In Search of Sunshine Day 9 - Orlando

Awoke to another glorious sunny day. Apart from a heavy downpour the night we arrived there hasn't been a drop of rain. Hope I'm not tempting fate by typing that! After some consideration and constant badgering by Alexander to go to a water park, we decided to spend the morning at Aquatica, the new Sea World water park. Just a few minutes in the car from the hotel, meant we didn't have to leave too early. Even though it was just after opening, the shady places were all taken so we camped up on the beach area.

We had. ever been here before, the favourite was always Typhoid Lagoon, as FIL referred to it. One of the Disney Parks. This was similar in many ways but not as big and obviously newer. It also had water squirting onto the walkways so the soles of your feet didn't stick to the scorching concrete as you walked between places.

Beach

It was hot. Like 96 degrees hot according to the temperature on the sign beside the surfing pool. You really wanted to be in the water and not sitting in the sun, but having the 'valuables' to keep an eye on, one of us had to stay on the beach. Taking it in turns to go down the tube rides, the rapids and the surf pool, we managed to try out most of it. The boys had a great time and no one got sunburn. Lashings of Suncream!

Kids Play Area

We were impressed with Aquatica, and may well go back for another half day before we leave. Although maybe earlier to get a shady spot and on the tubes a bit quicker.

After a cool down in the room, we went off to spend more money at the Premium Outlets. In the 18 years we have been coming here, I have never seen it as busy as it was today. It was a nightmare! There are always a lot of Brits here, excitedly looking for bargains. There aren't any real bargains anymore though, not like when we first started coming. The outlets have twigged that tourists will buy the stuff at a higher price, so unless you get extra discount or sales stuff its sometimes no cheaper than home.

However. Fossil have done me proud this year. I love their jewellery, and they have it buy one get one half price at the mo, and the outlet price is half the usual. So far I have bought 8 pieces. Their bags are cheaper, but the one I want isn't in the sale...working on that though! Hubby works on a 'only buy sale items' plan. I also have 5 pairs of sandals. All but one pair in the sale. The days have gone when we took home more than we brought with us. Last time we ended up with two skateboards and a dozen pairs of hi tops in the cases!

So a a bit overcome by heat, and frustration of not being able to stroll around the shops, we went for an early dinner at Black Angus Steak House. One time our no.1 steakhouse, it is now no.2 as The Longhorn has been the best steak so far this trip. its not just the steak either. You also get bread, and salad included in the meal. Not just ordinary bread in some cases, posh bread, no idea what they call it but can vary from white with cinnamon butter to black with normal spread. Salad is always Caesar for us.

To burn off some of the calories we stopped off at Pirates Cove Golf. The three boys went off on their annual golf challenge (hubby always wins) while I sweated off my pounds playing Tiny Wings in the heat at the exit. Once again hubby won and had 3 holes in one. One day, he will relinquish his crown!

Back in the hotel, Jordan discovered that he had lost his iphone. He had it in the car after the golf, so the only place it could be would be in the car or dropped on the way from the car to the room. One short coridoor walk, as we had parkedalmost outside the doorway to the building. I checked every inch of the car, feeling under seats etc. We rang the golf just in case. Finally hubby discovered it, quietly vibrating right underneath one of the reat seats, in a place it would never have been found, and involved removing the side panel of the seat to get to it! The look of relief on Jordan's face was priceless.

Anotherexciting, but very hot day over, and a quiet evening watching TV, colouring and playing on gadgets.

 

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In Search of Sunshine Day Day 8 - Orlando

Someone left their phone on last night and I was woken more than once by pushed email! Words were spoken when everyone was up. It seems it was the 'fairies' again! Didn't realise we had brought them on holiday with us!

We were heading for Legoland today which involved a 45 minute drive to Winter Haven, a rather nice town I thought, with nice open spaces and neat tidy houses. We did have a small detour thanks to another incorrect POI, but managed to get there 30 mins after opening. It was 10.30am and already scorching hot.

Legoland Florida

Indy!

The park itself is really for younger kids, but is still a pleasant walk round for parents etc. Being new last year its still bright and shiny, and definitely bigger and better than it's UK counterpart, although there is something to be said for the cooler, fresher climate. There were a few roller coasters, and rides for the kids, and the side shows, although around $4 per go for hoopla and water squirter, they ensured the younger ones got a prize, or extra goes, unlike some of the rip off ones in other parks!

Washington DC

Made of Lego

The best ride was the Lego Driving Trainer, where kids drive little cars around a proper road circuit with a roundabout and junctions.They are 'supposed' to stop and give way to other traffic, but some choose not to and cause chaos. Alexander has been taking too much notice of how his father drives, as he did U turns and pulled out in front of other cars to avoid getting held up.

Driving Just Like his Dad

We had a lovely lounge on bean bags, in the coolth of the games room while the boys got their first XBox fix in a week. Personally they could have stayed in there all day for me!

X Box Time

Lunch was a Pulled Pork Pitta sandwich and copious bottles of water! My only criticism was the lack of water fountains, forcing you to buy bottled water, costing a small fortune on a hot day like today. Otherwise we really enjoyed it. The staff were polite and helpful, as as expected, the place was spotless.

When we eventually got back to the car, we had to soothe singed fingers from the seat buckles and leather arm rests. The two bottles of water left in there could have poached eggs. The local temperature said 91 degrees, It felt hotter than that. Im still cooking from the inside...like a microwave!

A rest in the room, pizza for the boys while we got ready so that hubby and I could go out and have a meal together. Had a walk down the drive to Pointe Orlando and a nice, but expensive meal at Tommy Bahamas. I Drive is now a mish mash of Brits and Spanish, very easy to spot which one of the two they are. Brits are white/pink Spanish are not.

 

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In Search of Sunshine Day 7 - Orlando

Up early to get ready and packed for stage 2 of the Florida 2012 trip. I have packing down to a fine art as long as everyone get up, ready and out of my way. Can't be doing with anyone 'helping'. Thats how things get left behind or put in the wrong suitcase. I always do the final check - you know the drawers and under the bed check. Sometimes glad I only do that when Im leaving! Once found a pair of dirty boxers! Anyhoo, typing this as we drive up the Interstate 95 just north of Miami. Three hours to go!

Arrived at the hotel on International Drive. We used to stay in this area when we came with the in laws, but have tended to stay in other places since. However, hubby came up trumps this time and bagged a bargain. A suite at The Extended Stay Deluxe costing just $23 a night. The place got some great reviews on Trip Advisor so we decided to give it a go. Its not the Hard Rock, but its clean, comfortable and has everything you need - including free wifi all around the hotel.

 

Just as we arrived, the Newcastle Utd friendly against Olympiacos started so I took Alexander to the pool for a swim while the other two watched the game. The Olympics opening ceremony was also on, but couldnt get it on my iPad, but got the jist of it from my twitter timeline. The pool is small but big enough for the kids to play and cool off in. Luckily there was a family from the midlands who had a boy the same age, so Alexander had someone to play with. Unfortunately, they go home on Sunday!

After the pool and match, we decided to go to Universal Islands of Adventure for a couple of hours. The park closed at 9:00 but it was still heaving when we arrived. This is the first year Alexander is tall enough to go on all the rides, so he made a bee line to The Hulk. He and Jordan went on together, and his face as they came through the exit afterwards coukd have lit up a dark room.

Full of adrenaline, he asked to go on The Tower of Doom. Not a ride anyone else wanted to o on so he went as a single rider - meaning he was on and off without having to wait in a queue. I love rollercoasters but not do keen on the ones that suddenly drop. It took me years to muster the courage to try Tower of Terror at Disney Studios - and that was when Alexander aged 6 wanted to go on it!

We walked around the lagoon, taking in the familiar scenery and enjoying the atmosphere. I dont have a picture, but so wish I'd taken one of the two British girls, as chavvy as you get, fat white/pink bellies hanging over shorts, tats, smoking and then stubbing their fags out on the concrete before flicking them to one side. I wouldnt have been at all surprised to see them hockle and spit as they walked past. Mingers! Luckily its rare to see Brits as embarrassing as that.

Hogsmead

Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter Land, Talking Fountain Land and then to my favourite part. Seuss Landing! I love the way they have re-created the Seuss storybooks. One year we were there late November and met The Grinch! Yes the REAL Grinch! There isnt a photo or video that can do this place justice. You have to be there.

Seuss Landing

By now we were hot, sweaty and hungry. International Drive is a busy place on an evening, and so being later than we uually like to eat we went to Friendly's. Not one of our usual eateries, but cheap and fast. Or not so fast as it turned out. The food was good and did the job, unlike the server who seemed a little stressed and forgetful. His tip steadily went down a dollar each time. It was quite late when we eventually climbed into our queen sized beds.

 

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In Search of Sunshine Day 6 - Miami

Just awoke in a state of total confusion. No idea what day of the week it is. Had to use iCal to check. I was convinced it was Wednesday. Apparently it is Thursday and I've been telling everyone we drive to Orlando today. We don't. We drive up to Orlando tomorrow! Am I so chilled already or is that just the old timers again?

Change of plan meant we didnt go out to The Everglades for an airboat ride as reviews on Trip Advisor said to bathe in mosquito repellant or risk being eaten alive. I'd had a bad experience with bites once before, covered by them, wasnt at all pleasant and wasnt going to chance it, so we decided to go to the beaches.

We drove from the North End of Miami Beach down through all the mansions, hotels, condo's and marina's. Can't imagine how much some of those places cost. There were miles of pretty coloured houses, many in Srt Deco theme, although obviously not original.

We stopped at a pavement cafe and had some breakfast, eggs sunny side up with lovely crispy bacon and coffee. There were people on rollerblades, long boards and segways zooming past wearing skimpy bikini's and amazing six packs. Nice way to start the day!

 

 

We went onto the beach which was scorching! Not sandy like Blyth, but crushed shell, which makes it so white. There were little life guard shelters dotted along, and lifeguards kept a sharp eye on swimmers. I was a little concerned at the purple flag that apparently means there is dangerous sea life in the area.

Sharks? Men O War?

The boys went for a dip, but it wasn't so easy changing into a cozzie under a towel for me, so I had to sit sweating profusely while watching them cool off. The sun was so hot they didn't stay in long as despite suncream, its too easy to burn here.

Then we hit Bay Side, a complex of entertainmentand shops, overlooking a marina where you can get onboat rids or just drool over huge private yachts posing in their berths. Im not a boat fan but there are some nice looking boats here!

We drove back across Miami back to the hotel, where the boys decided to go to the park for a kick around with a football. Yes in this heat! They cam back less than 30 minutes later wetter than when they came out of the sea! Silly sods! Alexander opted to cool down in the pool, so I volunteered to supervise while the other two showered. The two boys wanted pizza in the room for dinner which meant hubby and I could enjoy another quiet dinner alone.

 

Where to go? We had steak a couple of times already, so we agreed to try the Red Lobster. Now Im not keen on anything that comes from the sea. I will have the odd crab stick, or prawn cocktail if Im in the mood, but otherwise I find it all a bit too fishy, and fiddly. But when in Rome etc etc. I wasn't overly thrilled to see a tank of live lobster in the entrance, and certainly was not going to choose which poor crustacean I wanted boiled alive!!! However, being a grown up, I said I would give seafood a go, and chose a platter of lobster tail, fried shrimp and shrimp linguini. Along with a Bahama Mama cocktail. Now THAT was nice!

The lobster and shrimp? I really don't know what all the fuss is about with that stuff. It was just slightly fishy white chewy stuff. I'm sorry, I'd rather have a pre-roasted chicken breast from Asda! Oh I know you will all be shaking your heads and calling me a heathen, but I just don't get it. Will be steak and chicken for me from now on! Unless its Fish Fingers!

 

 

 

 

 

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In Search of Sunshine Day 5 - Miami

Waking at usual time (6am) now, which doesn't bother me as I get to play on my iPad and do things like blogging and Tweet in a leisurely fashion while waiting for others to wake. On previous trips (pre iPad days) I would sit in the loo and write postcards, or read, or if we had a balcony sit out and watch the sunrise and the critters scuttling in the shrubbery. I had names for the squirrels, lizards and even a rat one time. Now I can just dim the iPad and do all sorts of wonderful things!

Finally decided we would drive to Key Largo today. Only an hour or so drive south of Miami. We would have liked to have gone down to Key West but that was too far in one day, and we weren't sure the boys would be happy.

Strangely, we passed a nice little Outlets place, and decided to stop and have a wander round. Glad we did because I got two pairs of sandals and a lovely Coach handbag at bargain prices. Can't beat an unexpected bargain, or two!

The drive down to Key Largo wasnt the prettiest. Unlike the drive over to the Gulf Coast which has lots of long white bridges that span the beautiful blue sea. This was a long concrete road with swamp either side. I did try a bit of gator spotting but they were obviously wise to the tourist trail. Key Largo was really just a row of buildings either side of a dual carriage way that had a third row of buildings in the middle. It was some time before it occurred to me that both lanes were going in the same direction, as you couldnt see the other side of the road. Suddenly I thought..."How do you get out of here? Theres no road!!" - Yes I know.

Then we saw this place!

Bayfront Grill and Tiki iBar

 

A lovely Bayfront Grill and Tikki Bar. I had a Mahi sandwich with coleslaw on rye bread with fries. Hubby had Gumbo, a meatysoup with rice. Both very tasty. Followed by traditional Key Lime Pie.

Was a great place to sit and relax, watch the fish swim around waiting ro be fed, and listen to a bit of Bob Marley in the background. On top of this, they had great wifi, which meant a lot of emailing, facebooking and tweeting going on between us.

After a leisurely drive through Key Largo, a couple of stops for souvenirs - T Shirt, Mug and Xmas tree decoration. We always try and buy a dec from places we visit. When I decorate the tree every year I have lots of memories of our travels. We then drove back to Miami and the hotel.

Of course nine year olds don't have naps, or lie downs, so I ended up beside the pool watching Alexander cavort and splash. He was the only one in - well apart from when I was too hot and went in to join him.

Alexander in the Pool

Another thing I noticed sat out there were all the flights on the way to the airport. there must have been one every 5 minutes, and we are quite close to the flight path. not close enough to wave or write down their Reg number in my notebook though!

 

 

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In Search of Sunshine Day 4 - Miami

 

Awoke early, but not that early after a good nights sleep. Holiday Inn Express beds are pretty comfy, never have a problem sleeping on them. Hubby fetched me a coffee from the breakfast room, as its about 200% stronger than the stuff in the coffee machine sachets. A leisurely get up including planning the day. Which included a trip to Walmart (yes we DID go there and two malls yesterday) to purchase swimming shorts for Hubby and Jordan who hadn't bothered to look yesterday.

Kitted out for the day and sat nav primed, we headed off to south Miami and Grapeland Water Park to let the boys have a bit of time to have fun. Satnav took us the the spot - or so it kept telling us as we circled a park with swings and other 'park' things, but def no water! A local out walking a miniature greyhound told us he'd lived here all his life and had ever heard of the water park! However, modern technology prevailed and he used his phone to contact someone and gave us directions to where we should have been. Note to self - dont trust POI directions.

We arrived at Black Beards Beach. A great little water park for younger kids, not Aquatica or Typhoon Lagoon but very clean and cheap (Adults $12, Kids $6). No food or drink can be taken in but it was clean, well run and def worth a visit for a half day.

Here is a pic of the water park, and a great shot of Jordans legs in his pedal pushers! All he needed was an hankie on his head and he'd have looked the classic Englishman at the seaside. Too Cool Dude.

The outcome of the trip was that everyone but me got sunburn! Even though we had applied sunscreen, we had spent longer than we ought to have done in the Floridian sun. Nothing too serious, but means no trip to South Beach tomorrow.

We stopped off at Costco on the way back so hubby could have a look at a few things, had hotdogs for $1.50 with a free drink. Bargain!

Hubby dropped Alexander and I off at the hotel so he and Jordan could go back to the mall from yesterday for more clothes. You can tell there's a theme going on here yes? We love shopping, but only where there are bargains to be had. I wanted a quiet afternoon so volunteered to stay with Alexander in the hotel.

It also meant I could do some laundry! I know, I'm on holiday so why would I want to wash and dry clothes? Well we bring very little with us you see. We buy new things and wear them. I also like to have the travelling stuff ready for travelling home again, and usually take home mostly clean clothes, that only need ironing when I get back. Sad aren't I?

Tonight we went to a kids place that both boys love. Even at 19, Jordan still likes to get his cup of tokens, and spend them on the games to win tickets. Tickets to exchange for bits of tat. The deal was they could have pizza there, some time on the games, but then go back to the hotel while we went for something to eat. So off we went to Chuck-E-Cheese.

If you've never been to one, all I can say is imagine a huge room full of kiddie game machines, flashing lights, bells, chimes and horns. Fill it with dozens of hyper kids with a cups full of tokens to put in the machines so they win a string of tickets each time they play. Add pizza, pop and a massive crazy mouse called Chuck and you will get the idea.

Parents sit in booths and chat while collecting a pile of tickets. Some parents seem as excited as their offspring, especially when very competitive and faced with a basketball throwing game and a hi score of 416 to beat!

The grand finale is feeding the tickets into the 'Ticket Cruncher' to see how many you have won. The paper slip is passed proudly to the bored assistant behind the counter who points at the pile of plastic tat in the glass case marked 100, 200, 300 etc. No point even looking at the good stuff on the shelves behind cos only local kids who visit regularly will get to collect 5000 tickets to win a small Nerf Gun!

The tat yesterday was so poor that Alexander's measly 400 points couldn't be spent. So he opted to go for a Goody Bag and a credit slip to use at the next Chuck-E-Cheese stop in Orlando. Can't wait.

Eventually we managed to dump the kids back at the hotel and go for dinner alone. Was a bit later than I like but we weren't goi g to miss out on a peaceful meal together. We headed off to Tony Roma's just along the road. Although highly thought of by some, I found the menu a bit limited. I don't like ribs or seafood, and didnt fancy steak, so I went for a chicken and peach salad. Hubby had scampi pasta,both were very nice, but wouldn't have us rushing back. We didn't even have dessert, instead I had a Baileys Coffee. Now call me old fashioned, but you do NOT use squirty cream on a liqueur coffee. Was possibly the worst one I have ever had. So to summarise, Tony Roma falls into our 'Satisfactory' eating out category.

Chicken & Peach Salad

Scampi Pasta

Back at the hotel room, it looked like a bomb site! Obviously some kind of pillow fighting or cavorting had been going on, despite their denial when asked. Wasn't long before we were all tidy and snuggled up under the duvet being lulled to sleep by the drone of the air conditioning unit.

 

 

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In Search of Sunshine Day 3 - Miami

3:20 am and both hubby and I are wide awake. Not unexpected as it happens everytime. Although it was 2am UK time before we went to sleep, our bodies still thought we ought to be up at the usual time. Its not much fun when its a Monday morning and all the places you might usually be able to go at 4am are closed. Places like Walmart and Target where you can go and buy whatever it is you've forgotten to bring, and gallons of water.

Whike the boys slept we went and grabbed a light breakfast from the small dining area in the lobby. We stay at The Holiday Inn Express at Lake Buena Vista so knew exactly what would be on offer. I try to avoid big breakfasts these days, so toast and coffee is enough for me. Eventually we were all up and ready for a day out.

It didnt look good. Dark clouds circled above and a grim storm forecast from the TV made us decide to hit the shops. First stop, Walmart to get the odds and ends and stuff we needed like water and sweets! I really feel special shopping there, treat like a VIP by the staff. Boy do they need some customer service skills, they barely string a sentence together and dont think Ive ever had one of them actually smile and say thank you like they mean it. Yesterday one even pushed past me to scan some stock on the shelf I was looking at. The "you're welcome" comment fell on deaf (or foreign) ears.

Next stop was The Dolphin Mall. Kids wanted baseball caps, and I spotted this!

I love Crocs! I have several pairs of traditional ones, in various colours, and a pair of flat sandals. I now have an even more stylish pair! I know, pretty classy for Crocs yes?

 

I also bought some lovely Fossil jewellry in the sale.

 

Next stop was The Mall at Aventura. There was a big AMC cinema complex and the two boys wanted to see The Dark Knight. An ideal opportunity to dump them and have a nice leisurely wander around the shops on our own. Which we did after driving around a packed car park for ages, before paying $6 for valet parking. The sun must have affected hubby as he's usually not one for paying for luxuries like that!

Nice Mall, lots of upmarket shops and stores, but we just window shopped. Prices are higher than in Orlando, so resisted the urge to spend more than a few dollars on a couple of bottle of Bud Light. The boys really enjoyed the film and we headed off through the maze of roads that makes up Miami. The sat nav did its best but crossing three lane highways in rush hour meant being in the wrong lane a couple of times and having to detour. Luckily drivers are pretty chilled over here!

Dinner was at Chili's. The usual steak, salad, pizza, burger thing,but finished off with a Chocolate Lava Cake. We have had 'radgeys' over who had more than another in the past so we now get two!

We headed back to the hotel, weary and ready for bed. It had been a long couple of days. Tomorrow we should be back to normal body clocks.

 

 

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In Search of Sunshine Day 2

5:15 am. I was awoken by hubby tying his shoelaces while sat a the bottom of the bed. He was dressed and about to sneak out of the room to go for a walk. Travelodge rooms aren't the best places for a deep, comfortable nights sleep and He wasn't the only one up and about as another family along the corridor were banging doors and chatting excitedly as they left for the airport. Only five hours until the flight. Great.

Texted hubby to get me a coffee from the posh machine in the lobby rather than risk waking Alexander with the small but noisy kettle. There followed a 'text fest' as I gave him instructions on opening up the locked and sealed cases to find the razor that had been packed. He had forgotten to get out a spare for the overnight bag. "which case?", "what colour is the bag?", "which pocket in the bag?" etc etc.

We have the morning routine sussed now after what will be our 17th trip. We take the car to Brother in Laws, who conveniently lives just a couple of miles from the airport. They drop us off at the airport. No taxi's and no expensive parking fees. Pre flight check in means we simply hand over the luggage, get through security and spend the next two hours having breakfast and browsing the shops. Stress free! Ha!

One Full English, One Croque Monsieur, One cheese burger and fries and a bowl of porridge with summer berries. £25 thank you very much. Hubby's 'wallet pains' start. Topped off with a trip to Duty Free for a US adaptor because I had left the one 'bought ages ago and put away somewhere safe' behind. More 'pains!

Finally we are called to the gate and we stand around in the usual unorganised crowd waiting for the 'special' ones to get on first. Secretly wishing we had paid extra to be one of them. This year, having both boys with us we had planned the seating arrangements so that Jordan sat in front of Alexander so that he could put his seat back and not disturb hubby. I sat next to him because of 'elbow wars' . Im more tolerant of arm rest occupation apparently.

It's Delta Airways this time, due to cheaper flights and the reason for a stop at Atlanta. £500 a flight rather than £800 makes it worth the inconvenience. The aircraft is noisy, and so are a few of the younger kids but the noise cancelling headphones sorted that out.

Lunch was quite good for airline food. Salad, crackers and cheese, a roll, and Thai chicken curry, with a chocolate biscuit. I dont drink anything but water on flights and did resist the urge to have a Pinot Grigio. Once the trays were cleared it was time for the filums on the iPad. Started to watch Inception, had been saving it for the trip, but couldnt be bothered and ended up watching The Muppets Movie. I loved it! Is it odd that I had a bit of a lump in my throat at the happy ending?

A few games of 'Sparkle HD' followed by a nap and we were only two and a half hours away from landing. being sat in the same place the length of time I usually spend during a day at work sounds unbearable, but it does tend to pass quicker than I expect.

We have just been given an afternoon snack of Cheese Calzone and a tub of ice cream. Not that Im hungry but it whiles away a few more minutes. The nose is dipping downwards now, we are starting our approach as they say in air traffic control speak. The fun will begin when we land. We have 1hr 40 minutes (unless we land earlier or the connection is delayed) to get off, get luggage, get through Immigration and to whatever gate we need to get to. Its looking good for an early landing.

Approaching Atlanta

 

Now in Atlanta, no hassles, no queues to speak at Immigration, unlike Orlando which is a mare at the best of times. A quick tube to terminal B and we are waiting at the gate to be called in the next 30 mins or so. No free wifi unfortunately so will have to wait till Miami before catching up with my Twitter Tweeps. The sooner we get there the better as a certain 9 year old is starting to get a bit restless and testing our patience a tad. I am off for a large caffeine fix. Next stop Miami!

The last stage went as effortless as the previous one, apart from one very loud voiced american man having a conversation with the whole plane it seemed. At Miami, getting bags, collecting car....Name on a board, key in glovebox, drive away (Hertz Gold Member) none of that messy queuing business!

I am always impressed by hubby's driving skills in the US, apart from a little veering t the right at times, its like he drives here all the time. Co Pilot on the iPhone gets us to the hotel, and then the nearest Longhorn Steakhouse. Jordan hadn't eaten all day, so even though not that hungry, we went and had our first of many on the Floridian steak trek.

Back to the Holiday Inn Express, I tried to unpack while everyone else got into bed and onto the wifi! A whole day without it had been unbearable for us! Alexander was desperate to catch up on Draw Something, Jordan to email his girlfriend. Finally, everything put away (Im OCD about things being in right places on holiday - hate messy rooms!) and we switched off the light. At what was 2am in the UK, even the aircon couldn't keep us awake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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