Days 15, 16 & 17 Miami - Pensacola 29.04 - 01.05.12

Day 15 Miami - Tampa 29.04.12

Woke to torrential rain & thought we were in the UK! Has rained all night & they say if it keeps up today there will have been 3 inches of rain in 24 hours. Thank goodness we'll be moving away from it, but we have been lucky as we managed to do all the things we wanted to do here before the rain came.

Drove to Tampa & got to our hotel, the Ramada, £37 room with free continental breakfast, by mid afternoon, did some washing & went to the IHOP for some food. The food was amazing & very cheap too, our first real mashed potato!

Day 16 Tampa - Tallahassee 30.04.12

Sunny again thankfully, went down for breakfast & were shown how to make waffles. Very tasty! Leisurely drive via a rest stop where we were nearly eaten alive by little black flies & arrived at our next hotel, Days Inn, Tallahassee, unpacked & went to do some shopping. Bought a massive bottle of wine (our first) for £4! Too hot to sit by the pool as there's no shade, so sat in the room with the air con on & read our books.

Day 17 Tallahassee - Pensacola 01.05.12

Another days driving but it's really not hard as the roads are so straight & wide with great signs everywhere.
Decided to go via Pensacola beach rather than straight to the hotel.
I'd never really heard of it but what a wonderful place, very long, white sandy beach with amazing breakers on the Mexican Gulf, absolutely beautiful & not overtaken by the tourist industry. There were some beautiful properties on the beach as well as a few hotels & apartments, but still plenty of open spaces &, best of all, no charge for parking! What a gem of a place.

I've got to tell you about something at the rest stops. As well as really clean loos & cheap coffee machines they have a window washing spray that you drive up to & it automatically comes on & sprays the flies & muck off your windows, brilliant, & they have one set up for trucks too. It made our morning as we were struggling to see out of the windows by that time!
We also went into our first Walmart - I love it! So friendly & everything you could possibly need.

Anyway we eventually arrived at our hotel, another Red Roof, checked in then went to the Cracker Barrel for a meal. American home cooking at it's best & the staff are really friendly ( as are most people over here.)

Anyway, I'm sorry nothing very exciting has happened in this part of the blog, except for the beach & the window washers. The next stop should be better.

I'll just put a couple of photos on to make you yearn for a holiday!

I really should have tried harder to lose more weight before we came on our trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TTFN xxx

Days 12, 13 & 14 Miami 26 - 28. 04.12

Day 12 Orlando to Miami 26.04.12

Leaving Orlando today for Miami so went for a hot breakfast in the hotel restaurant to set us up for the journey. 230 miles on a very hot & sunny day but at least we can put the air com on when it gets too hot to handle.

The journey was ok until the last bit as it was through quite a dodgy looking area, we can't afford the hotels in the main part of Miami but this one seems ok, basic but nice staff & just what we need for a few days stay, although we are on a busy road, however they have provided us with ear plugs!!!

Unpacked then went to a restaurant up the road which has happy hour from 2 until 9! Looked ok & the menu is a bit different from the norm, wine is still $5 a glass & when he brought it I thought it was a sample, no, that was all I was getting, oh well, I had to have 2 glasses!
The food was good & I did have some key lime pie for pud but $80 - really???

Day 13 Miami 27.04.12

Got ready & went down for breakfast in an open courtyard, lovely to sit outside to eat.
Driving all the way down to Key West today, 165 miles each way. Lovely journey, beautiful scenery & sunshine. Finally found a parking spot that didn't cost an absolute fortune & went to B.O's fish hut for lunch, as recommended by Louise. You were right, Lou, the food was good, we had fish sandwich with the best french fries so far this holiday.

After a look around this lovely resort we drove leisurely back & stopped a couple of times at nice scenic areas. Unfortunately we missed seeing the 'African Queen', the boat from the film of the same name as it had gone out on a trip half an hour before we got there.

Got back & had a quiet night except for the traffic. Ear plugs do help though.

Day 14 Miami 28.04.12

Had some heavy rain during the night & was very grey & over cast this morning. Had breakfast outside, the rain held off, then set off for the Gator Park in the Everglades. only about 30 miles away so hope we miss the rain.
Got there without any problems & paid our $42 for an airboat ride & show.
The airboat ride was great, just as we'd expected through the channels & we saw a water turtle, several gators including some babies, lots of different birds & we had a very fast ride as well. It was really good. Then we went into the show which was a guy who put his hand in a large gators mouth, then he showed us how the Indians used to catch gators by sitting on their backs & grabbing their jaws, which was quite exciting, then we saw a tiny baby one & finally a 4 foot long one that you could pay $3 to have your photo taken with. We didn't bother as the queue was too long.

After a coffee we set off to Miami beach but it started to rain, we drove up past all of the hotels & large & small boats then found a parking place & went for a walk on the lovely sandy beach. There were a few hardy souls sitting on the beach & some wind surfers but it was still beautiful. Drove the rest of the way to the end then back to the hotel. Planning on getting a pizza for tea later.

Hope you like the photos.

The Keys as we drove down the road.

 Do you like Roy's new friends?

TTFN xxx

Days 10 & 11 - Orlando, Florida 24 - 25.04.12

Day 10 - Orlando - Sea World - 24.04.12

So exciting today for 2 reasons - 1, We can do a load of washing & 2, we're off to Sea World!!!
Not leaving until 10.55am so plenty of time to wash some clothes in the laundry, (Roy did it, bless him!)
The parks are expensive at about $90 each but worth it. Sea World is lovely, well set out & so clean & tidy. We went to 3 shows but made sure we sat away from the splash zones. The dolphin show was really good, the trainers did lots of stunts & diving with the dolphins & fed them lots of fish as rewards. There were also parrots & other exotic birds flying freely amongst the audience.
Shamu, the killer whale show was spectacular -  there were 6 killer whales, 5 adults & a baby with their 5 trainers, one of them was about 6 months pregnant - the trainer, not the whale! The people in the front half of the seats got absolutely soaked as the whales kept flicking water over the sides of the tank with their massive tail fins. There was a little boy of about a year old next to us & he laughed all the way through the show, loving it all, which was amusing for everyone around him. We can hear him on our video film.
The last show was a seal lion, walrus & otter show which was very funny & more for smaller children.
We also saw lots of other things like sharks, sting rays, tropical fish & people feeding dolphins & the dolphin nursery with mothers & babies. All of them looked happy & well cared for.
All in all a lovely day out finished off by food & a beer in the pub & a long chat to the young lad who served us about baseball.

This is the biggest whale, Shamu, with his pregnant trainer.

Day 11 - Orlando - 25.04.12

Today we're going the Universal's Islands of Adventure where the Harry Potter World is!
Got the shuttle bus at 9.30am & were there by 10 so had a coffee & apple danish to set us up for a long day.
The park is set out in sections & easy to get around, with lots of rides for young & older children.
We were undecided whether to go on any rides & decided to wait & see. The first one we saw was the Incredible Hulk coaster which was a very fast roller coaster that twisted, turned upside down & did loop the loops so we spent ages watching it with no intention of going on it! There were 3 water rides, rapids, log flume & another one that came down a very steep slope at the end. Everyone on all 3 rides looked as if they'd been for a swim, great to watch but no wish to get so wet!

Jurassic park was great with the music playing & dinosaur noises but the ride I wanted to go on I couldn't because you had to have a child with you & we didn't! I was watching out for any families with 3 children so I could borrow 1 but we didn't see any so I had to make do with watching & taking a photo.

Great excitement, next we came to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!!!!!!!!!! If you've read the books or seen the films then you've got to go, it's just like really being there. They've done it so well, the castle looks great but you can only go in if you go on a ride which sounded too much for us, Hogmeade is just as you'd imagine it, shop windows with moving adverts, Olivander's wand shop & lots more. We even had a butter beer & food in the Hog's Head Pub. It was brilliant! And we went on a ride, The flight of the Hippogriff, a children's roller coaster but still fast!

Another fantastic day out in the sunshine but my feet will be glad of a rest tomorrow!

TTFN from Orlando, Florida xxx

Days 8 & 9 Savannah - Orlando, Florida 22 - 23.04.12

Day 8 - Savannah to Orlando 22.04.12

At last managed to sleep until 7.30, jet lag has now gone!
Went for breakfast & it was the best yet then packed & set off for Orlando. It's a bit grey & there's been rain in the night but we are forecast good weather. Not so bad if it only rains when we're travelling. On the way we stopped at a rest stop & rang 'the folks back home!' Great to hear their voices even after only just over a week away. We've packed so much in that it seems longer.

On the way to Orlando we stopped off at Daytona Beach, a lovely long, flat, white sand beach with beautiful sea. Pics at end of blog. Had a couple of hours there walking up & down & paddling in the sea then continued on to the Radisson hotel in Orlando.
Very big but they all are here & our room is the biggest yet. Only drawback is we're on the ground floor near the lifts so could be quite noisy, we'll have to see.
Unpacked & went for a look around & some food (& drink) at the Brick House Tavern at the end of the drive. They have something they call a bong - no, not that sort! - which is a long tube that is attached to a tap & is full of more than 5 pints of beer. several tables with groups had them, one bloke even fell asleep at the table but there are no noisy drunks here. We had some great food & a pint then went back to the hotel.

Day 9 - Orlando 23.04.12

St Georges Day , Jean's birthday & 6 years since Roy & I first met!
Got the shuttle bus from the hotel into the Magic Kingdom & WOW! What a place, so many people but so much space too. All very OTT but wonderful at the same time. If you've got kids over the age of 7 or 8 you've got to bring them here for a holiday, it's all so clean & well run. The staff are very friendly & helpful & seem to love the children.

Went on a few rides but there aren't any massive ones like at Alton Towers. Had very nice burger & fries & got the bus back at 10.00pm, a long day but well worth it. We were temped to borrow some kids so we could go on more rides!

Check out the vehicle! 3 1/2 litre engine but getting about 100 miles for £10 worth of petrol so not bad at all!

Some photos for the kids.

We can receive texts on Roy's phone that are free of charge for us so please feel free to text if you want / need to on 07754219903. Always glad to hear from you.

TTFN xxx

Days 6 & 7 - Fayetteville & Savannah

Day 6 - Washington to Fayetteville

Well this is the part of the trip that involves driving & it's exciting! Might give my poor feet a rest today.
After another nice free breakfast we packed (again) & set off to the Interstate 95 for our 310 mile drive to Fayetteville. I'm the navigator, which is easy once we find the road as we stay on it until the slip road to the Red Roof hotel in Fayetteville. That's the reason we picked it as we need to carry on down that road tomorrow too.

The journey was relaxing, there are radio channels for 60's, 70's & 80's music, air con if we get too hot, cruise control, lovely rest areas with clean loos & vending machines if we want drinks or snacks & the other drivers on the road are so polite, no honking horns or trying to cut you up if you dare to pull out to overtake!

We arrived at the hotel about 3ish & our room is huge! 2 queen beds, large bathroom, loads of space to spread our stuff out & very clean. We decided to go to buy some food to cook in the microwave (in the room) & took a wrong turn somewhere so we had to go the scenic route! Got back in one piece, had some tea & read & watched tv. I'm having a real urge to watch 'Roseanne', 'Taxi', 'Cheers' & 'The Waltons'! Must see if the dvd's are cheap on Amazon when we get home! Do you remember any of these???

Day 7 - Fayetteville to Savannah

Some as yesterday, breakfast, packing & back on the I 95. Strange couple at breakfast - they arrived with a massive bag full of boxes of cut up fruit, their own bread etc. Neither of them even looked at anyone else or spoke to anyone. It takes all sorts!

Had a good drive with a stop at a rest area & arrived at the Super 8 in Savannah at 2.00pm. This room is even better than the last one - king sized bed, massive room, tv, microwave, fridge, coffee maker, lovely bathroom & all very new & clean. We had a snack then drove into Savannah to look around. The area by the river was lovely with a lot of stalls selling jewellery, paintings & other crafty things - Gemma would have loved it & made a fortune with her crafts!

Then we had such a downpour that the roads were like rivers & everyone was sheltering from it for about 15 minutes. Thankfully it stopped & we had a walk around looking at all the old houses before driving back & stopping at the Cracker Barrel for some food. It was just like you'd imagine a typical American diner to be, full of families, noisy in a good way & the portions were massive. So were a lot of the people eating there! Anyway, we were stuffed & couldn't manage a pudding so came back to relax in our hotel before the drive tomorrow. Thankfully we've got 4 nights at the next place.

I'll put a photo on but it won't do Savannah justice.

TTFN xx

Photos from New York & Washington DC

Sorry, forgot photos so here they are. See if you can spot where they were taken.

Hope you like them, this is the closest I'll probably ever get to Johnny Depp!!!!!!!!!
TTFN x 2 xx!

Day 5 - Washington DC - 18.04.12

Day 4 - Washington DC - 18.04.12

Woke to a lovely sunny day here in Washington DC at 6.00am, we still haven't got used to the time difference even though we don't go to sleep until late. maybe we'll sleep longer in the next few days when we leave here & go to quieter places on our way to ........... That'd be telling!

First job was to go to the airport to collect our hire car, a Ford Edge, new, only 260 miles on the clock. Very nice & comfortable to sit in with all mod cons. Pity we can't bring it home with us!

We went back to the hotel for our complimentary continental breakfast, a lot of places provide these in various forms & this was a good one. You could have as much as you wanted from cereals, muffins, dunkin' donuts, bagels, fresh fruit, OJ, tea or coffee. Needless to say we enjoyed it - I've never had a donut for brekkie before, but I have now!

We got talking to a very nice Aussie lady & she told us about the day ticket for the Metro system - only $9 each for unlimited travel so we went down & got 2. First stop the Pentagon, lots of serious looking personnel & no photos allowed. We also looked at the Pentagon memorial for the victims of 9/11 who died there. Again a very apt remembrance of them, there was even a 3 year old girl who died with her older sister & father, so sad.

After that another Metro ride to Arlington Cemetary - the place where JFK is buried & there are also gravestones for many, many Army, Navy, & all other forces who have died during & since combat.
Even the space shuttles that failed & the astronauts who died as well as the unknown soldier.

Next, the White House & lots of other government buildings including the Capitol building & the US supreme court.
All very big & grand as you'd expect & everywhere is clean too, no litter, no food or drink allowed on the Metro, it seems to work over here.

Now we're back at the hotel & plan a quiet night giving the feet another chance to recover & Roy will be looking at the car manual so he knows how everything works for tomorrows journey.

More soon
TTFN xx