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Florida - Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Mar. 8th, 2007 10:58 pmAnother photo posting, this time of pictures taken at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in beautiful Sarasota.
Oh I do like my flowers! :-)
Oh I do like my flowers! :-)
Florida animals
Mar. 6th, 2007 11:27 pmAnd now a few pictures of animals, mainly birds, taken around Florida (some in the Everglades, some on the Sunshine Skywalk bridge, a couple in Miami Beach and of course a picture of a beautiful Key West cock - outside a leather shop! Chicken and cocks roam freely on the streets of Key West).
Florida Sunsets
Mar. 5th, 2007 11:04 pmI took loads of pictures in Florida and am going to post some on here (reduced in size of course) over the new few days.
I'll do it by subject starting from the gorgeous sunsets.
The first 3 are from Crystal Beach, north-west of Tampa (Barbara drove us there to watch the sunset)
but the most spectacular sunset was down in Key West.
We watched the sunset from Mallory Square: it was rather crowded and there were lots of performers. The one nearest to us sang "Island in the sun" just as it was setting.... very romantic: a special holiday memory we'll cherish!
I'll do it by subject starting from the gorgeous sunsets.
The first 3 are from Crystal Beach, north-west of Tampa (Barbara drove us there to watch the sunset)
but the most spectacular sunset was down in Key West.
We watched the sunset from Mallory Square: it was rather crowded and there were lots of performers. The one nearest to us sang "Island in the sun" just as it was setting.... very romantic: a special holiday memory we'll cherish!
Back from Florida
Mar. 2nd, 2007 03:34 pmWe got back from our trip to Florida yesterday morning... we had a lovely holiday, despite Adrian being hit by a stomach bug for most of the trip (we skipped quite a few dinners - and most lunches. Sadly though we don't really seem to have lost any weight!)
We did a lot of driving for us: about 1200 miles.
Here's a brief recap of the trip with some concise and perhaps abrupt judgments/overall impressions.
Day 1: BA flight to Orlando (World Traveller Plus seats as we had enough BA miles to treat ourselves; very comfortable seats but indifferent, albeit professional, service) Stayed overnight near Orlando.
Day 2: visit to the gorgeous Bok Tower Sanctuary Gardens, then to Ybor City and stroll around downtown Tampa. 2 nights in Gulfport at the lovely gay Berwin Oak Guesthouse, which I thoroughly recommend (the pictures on their website don't do it justice at all)
Day 3: down to Sarasota to visit the Mary Selby Botanical Gardens. Loved the Sunshine Skywalk bridge on the bay. Then back north to Palm Harbor to see Barbara (a very close friend of Adrian's: they hadn't seen each other for over 10 years) and her American husband Bo. She's lovely but their life in a RV park is just not for me!
Day 4: long drive down to Key Largo through the amazing Everglades National Park. We stopped at a few look-out points/trails in the park and saw plenty of alligators and birds.
Day 5: glass-bottomed boat excursion to see the coral reef at John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. It was lovely and also a great way of seeing the mangroves growing along the coast.
Then down to Key West stopping on the way at Key Pigeon (to visit a museum dedicated to the constructions of the railway bridges that connected the Keys to the mainland) and at the Bahia Honda State Park (gorgeous beach).
We both felt that the Keys were the highlight of our trip. And we would love to go again!
Day 6: Day spent in Key West. Walked around and, being a Saturday, went on a gay and lesbian trolley tour of the city. It was great fun thanks to the tour guide, a lovely and rather portly lady.
The very much hyped Key West sunsets lived up (and surpassed) expectations!!
In Key West we stayed at the Equator Resort: very cosy and a nice and friendly crowd, mainly of American bears (we were the only foreigners there!)
Day 7: Up to Fort Lauderdale. We stopped on the way at Coral Gables, in the Miami Area. Visited the Venetian Pool and had a look around the very impressive and luxurious 1920s Biltmore Hotel.
In Ft. Lauderdale we stayed at the Coconut Cove Guesthouse near the beach. After the Equator Resort, it was quite a disappointment: it had no spark.
As for Ft. Lauderdale itself, the beach is great but somehow the city in itself didn't do much for either of us i.e. - as Adrian puts it - we "didn't get it" !
In the evening we went to Steel to see Mike & Harvey a bear couple we had met on the beach in Sitges (and on the net before that)
Day 8: Went down to Miami Beach. Late morning spent on an amphibian Duck Tour (it was fun but the tour guide was irritating - no, I didn't join in with the quacking!!); then we walked around Miami Beach looking at the Art Deco architecture.
Then we went to visit the Holocaust Memorial which we both found very powerful and moving.
In the evening we met Sybil, another friend of Adrian's (his ex-boss' ex-wife's mother!!) for dinner.
Verdict: Miami deserved a visit but I wouldn't hurry back (definitely overhyped)
Day 9: Stayed in Ft. Lauderdale. It was supposed to be a lazy day by the pool but instead we went shopping in the morning. We went to the Sawgrass Mills Mall a looooong way out of Ft. Lauderdale.
When we got there Adrian needed the "restroom" and when he got out, he just looked so unwell. I thought he was about to pass out: he really got me worried.
(On the way we had stopped at a pharmacy to see if we could get something stronger than Imodium; sadly the pharmacist was more interested in finding out what football team Adrian supported - gaydar obviously non-existent! - and whether his accent was from Manchester or Liverpool - no, it's a Leeds accent)
Luckily after a rest and a cup of tea, he felt better and he even enjoyed the shopping (I managed to complete my wedding outfit).
In the afternoon, we went to Mike and Harvey's home in Wilton Manors. Very stylish home! They then took us to Georgie's Alibi where they meet up with neighbours for cocktails every Tuesday evening. (Wilton Manors is a gay neighboorhood and probably, for us, the only reason to ever go back to Ft. Lauderdale).
Day 10: Long drive back to Orlando Airport after stopping at the shops in Wilton Manors.
The flight home was much shorter (different route - almost a straight line across the Atlantic; on the way out, we flew north just south of Greenland and then along the eastern coast of Canada and the US) and the cabin crew SO much nicer (as you would expect from British Airways).
Landed at Gatwick at 7:30 am and we were home by 9 am.
Finally a nice cup of tea!!! (You cannot get a decent cup of tea in restaurants; they don't brew and the water is simply not hot enough)
Day 10: Back at work! Arghhhhhhh!
We did a lot of driving for us: about 1200 miles.
Here's a brief recap of the trip with some concise and perhaps abrupt judgments/overall impressions.
Day 1: BA flight to Orlando (World Traveller Plus seats as we had enough BA miles to treat ourselves; very comfortable seats but indifferent, albeit professional, service) Stayed overnight near Orlando.
Day 2: visit to the gorgeous Bok Tower Sanctuary Gardens, then to Ybor City and stroll around downtown Tampa. 2 nights in Gulfport at the lovely gay Berwin Oak Guesthouse, which I thoroughly recommend (the pictures on their website don't do it justice at all)
Day 3: down to Sarasota to visit the Mary Selby Botanical Gardens. Loved the Sunshine Skywalk bridge on the bay. Then back north to Palm Harbor to see Barbara (a very close friend of Adrian's: they hadn't seen each other for over 10 years) and her American husband Bo. She's lovely but their life in a RV park is just not for me!
Day 4: long drive down to Key Largo through the amazing Everglades National Park. We stopped at a few look-out points/trails in the park and saw plenty of alligators and birds.
Day 5: glass-bottomed boat excursion to see the coral reef at John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. It was lovely and also a great way of seeing the mangroves growing along the coast.
Then down to Key West stopping on the way at Key Pigeon (to visit a museum dedicated to the constructions of the railway bridges that connected the Keys to the mainland) and at the Bahia Honda State Park (gorgeous beach).
We both felt that the Keys were the highlight of our trip. And we would love to go again!
Day 6: Day spent in Key West. Walked around and, being a Saturday, went on a gay and lesbian trolley tour of the city. It was great fun thanks to the tour guide, a lovely and rather portly lady.
The very much hyped Key West sunsets lived up (and surpassed) expectations!!
In Key West we stayed at the Equator Resort: very cosy and a nice and friendly crowd, mainly of American bears (we were the only foreigners there!)
Day 7: Up to Fort Lauderdale. We stopped on the way at Coral Gables, in the Miami Area. Visited the Venetian Pool and had a look around the very impressive and luxurious 1920s Biltmore Hotel.
In Ft. Lauderdale we stayed at the Coconut Cove Guesthouse near the beach. After the Equator Resort, it was quite a disappointment: it had no spark.
As for Ft. Lauderdale itself, the beach is great but somehow the city in itself didn't do much for either of us i.e. - as Adrian puts it - we "didn't get it" !
In the evening we went to Steel to see Mike & Harvey a bear couple we had met on the beach in Sitges (and on the net before that)
Day 8: Went down to Miami Beach. Late morning spent on an amphibian Duck Tour (it was fun but the tour guide was irritating - no, I didn't join in with the quacking!!); then we walked around Miami Beach looking at the Art Deco architecture.
Then we went to visit the Holocaust Memorial which we both found very powerful and moving.
In the evening we met Sybil, another friend of Adrian's (his ex-boss' ex-wife's mother!!) for dinner.
Verdict: Miami deserved a visit but I wouldn't hurry back (definitely overhyped)
Day 9: Stayed in Ft. Lauderdale. It was supposed to be a lazy day by the pool but instead we went shopping in the morning. We went to the Sawgrass Mills Mall a looooong way out of Ft. Lauderdale.
When we got there Adrian needed the "restroom" and when he got out, he just looked so unwell. I thought he was about to pass out: he really got me worried.
(On the way we had stopped at a pharmacy to see if we could get something stronger than Imodium; sadly the pharmacist was more interested in finding out what football team Adrian supported - gaydar obviously non-existent! - and whether his accent was from Manchester or Liverpool - no, it's a Leeds accent)
Luckily after a rest and a cup of tea, he felt better and he even enjoyed the shopping (I managed to complete my wedding outfit).
In the afternoon, we went to Mike and Harvey's home in Wilton Manors. Very stylish home! They then took us to Georgie's Alibi where they meet up with neighbours for cocktails every Tuesday evening. (Wilton Manors is a gay neighboorhood and probably, for us, the only reason to ever go back to Ft. Lauderdale).
Day 10: Long drive back to Orlando Airport after stopping at the shops in Wilton Manors.
The flight home was much shorter (different route - almost a straight line across the Atlantic; on the way out, we flew north just south of Greenland and then along the eastern coast of Canada and the US) and the cabin crew SO much nicer (as you would expect from British Airways).
Landed at Gatwick at 7:30 am and we were home by 9 am.
Finally a nice cup of tea!!! (You cannot get a decent cup of tea in restaurants; they don't brew and the water is simply not hot enough)
Day 10: Back at work! Arghhhhhhh!
Ready to go
Feb. 19th, 2007 08:25 amWe are packed, showered and almost ready to go (need to put some clothes on!).
Flying from Gatwick to Orlando later this morning...
Just hope that the flight will be OK, and that the American immigration officers will be nice for a change (but not holding my breath)!!
So probably will not be posting for quite a while.
Have a great week, you all!
Birds in Brighton
Nov. 27th, 2006 10:19 amIt's Monday morning, I'm at work and I'm bored again! Well nothing new there.
My week-end was good and way too short.
On Saturday, we braved the wind and rain and went down to Brighton, mainly to check out a couple of place for our civil partnership celebratory trip.
Then we went onto the pier: my goodness, it was really windy!! (but dry)
The light was beatiful and there were so many birds flying over the pier and the sea. Apart from the seagull, there were flocks of small birds (I confess my ignorance on the matter and won't even try to guess what they were) that kept flying over: it was like being in "The birds", though luckily they did not attack anybody!
We got home at around 8:15 pm and I felt slightly ill: I think it was all that fresh air. Anyway a soup, a sandwich, a stiff whiskey and a snooze on the sofa resting my head in Adrian's lap sorted me out!
Yesterday was spent at home: I managed to tick a few things off my to-do list and we also planned how to spend our 10 days in Florida next Feb.
Sadly we'll give the north-east and the panhandle a miss, but there isn't just enough time to go everywhere!
My week-end was good and way too short.
On Saturday, we braved the wind and rain and went down to Brighton, mainly to check out a couple of place for our civil partnership celebratory trip.
Then we went onto the pier: my goodness, it was really windy!! (but dry)
The light was beatiful and there were so many birds flying over the pier and the sea. Apart from the seagull, there were flocks of small birds (I confess my ignorance on the matter and won't even try to guess what they were) that kept flying over: it was like being in "The birds", though luckily they did not attack anybody!
We got home at around 8:15 pm and I felt slightly ill: I think it was all that fresh air. Anyway a soup, a sandwich, a stiff whiskey and a snooze on the sofa resting my head in Adrian's lap sorted me out!
Yesterday was spent at home: I managed to tick a few things off my to-do list and we also planned how to spend our 10 days in Florida next Feb.
Sadly we'll give the north-east and the panhandle a miss, but there isn't just enough time to go everywhere!
After wondering for a while how to spend our British Airways miles and the free companion voucher (from American Express), at the week-end we finally made our minds up and booked flights to Florida for February.
We'll be leaving 2 days after my 40th birthday! So I can have a birthday party or perhaps something more unusual/outrageous?
Florida wasn't at the top of my list of places to visit but it'll be nice to see a couple of friends there, plus an old friend of Adrian that I've never met.
After reading a guidebook, it seems that there's quite a lot to see and not just only amusement and theme parks which are not really my thing (though I did enjoy Universal Studios in LA over 10 years ago).
As we're flying to Orlando I think it'll be nice to go perhaps to Disney World Florida on the first day there....
As for the rest of the trip there are no firm plans at this stage but we'll definitely go to Miami and Key West, and probably Tampa. I would also love to visit St Augustine which apparently is the oldest continuously inhabited city in North America.
And Florida will give more colour to the east side of the map of US states I've visited so far:
create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
We'll be leaving 2 days after my 40th birthday! So I can have a birthday party or perhaps something more unusual/outrageous?
Florida wasn't at the top of my list of places to visit but it'll be nice to see a couple of friends there, plus an old friend of Adrian that I've never met.
After reading a guidebook, it seems that there's quite a lot to see and not just only amusement and theme parks which are not really my thing (though I did enjoy Universal Studios in LA over 10 years ago).
As we're flying to Orlando I think it'll be nice to go perhaps to Disney World Florida on the first day there....
As for the rest of the trip there are no firm plans at this stage but we'll definitely go to Miami and Key West, and probably Tampa. I would also love to visit St Augustine which apparently is the oldest continuously inhabited city in North America.
And Florida will give more colour to the east side of the map of US states I've visited so far:
create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
Not so determined after all!
Oct. 2nd, 2006 08:33 pmI guess that I'm not really in the mood for wrapping presents!
I'm going back and forward from the table to the PC to reply to messages on eurowoof/bear411....
Talking about messages, today I visited the Visit Florida website as we're thinking about a trip there earlier next year (the original idea was Argentina but it appears that there are no flights I can redeem my BA miles on - a bit of a con, if you ask me! - but I'm sure Florida would be lovely, even though I really wanted to gaze at the southern sky on the night of my 40th but hey!).
I signed up for the newsletter and later I found this in my Junk mail
Subject: Message from Florida Governor Jeb Bush
From: "Florida Governor Jeb Bush" <from@> Add to Address Book,
Thanks for requesting more information from VISITFLORIDA.com, Florida's Official Visitor Information Web Site. Florida offers an amazing variety of vacation experiences, everything from the exciting nightlife of South Beach to a lazy day of floating in the emerald green waters of North Florida's Gulf beaches. There are more things to see and do than you can imagine...or than you can do in just one visit! So please use our Web site to plan an itinerary that is just right for you and your family. And while you're at it, click here and send some Florida postcards to your friends. Thank you for vacationing in Florida. Please visit us soon!
Jeb Bush
Governor
Please do not reply to this message.
Yahoo correcly identified it as junk!!
Plus I couldn't stop smiling as it reminded me of a slightly annoying ringtone a colleague of mine has: some character from Lord of the Rings saying "A message from the dark side"! (OK, he's the minor Bush but still a bush...)
I'm going back and forward from the table to the PC to reply to messages on eurowoof/bear411....
Talking about messages, today I visited the Visit Florida website as we're thinking about a trip there earlier next year (the original idea was Argentina but it appears that there are no flights I can redeem my BA miles on - a bit of a con, if you ask me! - but I'm sure Florida would be lovely, even though I really wanted to gaze at the southern sky on the night of my 40th but hey!).
I signed up for the newsletter and later I found this in my Junk mail
Subject: Message from Florida Governor Jeb Bush
From: "Florida Governor Jeb Bush" <from@> Add to Address Book,
Thanks for requesting more information from VISITFLORIDA.com, Florida's Official Visitor Information Web Site. Florida offers an amazing variety of vacation experiences, everything from the exciting nightlife of South Beach to a lazy day of floating in the emerald green waters of North Florida's Gulf beaches. There are more things to see and do than you can imagine...or than you can do in just one visit! So please use our Web site to plan an itinerary that is just right for you and your family. And while you're at it, click here and send some Florida postcards to your friends. Thank you for vacationing in Florida. Please visit us soon!
Jeb Bush
Governor
Please do not reply to this message.
Yahoo correcly identified it as junk!!
Plus I couldn't stop smiling as it reminded me of a slightly annoying ringtone a colleague of mine has: some character from Lord of the Rings saying "A message from the dark side"! (OK, he's the minor Bush but still a bush...)
