Florida 2003

	Florida 2003
	(booked by Mäder-Reisen, Meiringen)

	It was a long discussion, should we, and when yes, when and where should we travel to the United States. A first idea was end of January. But that means, not so many possible cities and states, where we can find some sun. Southern California or Florida ? But then a date collision. Only the weeks before Easter are left. We make plans, about arrival and departure day, hotel for this days and what is a visit worth during the stay. We booked more or less a fly and drive arrangement, with the hotel for the first and last two nights in Miami South Beach and the Florida "Sun and Fun Pass".
		But then, all our friends said, hey you're crazy, travelling so far, there will be war in the next few weeks. Yes, the time was on the way to war. Mister Bush's and Mister Hussein's remarks let only this option open. But on the other side, what starts in Asia ? SARS ! With the first death people. Singapore isolates a Chinese market. Quarantine. A market, a city part we often visited in the past. Lucky ? A good nose ?
Yes, it was war in Iraq, when we started our holidays. Nothing special for security in Zurich before and after the check-in. It was our first flight with Swiss, our new National Carrier. OK, it was an MD-11 from Swissair, but the service, the food was excellent. Hmm, we had a lot of Qualiflyer Miles and flew Business Class.
After a ten hour flight, we got our car at AVIS at the airport, a Buick LeSabre. There we got too a lot of security information's for the streets of Miami and directions how to drive to Miami Beach.		We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Miami South Beach for two nights. Clean but nothing special. But we're happy the 2nd evening, that there was around the corner an Outback restaurant and a way there under a roof.
	After breakfast the next morning, we drove in the direction of Key Biscayne to the Miami Seaquarium. A first impression of the later SeaWorld visit. Small, but shows with Orcas, Dolphins and much more. Information about Jaws, Manatees and more. Late in the afternoon a light rain starts, which changes into heavy rain until we're back at the hotel. After diner it was windy too and back in the rooms, we must hear the message, "Hurricane warning, stay in your room until further notice". Hurricanes, in this Season ? Should this not be between May and October ?
The next morning we leave Miami Beach to North. At Miami Beach North we could see the result of the hurricane. Palm leaves, broken trees, and more. Near the county border of Miami Dade, we changed from the A1A to the Interstate 95. What we never though, it was allowed to drive with 70mph. But you need 85mph to "swim" in the traffic, what us allows to earn more miles then we expected. We passed Ft Lauderdale, Palm Beach, up to Melbourne, where we changed again to the coastal road. Nice area there, a lot of "cheap" house, villas, and all with "small" gardens or parks. But very often areas with public beach access. But the Atlantic is too cool to take a swim. At Cocoa Beach we were the first time very near to the Kennedy Space Center. But our goal was Orlando, so we took the 528. Thanks God, that we visited AAA in Miami to get a Florida road map, what makes it easy to find our hotel.		We stayed at the Holiday Inn at Universal Studios for seven nights. Many rooms, but quiet, clean and very cheap. We ate breakfast at the near Ponderosa, American Buffet for $3.99 plus tax and tip, all you can eat from a wide choice of food. Diner at Friday's not bad when you like a huge steak or filet, or at Carrabbas, a Italian style restaurant.
	This week of fun we started at the Universal Studios, right next door, but better you take a car. Expensive the permission for adults and one day, $50 plus tax. We take a look at the shows of the Blues Brothers, the wild wild wild West stunt show, Universal horror make-up show and Terminator 2 (3-D battle across time) and had some action at Jaws, Twister, Earthquake, Men in Black, Back to the future and E.T.
The second day was cool, very cool after the 30 degrees Celsius of the last days, only 9 degrees. We decide to drive to the Kennedy Space Center and used #50. Bad idea, traffic light after trafic light. For the way back we used again #528 and paid the $3 and $2 road toll. Impressive the dimensions of the whole area, the assembly building, the Saturn V rocket and the security checks at the entrance. More strictness than at airports, a mobile must ring, a camera must take pictures and too with a second accu or videocassette And we're lucky people. A few weeks ago we checked once the launch timetable, nothing planned for this week. But then we got the information, that there will be a launch in the late afternoon.Clearly that we want to see it, even with the great distance of more then 5km to the launch complex and that it was only a small Delta II rocket with a GPS satellite. A military mission. At 3pm they started with the public countdown. It was hearable on every loudspeaker at the visitor center complex. The startwindows are very small, because the satellite must reach a specific position. Preferred launch time was a few seconds before 5pm. T-20min the countdown stopped, due to technical problems. OK, there were 40 minutes left. At 16:48pm the countdown continues ... 10 .. 9 .. 8 .. 7 .. 6 .. 5 .. 4 ..ignition .. 3 .. 2 .. 1 ..0 .... lift off, we have a lift off. But nothing to see. 15, 20 or 30 seconds later, there we saw it, a white line climbing up very fast.
	The next day again cool and cloudy too. We tried Disney's EPCOT Center. Again, the permission fee is not from bad parents. But with more days and more parks it could be much cheaper. We had a Florida Sun and Fun Pass, bought back home. Don't do this. When you own a regular creditcard, by your ticket(s) at your first "Disney" Park entry, or when you travel through Florida, try to get a Sun and Fun Pass at the ticket counter, it's much, much cheaper, because it is always the same back home, only one sell this for you, and you must by it under his rules and special for his commission and that is easy 30% of the official price. What should I say about EPCOT ? Indifferent. Twenty years ago, wow. Today ? A lot is reality, or a lot is not of commercial interest. The number of visitors shows this too, no real waiting time for any attraction. The start was good, I had a handshake with Minni after the Entrance. After the visit, form my opinion, don't miss Universe of Energy, Test Track, Norway's sweet bakery, USA's American Adventure. Not bad the film's about France and Canada. An what we saw the last morning in Orlando, Imagination and The Land. Early in the afternoon a light rain begins, so we left early an visited on the way back to the hotel a Shopping Mall. Mhh, expensive. The prices for jeans, CD's or DVD's were to high. No thought to shop something.
		More Disney the next day. But I think to complicated to reach the park from the car parking area. You must first take the parking area "shuttle" and then a boat ride or monorail ride to reach the park entrance. It was sunny but cool again. As a warm up, we visited the Pirates of the Caribbean, a direct walk through to the boat. After that, Splash Mountain. And we get showers. First from others drop into the Briar Patch, then from our own. After we need a few minutes to dry our clothes in the sun and we're all lucky, we're don't got a cool. Next the exciting mine train, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Why not lower the adrenaline level, and cool down at the Haunted Mansion ? Or will this hold or push up your adrenaline ? But a ride at "It's a small world" will cool you down, with guarantee, specially when you have to wait in line, 20 minutes. Or use the Tomorrowlands Transit Authority ,which give's you an overlook of Tomorrowland. Don't miss Space Mountain. Want to save the universe, be a Space Ranger with your own laser gun or a encounter of the worst 3rd art ? Then go to ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. Wow, very good special effects for the final attraction. No, one last, before you look back, or look back while you encircle the hole Magic Kingdom with the live steam railroad. On the way back we used the ship on the "sea" to travel the first part back to our car. Difficult to say about the number of the visitors. OK, it is not US high season, nor from the Europeans. Was it the war in Iraq ? The longest we had to wait for an attraction was 20 minutes.
There is more Disney. Today the MGM Studio's. Quiet, very quiet, when we arrived at 10 o'clock. We missed the first Indiana Jones Stunt Show, why not begin with Drew Carey and his Dangerous Sounds ? And with Star Tours, where the Force must be with you, when this robot is steering your space ship ? Clearly that Indiana Jones is the winner in the adventure, together with some visitors. Calm down at a Studios Backlot Tour. Or not ? Earthquake in a Metro Station! Explosions in Catastrophe Canyon. But at the Magic of Disney Animation Tour you can really calm down. Yes, they are really working on one of the next Disney production and how much work is behind form only one second of film, when they do all the work by hand. What's next, action or something for the heart ? You like the famous American Rock Band Aerosmith ? You know the single "Walk this Way" ? You like speed ? Perhaps 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds ? And you like roller coasters with twist and loops in darkness ? Wow, we went directly from the Exit back to the Entrance for a second turn on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with Aerosmith. But for the next attraction, my stomach was not in the right shape. No Twilight Zone Tower of Horror for me. Nothing for me, a drop of 13 stories, a few seconds in free fall. It was not bad to finish the day with heart part, Beauty and the Beast, live on stage.
	No Disney this last whole day in Orlando, but whales, fishes, etc. A day at SeaWorld Florida. We're right in time to enter the Sea Lion and Otter Stadium for the show time today. A special search for a treasure, but not so easy for the pirates to get there goal, because Clyde and Seamore do it their own way, and not very helpful. After we had a look at the Sea Lions and the show you the best side, when you feed some (they sell from time to time a counted number of portions). Then we stand at the entrance of The Kraken after the Penguin Encounter. A lot of lockers left and right and a long list when it is allowed to enter. And one of the point says clear, No Glasses. Not even Sunglasses. No roller coaster today, because I didn't put in the lenses. So we walked over to the Shamu Stadium, for the show with the orcas. Was it to hot for them ? To less food, that the orcas weren't willing to show us the full program ? What we saw was famous, anyway and a lot of people in the lower rows get very wet. By "helicopter" we traveled for a short visit into the Arctic. Very cool inside, but the polar bears like that. You like Cirque du Soleil ? Then don't miss Cirque de la Mer at the Nautilus Theater. Comedy and the mysteries of the Incas. We had a lot of time until the next show, so we walked through different areas with shows us turtles, tropical birds, tropical coral fishes stingrays and dolphins. Fantastic how you can train dolphins, which we could see in the show at the Key West Dolphin Stadium. Interesting after the show, when we're down at the border of the basin, how the dolphins come to have a closer look, trying to speak with you, or are they only waiting for some food ? Finally we saw some alligators and last but not least some manatees. Second time this holidays, but perhaps the last time in our life ?
A check of the road map says us, we have enough time to drive to Ft Myers. Why not visit EPCOT again, to see the rest, means Imagination and The Land until noon ? It was the time worth and we finally left Orlando at 1pm and reached out Hotel out in the South of Ft Myers Beach late in the afternoon.
		We stayed at the Holiday Inn Fort Myers Beach for seven nights. A small hotel, only two stories, a pool, a sunset desk with bar and restaurant and direct beach access, means the Estero Beach. Very friendly staff and the best quality American breakfast buffet.
Four Days of relaxing at the beach followed. We rent cabanas, and we got them in the first row, but it was already many meters to the sea. Reading, sleeping, hearing music and watching the pelicans catching fish.Oh, I forgotten sweating, because it was minimum of 30 degrees Celsius every day. One morning we drove to Ft Myers, better to the Edison Ford Winter Estates and took a look at their historic homes, the botanical gardens with lots of orchids, the research laboratory and the museum. Be astound about the large Banyan tree, the botanical garden with plant from all over the world, many from Asia and with dozens of orchids. The fifth day it was cooling down. A fresh breeze from the Gulf. In the evening the winds go stronger. Same next morning. A first result, tons of white powder, sand on the plants of the hotel, on the ways and stairs and in front of the exit to the beach a dune, half a meter high and over 15 meters long. It was not possible to stay at the beach, but we took a walk at the water down to the south. We found a lot of mussels, snails and corals. The worst was the way from the hotel to the sea and back through the sandstorm. After a few meters sand in the nose, the mouth and eyes and hundreds of needle picks on the legs. We went for shopping. First to the Tanger Outlet Center. A lot of shops, but none what we're looking for. Or what we found was to expensive, as an example jeans at Lewis for $50 (regular price and tax included). Not planed, but a buy found with special sale at Dexter's Shoe Shop. A high quality men's shoe in leather for less then $40. We tried for better results the Edison Mall. Not bad. We found there cheap Lewis Jeans, an MP3 player and for the first time CD's and DVD's much cheaper than at home.		Most evenings we ate at Charley's Boat house. Reserve a table or arrive for diner after 7:30pm, or you have to wait for your table. Good food from the seas, good beef and a large salad bar and a wide selections of high quality wines from around the world. All for fair prices.

	Viewing back, the time went on to fast here at Ft Myers Beach, but the day of departure has arrived. On the road map it was a long journey to the southmost point of Florida and the continental US. First at the gulf coast to the south, then on #41 south too and after through the Big Cypress National Preserve to the East. A wild landscape, which invited us often to take a short stop. Later east again at the border of the Everglades National Park. We don't want close our circle yet and took the #997 South to Homestead, where we changed to #1 until the "bitter" end. Beautiful the road over to Key Largo, but then ? First nothing special. A highway between buildings and a "forest". After Islamorada a slight change. Now it was visible that we're out on sea, that we're on island, that we travel over bridges from island to island. Again a lot of stops for pictures and simple to have a view over the next to cross bridge. We arrived long before sunset at our hotel.
		We stayed for three nights at the Holiday Inn Beachside Key West. The pool area was the visit worth, but the rest ? We had book via Priority Club and Internet our rooms from the list of available rooms and rates and got a confirmation email. But at the check-in they had only one room for the booked price and only one room was ready. Not the best impression. We had a lot of talks at the reception. Final results, we paid the first night the higher price for one room, the other two like we booked. No excuse from the staff. Only money, money makes the world go round. Satisfaction for the guest ? Why, normally he never comes back. The first evening we had diner near the view point "Southernmost Point" at a newly opened restaurant. The service had some problems, but the staff was very friendly an the food not bad. The other evenings we walk to a nearby diner in the 50's style. We spent the days at the pool. But our problem was the missing shadow. We don't like to get a sunburn like most of the American's. One afternoon after the greatest heat we visited downtown Key West. Most of the time we spent at Duval Street. High prices, but nothing we could say, wow, that's the souvenir I must have.
No choice, the way back is for the first 105 miles the same road. This time we're able to see the islands and the bridges from the other side. Again fantastic what the engineers had built in the past (around 1910), first with the railroad and later for the cars and trucks. In Key Largo we didn't take the fast way, we drive up the 905 through green forest and after the left turn onto the 905A through mangrove left and right the road. We had some small lunch bags with us and we took a break before the bridge over the Card Sound. Large birds with unknown name for us are skeptically looking on us. It was late afternoon when we finally arrived the hotel at Miami Beach South. Not much time after check-in and a refreshing shower. But a few minutes to lay at the pool we had left before sunset.
		We stayed again at the Holiday Inn in Miami South Beach for two nights. This time we got the real Priority Club rooms, the ones in the two storey building and all with garden view. And as Priority Member, pool towels, beach chairs and umbrellas are free.
	Our Sun and Fun Florida Pass includes a visit at the Everglades Safari Park. We saw him on the way from Ft Myers Beach to Key West. We decided to spend our last full day there, even when it is more than an hour to reach the park. It was the driving time worth, out in the Everglades with an airboat we saw alligators (yes more than one, from 70 cm up to 250 cm), water turtles, fishes of different kind and sizes, birds and flowers. A must, when you stay at the park, the alligator show. But a little bit to dramatically. OK, the "ranger" must be a hero. We saw everything and had a lot of time left. Why not a visit at the shopping mall Dolphin Mall west of Miami ? You have the feeling, that something is Spanish there ? You're right. The first language was not English, no Spain. But we thought the best times for this mall are over. We found a music store with cheap CD's and got a Best of Aerosmith (remember the roller coaster), and Ghiradelli chocolate as souvenirs for friends at home. Back in the car we played the CD, with open windows and are rocking back to our hotel, through the center of little Havanna.
Last day in Florida. The plane leaves in the early evening. Enough time to stay a few hours at the beach until latest check-out at the hotel at 2pm. Fresh was the water of the Atlantic Ocean. We had no pictures from the skyline of Miami. Why not take a few on the way to the airport ? We missed the first possibility to turn, so we turned out at the latest place, at Key Biscayne. After the pictures we drove again through little Havanna to the airport (from south). Returning the car was a two minute job. Much more time was necessary for check-in and security check. Yes, you check-in first and then they will check your luggage. Wrong world ? And they check very careful. The lady was grabbing in my bag until she found my chocolates and the Lawry's Season Salt. She checked it specially. Oh yes, all this could be a bomb. When I go back. October 2000, nothing and nothing again at an airport ... Thanks to my many miles in the Qualiflyer Program, I flew back home in business too, and I could invite the other to the American Airlines Lounge at Miami Airport.
	A quiet flight with excellent service in business class and economy too, like my friends told me. we arrived in time in Zurich and each got a rose for Swiss cabin staff, because our national carrier has a very bad name at home. Thanks a lot.
		Back home, first some shopping and for Easter we drove to Meiringen for some skiing.