Woo hoo! My 100th post. Seems like it should be more meaningful. Eh, not keeping with the spirit if I did.
Central Florida is such a study in contrasts. There's a lot of fake touristy crap, but there's a lot of real life, too. You just have to hunt a little harder for it. Yesterday, we spent the day doing real-life Florida attractions; today, we spent the day doing the touristy Disney thing.
Yesterday, we went to Lake Wales, south of Orlando. We drove Hwy 27 south, through citrus-country-turned-housing-developments. I bet it smells divine in March when the orange trees are in bloom. I'm quite convinced that if heaven has a scent, it's the smell of orange blossoms on a warm spring evening. It used to be the main pre-interstate artery of southbound migration. A major attraction of Lake Wales is Bok Sanctuary, a lovely preserve and gardens, the centerpiece of which is a carillon tower. With a resident carillonneur and twice-daily carillon concerts. We arrived in time for the 300p concert, and strolled the grounds during and after. The sun filtering through mossy oak trees in a grove was particularly lovely. Lake Wales is remarkably high, for Florida, the State of One Topographical Contour Line. There were some nice vistas from the gardens. Too bad you can't go up the tower - I'm sure the view is lovely. I took some pictures and will have them up online shortly. The visitor center had some interesting information about Mr. Bok and how he decided to put up a carillon tower in the middle of Florida, and we got to bang on a carillon bell - always fun. I was surprised to see that the bells and clavier are mechanical, not electronic. After our stroll around the gardens, we drove down to Spook Hill. Not so spooky. We put the car in neutral and rolled back "up" the hill, as per the directions. Woo. Of course, with a sign featuring such a benevolent-looking ghost, I guess I shouldn't have expected much in the way of spooky. Santa Cruz's Mystery Spot was far more interesting. Florida's Natural has a visitor's center on Hwy 27, but it's just a video tour, not an actual tour. It was getting late, so we passed it up. We also passed up "Goat Milk Fudge" and boiled peanuts.
Today we did Disney, a brave thing for the day before a holiday. I was expecting much larger crowds. It was busy, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the crush-of-humanity for which I was braced. I try to avoid the public at all costs, but the Disney theme park crowd is far from "general public". That said, I've exhausted my quota of others' children. Admittedly, we were privy to only one nuclear meltdown, and only came across one band of disgraceful teenagers all day. But still... I've had my fill. There were loads of girls wearing princess costumes - very cute. And I wound up being the very object of my own personal vehemence: The Person Who Stops in the Middle of the Sidewalk. Seriously, I loathe these people. And my parents continually did it, forcing me into stopping, too. Mrmmf. We did a big mishmosh of rides and shows. I suppose the highlight of the day was our Jungle Cruise guide. That ride is wholly dependent upon the personality of the guide, and ours was nonstop witty, without being obnoxious. As a local, I always feel like an outsider, observing theme-park tourism from a distance. We don't deal with resorts or dining plans, and there is not a lot of pressure to do/see everything before flying back home. Not that it's a bad way to see the parks. It just seems like a vastly different experience from that of the average park-goer.
I feel like I had some more things to write about, earlier this afternoon, but they're gone. This is why I need to carry paper/pen around with me more often. I don't have the patience to text-message myself notes.
Central Florida is such a study in contrasts. There's a lot of fake touristy crap, but there's a lot of real life, too. You just have to hunt a little harder for it. Yesterday, we spent the day doing real-life Florida attractions; today, we spent the day doing the touristy Disney thing.
Yesterday, we went to Lake Wales, south of Orlando. We drove Hwy 27 south, through citrus-country-turned-housing-developments. I bet it smells divine in March when the orange trees are in bloom. I'm quite convinced that if heaven has a scent, it's the smell of orange blossoms on a warm spring evening. It used to be the main pre-interstate artery of southbound migration. A major attraction of Lake Wales is Bok Sanctuary, a lovely preserve and gardens, the centerpiece of which is a carillon tower. With a resident carillonneur and twice-daily carillon concerts. We arrived in time for the 300p concert, and strolled the grounds during and after. The sun filtering through mossy oak trees in a grove was particularly lovely. Lake Wales is remarkably high, for Florida, the State of One Topographical Contour Line. There were some nice vistas from the gardens. Too bad you can't go up the tower - I'm sure the view is lovely. I took some pictures and will have them up online shortly. The visitor center had some interesting information about Mr. Bok and how he decided to put up a carillon tower in the middle of Florida, and we got to bang on a carillon bell - always fun. I was surprised to see that the bells and clavier are mechanical, not electronic. After our stroll around the gardens, we drove down to Spook Hill. Not so spooky. We put the car in neutral and rolled back "up" the hill, as per the directions. Woo. Of course, with a sign featuring such a benevolent-looking ghost, I guess I shouldn't have expected much in the way of spooky. Santa Cruz's Mystery Spot was far more interesting. Florida's Natural has a visitor's center on Hwy 27, but it's just a video tour, not an actual tour. It was getting late, so we passed it up. We also passed up "Goat Milk Fudge" and boiled peanuts.
Today we did Disney, a brave thing for the day before a holiday. I was expecting much larger crowds. It was busy, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the crush-of-humanity for which I was braced. I try to avoid the public at all costs, but the Disney theme park crowd is far from "general public". That said, I've exhausted my quota of others' children. Admittedly, we were privy to only one nuclear meltdown, and only came across one band of disgraceful teenagers all day. But still... I've had my fill. There were loads of girls wearing princess costumes - very cute. And I wound up being the very object of my own personal vehemence: The Person Who Stops in the Middle of the Sidewalk. Seriously, I loathe these people. And my parents continually did it, forcing me into stopping, too. Mrmmf. We did a big mishmosh of rides and shows. I suppose the highlight of the day was our Jungle Cruise guide. That ride is wholly dependent upon the personality of the guide, and ours was nonstop witty, without being obnoxious. As a local, I always feel like an outsider, observing theme-park tourism from a distance. We don't deal with resorts or dining plans, and there is not a lot of pressure to do/see everything before flying back home. Not that it's a bad way to see the parks. It just seems like a vastly different experience from that of the average park-goer.
I feel like I had some more things to write about, earlier this afternoon, but they're gone. This is why I need to carry paper/pen around with me more often. I don't have the patience to text-message myself notes.
And today I am thankful for not traveling this Thanksgiving holiday. The weather in the Midwest is atrocious, which has to be bad for on-time departures tonight. Plus, as Jess and I discussed today, you have travel amateurs dragging down operations. You know the kind: people who haven't flown in the last ten years, don't know how to navigate the idiosyncrasies of the TSA, want to check three bags per person and carry on eight, and - heaven forfend - try to carry on a Walgreens worth of liquid, gels, and creams. Not missing that at all.
I should get to bed. There is cooking to be done tomorrow! I can't wait to take my kitchen for a serious spin. If you're looking for a place to spend Thanksgiving, come on over - we'll have plenty of good eats.
I should get to bed. There is cooking to be done tomorrow! I can't wait to take my kitchen for a serious spin. If you're looking for a place to spend Thanksgiving, come on over - we'll have plenty of good eats.
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