www.theblisspages.com - travel: USA - east coast
www.theblisspages.com - travel: USA - east coastLinks on this page: Florida : Disneyworld : Space center : Everglades : Miami
I last went to Florida on my second honeymoon in 1994. My memories of the trip lasted rather longer, unfortunately, than the marriage itself.
We hired a car to drive round Florida. The extras - insurance and the like - cost us more than the car hire. The car was an automatic and gave us no trouble.
We stayed in various motels including one with a waterbed, but my dreams of sexual shenanigans soon ended when my bride announced she felt seasick.
Well, of course, the real reason for the tourist boom in Florida is Disneyworld, and I have to say the stories and the hype are in this instance fully justified.
We bought a guidebook and planned our visits with almost military precision. We bought a five-day pass, and decided the venue and the order in which we planned to hit the rides.
We were usually parked and waiting at the turnstiles just before opening time, and sprinted to our selected rides. The effort was well worthwhile, as we hardly spent any time queuing. It was very satisfying to wander past an attraction we had already ridden and to look at a queue snaking back and forth. We looked smugly at the hot-and-bothered brethren who hadn't read the book!
We went on the rides, ignoring all the stern notices warning expectant mothers not to ride, as she was wasn't yet showing - just another example of the litigious climate of our times, with everyone terrified of lawsuits.
A space shuttle launch was scheduled, and we debated getting up at three in the morning and driving 100 miles to see - and hear - it. Eventually we decided not to, and I've regretted it ever since.
A trip to Florida is not complete without visiting the Everglades. We booked a trip on one of the airboats - a propeller-driven craft with negligible draft, which can treat swamps with distain.
When we got on board, we were given headphones, and my first thought was that it was for in-flight entertainment.
Their true purpose was only too obvious when the engine was powered up. The noise was incredible, as was the high-speed trip. The boat handled more like a hovercraft, engaging in high-speed drifts as we cornered.
I travelled to Miami in transit, and I only spent five hours there.
I was surprised to hear Spanish used as the first language by many people in the airport and outside. It was a very different America from my expectations, but there was a freshness and vitality there.
I took the monorail to the seafront and wandered around the harbour area, watching the richly-appointed boats going under some of the bridges and out to sea. I enjoyed a key-lime pie - with the tang of the fresh lime counter-pointed by the rich pastry and sugar.
Then it was back to the airport and on to San Francisco.
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: © Mike Bliss 2008