* It was a 10-hr drive from the B&B in South Carolina to Tierra Verde, FL, where we'd be staying with E's uncle for a few days. He lived in New York/New Jersey for many years before moving to Florida. Every stop we made, we noticed the weather getting warmer. As we were unpacking the car, he picked up the snow brush and said, "What's this artifact?" Hardy har har... rub it in. ;P
*
The condo is 5 minutes from Fort De Soto beach
Around the corner from the apartment, where we took long walks, is a nice posh neighborhood of million-dollar homes. (One we passed was rumored to be Kevin Costner's vacation home.) A few Hummers in the driveway, marble columns, grand piano by the floor-to-ceiling panels of glass... Oh, and a yacht in the back.
Canal that runs through the back of the houses
* Tampa Bay was gorgeous. The Florida sun and the sight of sparkling water did us good. We had grouper, yellowtail, and blue crab, the local specialties. Walked around St. Pete and visited the Dali Museum.
Blue crab salad at Fish Tales; boats docked at a marina
* Beaches everywhere! Sugary sand and pretty seashells. We threw around a frisbee at Fort De Soto, walked along Honeymoon Island, and watched the sun set at Treasure Island.
Fort De Soto, Christmas Eve
Honeymoon Island State Park - hubs venturing into the water, sand in his toes
Sunset at Treasure Island
* Orlando Eats: Ate at Wolfgang Puck's in Downtown Disney. Had dinner at Thai Thani on International Drive, one of those Zagat-rated restaurants. Nice atmosphere, but the food was comparable to our favorite Thai digs in Pittsburgh. Lunched at Briarpatch in Winter Park before visiting the Morse Museum for the Tiffany collection. Food was interesting, overpriced. No, we didn't go to Emeril's... (next time!)
* Epcot: 14 1/2 hours! New Year's Eve. We were there till 1.30am.
The famous golf ball... Spaceship Earth
World Showcase - France
Ceiling of China
Shrine in Japan
Epcot's World Showcase features 11 countries from around the globe. (It also does a clever job of incorporating pieces of Disney in each.) Most have short films about the country, performances; each place serves food and spirits, and of course, has a massive gift shop. One can eat at a variety of places, from snack booths to fancy (pricey) sit-down restaurants, all in the country's theme.
At dinner...
(In UK eating fish 'n chips)
In-laws: "Where's E?"
Me: "He doesn't want fish 'n chips, so he went to Morocco."
(A few minutes later, we joined up with him in Morocco. A couple offered us seats, but saved one for their daughter.)
Couple: "She should be back any minute now... she's just in Japan."
Orlando is a little too touristy - the whole place is practically owned by the Mouse. I think I'm Disney-ed out for a while. Overall a great trip though.
Back to reality... (bills! reading! bedtime!)
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