Florida tales. Part Two: Disney World

Tiago and I had quite an adventure finding Marit at the Nestle plant in Madison County, east of Tallahassee.  All was going swimmingly until we got to Madison and Jane the GPS got herself all confused, leading us down one dirt track after another and confidently declaring "You have arrived!" when clearly we had not.  Marit said the plant was in the middle of nowhere, but I figured it would be big enough to see over a few bushes.  With limited cell phone reception, I felt quite lost and decided the best thing to do was retrace my steps back to some semblance of civilisation.  Thankfully I had a scrap of paper with driving instructions from Nestle, so once back on a recognisable bitumen road, I switched off Jane, reverted to the instructions and finally found my way to the plant.

The drive from Madison to Orlando was about three hours.  And then we entered Disney World, a city unto itself.  Hosting dozens of hotel resorts, theme parks and its own "downtown" (which included an area called Pleasure Island--the mind boggles and the throat chokes as one imagines the porn side of Mickey Mouse and co., or is that just me?) it can take about 20 minutes on the shuttle bus from one end of D-World to the other.  Actually, it could be more.  I'm just basing that on the average trip from our hotel pick up to destination.

On the Disney bus, on our way to Epcot [pic by Marit]

We arrived Monday evening, and left the following Friday.  So I had three days full-time babysitting the adorable baby you see sitting on my lap there, while his mum attended a conference.  Thanks to our weekend in Wakulla Springs, Tiago and I had gotten to know each other a bit, and I got some lessons in diaper changing, feeding routines and bottle preparation.  I'd been advised that Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom were the most baby-friendly in terms of gentle rides and attractions, so on Tuesday we headed to Magic Kingdom.  This to me felt like original Disney.  It's where the iconic Magic Castle is to be found, Mickey Mouse, Princesses and Prince Charmings abound, we are constantly reminded that Dreams Can Come True.  It's all squeaky clean, family fun, but done with such polish and energy, and received with such joy by so many, that it's impossible to resist.  You just have to embrace it, enjoy the ride, and check your cynicism at the door (you can always snuggle back into it later).

The Magic Castle

Classic Disney show

The "It's a Small World" ride came highly recommended as suitable ride for a baby, as it is an indoor boat ride.  Two thumbs up here: one for indoor which gave some relief from the heat, and one for boat ride as it is slow and gentle.  The downside is the length of the queue, which one must tackle without the stroller.  When visiting with a not-quite-walking baby (who at this moment also happened to be fast asleep), this meant carrying him for a good 20 minutes or so.  My biceps were feeling the exercise for days!  But he was incredibly cute snuggled up and sleeping in my arms.  The ride itself I found nightmarish.  It weaves through a cavern of "small worlds" with approximately 20 countries and regions represented by identical mechanical dolls dressed in traditional costume and performing simple repetitive actions.  It actually took me a little while to realise that each grouping represented a different country because the dolls look so similar, like oversized, blank-faced babies.  The tinny refrain of the ride's title song plays in a loop, driving one to dementia.  However, I must accept that children (and even, apparently, other adults) find it fascinating and delightful.  Tiago woke up about halfway through and stared, eyes agog, unafraid and full of wonder.

Wednesday we tackled Animal Kingdom, which is part theme park, part zoo.  Tiago was pretty tired that day, slept a lot, and wasn't as interested in the animals as I had anticipated.  I think the ones in enclosures that weren't particularly close to the fence just didn't catch his eye.  However, he was amenable to being pushed along in the stroller, so long as I fed him on time and let him out to play once in a while.

Huge gorilla

Thick growing bamboo along the gorilla trail

We went on the Kilamanjaro Safari ride, a bouncy jaunt through recreations of African parkland and wildlife--kind of like Werribee Park shrunk down to bite-size pieces.  Tiago was fascinated by the animals, some of which were quite close to the truck, but found the bouncing a bit intense sometimes.  We saw dozens of animals, including giraffes, lions, crocodiles on masse, pink flamingoes, an elephant family (complete with baby elephant) and an ostrich.  It was difficult to get a photo at times as the truck rarely stopped, so between the forward motion, the bouncing and other passengers, I just missed a few.  Here's some good ones though:

We planned to go back to Animal Kingdom on the Thursday, but woke to heavy rain which persisted all morning.  So we hung out (and napped--both of us) in the hotel room before heading out for a quick jaunt to downtown Disney for a spot of shopping, back in time to meet Marit, who finished work early that day.  The three of us went to Epcot, a theme park dedicated to science and technology (in a family friendly way).  We didn't quite know what to expect, except the sight of the landmark giant golfball structure that greets you at the entrance, and is featured in pamphlet photos.  However, we discovered that late afternoon/early evening is a great time to visit as there are far fewer people and hence no waiting time on rides.  We made a beeline for the Finding Nemo ride, where we were bundled into giant clamshell carriages and trundled along a video screen to join the key characters from the movie in searching for Nemo.  After that we attended an interactive chat with Crush, the turtle character from Finding Nemo.  This was ratherly cleverly done in a small auditorium with a big screen depicting a fish tank into which Crush swam into view.  He chatted to the audience and then invited questions from the kids; "little dude, front row, red shell, flipper up!"  Clearly Crush was being voiced by someone who could see and hear the audience, but the clever part was that his movements seemed to match, spontaneously, so I guess some kind of motion detection technology was being used as well.  Anyway, it was very funny and enjoyable and Tiago LOVED it.  He was completely engaged, chattering away delightedly, and applauded at the end.  Cutest thing in the world.

CC and Tiago just out of the clamshell [pic by Marit]

Florida tales. Part One (B): Fish

Before I get to the mind-blowing hugeness of Disney World, I have to tell you about a couple of dining experiences Marit and I had while staying in Wakulla Springs.  We asked around for recommendations, and ended up at two very different restaurants which both served sensational fish. 

The first was the Seineyard (pronounced signyard) which looked like a big homestead on the outside, complete with verandah (or porch, as the locals would call it) which held a large table surrounded by rocking chairs (to add a dash of swinging excitement to your meal).  A busy, bustling place, inside it was less cosy and more like a mess hall with a concrete floor, long communal tables, and plastic plates, cutlery and serving ware.  Everything was fried, unless you asked for it broiled (oven baked) or blackened (grilled with cajun spices), and the side salads, fries and other food accompaniments were ordinary to downright unappetising.  But the fish.  Oh, the fish!  On the recommendation of our waitress (who sported one of those glorious, weathered country faces you NEVER see in LA), I ordered the Grouper--a white fish, common to the Gulf of Mexico--served blackened.  Marit ordered the shrimp, also blackened.  Wow.  The Grouper was mouth-meltingly, orgasmically delicious.  Marit's shrimp wasn't bad either, but the Grouper was a winner.  Also of note at the Seineyard the evening we dined there were a couple of groups of people in colonial-style dress: the women in long, gingham dresses, their hair braided and pinned neatly to their heads, the men in waistcoats, the boys in homemade trousers and braces.  A local theatre troupe?  It seemed not, they weren't rowdy enough to be a bunch of actors winding down after a day of rehearsal.  We figured they probably belonged to one of the many churches in the area--perhaps Mormon?--and tried not to stare.

The next night we headed a little further south to the Spring Creek Restaurant, a cosy and charming little establishment that had much more atmosphere than the Seineyard.  Once again, the seafood was fabulous.  Marit ordered the Grouper (broiled and seasoned, although not with cajun spices) and was not disappointed, and I ordered the crab cakes, noted on the menu as one of the house specialities.  Moist and delicious.  The side salad was fresh, and the hushpuppies were crisp and fluffy in all the right ways.  Hushpuppies--not to be confused with the comfy footwear brand--seem to be standard accompaniments to fish in these parts (we encountered them on our plates at Seineyard too) and are a kind of cornmeal rolled into little footballs and deep fried.  They are quite tasty and useful for mopping up dipping sauce and juices from the fish.

The next day--Monday--Marit was picked up early to attend a meeting outside Tallahassee, and I drove Tiago and I out there later in the day to collect her and begin the drive south to Orlando and Disney World.

Florida tales. Part One: Wakulla Springs

I've just returned from a week in Florida with my best friend and her absolutely adorable baby.  We spent the first weekend in Wakulla Springs, just south of Tallahassee in the part of Florida known as the panhandle.  This part of Florida is closer to Alabama than Miami, and has something of that "southern" feel.  Certainly the accents of the locals have that lilt, which an old ham like me can't help but mimic.  Talk about stepping back in time!  We stayed at the Lodge, a big old hotel with a rattling, inlaid wood elevator (complete with manual door closing), a spacious lobby/games room area with intricately patterned high ceilings and a view over the lagoon. 

This is where the old monster movie "Creature from the Black Lagoon" was filmed, as well some of the Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movies.  We went on a boat cruise along the lagoon, framed by tall cypress trees draped with a kind of greyish moss that gave them an eerie look, like old wizards beards.  It's easy to see why vampire and witch movies are set in these 'ere parts.

There is so much wildlife living on, in, and around the lagoon; many bird species, alligators, turtles and manatees.  We glimpsed a manatee (a large animal, kind of like a walrus with a dolphin tail) from the boat, but it really just looked like a large mass of sand moving under the water), but here's some pics of other creatures we got a better view of:

On the Sunday, there was a meeting of the local vintage car club.  Dad, this one's for you:

On the left, a 1934 Bentley; on the right, a 16 cylinder Cadillac

On the Monday, we drove to Orlando to spend a few days in Disneyworld, where Marit was attending a conference.  My official babysitting duties were about to begin!  Lucky for me, Tiago (all of 10 months old) is a delightful baby with a very easy going nature.  We became friends quickly (and I'm never shy of performing for a captive audience) and had a splendid few days in the mind-bogglingly large Disney.  That's another blog entry to come.  Right now, I'll leave you with one last cute pic, and then I gotta start packing!