Working on the bucket list!

Niagara – another one off the bucket list:

 

Originally we were going to go to Niagara Falls by ourselves, but we ended up teaming up with Daryl and Denise who drove us there. It took about three hours to Niagara-on-the-lake, where we had lunch at an English-type pub called The Olde Angel Inn, where the food was enjoyable but the prices touristy.

As the Falls came into view, we could see why the Canadian Falls are better than the ones on the USA side. The Horseshoe formation gives a more spectacular flow of water. Erosion means the Falls move farther upstream with each passing eon, something we don’t have to worry about.

It’s almost obligatory to do the Maid in the Mist, so for a cost of $16.50 and armed with our ponchos we joined the queue that very afternoon to experience Niagara Falls. Apparently tour groups tend to congregate in the mornings so we didn’t have to wait more than half an hour. Being warned that we would get wet, I opted to take my runners off and tie the shoelaces together and go barefoot, hanging the runners over my bum bag under the protection of the poncho. This proved to be a good move, as the water made its way wherever it could. It was a challenge trying to take photos of the power and the majesty of the Falls, while trying to keep the poncho tucked around one’s neck and legs at the same time. The boat ride takes about half an hour, and by the end you feel quite exhausted but also exhilarated. This visit had been “on my list” for thirty years, and it was well worth seeing another of the Great Wonders of the World.

Denise had booked us into the Hilton Fallsview, with rooms overlooking the Falls. We were up on the 32^nd floor, which afforded us a good view.  She had also cleverly found a voucher that gave us discounts on dinner, plus a winery tour the following day, for only an extra $20, making a grand total of $179 (plus tax).

 

 

Brazilian Dinner:

 

No matter what price we saw in both Canada and USA, we always had to remember that annoying phrase “plus tax” – from hotel bill to souvenirs to restaurants. That’s one thing I love about Australia, that the price you see is the price you pay.

Since the weather had turned inclement, we decided to go to a restaurant within the hotel complex. The Brasa Brazilian Steakhouse was a fantastic choice. It was a buffet with a difference, where food waiters would go around to each table with a different meat. At each place setting was a coaster with the Brasa logo, one side red and the other side green. When you wished for some meat, you turned the green up, so that they knew whether to offer you anything, and red when you needed some respite. Salads to accompany the meat dishes were at a buffet table, and we were extremely impressed with the quality of everything there. Choices of sirloin, ribeye, chicken, lamb, and even pineapple meant that we all overate. It was a brilliant concept, and magnificently executed.

 

 

 

Maple leaf country

O Canada:

We boarded American Airlines Flight AA3857 to Toronto with mixed feelings. Dutchy was looking forward to meeting his modern day penfriend (internet buddy) Denise and her husband Daryl. Denise picked us up at the airport, and we finally found where she had parked the car. Since we were all hungry, sharing a large tasty plate of nachos at a nearby restaurant made sense before making the long two-hour journey to their house in the country.

Stopping at Markdale about 16 kms from their place, we found an ATM to get some necessary Canadian money. It’s funny how every different currency looks like play money, but at least the Canadians have a bit of colour on theirs, unlike the greenbacks of the US. We arrived at Kimberley the Beaver Valley to their house with the amazing windows. It’s reminiscent of the Amityville Horror House, set on six acres.

 

Blue Mountain – the new top:

 

There is a place called Collingwood half an hour away in the Beaver Valley, and we went down there to the shoresof Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, where we visited the LCBO, their version of a bottle shop. Prices of alcohol here seemed quite reasonable.

Then we went to a ski resort called Blue Mountain, which looks pretty in autumn (or fall), and which would look magnificent covered in snow. We are not snow aficionados, and being cold doesn’t thrill us either. As it was, after the heat of New York and Orlando, the temperatures in Canada meant long-sleeved tops, jackets and jeans, although the Canadians were enjoying what they thought was warm weather! It’s all relative, depending on what you are used to and from whence you have come.

Of course if there are shops, one must enter them. It is an unwritten law, usually amongst females. As we came upon a little boutique named Echo Trends, I saw a long-sleeved top in the window that caught my eye, so in we went. There was a rack with some reduced items on it, and I rather liked a white jacket, laughing as I said, “Look, it’s only $235, reduced from $650.” I tried it on, but they didn’t have my size. I thought it’s probably better that they didn’t, at that price. Then I found the top from the window. It was a designer top with really interesting prints and appliqués on it. I just had to try it on, but that was probably where I went wrong. I loved it and had to have it, as it had such a lovely line to it and looked really good on. At $250 it is the most expensive top I have ever bought. Dutchy had to come in and have a look. He usually tempers my spending with realistic thinking, but somehow this time he didn’t. Maybe he was appreciative that I had been open to visiting Canada; maybe I felt like splurging because I had embraced the idea of visiting strangers?! Not only that, but Dana the designer was there, so without further ado I lashed out, deciding that instead of buying a lot of smaller souvenirs from Canada, maybe this would be the only one. Also, with the thought of excess baggage looming, this seemed a good solution. Yes, there’s always a maybe. I announced in the shop, “If I buy this, I promise I won’t buy anything else.. until tomorrow,” which left them all laughing. This purchase was the source of much frivolity and stirring over the next few days, especially when Dutchy described my designer piece as “only a long-sleeved t-shirt.”

Beaver Tail:

As we were heading towards the car, we spotted a stand that was selling Beaver Tails, which are an interesting delicacy. It appears to be made from dough, stretched really thinly and then lightly fried, after which toppings are added. I would call it a twist on a pancake but a little crispier. Others call it a Canadian donut in the shape of a beaver tail. Denise ordered one for us to share, and paid for it herself, as she knew I had certainly spent enough on my “long-sleeved t-shirt.” Apart from the name being a bit suspect, I added to it by asking the guy if I could take a photo of him while he stretched it, obviously meaning the dough, but being deliberately misconstrued by the company I was in, particularly Dutchy. When I had chosen the chocolate hazelnut option, I hadn’t realised that it would be basically a nutella spread over it, with a sprinkling of sugar. I enjoyed it though.

 

 

From a cocktail party to the hot tub:

On Friday evening we accompanied Daryl and Denise to Donna and John’s house to meet a group of their friends in the valley. This is a fairly regular summer ritual they share, because once the snow comes it is harder to entertain. After a very pleasant evening, with drinks and nibbles, we were going to have dinner “in,” after a soak in the hot tub.

Out in the country you can see so many more stars than in the city, and while it was cool outside, the temperature in the Jacuzzi was ideal. Drinks and hot water helped relax tired muscles. The apprehension any of us felt was unfounded, as within a couple of days we were all good pals. The next day everyone felt a little seedy, but we had cemented our friendship and we look forward to their visit one day to Australia.

Country Canada:

The following day Denise took me along the Bruce trail for a walk. They live on the Niagara escarpment, and this trail wends its way through private property so that a long walk, or hike, can be enjoyed by everybody. You only have to follow the white markers on the trees ahead to ensure you stay on the trail and avoid trespassing.

We went to an unusually shaped restaurant called Ted’s Range Road Diner, which looked like the old army bunkers from days gone by to enjoy a hamburger for lunch.

A feature of their area is Old Baldy, which is like part of a cliff face jutting out from the mountain, to which we later drove and then walked above, enjoying the view of the Beaver Valley and the green ski runs.

Trailer trash to a birthday bash:

The following day was Denise’s birthday, so we went up to their trailer at Arran Lake an hour away. In mid October the park closes as the lake freezes over and who would want to go there in freezing temperatures anyway? At this time of year it was very pleasant, and we had a barbecue and met their fun friends Pat and Dennis. Jokes were made about trailer trash, which was nowhere near the truth. Their trailer is more like a small French apartment – everything you need in a compact environment, but with lots of space around it, as they have added an outdoor deck on which to entertain.

We whiled away the afternoon chatting, before returning to go out to dinner with other friends, Kerry and Sue, to Munshaw’s Bistro. Munshaw’s is a restaurant run by Chef Paul and his family, who are very personable and we enjoyed the evening immensely.

A bottle of Champagne as her birthday gift, carefully brought over from France, was much appreciated by Denise, and the good thing for us was that it removed significant weight from Dutchy’s suitcase!

Last day in New York:

Never forget 9-11:

We paid an emotional visit to the area where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center stood. When I went there in 1981 I souvenired a leaflet, which declared “The closest some of us will ever get to heaven” – shades of the Titanic? There is a temporary memorial which will move to the currently being built Freedom Tower. There were moving stories to read and then we walked over to an exhibition of photographs, taken by professionals and amateurs of various aspects of the actual event and the aftermath. As I was nearly crying at the beginning of this, imagine how I felt by the end.

After having been here in 2001, just ten weeks after those horrific events, where you could see roads buckled far away from actual Ground Zero, it is an air of positive hopefulness that I could feel. At the service we had attended in Middle Town, they spoke not of victims, but of survivors. Construction of the Freedom Tower is in full swing, and there is a special memorial also being built. Life goes on.

 

 

 

Little Italy, New York:

Recommended by my good friend Teri, we made our way to Little Italy, to source out a restaurant she had recommended. Teri is a real foodie, and anything she suggests is usually a winner. Taking the subway, we alighted at Grand Canal and walked up to find Little Italy, past markets and various places selling all manner of things, avoided by me only because of my precarious baggage weight.

We saw that many stalls were being set up, as apparently the next day was the start of a big food festival in Little Italy. Da Nico’s was very reasonably priced and delicious, a fitting end to our stay in New York.

 

 

Luggage and Central Park

Luggage:

As baggage allowances keep looming over our heads every time we are about to take a flight, Dutchy thought it was time to change luggage. The suitcase he had brought with him was the very large one that Bridget had taken over to Brazil for a year, but which weighed 6kg on its own, plus the wheels were getting decidedly wobbly. He chose a brand called Black Paw, which was supposed to have been made by Samsonite. The salesman could have told us anything, because of course we would be leaving in a day or so, and what recourse would we have?  It was a taupe coloured hard case with an expansion zip and four wheels, weighing in at only a few kilograms, allowing more weight for actual luggage. Since he was using a big backpack as his hand luggage he lashed out and purchased a large cabin-sized trolley case also, to use instead. We had noticed that a lot of people travelling had huge hand luggage as well as other bags, none of which seem to be weighed at check-in.

I have researched that you can purchase extra baggage allowance with Qantas for $25 for a domestic flight, one which we will be taking from Sydney to Melbourne after the cruise. I have been dreading being overweight (in more ways than one) on our return, so this could be the answer. I’m going to look into upgrading to business class with Frequent Flyer points also, which would serve the same purpose and not cost actual dollars.

As we have been travelling, our Korjo digital scales have been invaluable in working out how to pack our suitcases, rearranging things so that the checked baggage remains close to the allocated 23 kg. I have thrown out clothes as I work my way around the world in order to keep around the right amount, but it is becoming increasingly difficult as I buy more stuff!

The irony of this purchase came at JFK airport, when Dutchy picked up his brand-new case to put on the weighing machine and the side handle came off!! I was so proud of him when he didn’t hit the roof in frustration or anger or any of those emotions. Anybody who knows Dutchy would see that he definitely is in holiday mode, though he still gets anxious about missing flights, understandably.

Central Park:

At first we had contemplated taking a walk through Central Park, but after the previous day dragging our suitcases along, we were a bit tired. We knew we also had a lot of walking to do later, so we paid $80 to our “driver” to be escorted on a thorough tour of Central Park in a bicycle driven carriage. The horse-drawn ones were a lot dearer, and this was quite cute. Our heads were covered by the shade, but the lower legs could be getting a little sunshine while we were on the move. He was an Asian-looking guy from Uzbekistan, a country next to Borat’s home of Kazakhstan, with a slight Russian accent. Every now and then I would need to clarify something with him, with me being the translator for Dutchy. One example was the “sheep meadow” which is now the only place in the park where animals cannot go, where people lie around and/or sunbake, but he thought our driver had said “sheet metal” and he was relieved I was there to translate.

Given the way we were feeling, this money was well-spent, because if we had walked, we may not even have made it to the centre of the park, we would have been really tired, and then we may be at the mercy of someone charging too much just to get us out of there. At least we knew up front what we were up for, and we learned a fair bit also. It was amusing near the beginning of the journey, where there was a building that he told us had a generator that was powered by people like him cycling. I did a double take before I realised he was joking and also testing out whether we were even listening. As we were, he probably then gave us more information than had we not picked him up on it.

There is a statue in the middle of the fountain that is the geographical centre of the island of Manhattan, and the 843 acres that is Central Park was designed via a competition.

New York Food and Entertainment

New York, New York:

Train in from New Jersey to New York was a lot cheaper than in 2001. Not only is our dollar better than parity, with us only receiving 51 US cents for our dollar back then, but we had the girls with us and we bought two days’ worth of return tickets. This trip one-way cost under $30! Imagine if you didn’t work it out properly and you took a plane between destinations, from NJ to NY, and then having to get to and from airports! The time and expense and waste of a day would be crazy.

In my infinite wisdom, to avoid escalators or stairs in the subway after arriving at Penn Station New York, I suggested we walk to the hotel up on 7^th Avenue and 55^th Street. I had envisaged it would take about ¾ hour, because I had google-mapped directions which said walking would be half an hour. Tired hot bunnies finally arrived after an hour at their destination, the Wellington Hotel. Check-in time was ridiculously late, at 3pm, so we had to sit around awhile waiting for our room, which they upgraded to a king-size bed.

Out of all the accommodation we have had through this trip, I think the shower at the Wellington was the best, with wonderful water pressure. It also had a bath, very necessary at times after lots of walking.

On Broadway:

Hitting the street after a cup of tea with our trusty travel kettle, we made our way down to 47^th Street and Broadway to “Tkts” where you queue up after 3pm to buy reduced price tickets for one of the shows. We bought tix for “Rock of Ages” for $76 each (plus tax), a saving of 40%, which played at the Helen Hayes theatre. A girl was handing out vouchers for free Tequila once you had purchased your ticket. We availed ourselves of this offer, as this was the one we had already decided to go to. I love an unexpected bonus. We had been told we were nine rows from the front, so we thought that sounded special, but it turned out we were also six or seven rows from the back, as it was a small theatre! It had an intimate feel about it, as we brought our Margharita in its plastic cup to our comfortable seats. I enjoy this trend of taking song hits and building a live musical around it. In this way it was similar to Mamma Mia, but with 80’s songs and a lot of comic relief. A few moustached men were in it too, so I was happy!

Carnegie Hall? No, take me to Carnegie Deli:

Diagonally across the road from our hotel sat the renowned Carnegie Deli. The walls are totally covered with autographed, framed photos of celebrities. We shared a Reubens open sandwich which was delicious. The waiter brought out a bowl of dill pickles to start, which is a tradition and quite tasty. Dutchy is a great fan of “Man versus Food” in which Katz’s Deli is visited, but this was far more convenient and probably very similar.

This ended up being a very late lunch or early dinner, as we had to be at the theatre by 7pm, so when the show had finished we returned to the Deli and purchased a piece of Baked New York cheesecake with strawberries. It cost $12.95 but they cut the huge serving in half and placed them into two containers to take away, with a plastic fork and serviette. That way we could have it for supper in our room, with a cup of tea. Dutchy thought he didn’t really like baked cheesecake, but obviously he had a previous bad experience. He is a convert now, as can be testified to by the fact that the following night we shared the Truffle Torte cheesecake for dinner!! Decadent but delicious.

 

New Jersey

From Amsterdam to Dusseldorf to New Jersey:

Picking us up from Newark Airport was my dear friend Teri, whom I met in 1981 when I had a Eurail Pass and backpacked around Europe for two months. I had been travelling on my own and we shared a carriage from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf. We can both chat, and the three hours just flew. As a family we visited Teri and Frank in 2001, and then I returned with my sister in 2003.

Going to the store for the American cookout:

Beautiful weather allowed for a barbecue on their deck, with their fun friends Janet and Ted. Earlier I had gone shopping to the “store” with Teri for supplies. Because I had run out of chewing gum I was asking for “chewy” and they found it amusing. It really is amazing how many words we pronounce differently as well as what we call things, as in the USA they call it “gum.” Shopping for alcohol I was impressed at how much cheaper it is in the USA. Australia is renowned for too many taxes on drinks. I found a double sized bottle, yes one and a half litres, of one of my favourite Australian merlots, Yellowtail, and it only cost US $10.99, plus tax. The pleasant evening flew.

What shall we do today? Plan A-Z

After we had been to ten-year-old Frankie’s practice for flag football, there were big discussions on when we would have dinner. It’s hard co-ordinating a large family and the daughters’ boyfriends and overseas guests with most suitable times and arrangements, especially when we had decided to go to the 9-11 tenth anniversary memorial service in the centre of Middletown.

Teri and I ended up going shopping while the guys went to the driving range. At the running store I purchased a new pair of Asics runners, which they call training shoes, to replace the ones I had been wearing. I did that with a few items on this trip. I also replaced a black camisole with a new one that has a beige abstract floral lacy part at the top, and goes very well with the skirt and sandals I brought with me.

The men met us at Billabong to look at watches and sunglasses for Dutchy, both of which need replacement. I told them all that Billabong was Australian, and finally I found information that said it was founded on the Gold Coast in the early 1970’s. We found a potentially suitable watch but thought we would look elsewhere as well, which took us to Macy’s at Monmouth Mall. Bingo, we managed to find a Seiko watch that was on clearance, reduced from $200 to $125. In this part of the world though, the price is marked before tax, so make sure you factor that in when shopping. Because we were from overseas, the saleswoman sent us upstairs to obtain a special voucher that gave us a 10 percent discount, thereby almost covering the tax.

Hooray for clearance sales: I managed to get a tankini and bikini bottom in a beautiful royal blue reduced at the end of the season, for under $20. Now I can throw out the brown ones I brought with me.

America remembers:

It was a sobering ceremony we attended, to commemorate 9-11 ten years ago to the day, where Middletown lost 37 people. Unfortunately we were standing for the whole hour, on top of the standing at Frankie’s practice earlier that day for over an hour. Walking is better for my Achilles than standing.

Thanksgiving dinner:

The family gathered for a pre-thanksgiving dinner, beautifully prepared by Teri. Since we don’t celebrate this occasion in Australia, it was a great idea. The pictures speak for themselves, with a spread of turkey, broccoli gratin, kugel, stuffing, sweet potatoes and cranberry jelly, followed by delicious cakes from The Flaky Tart.

Monday, Monday:

As Teri was teaching for the day, we stayed at the Massa Resort, enjoying blogging, their treadmill, some Body Balance and their swimming pool. Later, when she returned Teri drove Frankie and me to visit her mother Edna, who is 91 and amazing for her age. On my request she played a mini recital for me on the piano, still a magnificent pianist. It has inspired me to start practising again.

Dutchy and Frank bonded over Monday night football, which Australians call Gridiron to differentiate between our Australian Rules and theirs, which is entirely different. They drank Bourbon and did the obligatory “half-time hot tub.” Meanwhile Caitlin did a Keratin hair straightening treatment in my hair for a reduced price while we watched the remake of “Arthur” upstairs in her bedroom.

                                    

From Bahama Breeze to Disney World

Bahama Breeze:

Sharing a car park with our hotel meant it was not far to walk over to Bahama Breeze, a rather nice restaurant, for dinner.  A tropical ambience was evident, and the food was in generous portions, consisting of Coconut Shrimp and the Breeze salad for me, and chicken sliders, which were strips of chicken in small sweet buns for Dutchy. We were supposed to be sharing all the dishes, but that crumbed shrimp with the citrus-mustard sauce was mainly eaten by me, as they were such delicious morsels.

For the third time that day we didn’t have something sweet. Earlier we were tempted to have some fudge from Honeydukes at Harry Potter World, but didn’t, mainly because I was depressed about the recent discovery of the loss of my glasses, then later some afternoon tea, but decided the prices were rather exorbitant and we didn’t really need anything because we were about to leave the Park, and then after the generous portions at the restaurant we decided to forgo dessert and perhaps have cheesecake and Key Lime Pie for afternoon tea on our lazy day planned for between theme parks, which we did the following day.

Disney World:

We took the shuttle at 9.15am to Epcot, with a return time of 6.15pm set for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s hard to estimate exactly when you may want to leave, and to change the pickup time you had to give two hours’ notice. Realistically, though we had the Park Hopper which allowed us access to all four parks, we decided to forgo Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom and split the day between the other two parks.

I hate to admit it, but the Disney Magic has been somewhat extinguished for me. Why? Have I been too many times? Because I had desperately wanted to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Disney World had been added to the agenda because it was also in Orlando, but now we agree we have had our fill. I never thought I would say that, but never say never.

However, we enjoyed the day, but funnily one of the highlights was visiting “France” for lunch. The staff all spoke French so I was happy to practise my favourite language, and delighted when I was told that I spoke French very well. We loved the cheese platter, baguette, tarte au fraises and the Napoleon. Perhaps the Americans cannot pronounce “millefeuille” successfully, so they have renamed it after Bonaparte? Delicious either way.

Disappointed that the Studio Backlot Tour had been cancelled due to refurbishment, we found another interesting thing to see, American Idol. It was done realistically, with three (American) contestants who had auditioned earlier in the day. That night they would have a winner from the heats who would receive a golden ticket to be at the head of the queue for auditions for the next real American Idol – shades of Willy Wonka.

Dutchy’s not big on rides, though his stomach can stand really hot and spicy food. I, on the other hand, don’t like my food too piquant, and yet I love roller coasters. Drop-type rides no, but up and down and over and round with g-forces thrown in excites me, such as the Aerosmith Rock’n’Roller. We filled in the rest of the day easily, when after being hot all day, suddenly the heavens opened an hour before pickup. We actually enjoyed the respite, sitting under an umbrella at a table being entertained by piped music from old television shows as diverse as Mission Impossible to the Addams Family. I managed to scrawl down this blog which was good time management, and at the end of the day was proud of myself that the only one souvenir I had purchased was what I had planned before I even left home – a movie clapper board.  Another season has ended but there are always fond memories.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Potty about Potter:

Dutchy suggested an alternative title for this post “I’m just wild about Harry” which isn’t bad, but whose blog is this anyway?

Universal Studios has a sister theme park by the name of “Islands of Adventure” in which you can find The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which was our main reason for coming to Orlando.

Having only three full days in Orlando, we sensibly decided to theme park on the Wednesday and Friday, and have Thursday as necessary “down time.” My Achilles thanked me for that decision.

A guy in England wearing a Hogwarts T-shirt had suggested we make our way to the ride “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” first off, which we did. Waiting time was only 20 minutes, and during that time we were entertained by chatting moving paintings and other little vignettes. Unfortunately it cost us $25 in taxi fares each way, because we were at a hotel closer to Disney than Universal, about seven miles apart.

Butterbeer creates brain freeze. It hurts my head just remembering it. Yummy though, and it had a somewhat caramel flavour as I had hoped it would. The idea of pumpkin juice didn’t thrill me so I didn’t spend any money on that.

It will be the only time we’re here was our mantra, as we spent money on Harry Potter memorabilia. The wand chose me, I swear. Dutchy even entered into the spirit of things and bought himself a Tri-wizard Cup that lights up and is ornamented with a dragon, one of his favourite mythological creatures, which will sit nicely on the bar.

Loving lettering and calligraphy as I do, I just had to buy a lovely bound notebook emblazoned with a pewter-looking “H” for Hogwarts (or our surname Holland). To go with this, I purchased a Hogwarts seal and sealing wax. Excess baggage watch out!

Making a spectacle of oneself:

The only dampener to the day was when I lost my prescription glasses at Universal. Unfortunately I only bought them a few months ago, and they were beautiful gold, bling-trimmed transition multifocals that cost about $600, so along with entry to the Park and souvenirs, this could have been the most expensive day of the trip, and even more costly than Moulin Rouge in Paris, but probably more fun on an hour-by-hour basis.

I rang Universal every day for a few days, to no avail. When I asked about emailing them so that they would have a record of my loss, they were very unhelpful. Obviously I didn’t want to keep ringing from all over the country, as the further away I moved, the more expensive the call would be. While I was at Teri’s later, in New Jersey, she let me use her phone for one last effort. At least this time I was speaking with Sybil, with only one personality, and she was particularly helpful, searching through different files and locations to source the glasses. Unfortunately they were not located, but she was the only one who actually recorded all my details so that if they are found they could be catalogued and sent to Australia, slim as the chances are. I didn’t feel fobbed off any more.

Welcome to Orlando, USA

Almost a cavity search!

 

Once inside the airport at Gatwick, we made our way to customs. I started towards one lane and then realised it was the “assisted lane” so I began moving away when one of the security guards allowed us to go through, because they weren’t busy at that stage. However, by the time they had finished with me, there was a decent queue. We had to place our liquids and pastes in a little plastic bag outside our hand luggage, of course with nothing greater than 100mls, but I forgot to take my watch off because I was busy remembering to take my belt off. Naturally the metal detector doorway beeped. Maybe we had been too chatty and therefore suspicious, because the female security guard gave me the once over, very thoroughly I might add. One centimetre more and it would have been a cavity search! The weight of our luggage was just over the allowance for check-in baggage, at 23.1 kg and 23.2 kg, but our cabin bags, not including the laptop bag (thank goodness) or my handbag, weighed 5.7 and 6.0 kg, just under the 7 kg limit.

On this aeroplane, flight BA2037, the individual movie screens were much clearer and the sound much better than on Malaysian Airlines. We enjoyed flying through the day watching multiple movies: Last Night, Bridesmaids and Water for Elephants for me; Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Battle Los Angeles, Source Code, and half of Hanna for him.

 

Here, there and everywhere:

 

Arriving in Orlando after a long time travelling, and having to set our watches back five hours, we were fairly tired. We went to the Mears transport counter to utilise the prepaid transfer vouchers, but there was quite a long wait before our shuttle arrived. During the shuttle trip, there was a radio station 97.5 playing a song “Give me a red neck girl” as part of its country repertoire. We thought that was bad until the return trip when that guy tuned it to a whingeing talkback station, which I hate at the best of times. Then we were the last ones dropped off, and at the wrong hotel. Apparently there is a Marriott Fairfield Inn in Vineland Road and another in Vineland Ave, miles apart. Unfortunately we had wanted the one closest to Universal Studios, as Harry Potter World was the reason we were there, with Disney as a possible side trip.

Oh well, these things happen when travelling, and it could always be worse. We were so tired after we checked in that we were happy to just go downstairs to a food court in Marriott Village and buy pizza. They looked at us oddly when we requested a meatlover’s pizza with barbecue sauce on the base. Apparently this is an Australian thing. The generously topped pizza, accompanied by duty-free bourbon was delicious.

We enjoyed watching some TV, the US Open was playing, and we thought Roger Federer was looking younger. It turned out there was rain and this was a replay of the match in 2009!

 

Size does matter, part 2:

 

Australia doesn’t seem quite as vast as it did when we were in Europe.

We settled into an extremely large hotel room, bigger than many apartments we have stayed in, with a king-sized bed, a large bathroom, and a television bigger than ours at home. The television screen appeared even larger after having become accustomed to the mini-screens on the plane!

I remember when I first travelled to USA in 1981, I was amazed at how people seemed to be either really large or excessively trim and fit. Now that Australia is up there in the obesity stakes per capita, we are more used to seeing very large bodies.

You can buy double sized bottles of wine here too, which is almost unheard of, apart from a magnum of champagne, with which we are familiar.

 

 

 

 

Plastic fantastic??

 

One of the first things we noticed when we came down for breakfast the first morning was a plethora of plastic and polystyrene. After using real china and cutlery in all the rest of our travels, here it is all disposable. In France and England recycling was in the forefront, but not here. It seems so wasteful, and I can just imagine the enormous landfill in this country. Vast as it is, it will still eventually run out. And I understand the vast number of travellers there would be in a tourist destination such as this, but is that a good reason for all this waste?

Added to the general waste, is the washing. In hotels in Europe and Australia, there are always signs in hotel bathrooms suggesting that you only put towels on the floor that you want washed. Here they not only provide extra towels (which I do like because I need a second towel if I am washing my hair), but there are no environmental notifications anywhere.

 

 

Buffet Breakfast, included in price:

 

A toasted cinnamon and raisin bagel with cream cheese, sliced banana and a little Knott’s strawberry jam hit the spot. Our coffee cups from France were useful here, as we prefer drinking from real cups rather than polystyrene. You could add some UHT hazelnut milk which added another dimension to the coffee. At least it wasn’t the powdered coffee creamer.

Waffling on: not what I’m doing! You can make your own waffles here, but they beep when ready, and it sounds like an episode from ER with somebody flat lining. I keep expecting one of the doctors to yell out “clear” to be ready to resuscitate someone or something.

Although there was no cooked breakfast available, you could take a hard-boiled egg and warm it up in a cup with hot water. Teamed with some toast and butter, this was quite tasty. There were also muffins, cereal and yoghurt available.

Oh I do love to be beside the seaside

Brighton Pier, hen’s haven:

 

Somehow I got my wires crossed and had my cousin Amelia’s phone number from many years ago, so when we left a message on it of course she didn’t receive it, and meanwhile she was waiting for our call to come and pick us up from the station, once we had arrived from St. Pancras after the 1hr10 journey. We shared a Cornish pasty at exorbitant station rates and then ended up taking a taxi to the home I had spent six weeks at in 1981.

It was lovely to catch up with my relatives, and for them to meet Dutchy properly, as he had only briefly met them in 2001 in London. The three bottles of wine we brought were appreciated, and also helped lighten our luggage load! Naturally we helped drink them, too.

We met the twin children of my cousin’s daughter, so genealogically does that make them my second cousins once removed? Actually, I have just googled it, and it appears that perhaps they are all my first cousins, but her daughter is once removed, and the boys are twice removed. Then again, who do you believe?

The afternoon was spent down at Brighton Pier, having walked the 45 minutes from Amelia’s. It was really crowded, despite the weather not being super warm, but we were in England, and a mild day for an Australian is almost a heatwave in the UK. Even though it was later in the afternoon and the sea mist was rolling in, there were still people on the (rocky) beach! We are spoiled with our magnificent sandy beaches in Australia. Apparently it was the last day of summer school holidays so it was a last minute enjoyment of freedom for many.

Then we noticed groups of women dressed in similar clothing, some with badges or printed T-shirts, relating to Hen’s outings. They come down in droves to party on in Brighton.

We returned to the pier the following day to go to the Glitter Ball Bar for some Saturday afternoon karaoke, where I sang Fever, Dutchy sang Stuck in the Middle and then we did Time Warp together. The host suggested the crowd wasn’t drunk enough to really get into it, but you could tell she had enjoyed it, and we had satisfied the karaoke urge for the time being.

 

 

 

 

Idle Wussocks:

 

Way back in 1981 I spent six weeks as an Aussie barmaid at the Withdean Sportsman in Tongdean Lane. It’s now a carvery but it still looks the same from the outside. The bar is shorter than I remembered and a lighter timber.

We arrived, planning to meet my old colleagues, Mike and Gerry, a married couple who live in Patcham. We had been in touch via email, arranging that we would go there for lunch and they would meet us for coffee afterwards. So we didn’t rush to get there. I had done some Body Balance and Dutchy had watched some television, and then Amelia dropped us off at the pub.

I stood in the entrance for a photo opportunity when I felt a presence behind me. I sensed that someone was waiting to go past, so I stepped aside and said, “Sorry”, with the impression of a bikie in a Harley-Davidson shirt, and then I was surprised when he put his hand out (to beat me up? shake my hand?) And then it struck me, it was actually Mike, with greyer hair than I remembered, and a lot less weight. Hugs all round, amid laughter.

Time swirled around me and I was transported back to another part of my life. True friendships span the test of time, as did ours. It was an absolute delight to catch up with Mike and Gerry, and Dutchy fitted into the mix perfectly, as I suspected he would. Perhaps we have nearly convinced them to come to Australia?

 

 

 

Family History and family time:

 

Staying with relations you can talk about family. Amelia and I spent lots of time chatting about some family history. Apparently my paternal grandfather designed Reid’s Building in Maritzburg, which was known as the first skyscraper in South Africa, at three storeys tall! There were various other tidbits of information, such as the fact that my father’s mother (Gran) was under 5 feet tall, with Size 3 feet and had a 17 inch waist when a young woman.

In England speed bumps are affectionately known as sleeping policemen.

We loved the sunflower bread you can get from Ravens Bakery, a local shop where customers can be seen queuing up outside the door in Ditchling Road.

Katie, Amelia’s daughter and Jamie, her husband, had organised a street party with council permission to close off the entire street. There was a festive atmosphere and, because of Australians’ reputation, Dutchy was put to work manning the barbecue. However, it was unlike our gas barbecue/s at home and he had to build the fire first! He prefers being occupied, and his skills were a resounding success.

 

 

 

 

Whether the weather:

 

Remember this little ditty?

Whether the weather is hot, or whether the weather is cold, we’ll weather the weather whatever the weather, whether we like it or not.

The weather turned nasty our last couple of days in England, so our timing for leaving was good. Amelia had kindly driven us to Gatwick Airport, so contending with the rain was not as bad as when relying on public transport. Arriving in Orlando we were greeted by high temperatures and humidity.

Dutchy is much happier here weather-wise because at least there is cooling. In the hotel room we sometimes don’t use it at all, but it’s there if required. I find it’s always handy to carry a little cardigan because sometimes the difference between outside and inside temperatures is too extreme, and then you freeze when you go indoors. Never happy are we? I just like feeling comfortable. At least I don’t have those nasty hot flushes (or power surges as I preferred to call them) any more. Okay, too much information perhaps.