Epcot World Showcase

Me in front of the big orb...

I know it's been a several weeks since we got back from our Florida vacation... but I wanted to post a few things about what we did.

I'm not a huge fan of theme parks, since I'm not crazy about heights or falling... I usually just end up be a nervous wreck on 2 or 3 rides, then just watch everyone else ride.  So, Epcot was a perfect park for me.  They do have a few rides, but I couldn't ride most of them anyway, being prego and all. No biggie.  We spent about 7 hours in the "World Showcase" area of Epcot, enjoying the exhibits and shows.  There were a couple of small flume type (water) rides that we rode... and being that we were there at the World Showcase when it opened at 11 a.m., there were no lines and no waiting.  Sweet.

Fun in Key West

Hurray!!! I've been to the edge and back!!!

The edge of the lower 48 states, that is.  Key West, FL is the furthest south you can go in the contiguous 48 states.

Notice we didn't get our picture taken next to this buoy.  It's cute and all, but it's not the southernmost point. Fun fact... this is actually not a buoy... it came out of a sewer somewhere in Key West and the city had it painted to look like a buoy so they could replace the sign that used to be there... the sign that kept getting stolen. LOL

This is actually the southernmost point that a civilian can access (below). Doesn't look like much, does it?

The Holy Land Experience

Sigh...not my best look. I look like I have crazy pink hair.

Always wanted to visit Israel?  Me, not so much.  I love the history and Biblical significance of it, but traveling there in person? Not so much... not too keen on the idea of bomb shelters, etc.

Next best thing?  The Holy Land Experience in Orlando.

Granted, it's a bit commercial, but we spent 5-6 hours walking around, learning and enjoying ourselves.  The park is landscaped with middle eastern plant life and they have some pretty neat exhibits.

EcoSafari

Check out this fashionable look...

On our way down to Miami, we stopped off in St. Cloud at Forever Florida (a nature preserve) for an EcoSafari.  They offer lots of different activities, from horseback riding, to zip lines, to the Cypress Canopy Cycle.  M's not an equestrian type and I'm not a 'throw caution to the wind and jump off a platform 4 stories up in order to hurtle down a piece of wire held only by a caribiner clip and flimsy harness' type.  So we met in the middle and chose the Cypress Canopy Cycle.

Wicked awesome.

Alligator Watching in the Everglades

Little airboat... our was about 3x this size.

Checking one more thing off my list... Airboat tour of the Everglades. We spent a 1/2 day at Sawgrass Recreation Park and really enjoyed ourselves.  The airboat tour was really cool (that boat MOVES!) and our guide/pilot was very knowledgeable about the Everglades and the wildlife.

We saw 5 alligators, some turtles and a few bird species. I tried to get pictures of all of them without falling overboard or sticking my limbs over the side of the boat.  Apparently, the alligators can see the motion from below the water and think it looks like lunch.  Mission accomplished:  I came home with all arms, legs, fingers and toes firmly attached.

Travel Tips: Vacation Planning

(not sure where this pic came from - I've had it forever!)

The Hubby and I save our $$ all year so we can splurge a little on vacation... but I'm still a frugal girl at heart. So by "splurge" I mean carefully planning my vacation in such a way as to allow us to do what we most want to do for the least amount of $$ possible.

Step 1:  Prioritize

I'm not a fan of trips that are completely off the cuff with no forethought... I find those types of trips stressful, disorganized and very expensive (all those little expenses add up).  If you're one of those "fly by the seat of your pants" types, then you may want to skip the rest of this post and join me again on the next one.  However, if you're like me, then read on...

Play in the Clay

It's finally here!!! Back in June, I went to Right Off The Batt Pottery in Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island (Canada) with my Mom.  Best girls day out ever!  We had to leave the pieces there, to be glazed and fired.  We were a little worried the pottery might break during shipping, but it was very well packed.  Whew!

Here's my finished pieces.  They came out beautiful!

1. My blue/white glazed bowl
2. Both my serving pieces
3. An up close shot of the design on my serving platter
4. The zoomed out view of the serving platter

Here's a look at our fabulous girls day out...

Anne-athema

My feet at Rustico Beach, PEI.  Wow... they look really white and freaky...

If you're headed up to Prince Edward Island, Canada, and aren't a huge Anne of Green Gables fan, you might be wondering what else there is to do.  Anathema is a Greek word meaning, "a person or thing detested or loathed", in case you're wondering.  Ok, so you may not loathe Anne of Green Gables, but after spending a few days on the Island you may be looking for something to do that doesn't involve red hair and freckles.

Here's a few suggestions:

• Go to the beach.  I'm not talking the public beaches, they can be SUPER crowded depending on the time of year.  I recommend one of the state parks or the beaches on the tips of the island, such as Tignish Beach on the west or Campbell Beach on the east.  Of course, Cavendish or Brackley Beach are lovely as well, but will be a bit more populated.
• Walk or bike the Confederation Trail (maybe not all of it, but some of it!), weather permitting.
• If you go during tourist season, check out one of the festivals or the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts in Summerside (they do concerts, or you can take a tour).
• Try a Culinary Boot Camp at Holland College if you enjoy cooking.  They were closed for the week when we were there (early June), but I've heard great reviews and want to do this the next time we go! It is a bit pricey, but if you're as obsessed with cooking as I am, it may just be worth the cost.
• Play in the Clay at Right off the Batt pottery in Borden-Carleton (right off the Confederation Bridge).  This was SO much fun, I'll be posting about this a little later.
• Check out the many historical sites, museums, and exhibits PEI has to offer (more about them in a separate post also).
• Visit the Brackley Drive In for a blast from the past Date Night. They show current movies, but the drive in itself is styled like the 1950's including the music they play until the show starts!  The first film is typically a family or kid friendly film, and admission includes 2 full length films and a free soft drink.

 The official PEI tourism site has a ton of information to offer - we got a lot of inspiration from there.  There's literally something for everyone.

Oh My COWS (Creamery)

One of my favorite things we did in Prince Edward Island was tour the COWS Creamery factory.  If you're Canadian, chances are you've at least heard of COWS.  If you're American, you've probably not heard of them.  Bummer.  You're totally missing out.

They have numerous ice cream shops across the province and have expanded across Canada in recent years.

COWS is manufactured exclusively on PEI, with cream and eggs from local farms and dairies. According to our tour guide, COWS premium ice cream is made with 16% butterfat cream, sugar and eggs, and is churned really slowly to make sure that the ice cream you're eating is actually ingredients, not air.

Interesting thought - the tour guide brought this up, but it's true!  Have you ever noticed that some ice cream you can just plow through a whole pint in one sitting, but other brands you can't? The difference is how much air is incorporated into the ice cream when it's freezing.  If you were to let a pint of store brand ice cream totally melt you'd probably end up with around 1/2 to 1/3 of the pint full of liquid.  If you let a pint of COWS melt, you end up with at least 3/4 pint of liquid.  That's some high density ice cream...

Travel: PEI Day Trip to Cavendish

If you're female and over the age of 20, chances are you've at least heard of Anne of Green Gables. Or seen the movie. Or both... or, if you're like me, you lived and breathed Anne when you were a kid, read all of L.M. Montgomery's books, saw the Anne movies, visited PEI three times and went to the Anne musical in Charlottetown. On this last trip, I did draw the line at buying touristy souvenirs stamped with red braids and freckles, but I confess I did think about buying the "I <3 Gilbert" t-shirt I saw... I was thinking another addition to my zany t-shirt collection was in order, but in the end

Soap - What's in YOUR Shower?

I was excited to learn about the Great Canadian Soap Company, a small family-run business not far from our vacation rental home in Prince Edward Island.  We were warmly welcomed and took a short tour, watched an informational video about their soaps, petted the goats, and were treated to some free samples of soap and shea butter lotion. If you haven't guessed yet, goat's milk is one of the primary ingredients in their soaps and lotions.

Travel Tips: Eating Well on the Road

On the road in Puerto Rico (last summer's wicked awesome vacation)

It's almost time for vacation! Hurray!  Those of you who know me understand my obsession with seeing new places.  I have a REALLY long bucket list that includes seeing hundreds of places.  It's the traveling TO the destination I'm not so crazy about.

Right now I'm getting ready to hit the road... well, flying first, then driving (more about that later).  This year, I am determined to eat well while traveling and not spend a boatload of money on airport food. I'm reminded of a Jerry Seinfeld bit I heard once about stores in airports not knowing what the rest of the world charges... but he tells it better (as I'm SURE you can imagine). :-)