Tag: travel

Reflections on Florida

Having enjoyed Florida so much, I wonder how many more times I will go back.

I am back in London now and missing Florida. Last week was very different from many holidays I have taken before because it was so packed with things to do. I tend to prefer the kind of holiday that lets you relax rather than fill the days with more effort than you would usually put in at the office. Orlando, however, was very different. Although the days were filled, it was thoroughly enjoyable and felt like no effort whatsoever. I’ve really found a new love of roller coasters, and it’s awoken a childlike interest in theme parks. I think the enjoyment of the theme parks was the element I was most surprised by. Perhaps all these years of believing I wouldn’t enjoy them meant I found them all the more entertaining. Of course, there was the added fun of six people to holiday with. It’s a time that I won’t forget easily.

What also struck me was that the ‘have a nice day’ mentality/philosophy, which I often find saccharine and insincere in other American cities, was so right in Florida that it made me readdress my thoughts on that whole approach to life. It adds to the whole experience and really proves that just being nice to others can help make somebody else’s day all the brighter.

So, please, have a nice day, and any suggestions of alternative American locations for a holiday would be most welcome.

The Florida Adventure Continues

This holiday just gets better and better.

Where every island promises thrills at Universal’s Orlando playground.

Today is our last day in Florida. On Saturday, PY and I left the villa for the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Studios, Florida.

I thought Epcot and Busch were good, but this has been fantastic. Jaws, Earthquake and Back to the Future at Universal Studios were fantastic (Terminator and Men in Black not so great). In particular, I have to say how much I enjoyed the Jaws ride, which is entirely made by the actors who are the guides on your boat tour, and they really do make it fantastic.

Islands of Adventure has also been wonderful. Given my newfound love of roller coasters, I have ridden the Hulk and Duelling Dragons several times, and I can heartedly recommend them. The most amazing ride, however, isn’t an actual roller coaster. The Spider-Man ride is an indoor ride with projected 3D imagery, offering the most superb ride I have been on while here in Florida. I am thankful we were staying at a Universal hotel, because the hotel keycard works as a Fastpass as many times as you want, so we’ve done Spider-Man a number of times. If you go to Universal’s Islands of Adventure, don’t miss it under any circumstances.

And we managed to see the Black Eyed Peas at Universal Studios Mardi Gras on Saturday, which was a fun bonus to the whole adventure.

A Florida Friday

Ever since I was a child I’ve tended to avoid roller coasters because I was a little scared. Now I am addicted.

It’s Friday when I am writing this, but I am not sure when I will get around to publishing these entries from Florida. I am on the verge of applying for a green card so that I can stay here in the sunshine and ride roller coasters all day.

Wednesday was Epcot day. It was the first Florida theme park that I have ever been to, and it was amazing. Last Tuesday evening, we went to Downtown Disney to eat. As we drove past the large Disney World signs, PY was grinning uncontrollably. He has been here several times before and was excited to be back. After twelve years together, I have to admit that I have never seen him like that – it was a fantastic experience. Oddly, by the time we drove under the same sign on Wednesday morning on our way to Epcot, I was – similarly – grinning. We made our way to Test Track and got our Fastpass before seeing Ellen’s piece on energy (which is a little simplistic and to be seen in the context of being sponsored by an oil company). We then went round several of the other experiences, which I won’t list here as there are many good guides to them. 

Eventually, it was our time for Test Track, but it kept breaking down, and we waited an hour to ride (the non-Fastpass queue was three hours by this point). This is where I admit I have never been any good at rides, roller coasters and fairgrounds. I get nervous, so I tend to stay away. Anyway, after all the waiting, I was very apprehensive about riding Test Track, only to be a little disappointed. The screams that you hear as people hurtle around the side of the building do lead you to think you are going on the ultimate thrill, but it’s really just an amusing diversion.

Then I went to ride Mission Space (which PY wouldn’t ride because it, apparently, spins you round to generate the weightless experience, and he isn’t any good at those kinds of rides). The build-up to this ride is incredible (all the warnings about motion sickness managed to put two of our crew members off at the very last minute, leaving only two of us in the pod). It was great, but it wasn’t fantastic, and it was over very quickly. And that’s when I realised where the fear comes from. It’s the clever build-ups and staging. The rides themselves seem quite tame to me.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the Epcot rides were great. World Showcase is fun; a lot of imagination has gone into the park, and the fireworks are impressive. It’s a great day out, and it’s the place where I overcame my fear of these rides.

So by yesterday, when we went to Busch Gardens, I was happier to ride the roller coasters. And I did – even the one where your feet hang down. And I would ride them again and again. I’ve discovered that I am thoroughly enjoying the rush of riding. It’s not something I had expected to get out of this trip, but I have now uncovered a whole new world, and I fear I’ll become addicted.

Go now and ride them all.

Florida, USA – First Impressions Count

My first impressions of Florida – warm and wet with long security queues, big cars and slower drivers that at home. And lots and lots of food.

Well, PY and I arrived in Florida yesterday afternoon. Security at Orlando International Airport was quite strict: they re-scan your baggage on the way into the country, and you must walk through the metal detectors again. I find this really odd (it happened to me in Raleigh last December), and it’s so time-consuming. Don’t the American border guards trust the security measures at Gatwick? It took nearly two hours to get through the airport, and I don’t want to mention the bizarre situation where you pick your bags up and then place them on another conveyor belt to appear elsewhere in the airport sometime later.

One of the things that had been concerning me was the drive. I have never driven in the US, and I have never driven an automatic car. And with less than 24 hours since I picked up the car, I am a convert to the automatic, but not to this side of the road. Don’t you people know that the left is the only decent side to drive on? We didn’t pick up a fancy car (because I wanted something small, but the Avis guy’s idea of small and mine are very different – this is a big car), but it seems to drive well (the ABS may be a little over the top), and I like this whole one-foot approach. We got a little lost (by which I know we took the wrong road, but – somehow – that meant we missed the toll roads, so it worked out well). But it poured down with rain. It was torrential. I was quite shocked by the power of the rain, and it might have put me off the drive, but it was OK because everybody drives so slowly here (even though they’re all breaking the speed limit). I have been quite amazed by that little fact. Six wide lanes and everybody popping along at sixty miles an hour. Of course, I shouldn’t complain because it’s safer, but what must American drivers think of the M6 (when it’s running)?

So far, we’ve been pretty lazy: shopping, the pool, and eating. Tomorrow, I will visit my first Disney theme park in the US. We’re off to Epcot, and I am quite excited. One thing has become very obvious, though – Gym Buddy isn’t going to be happy with me. There’s so much cheap food here (a great deal of it fried), and I want to eat most of it. Oh dear.

My first impressions of Florida – warm and wet with long security queues, big cars and slower drivers than at home. And lots and lots of food.

Paying A Quick Visit

Nineteen hours and a visit to one of the most beautiful cities in Italy and I saw modern transportation, dull office blocks and not much else.

So, what was it about Thursday that made me so tired? Well, I spent the day in Milan. You’ll no doubt have noticed that I travel for work occasionally. This, however, was an extreme trip. I rose at 4am and took a taxi to Heathrow. Then I boarded an Alitalia flight to Milan, where I was met by the people I work with in Italy. In turn, they drove me to an office for a meeting. The meeting lasted until around 3pm when we went for a quick bite in a local café (all the Milan restaurants had shut after the lunchtime rush). After an hour in another office block outside the city, I took the train back to a different airport to fly back to London. Eventually, after a Heathrow Express, London Underground and South West Trains journey across the city (which took almost as long as the time I was in the air returning from Milan) I walked back through my front door.

Nineteen hours and a visit to one of the most beautiful cities in Italy, and I saw modern transportation, dull office blocks and not much else. I tried to capture the spirit of the day in some pictures that I took with the phone camera. They’re not great, and they won’t show you any of Milan’s fabulous architecture. They will show you most of what I saw. I promise myself that one day I will spend some decent holiday time in some of these cities.

Coming with me next time?

Dawn Traders

At 5am, London was already busy: bus queues, street cleaners, a fruit stall and a man pasting up a billboard.

Yesterday, I rose at 4am and took a taxi to London’s Heathrow Airport. This is not an uncommon thing for me to have to do. However, I imagine that I must have been a little more awake than usual as I started to pay attention to a great deal more than normal as I was driven out to the airport.

At 5am London’s streets are far from deserted. In Shrewsbury, one of the places where I grew up, I am pretty certain it would have passed for a busy morning but for London it was quiet. People were walking all around the place. At 5am there were queues at bus stops that must have had ten or more people in some of them. There were many more twenty-four hour shops than I had imagined (why isn’t there one near me?) and plenty of road sweepers and street cleaners – people generally keeping the city going for the rest of us that usually awake later in the morning.

I worked a milk round when I was younger. I am used to people being up and around in the still hours before most people awake. This, however, was different. It was busy and, in places, bustling. It was not remarkable to see a few people in the streets, but it was very startling to see so many people around.

When you walk home late at night, and the buildings remain lit, you imagine that, just like you are about to do, they will soon be settled in a dark sleep. Yet, as we sped through West London, I was struck by the number of buildings that contained offices or shops with all their lights blazing. Many of these were shut but were fully lit as though some invisible nocturnal customers were going about their shopping. Offices were lit as though an army of nighttime workers were sat, invisibly, at terminals turning the wheels of trade. When you walk home late at night this seems normal yet, in the early hours of the morning before dawn, it seems eerie.

Most unusually there was a market stall selling, I think, fruit and vegetables. It was open and lit on one of the main roads heading westwards. I can not imagine there was sufficient trade, but the stall was stocked, well-lit and ready for the odd customer that would pass. Who is the strange stall-holder who works the dark hours sat by the street waiting for customers to buy his fruits? Shouldn’t he have been at New Covent Garden collecting his goods at that time, not sat on a cold A-road with no passing trade?

Then there was the man who pastes the new advertising billboards. At 5.15am, he was on top of his ladder with a bucket of sticky stuff, glueing a new poster for the morning commuters to see on their way into the City. I had always imagined these were changed in the mid-afternoon, not in the middle of the night. It must have been far too cold to be doing that job.

There is a whole world that I am not familiar with. It’s really quite strange to come face-to-face with a city you do not recognise.

Snow is Oslo?

I am in Oslo and I am certain I saw snow.

It may be Thanksgiving Day for some of my colleagues but some of us are still working. I am, however, lucky enough to be in Oslo. I flew in last night. It was dark when I arrived but there was an unmistakable hint of snow on the ground at the airport. Considering all the trips I make to this part of the world, I have been a little disappointed that I have never seen a great deal of snow here. I was particularly saddened that there was no snow in Helsinki recently. Alas, by the time I made the centre of Oslo there was nothing to be seen.

Thoughts on Helsinki

There are six things that I learnt on this trip to Helsinki. Well, six that I want to note right here. And Robbie Williams is one of them!

Thoughts on an November in Helsinki:

  • They recycle everywhere
  • The men are gorgeous
  • It’s not as cold as you would have expected
  • I missed the snow – it was a couple of weeks ago
  • I’ve just had the best pasta meal I’ve had outside of Italy
  • And Robbie Williams in appearing in town. You hear his name “Robbbbbbbbeeeeeeeee” everywhere

Snap Out Of It

I’m not sure what rot has set in but it’s about time I got out of it. In a bizarre way, a freshly ironed pair of trousers made my morning all the better today. I can’t explain that one and I am not going to try.

Yet again, I have been in Helsinki (see May or August), and yet again I did not get to see very much of it. This time, however, it is all my own fault, as I did have a couple of spare hours after the meeting, and I filled them by wandering around the shops rather than doing something useful.

In fact, this has been the theme for my life for the past week or so. I haven’t found the enthusiasm to do much at all, and given that it was my birthday at the end of last week, this seems very sad.

I’m not sure what rot has set in, but it’s about time I got out of it. In a bizarre way, a freshly ironed pair of trousers made my morning all the better today. I can’t explain that one, and I am not going to try.

What have I missed out on while away? I don’t know what has happened this week in the Hutton Inquiry (which I have been following with some interest). On a related note, Lord King was a guest on the BBC’s Hardtalk programme (shown on BBC World) on Tuesday, and he provided an interesting insight into the politician-intelligence relationship.

On a lighter note, I have missed the start of The Salon (which is not a bad thing), and Jase introduced us to the concept of Washboard Envy!

Helsinki Re-Visited

I am not exactly sure of the time at the moment, for I am in Helsinki, and my clock is yet to adjust.

I am not exactly sure of the time at the moment, for I am in Helsinki, and my clock is yet to adjust. I am back in a city that I had promised to revisit, but I am still here on business with no time to see anything.

It was a pleasant journey indeed. I have never been on a flight with an all-male cabin crew. Despite what the Captain called “a bit of an incident” on a runway at Heathrow (no idea what), we managed to arrive in time.

Hopefully, I have packed everything I need – I tried to be organised last night, but I failed. I did remember to call Barclaycard and tell them I was heading out of the country. They have started requesting that you tell them when you will be away so that they know the charges appearing on your account are not fraudulent. I think I should applaud that move, but it’s a pain to remember to call. If you don’t, you run the risk of the card not working upon arrival. I suspect I should be grateful, but instead, I remain paranoid that the card will not work and leave me stranded in some foreign hotel with no way of paying them.

Views of Florence

I’ve spent just a little over 24 hours in Florence. Most of the time I had a meeting and was working, but for the final hour of daylight I managed to walk around a little bit. The biggest surprise of all was how cold it was. There was a very chill wind and I could have used several more layers of clothing.

I’ve spent just a little over 24 hours in Florence. Most of the time I had a meeting and was working, but for the final hour of daylight I managed to walk around a little bit. The biggest surprise of all was how cold it was. There was a very chill wind and I could have used several more layers of clothing.

I didn’t get to see any of the art of Leonardo da Vinci (his apprenticeship was in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio in Florence in 1466) but I did get to see Duomo – designed by Arnolfo di Cambio at the end of the 13th century – and Ponte Vecchio (still standing from 1345).

It’s an old city with narrow streets and plenty of squares. The best way to get around seems to be on foot – or in typical Italian style on some kind of moped. Of course, I had to take the final picture. What are they up to?

Happy Christmas

I am in Javea on Spain’s Costa Blanca for Christmas. The usual grey skies and frost of a British Christmas Day are part of the experience for me and have been all my life. The sun and the warmth were a little disorienting at first. Now, of course, I realise Christmas is still the same.

I am in Javea on Spain’s Costa Blanca for Christmas. It’s very different yet very similar. I have family around me. We had turkey and all the trimmings yesterday and opened presents around a (paper) tree. We have plenty of (cheap, Spanish) wine, Christmas pudding and mince pies. The sun, however, is shining and we are able to sit outside and sit in the warmth (if there is a sheltered spot from the wind).

The usual grey skies and frost of a British Christmas Day are part of the experience for me and have been all my life. The sun and the warmth were a little disorienting at first. Now, of course, I realise Christmas is still the same.

Happy Christmas.

A Walk on the Wild Side

My two days off have been great. Yesterday we drove to the Outlet Mall in Swindon. It’s the first time we have put miles on this new Ka.

[Written on my Palm & posted Sunday 6th]

My two days off have been great. Yesterday we drove to the Outlet Mall (what’s the British equivalent of that?) in Swindon. It’s the first time we have put miles on this new Ka (which I haven’t mentioned yet). Still, we drove in the sunshine and shopped. One call from a client was swiftly dealt with.

In the evening, we made it to Bristol, where we are staying at a Travelodge in Bristol City Centre. After unloading, we took a quick taxi ride to visit some friends we hadn’t seen for a long time until last month. And now it’s been twice in five weeks which is a great feeling. Chinese meal and back to the hotel.

This morning we had a quick walk around Bristol City, as it’s been many years since I was last here and things seem to have changed. The most amusing thing was the ill-fitting suits on a bunch of young men walking towards the Magistrates Court. I know I shouldn’t leap to conclusions (perhaps they were newly qualified solicitors), but I could just imagine their legal representation reminding them to look respectable for the judge.

As this holiday was originally pencilled in for longer and as a trip to Cornwall to see the Eden Project, we decided to opt for Bristol’s local equivalent Wildwalk at the complex known as @Bristol. I suspect this isn’t anywhere near the scale of Eden, but it was an interesting walk through the development of life on Earth. It features a glasshouse full of tropical plants and – to my surprise – living, breathing birds (I thought it was just a tape of their calls). Recommended if you are in Bristol. Right now we are heading south via the lovely A roads, looking for a suitable tourist spot to stop at.

Baby News

The christening was yesterday. It was great – apart from the rain that soaked us as we walked to the church

The christening was yesterday. It was great – apart from the rain that soaked us as we walked to the church. Even though I did not understand a word of the ceremony (and there were two babies being christened and a confirmation), it’s still quite a thing to see all these people stand in front of a congregation and wet the baby’s head. Of course the party afterwards was good, meeting people that I had not seen since Cheryl & Thomas’ wedding some eleven years ago. It’s always great food. For some reason, I love Norwegian food (although some would say I just love food). The evening part was spent sitting on the patio as the sun set, talking about old times and house-buying. Shame to be back really – although I would really love my bed right now.