Orlando - Florida
With no family around us at Christmas time we opted for a holiday in Florida instead of the usual Christmas stuff, a couple of weeks at the Peabody Hotel on International Drive was our present to ourselves.
Our first day was spent at Sea World which we both really enjoyed, a fantastic place with incredible shows and of course 'Shamu' the famous killer whale.
it really is a great show, but if you are thinking of going to see Shamu....don't sit too close to the front....
I even had a go at feeding the locals, though I don't think they were part of the park attractions.
we went to every show there was to see, even the kids ones and they were all fantastic even if you are left feeling a little sorry for the dolphins, seals and killer whales that perform in such small spaces (relative to their natural environment)
Obviously when in Orlando there is a requirement to visit at least one of the 'big two' parks, we opted for Universal as Sarah and I are a little bit old for people dressed as cartoon characters, not really our thing but when in Rome...........
we took a drive down to 'Gatorland' where a bit of Alligator wrestling was in order, at this point the guy lets go and you are left alone holding the gator, they then take a photo for you to buy. We got one for my mum who just could not believe it and told everyone she knew all about her son holding an alligator; for the enjoyment my old mum got out of that it must have been the best £10 I ever spent
Ever had Christmas dinner in 'Hooters'...... try anything once I guess
night-time was much quieter than we expected, though we did meet a Geordie couple and their kids who would not let us take a family picture for them (even though they couldn't do it) in case we ran off with their camera...bloody English folks :)
We took a drive up to Daytona Beach on boxing day and had a good wander around and did a little shopping, stayed the whole day until the sun started to go down and it got a little chilly. We bought some hooded sweatshirts to walk back along the beach in as the sun died away, that is when I captured this photo of three surfers beside the lifeguard station, a real favourite of mine it captures the mood of a December evening in Florida perfectly.
As we walked up and down International drive daily, shopping, eating and enjoying ourselves, we rarely passed this place without a round of crazy golf it was fantastic to spend two weeks together without any interruptions or distractions from work.
Orlando was a great two weeks that we really enjoyed though it is unlikely that we would go back there as it is a little to 'tourist centred'