Summary from Jonathan
During our Holiday, there were 5 really good things that we managed to do, These things being Disney World Parks - I really enjoyed all of the parks because they are so different and fun at the same time.
Kennedy Space center - It was a really good educational place, featuring a mind blowing IMAX film and some other brain benders - robots in outer space, the vehicles that launched Gemini, Mercury, and Apollo Spacecraft.
Flying in the Airbus A380 - It was a really luxurious ride, the TV screens were good - the selection of movies, games (yes pong included), and a "Sky cam" (a camera built into the tail of the A380 allowing you to view the aircraft, atmosphere and airport around you).
The Washington Monument and Reflection pool area - a great place full of information on Abraham Lincoln, The Civil War and World War 2. The Washington Monument provided an excellent view of Washington DC and in turn provided lots of History on George Washington and the Monument itself.
DC by Foot tours - These walking tours were a great way of learning yet more history on Washington DC, the monuments and dedications. We took 2 tours, one being The Washington Tour which was all about the memorials around the DC area, the second tour being the tour of The assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This tour was tracing the steps of Abraham and his family, and the Important figures of the assassination right up until the final moment - a really good tour - an absolute must do.
Summary from Nick
A very full on holiday however when you travel all that distance there is no sense sitting in a hotel because you feel tired. The whole holiday was great however some things stood out for different reasons.
The immense size of the Mt Rushmore project was one standout. How the sculptor was able to create the fantastic portraits in the montain side with a team of people working with jackhammers is beyond understanding. The whole area was interesting with various Mountainous Structures such as the Devil's Tower and the Needles Highway being very unusual.
In Florida, NASA for me is just so interesting. While Disney World cannot be dismissed as it just fabulous, the lure of the Roller Coasters is not there as it is for Jonathan.
Washington just has so many great Museums and Monuments steeped in history. I learnt so many new things on this trip even having visited some of the same landmarks before. A small fact was Lincoln.s hands on the chair may show happy and solemn. Just so intersting all of it.
I think the whole holiday was a great break and combined fun for Jonathan and education.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Day 23
Sydney - Gold Coast
Once again, a good nights' sleep then we were up to have showers and head off again to Sydney International
Airport for our flight between Sydney and Brisbane. Ye, we were on an international flight bound for Manila, Philippines with a stopover in Brisbane. we were pleased that we were on an international leg as it allowed for us to go the international Qantas Club (which is much better than the domestic Qantas Club) where we had a yummy breakfast of egg and bacon panninis, champers and oj, apple turnovers, croissants and cappucino's.
Had "nana nap" on the flight and arrived refreshed in Brisbane. But alas, our trip was about to end and we
had another "mishap". Whilst going through Sydney security, I was selected for a random search and was pulled away from Nick and Jonathan for a "pat down" body search (shouldn't have worn a jacket!!) and whilst I was being searched Nick and Jonathan placed all our belongings on a couple of chairs. When we met up again, none of us realised that Jonathan did not have his "man bag" with him and we didn't realise until we were getting off the plane in Brisbane. Long story short - security have located the bag for us and now we just have to make arrangements to retrieve it!
We caught the train from Brisbane airport to Varsity Lakes train station at the bottom of our street and caught a taxi home. Everything looked lovely and green as we apparently received a lot of rain whilst we were away.
It was good to be home, Simon and Verity had looked after our house and Scooter extremely well and they were now on their way to Tuscany for their 6 month + home stay in Italy. Lucky ducks!
Once again, a good nights' sleep then we were up to have showers and head off again to Sydney International
Airport for our flight between Sydney and Brisbane. Ye, we were on an international flight bound for Manila, Philippines with a stopover in Brisbane. we were pleased that we were on an international leg as it allowed for us to go the international Qantas Club (which is much better than the domestic Qantas Club) where we had a yummy breakfast of egg and bacon panninis, champers and oj, apple turnovers, croissants and cappucino's.
Had "nana nap" on the flight and arrived refreshed in Brisbane. But alas, our trip was about to end and we
had another "mishap". Whilst going through Sydney security, I was selected for a random search and was pulled away from Nick and Jonathan for a "pat down" body search (shouldn't have worn a jacket!!) and whilst I was being searched Nick and Jonathan placed all our belongings on a couple of chairs. When we met up again, none of us realised that Jonathan did not have his "man bag" with him and we didn't realise until we were getting off the plane in Brisbane. Long story short - security have located the bag for us and now we just have to make arrangements to retrieve it!
We caught the train from Brisbane airport to Varsity Lakes train station at the bottom of our street and caught a taxi home. Everything looked lovely and green as we apparently received a lot of rain whilst we were away.
It was good to be home, Simon and Verity had looked after our house and Scooter extremely well and they were now on their way to Tuscany for their 6 month + home stay in Italy. Lucky ducks!
Day 22
London to Sydney
Well, we had a three hour lay-over in London, just enough time to enjoy breakfast of fresh fruits, croissants,
chocolate croissants etc in the BA/Qantas combined club lounge. We really enjoyed freshening up by having
lengthy showers and then having a couple of cappucinos before boarding our Qantas A380 flight to Sydney. We have all been waiting for the day to fly in an A380 so we are quite excited about our pending flight!
First impressions of the A380 is that it is BIG! I think because there is a lot of room to the ceiling that
it creates a feeling of being plenty of space in this aircraft. I found the seats are better than other economy seats no matter whether it may be Qantas, Singapore etc. There is a fair amount of legroom and it certainly helps to have the foot rest. The incline of the seat is also much better than other economy seats - it was easier to fall off to sleep (and this leg we only had one seat each!). On-board food was just fab - we were given plenty of meals and snacks and they seemed better than other economy airline food. Also, they have a "snack area" at the rear of the plane and you can help yourself to drinks and snack food at any time during your flight. I found the A380 flight to be much better than other economy flights and would definitely try to fly on an A380 rather than a 747 or any of the other airbuses.
We had a quick stop-over in Singapore - just under an hour and just enough time to once again visit the Qantas Club. Back on-board for the final leg of the A380 flight into Sydney. Can't believe how quiet this
aircraft is especially on descent (almost feels like you are gliding!).
Another wee sleep between Singapore and Sydney and we were amazed that we were not over-tired. I guess that will come over the next days! Upon arriving in Sydney, Jonathan was invited by one of the Qantas crew to join the Captain and First Officer up on the Flight Deck. He jumped at the chance - he has been on many
flight decks on other aircraft but never thought he would see inside the flight deck on the A380! Luckily,
they took pity on Nick and myself and they allowed us to view Jonathan in the captain seat and to take some
photos. The flight deck was amazing - so many dials for the pilots to view! We also saw the captains'
sleeping quarters and where they had their meals etc - what luxury!
A slight mishap with one of our bags upon arrival which we reported to Qantas baggage services and then we
took the hotel shuttle bus to the Ibis Airport Hotel and settled down quickly for 10 hours sleep.
Well, we had a three hour lay-over in London, just enough time to enjoy breakfast of fresh fruits, croissants,
chocolate croissants etc in the BA/Qantas combined club lounge. We really enjoyed freshening up by having
lengthy showers and then having a couple of cappucinos before boarding our Qantas A380 flight to Sydney. We have all been waiting for the day to fly in an A380 so we are quite excited about our pending flight!
First impressions of the A380 is that it is BIG! I think because there is a lot of room to the ceiling that
it creates a feeling of being plenty of space in this aircraft. I found the seats are better than other economy seats no matter whether it may be Qantas, Singapore etc. There is a fair amount of legroom and it certainly helps to have the foot rest. The incline of the seat is also much better than other economy seats - it was easier to fall off to sleep (and this leg we only had one seat each!). On-board food was just fab - we were given plenty of meals and snacks and they seemed better than other economy airline food. Also, they have a "snack area" at the rear of the plane and you can help yourself to drinks and snack food at any time during your flight. I found the A380 flight to be much better than other economy flights and would definitely try to fly on an A380 rather than a 747 or any of the other airbuses.
We had a quick stop-over in Singapore - just under an hour and just enough time to once again visit the Qantas Club. Back on-board for the final leg of the A380 flight into Sydney. Can't believe how quiet this
aircraft is especially on descent (almost feels like you are gliding!).
Another wee sleep between Singapore and Sydney and we were amazed that we were not over-tired. I guess that will come over the next days! Upon arriving in Sydney, Jonathan was invited by one of the Qantas crew to join the Captain and First Officer up on the Flight Deck. He jumped at the chance - he has been on many
flight decks on other aircraft but never thought he would see inside the flight deck on the A380! Luckily,
they took pity on Nick and myself and they allowed us to view Jonathan in the captain seat and to take some
photos. The flight deck was amazing - so many dials for the pilots to view! We also saw the captains'
sleeping quarters and where they had their meals etc - what luxury!
A slight mishap with one of our bags upon arrival which we reported to Qantas baggage services and then we
took the hotel shuttle bus to the Ibis Airport Hotel and settled down quickly for 10 hours sleep.
Day 21
Washington-London
Our last day in Washington found us all very weary and we unanimously decided not to sightsee again today but to rest around the hotel, do a bit of laundry and do some last minute shopping at the shopping centres across the road from our hotel. I think it was a wise choice as we were all fairly "flat" from all the walking we have done in Washington over the last week. We received a late check-out at our hotel which was extremely
handy, went shopping but didn't purchase anything and then set out by Metro train and bus to Dulles Airport.
We had an uneventful and speedy trip to the airport together with speedy security checks etc. We can now say with certainty that LA Airport is the only airport that we have experienced lengthy and inexperienced security "hold-ups" as everywhere that we have travelled during this trip we have not experienced any problems or delays with checking in or with security. I think in future you may even try to fly into San Francisco just to avoid the security delays in LA!
We had a lovely visit to the British Airways "Club" in Washington as we were flying with BA to London. BA Clubs are always fantastically stocked with wonderful food unlike Qantas and American Airlines who seem to serve more processed food rather than freshly made sandwiches etc. We really pigged out on the food and then boarded our flight. Luckily had 6 seats between us to share so we were able to spread out and settle in
for a good sleep! All in all, a very good flight, we arrived 5 minutes early even though we had circled London for nearly 20 minutes. Only complaint was a bumpy landing but everything else wonderful!
Our last day in Washington found us all very weary and we unanimously decided not to sightsee again today but to rest around the hotel, do a bit of laundry and do some last minute shopping at the shopping centres across the road from our hotel. I think it was a wise choice as we were all fairly "flat" from all the walking we have done in Washington over the last week. We received a late check-out at our hotel which was extremely
handy, went shopping but didn't purchase anything and then set out by Metro train and bus to Dulles Airport.
We had an uneventful and speedy trip to the airport together with speedy security checks etc. We can now say with certainty that LA Airport is the only airport that we have experienced lengthy and inexperienced security "hold-ups" as everywhere that we have travelled during this trip we have not experienced any problems or delays with checking in or with security. I think in future you may even try to fly into San Francisco just to avoid the security delays in LA!
We had a lovely visit to the British Airways "Club" in Washington as we were flying with BA to London. BA Clubs are always fantastically stocked with wonderful food unlike Qantas and American Airlines who seem to serve more processed food rather than freshly made sandwiches etc. We really pigged out on the food and then boarded our flight. Luckily had 6 seats between us to share so we were able to spread out and settle in
for a good sleep! All in all, a very good flight, we arrived 5 minutes early even though we had circled London for nearly 20 minutes. Only complaint was a bumpy landing but everything else wonderful!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Day 20
Crime and Punishment Museum
We had a bit of a sleep in this morning as it is very tiring all this sightseeing! We had a fantastic day at the Crime and Punishment Museum starting with the crimes and punishments set back in the middle ages and continuing to modern times. They even shoot the show "America's Most Wanted" in this building and we looked in at their studio but there was no taping going on.
We did a quick trip after that to the Air and Space Smithsonian and Jonathan just loved all the planes that you never get to see. It really is magnificient.
After that an early night, with a huge meal at the Cheesecake factory and off to bed. Tomorrow we start the trip home via London which sounds like the long way but we get on the A380.
We had a bit of a sleep in this morning as it is very tiring all this sightseeing! We had a fantastic day at the Crime and Punishment Museum starting with the crimes and punishments set back in the middle ages and continuing to modern times. They even shoot the show "America's Most Wanted" in this building and we looked in at their studio but there was no taping going on.
We did a quick trip after that to the Air and Space Smithsonian and Jonathan just loved all the planes that you never get to see. It really is magnificient.
After that an early night, with a huge meal at the Cheesecake factory and off to bed. Tomorrow we start the trip home via London which sounds like the long way but we get on the A380.
Day 19
Forde's Theatre
Off as early as we could to catch a tour of Forde's Theatre. We got jammed up on the Metro and arrived a bit late for the tour. Not to worry, they kindly fitted us in on the next our and as they were about to close the theatre we went straight there.
After a good look around the theatre and the exact place where Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, (this section is not usually available to the public so we took plenty of photos),we went downstairs to the basement which had been turned into a magnificient museum. There were many absolutely amazing coincidences with Abe's and JFK's assassination and we bought a plaque stating the similarities. We also were able to see the tiny gun that Booth used to kill Lincoln and a blood stained pillow that was placed under
Lincoln's head whilst he was unconscious and dying.
We then walked across the road to Peterson's Boarding House which was where Lincoln was moved to after being shot. We saw the room and the bed that he actually died in! Again, we were extremely lucky as we were the last visitors to be allowed into the Peterson Boarding House as it was closing for renovations!
Later in the afternoon we took a walk to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial - and once again we were amazed with the opulence of such a beautiful memorial building.
That night we had our "Lincoln Assassination" tour with DC by Foot and Chris was our tour guide. Between
Jonathan and Chris I don't think that we missed out on any information regarding Lincoln's assassination! Chris was very kind to us after the tour and took us Aussies to behind Ford's Theatre to show us the exit door that Booth had used and showed us his escape route by horse that fateful night. It was a thoroughly enjoyable tour.
Off as early as we could to catch a tour of Forde's Theatre. We got jammed up on the Metro and arrived a bit late for the tour. Not to worry, they kindly fitted us in on the next our and as they were about to close the theatre we went straight there.
After a good look around the theatre and the exact place where Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, (this section is not usually available to the public so we took plenty of photos),we went downstairs to the basement which had been turned into a magnificient museum. There were many absolutely amazing coincidences with Abe's and JFK's assassination and we bought a plaque stating the similarities. We also were able to see the tiny gun that Booth used to kill Lincoln and a blood stained pillow that was placed under
We then walked across the road to Peterson's Boarding House which was where Lincoln was moved to after being shot. We saw the room and the bed that he actually died in! Again, we were extremely lucky as we were the last visitors to be allowed into the Peterson Boarding House as it was closing for renovations!
Later in the afternoon we took a walk to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial - and once again we were amazed with the opulence of such a beautiful memorial building.
That night we had our "Lincoln Assassination" tour with DC by Foot and Chris was our tour guide. Between
Jonathan and Chris I don't think that we missed out on any information regarding Lincoln's assassination! Chris was very kind to us after the tour and took us Aussies to behind Ford's Theatre to show us the exit door that Booth had used and showed us his escape route by horse that fateful night. It was a thoroughly enjoyable tour.
Day 18
Mt Vernon
We were up at 7am to be ready to head out at 8.30am for our trip out to Mt Vernon - the estate home of George Washington, America's first President.
We firstly watched two short films about George Washington's life and his achievemnts. Next we walked around his vast estate which comprised of five farms. When he first married his wife Martha her only had 50 slaves but amassed over 360 slaves at the time of his dath. Washington was Commander of the American Army before becoming President and he was also an extremely successful gentleman farmer and he loved new technology.
We also did the "National Treaure 2" tour and we had a fabulous guide named Lori who showed us many places throughout the estate which we "out of bounds" to the general public and also showed us the many "flaws" with the National Treasure 2" movie which had been shot mainly at the estate. It was a great tour and Lori made it extremely memorable for us.
We went on the Potomac River cruise whilst at Mt Vernon but we ran out of time to visit the Gristmill which is a milland and distillery (we were informed that ther were no free alcholic samples!). We were back late to the hotel, we were all really tired and feeling the effects of all the sightseeing that this wonderful city has to offer.
We were up at 7am to be ready to head out at 8.30am for our trip out to Mt Vernon - the estate home of George Washington, America's first President.
We firstly watched two short films about George Washington's life and his achievemnts. Next we walked around his vast estate which comprised of five farms. When he first married his wife Martha her only had 50 slaves but amassed over 360 slaves at the time of his dath. Washington was Commander of the American Army before becoming President and he was also an extremely successful gentleman farmer and he loved new technology.
We also did the "National Treaure 2" tour and we had a fabulous guide named Lori who showed us many places throughout the estate which we "out of bounds" to the general public and also showed us the many "flaws" with the National Treasure 2" movie which had been shot mainly at the estate. It was a great tour and Lori made it extremely memorable for us.
We went on the Potomac River cruise whilst at Mt Vernon but we ran out of time to visit the Gristmill which is a milland and distillery (we were informed that ther were no free alcholic samples!). We were back late to the hotel, we were all really tired and feeling the effects of all the sightseeing that this wonderful city has to offer.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Day 17
Spy Museum
We actually had a relatively leisurely start to the day with no tours booked for the day. We set off for the International Spy Museum for the day. JR did the "operation Spy" with 5 other attendees (which he thoroughly enjoyed and then a "Spy in the City" tour which was a hour self-guided spy hunt within a six block radius manned with a GPS and spy clues unit. It was a lot of fun as Nick and I joined in for tour to attempt to beat the time limit.
Back at Spy Headquarters we spent the remainder of the afternoon reading, experiencing all learning about spies from all over the world - mind boggling with all the deceit throughout the world.
We ate our dinner once again at the Cheesecake Factory is it was so good the previous evening. We weren't very hungry though as we had attended the nightly Manager's Reception at the hotel and Nick had a few beers and I had cocktails and "nibblies"
We actually had a relatively leisurely start to the day with no tours booked for the day. We set off for the International Spy Museum for the day. JR did the "operation Spy" with 5 other attendees (which he thoroughly enjoyed and then a "Spy in the City" tour which was a hour self-guided spy hunt within a six block radius manned with a GPS and spy clues unit. It was a lot of fun as Nick and I joined in for tour to attempt to beat the time limit.
Back at Spy Headquarters we spent the remainder of the afternoon reading, experiencing all learning about spies from all over the world - mind boggling with all the deceit throughout the world.
We ate our dinner once again at the Cheesecake Factory is it was so good the previous evening. We weren't very hungry though as we had attended the nightly Manager's Reception at the hotel and Nick had a few beers and I had cocktails and "nibblies"
Day 16
Arlington Cemetery
After a great breakfast off to Arlington for a very humbling and emotional day of American History. Into the Visitors Centre for background info on what we were about to visit.
The first stop was the JFK Gravesite which since our last trip has the addition of Jackie and a little distance away Edward Kennedy.
Next up to Robert E Lee's house and more interesting history. The house is undergoing a restoration at the moment however all the info was there and it was amazing to see the family tree showing the connection to Washington.
At the tomb of the Unknown soldier, we witnessed the changing of the guard and noted that in summer they change over every half hour. They would need to change every half hour otherwise we're sure that they would faint in the heat especially because they are in full uniform.
After visiting the Arlington Cememtery we returned to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum as we only had a limited time the previous day. Nick and JR went to the Imax theatre to watch "Legends of Flight" in 3D
and they said it was wonderful and the movie was mainly about the Boeing 787 plane due to start flying in our skies next year. Sounds a magnificent plane!
We all went to the Planetarium and watched the "Black Holes of Infinity" on their domed ceiling. Once again we were in awe with the movie!
At 6pm we joined some other Aussies, a lady from Minnesota, a guy from Hungary on the DC by Foot Tour and our tour leader was named Chris. He really knew "his stuff" about Washington and we found out many
interesting facts that we would normally have never known about. eg the "figure" on top of the Capitol building named Freedom is 19 and a half feet tall and no other statue with DC is able to be the same
height - the statue has to be 10' or smaller. Even the Abraham Lincoln and the Jefferson memorials are only 19'!
That night we ate at the Cheesecake Factory which is situated within the shopping centre where our hotel is located. It is not just a dessert place, in fact their menu is sooo extensive that any type of food can be found here - and really yummy food!
Once again, late to bed and an early start tomorrow.
PS There is a small guest laundry in our hotel located on the penthouse floor just above us - how lucky for us - clean clothes again!
After a great breakfast off to Arlington for a very humbling and emotional day of American History. Into the Visitors Centre for background info on what we were about to visit.
The first stop was the JFK Gravesite which since our last trip has the addition of Jackie and a little distance away Edward Kennedy. 
Next up to Robert E Lee's house and more interesting history. The house is undergoing a restoration at the moment however all the info was there and it was amazing to see the family tree showing the connection to Washington.
At the tomb of the Unknown soldier, we witnessed the changing of the guard and noted that in summer they change over every half hour. They would need to change every half hour otherwise we're sure that they would faint in the heat especially because they are in full uniform.
After visiting the Arlington Cememtery we returned to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum as we only had a limited time the previous day. Nick and JR went to the Imax theatre to watch "Legends of Flight" in 3D
and they said it was wonderful and the movie was mainly about the Boeing 787 plane due to start flying in our skies next year. Sounds a magnificent plane!
We all went to the Planetarium and watched the "Black Holes of Infinity" on their domed ceiling. Once again we were in awe with the movie!
At 6pm we joined some other Aussies, a lady from Minnesota, a guy from Hungary on the DC by Foot Tour and our tour leader was named Chris. He really knew "his stuff" about Washington and we found out many
interesting facts that we would normally have never known about. eg the "figure" on top of the Capitol building named Freedom is 19 and a half feet tall and no other statue with DC is able to be the same
height - the statue has to be 10' or smaller. Even the Abraham Lincoln and the Jefferson memorials are only 19'!
That night we ate at the Cheesecake Factory which is situated within the shopping centre where our hotel is located. It is not just a dessert place, in fact their menu is sooo extensive that any type of food can be found here - and really yummy food!
Once again, late to bed and an early start tomorrow.
PS There is a small guest laundry in our hotel located on the penthouse floor just above us - how lucky for us - clean clothes again!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Day 15
Washington DC
A fabulous night's sleep in a wonderful bed, a great massaging shower and a delicious breakfast and we were then off for a busy day of sightseeing.
We caught the Metrorail for a 7 minute trip into the city and our first stop was a tour of the Washington Monument. Fabulous views from 555'at the top of the monument with 360 degree views - a lovely clear sky.
Next it was time to see the city by foot walking along the National Mall seeing the WW2 memorial, Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Abraham Lincoln's Memorial (I wonder if I have left out any memorials?) We did a tour of the White House Visitor Centre (Aussies are no longer able to visit the White House thanks to Kim Beazley) and we then continued our walk to the Capitol Building via the Ford's Theatre (where Abe Lincoln was killed), FBI Building, National Library, and many more impressive buildings (but I have forgotten their names at this time of night).
We had dinner after a brief visit to the Air and Space Museum and watching an extremely interesting 3D movie about repairing the Hubble telescope from the Space Shuttles.
We ate at a little french restaurant in the city near L'Enfant Metro station called La Vie France - really good and we hope to eat there again! Back to the hotel after peakhour and flop into bed after an exhausting day of sightseeing!
A fabulous night's sleep in a wonderful bed, a great massaging shower and a delicious breakfast and we were then off for a busy day of sightseeing.
We caught the Metrorail for a 7 minute trip into the city and our first stop was a tour of the Washington Monument. Fabulous views from 555'at the top of the monument with 360 degree views - a lovely clear sky.
Next it was time to see the city by foot walking along the National Mall seeing the WW2 memorial, Korean Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Abraham Lincoln's Memorial (I wonder if I have left out any memorials?) We did a tour of the White House Visitor Centre (Aussies are no longer able to visit the White House thanks to Kim Beazley) and we then continued our walk to the Capitol Building via the Ford's Theatre (where Abe Lincoln was killed), FBI Building, National Library, and many more impressive buildings (but I have forgotten their names at this time of night).
We ate at a little french restaurant in the city near L'Enfant Metro station called La Vie France - really good and we hope to eat there again! Back to the hotel after peakhour and flop into bed after an exhausting day of sightseeing!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Day 14
Orlando to Washington DC
Our last morning in Orlando so we had a great brekkie at the hotel, checked out, fueled up the hire vehicle and made one last stop at Walmart along the way to the airport.
We checked in at JetBlue, went through security, had a coffee at Starbucks and checked our messages
whilst waiting for our flight.
JetBlue are a great airline. Nice leather seats, great hosties, just a lovely flight with included TV and movie entertainment.
We can't believe how green the landscape is everywhere in the USA, The only place we encountered brown
pastures etc was in Colorado and Wyoming everywhere else is very green and lush!
We finally found where to catch the 5A Metrobus at Dulles Airport even though there was no signage
advising us where to catch the Metrobus. The woman bus driver was a real hoot. At one stage during a
traffic jam along a highway she sped along in the slow lane and then straddled across four lanes to get to the other side, All the surrounding cars had to halt and all beeped their horns. A load of fun!
Next lesson was to tackle the Metro underground train system which was quite easy although we were now
travelling in peakhour train commuting! We were very squashed inside the train and made friends with many other Washington city dwellers who said we were very brave travelling in their train system during peakhour and with seven bags! Whew we were glad to reach the Embassy Suites Hotel at the Chevy Chase Pavillon built right on top of the Metrorail train station - very handy!
Luckily, we made it in time to partake in the Manager's Reception "happy hour" and have a couple of Beers
and Dacquiris and snack type foods - so much in fact that we couldn't fit in dinner.
Our suite in the hotel is quite luxurious the only downside is that is doesn't have a guest laundry - we'll have to tackle that problem tomorrow.
An early night for once - we'll have an early start again!
Our last morning in Orlando so we had a great brekkie at the hotel, checked out, fueled up the hire vehicle and made one last stop at Walmart along the way to the airport.
We checked in at JetBlue, went through security, had a coffee at Starbucks and checked our messages
whilst waiting for our flight.
JetBlue are a great airline. Nice leather seats, great hosties, just a lovely flight with included TV and movie entertainment.
We can't believe how green the landscape is everywhere in the USA, The only place we encountered brown
pastures etc was in Colorado and Wyoming everywhere else is very green and lush!
We finally found where to catch the 5A Metrobus at Dulles Airport even though there was no signage
advising us where to catch the Metrobus. The woman bus driver was a real hoot. At one stage during a
traffic jam along a highway she sped along in the slow lane and then straddled across four lanes to get to the other side, All the surrounding cars had to halt and all beeped their horns. A load of fun!
Next lesson was to tackle the Metro underground train system which was quite easy although we were now
travelling in peakhour train commuting! We were very squashed inside the train and made friends with many other Washington city dwellers who said we were very brave travelling in their train system during peakhour and with seven bags! Whew we were glad to reach the Embassy Suites Hotel at the Chevy Chase Pavillon built right on top of the Metrorail train station - very handy!
Luckily, we made it in time to partake in the Manager's Reception "happy hour" and have a couple of Beers
and Dacquiris and snack type foods - so much in fact that we couldn't fit in dinner.
Our suite in the hotel is quite luxurious the only downside is that is doesn't have a guest laundry - we'll have to tackle that problem tomorrow.
An early night for once - we'll have an early start again!
Day 13
Orlando, Magic Kingdom
wanted to come back late in the afternoon to get ready to go to the Contemporary Hotel later that night.
Magic Kingdom has the WOW factor from the start. Seeing Cinderalla's Castle as soon as you arrive is just spectacular. Our first ride for the day was Space Mountain and it was so good! JR even went on it twice! Next stop was "speedway" where we all took separate cars to ride. We watched Stitch's Great Escape show, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor show and my favourite, the Presidents Hall of Fame.
I couldn't believe the life-like moving characters of all the Presidents - they were all so good!
We really enjoyed the fast paced Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Gold Mine - it was all very exhausting even though we were "fast passing" all day long. We loved our day at the Magic Kingdom!
Mel and Linda - our "favourite" ride the "Orbiter" is still operating at the Magic Kingdom although this visit we sensibly decided to "give it a miss". We took plenty of photos of the "Orbiter" for you, just so that you can reminisce!
We arrived back at our Embassy Suites hotel about 4pm - just enough time for a quick swim and spa before getting ready to go to the "Pirates and Pals Fireworks Spectacular" at the Contemporary Hotel. We finally found the correct ballroom at the hotel where we were greeted by Captain Hook and Mr Smee together with our pirate "host" for the evening.
We firstly had to 'stock up" on snacks and beverages to take along on our cruise of the Walt Disney Lake to watch the fireworks and light show. The boat we travelled on was great - very spacious and clean and we travelled with a fabulous load of Americans and Canadians.
The fireworks display co-ordinated to Disney music was just magical! We didn't want the show to end as it was just so terrific. A big thank you to the Norvock family for advising us about this tour which we consider "a must" when visiting Orlando. It was a wonderful way to spend our last night in Orlando!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Day 12
Kennedy Space Centre / Cape Canaveral - Orlando
Today we got up super early at 7 am for our usual breakfast buffet to set out for Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space centre which is about 35 miles East of Orlando. It was a brilliant day to go to NASA as there were not too many tourists around. We listened to a talk by astronaut Wendy Lawrence and she gave us some insight to astronaut living, training and shuttle take offs. She was very interesting and informative to listen to. and also a good buddy of Aussie astronaut
Andy Thomas. We were lucky enough to have our photo taken with her.
Next we went to the IMAX Theater and watched "Magnificent Desolation" in 3-D which starred, directed and narrated by Tom Hanks.
After this we visited the Robots Scouts which was on robotics used in the exploration of outer space. It was then time for our KSC tour of the 39A and B launch sites for the space shuttles and their landing strip. We learnt alot about the shuttles and other rockets and realised that there is only two further shuttle missions ever to be launched.
We went to the Rocket Gardens to view all the older type rockets launched over 40 years ago.
With a bit of a rush we were able to go on the shuttle simulator which was a blast!
We then drove back to Orlando for a quick visit to the Outlet Centre and then off to Red Lobster for a delicious dinner!
Today we got up super early at 7 am for our usual breakfast buffet to set out for Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space centre which is about 35 miles East of Orlando. It was a brilliant day to go to NASA as there were not too many tourists around. We listened to a talk by astronaut Wendy Lawrence and she gave us some insight to astronaut living, training and shuttle take offs. She was very interesting and informative to listen to. and also a good buddy of Aussie astronaut
Andy Thomas. We were lucky enough to have our photo taken with her.
Next we went to the IMAX Theater and watched "Magnificent Desolation" in 3-D which starred, directed and narrated by Tom Hanks.
After this we visited the Robots Scouts which was on robotics used in the exploration of outer space. It was then time for our KSC tour of the 39A and B launch sites for the space shuttles and their landing strip. We learnt alot about the shuttles and other rockets and realised that there is only two further shuttle missions ever to be launched.
We went to the Rocket Gardens to view all the older type rockets launched over 40 years ago.
With a bit of a rush we were able to go on the shuttle simulator which was a blast!
We then drove back to Orlando for a quick visit to the Outlet Centre and then off to Red Lobster for a delicious dinner!
Day 11
Orlando
We decided to have rest from Theme Parks today as we had been on the go since we left Australia. We took the day to go shopping. We firstly went to an outlet centre and we were able to buy Nick a new briefcase to replace his old one he had been using for the past 20 years! We were very lucky because the briefcase was on sale.
Allie made good use out of the Guess Outlet store and JR purchased some new Matchbox cars at Toys 'R' Us. We had lunch at Starbucks and we all had a chocolate banana smoothies.
After lunch, JR wanted to visit a SEARS department store to look at their watches. Allie had a great time shopping in the Ladies department and sheet and Towels at JCPenny. Nick nd JR went to Best Buy and purchased some computer games.
For dinner, we went to Golden Corral and had a great time selecting different dishes from their buffet. It was great to have an assortment of vegies and the dessert bar was stunning too. I think we over ate!
We decided to have rest from Theme Parks today as we had been on the go since we left Australia. We took the day to go shopping. We firstly went to an outlet centre and we were able to buy Nick a new briefcase to replace his old one he had been using for the past 20 years! We were very lucky because the briefcase was on sale.
Allie made good use out of the Guess Outlet store and JR purchased some new Matchbox cars at Toys 'R' Us. We had lunch at Starbucks and we all had a chocolate banana smoothies.
After lunch, JR wanted to visit a SEARS department store to look at their watches. Allie had a great time shopping in the Ladies department and sheet and Towels at JCPenny. Nick nd JR went to Best Buy and purchased some computer games.
For dinner, we went to Golden Corral and had a great time selecting different dishes from their buffet. It was great to have an assortment of vegies and the dessert bar was stunning too. I think we over ate!
Day 10
Orlando - Epcot
We had a wonderful day at the Epcot centre and we enjoyed the following rides with gusto! - Mars Mission space, Test Track ( JR went on the TEST TRACK twice!), Captain EO, Soarin', The Figment Show, Living The Land (Boat Ride!?), Time Travel Space, And the contries of Mexico and Norway. We were too tired to continue through all the other contries. It was another huge day but we all agree that Animal Kingdom and Epcot centre are so totally different and we cannot make up our minds which one is better.
Dad bought a fantastic corvette t-shirt (pity he didn't get me one!:0) but I was busy riding Test Track.
That night we ate at Olive Garden (thoguh JR tried to change the name to Olive Grove) an Italian restaurant chain. It was a fantastic meal and Allie had Breaded/Fried Lasagne, Nick had Large Mushroom Ravioli, and JR had Monstrous Cheese Ravioli. The meals came with a huge salad (which Jr scoffed nearly all the croutons) and really delicous garlic breadsticks. For dessert, we had chocolate mousse, Tiramisu and a Strawberry White Chocolate Mousse. YUM!
Back to the Embassy Suites for a little TV and a big sleep.
We had a wonderful day at the Epcot centre and we enjoyed the following rides with gusto! - Mars Mission space, Test Track ( JR went on the TEST TRACK twice!), Captain EO, Soarin', The Figment Show, Living The Land (Boat Ride!?), Time Travel Space, And the contries of Mexico and Norway. We were too tired to continue through all the other contries. It was another huge day but we all agree that Animal Kingdom and Epcot centre are so totally different and we cannot make up our minds which one is better.
Dad bought a fantastic corvette t-shirt (pity he didn't get me one!:0) but I was busy riding Test Track.
That night we ate at Olive Garden (thoguh JR tried to change the name to Olive Grove) an Italian restaurant chain. It was a fantastic meal and Allie had Breaded/Fried Lasagne, Nick had Large Mushroom Ravioli, and JR had Monstrous Cheese Ravioli. The meals came with a huge salad (which Jr scoffed nearly all the croutons) and really delicous garlic breadsticks. For dessert, we had chocolate mousse, Tiramisu and a Strawberry White Chocolate Mousse. YUM!
Back to the Embassy Suites for a little TV and a big sleep.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Day 9
A quick start for us after a great brekkie buffet at the Embassy Suites and we prepared for the Walt Disney World onslaught. We decided to visit WD Animal Kingdom for our first day. We got the hotel shuttle bus to Epcot and then the Disney Shuttle to Animal Kingdom.We headed straight to the "Fastpass" for the Mt Everest ride and then went to the Dinosaur simulator ride - wow!. It was a really enjoyable ride and we all had a laugh.
Next, we went on an African Safari ride and it was awesome travelling through the savannah and seeing lions, cheetahs, elephants (and a baby elephant), giraffes, monkeys, rhinos, warthogs etc. It was just like being in Africa!
Next we went on the Kali raft ride which was super and we were pleased with ourselves as we didn't get too wet - just enough to cool us down for a while. We went on other numerous "quieter" rides before encountering "Everest". It was fantastic!!! It was a roller coaster but it also went backwards for quite a distance and also in the dark during the ride. Simply awesome!
The last big item for the day was watching the Nemo Musical. It was magic! You would have paid over $100 to see this musical at the theatre - it was absolutely outstanding!
We had got a fastpass for the Kali rapid ride again so back we went. This time we got soakedto the skin which certainly cooled us down. As it was time to get the shuttle we set off to findthe right lane area for our bus which took the efforts of Allie and JR. Back to the Embassy Suitesfor the Managers Reception for Margaritas, Beer and a Slushie. Laundry had to be done so we stayedin for dinner.
Day 8
Denver - Orlando
Today we had an early start – getting up at 6 am for a quick brekkie at the Best Western, (it was extremely clean and comfy) and headed towards Denver for our flight to Orlando. There wasn’t much to see on the drive back to Denver just the Rocky Mountains, oil wells and lots of farms and farmland. Once again it was a beautiful clear day!
We drove to Denver Airport and, after we had negotiated around the turnpike, dropped off our
vehicle, and checked in. As International tourists our baggage fee was waived by American
Airlines - once again! A quick visit to the Admirals Club and then our flight to Orlando
via Dallas.
Once in Orlando we collected a Dodge "Town and Country" van for our drives around Orlando.
It is pretty neat as it has electric doors like our Kia Carnival and it also has a TV for JR
to watch. Unfortunately we couldn't turn off the interior lights however after JR read the
Handbook all was well. We booked into our two room suite at the Embassy Suits Hotel at Lake
Buena Vista and had a wonderful night's sleep! Gosh, we were tired!
Today we had an early start – getting up at 6 am for a quick brekkie at the Best Western, (it was extremely clean and comfy) and headed towards Denver for our flight to Orlando. There wasn’t much to see on the drive back to Denver just the Rocky Mountains, oil wells and lots of farms and farmland. Once again it was a beautiful clear day!
We drove to Denver Airport and, after we had negotiated around the turnpike, dropped off our
vehicle, and checked in. As International tourists our baggage fee was waived by American
Airlines - once again! A quick visit to the Admirals Club and then our flight to Orlando
via Dallas.
Once in Orlando we collected a Dodge "Town and Country" van for our drives around Orlando.
It is pretty neat as it has electric doors like our Kia Carnival and it also has a TV for JR
to watch. Unfortunately we couldn't turn off the interior lights however after JR read the
Handbook all was well. We booked into our two room suite at the Embassy Suits Hotel at Lake
Buena Vista and had a wonderful night's sleep! Gosh, we were tired!
Day 7
Waking up for an early start as we wanted to take a tour at Mt Rushmore. As we ate breakfast slowly, we missed the tour by 25 minutes. We took a self guided tour around Mt Rushmore on the Presidents trail and took some really awesome photos and learnt quite a bit about American history. We also looked inside the sculptor’s, Borglum's, house and were amazed to learn that a "Hall of Records" has been built into Mt Rushmore and filled with the President's memorabilia together with a copy of their constitution ect. Unfortunatelym this "Hall of Records" is hidden and unavailable to the public. Apparently, it is located behind Lincoln's shirt collar.
After the Needles Hwy we continued south and stayed overnight at a Best Western Hotel at Lusk, Wyoming.
Day 6
Had a wonderful long night's sleep at the Holiday Inn, Custer and we even booked in again for a second night. They serve a beautiful breakfast (as the Manifolds eat their way across America) consisting of bacon, eggs, cereal, cinnamon rolls, bagels, muffins and much more. We set off firstly to the Jewel Cave and then headed back to the township of Keystone which is at the foothills of Mt Rushmore. It was a very scenic route along highway 16A. We saw lakes, fir trees, mountain lodges, and we were even stopped by 2 bison grazing along the side of the road and then strolling across the road in front of us. It was a wonder to see.
And speaking of wonders, our first glimpse of Mt Rushmore and the Presidents’ faces’ was through a tiny tunnel or stone archway and it was an absolutely spectacular sight. We were so excited that we stopped the car on the side of the road to take some truly magnificent photos. We will speak of Mt Rushmore again later.
We headed to Keystone for lunch and then went to the Big Thunder Gold Mine and went on an underground tour through the Gold Mine. The two fellows who originally owned this mine worked in it for thirty – five years on nights and weekends as a hobby. Luckily, these fellows had day jobs because they only found 15 oz of gold during the 35 years which equates to 6 thousand dollars in today’s market! After the tour, JR panned for gold and fond 4 gold flecks and a couple of really cool gems ( 1 x Tigereye, 4 x amethyst, and others).
Next we went to Rushmore Cave and took in a 1 hour tour. Our tour guide was called Sam and she was a very mature 15 year old local school girl. It was a fairly narrow path during different stages in the tour. Allie missed hitting Headache Rock but a hard hat would have helped with some of the others.
That night, we went to the Mt Rushmore memorial to watch and listen to the amazing light show.It was a very moving experience (especially for the American spectators) and was really wonderful to see the presidents lit up at night. The ceremony ended with the playing of The American National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner”.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Day 5
Devils Tower and the Black Hills of South Dakota.
We had a wonderful night’s sleep at the Wingate Hotel and had a lovely breakfast of bagels
and waffles with strawberries and cream. Our first stop was at Walgreens the chemist, to
purchase Nick some cold and flu capsules as he had caught a cold on one of the flights.
We then headed off on our one hour journey to the Devils Tower which is likened to Uluru.
The Devils Tower is a volcano core that was constructed naturally by falling pillars and being
eroded by water over thousands of years. Scientists say that the Devils Tower eroded very
quickly for modern times. It was a spectacular rock jutting out of remnants of the volcano
on the side of a hill.
We next travelled along crossing into South Dakota and stopped at Deadwood for lunch. For $12 we purchased egg salad sandwiches, bottled water, 2 large coffees, 2 rice crispy cakes, a slushy, and cough lollies for Dads throat – what a bargain! We walked around the wild west township and purchased a few souvenirs. We were all amazed at the number of casinos in this town.
We visited Nelson’s Car Museum - it featured the James Bond 007 Aston Martin, 2 Fast 2 Furious’ Blue Camaro, M*A*S*H’s Jeep, The Rockford Files’ Pontiac FireBird and The Bandits ’79 Trans Am Pontiac out of Smoky and the Bandit (this car was privately owned by Burt Reynolds after the movie was completed and to this day has only done 35000 Miles)and many more cars. We wanted to visit Broken Boot Gold Mine but it was closed until Memorial day, so we headed off to Silver City.
It was a pretty drive to Silver City, there was only ever gold found in this city and it was named after Silver City in New Mexico where some settlers came from. There was nothing in Silver City to look at except for a fire Station. We next travelled to Hill City and then onto the City of Custer to settle down for the night at the local Holiday Inn.We had dinner at The Cattleman’s Steak and Fish Family Restaurant. Nick had a Fillet Steak, Allie had Chicken and Vegetable Linguini Stir Fry and Jonathan had ½ rack Ribs with Homemade
BBQ Sauce (but he still likes Colleen’s Ribs better!)
We had a wonderful night’s sleep at the Wingate Hotel and had a lovely breakfast of bagels
and waffles with strawberries and cream. Our first stop was at Walgreens the chemist, to
purchase Nick some cold and flu capsules as he had caught a cold on one of the flights.
We then headed off on our one hour journey to the Devils Tower which is likened to Uluru.
The Devils Tower is a volcano core that was constructed naturally by falling pillars and being
eroded by water over thousands of years. Scientists say that the Devils Tower eroded very
quickly for modern times. It was a spectacular rock jutting out of remnants of the volcano
on the side of a hill.
We visited Nelson’s Car Museum - it featured the James Bond 007 Aston Martin, 2 Fast 2 Furious’ Blue Camaro, M*A*S*H’s Jeep, The Rockford Files’ Pontiac FireBird and The Bandits ’79 Trans Am Pontiac out of Smoky and the Bandit (this car was privately owned by Burt Reynolds after the movie was completed and to this day has only done 35000 Miles)and many more cars. We wanted to visit Broken Boot Gold Mine but it was closed until Memorial day, so we headed off to Silver City.
It was a pretty drive to Silver City, there was only ever gold found in this city and it was named after Silver City in New Mexico where some settlers came from. There was nothing in Silver City to look at except for a fire Station. We next travelled to Hill City and then onto the City of Custer to settle down for the night at the local Holiday Inn.We had dinner at The Cattleman’s Steak and Fish Family Restaurant. Nick had a Fillet Steak, Allie had Chicken and Vegetable Linguini Stir Fry and Jonathan had ½ rack Ribs with Homemade
BBQ Sauce (but he still likes Colleen’s Ribs better!)
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