really like little cherry danishes), not to mention 1.5L bottles of wine. Who could drink that much??!! Outside they had freshly cut Christmas trees, and the workers were strapping them on to peoples cars.

Finally we stopped into Taco Bell to pick up some dinner. I've also got Mum onto the Mango-Stawberry freeze. This would be perfect at this time of year in Australia! Now to convince Taco Bell. :)

December 22, Charlotte to Macon

I had put Macon on our itinerary, in part because it's half way between Charlotte and Monticello ... and seemed like a good place to stop. And also because I thought, it being in the middle of 'the South' there would be stacks of Plantations to go and visit.

It turns out I was a little bit wrong. Apparently Sherman very helpfully burned many of them. So last night I spent some time sorting out an itinerary for our 2 days in Macon.

We left Charlotte this morning at around 9am without having breakfast, so after a little discussion we decided to stop (at some point) at McDonald's for breakfast. I woke up from my usual 'get-in-the-car-go-to-sleep-nap' at 10am, and suggested helpfully that we start looking for an exit with a McDonald's sign. Here all the exits tell you what food joints you can find at them, surprisingly McDonald's isn't at every one. After driving for about 15 minutes I was starting to get worried, because breakfast finishes at 10.30am. And then in the distance I see a huge 'M' arch standing way above the high way. We stopped and ordered with 2 minutes to spare.

The rest of the drive into Macon was rather uneventful, except for the fact that we did some back road touring. We passed farms, and schools, and through little tiny towns. It was all very interesting.

Before heading to our accommodation we went into Macon to visit the 'Cannonball House'. This had to be done today, because it's not open tomorrow. The Cannonball House was the home of Judge Asa Holt. During the War between the states (or the War of Northern Aggression!) Judge Holt went out to visit his Plantation, his young second wife was home on her own when a missile crashed through one of the columns on the porch, bounced through a window and landed at the foot of the stairs. The judge's wife packed herself up, and fled to the plantation where she was promptly captured (along with her husband) and held prisoner.

The half-Greek mansion is open for tours, (at a cost of $6) and the tour guides are very helpful. Most of the mansion is made up of pieces that have been donated, and are not original to the house. That doesn't mean that they aren't interesting though!

Next stop was the hotel, and then we sorted out dinner. It seems that hotels in the US hunt in packs. You don't find a Comfort Inn, without finding a Sleep Inn, a Hilton, a Mariott and a Quality Inn in the immediate vicinity. Also gathered around a food outlets. We made it to a supermarket, where cherrie danishes and strawberry short cake were purchased before we went to Taco Bell to order dinner.

The order process at Taco Bell was somewhat confusing but I managed it. I even ordered a drink, a mango and strawberry frozen thing that definitely froze my tonsils ... and maybe my brain. Who buys these kind of things when it's 12 degrees outside!!!

Tonight it's also nice to have my own room, and my own King sized bed, and it's proved a good night on TV. 'Something Borrowed' followed by 'The Ugly Truth' and now 'The Backup Plan'. A good night to be in out of the cold.