alnsoph around the world

So, twas onto Orlando renound for its world class theme parks. We chose to go for a 2 day ticket for Universal and just a one day ticket for Disney, it was more affordable that way. We would like to send a big thank you to Al's generous Mum, Step Dad, Aunties/Uncles and Grandparents for their generosity for Al's birthday and giving us the opportunity to afford to visit the parks. It also meant we could even splash out on a fast pass queue jump for Universal which worked out to be money well spent so thank you! :-)

Universal Studios is based on Hollywood movies/shows and the whole park has a movie/tv theme. We saw a Blues Bro's show, Shrek 4d, a rock'it rollercoaster which allowed you to choose your own personal soundtrack while you rode the many loops and tists (we did this 3 times we loved it so much), a Men In Black ride and a Simpsons ride among others. As well as this, Al crazily volunteered to participate in 'Fear Factor Live'! His challenge was to take part in a food eating competition gone wrong. This was not your normal luncheon but consisted of oysters, tuna and other raw fish, sour milk and finally live worms! This monsterous concoction was then blended into a lumpy smoothie which Al had to race to finish. He struggled (an understatement) through it but won the challenge in his team and went home with a souvenir Fear Factor Mug.... Was it worth it?... Neither of us think so.

The next day we hit Universal Islands of Adventure, voted number one park in many previous years - It deserves the credit it gets. Soph demanded we head to Harry Potter's wizarding world, so that was the first stop at 8am before the crowds rolled in. We did each ride twice (4 in total) with no more than a five minute wait - incredible! The effects and staging that has gone into the recreation of Hogwart's amazed even Al who has no interest in HP. We then used our fast pass to good effect, turning 60 min queues into 10 min queues for the Hulk Ride, the Spiderman ride and the Fear-fall drop ride, riding all of them numerous times. It is an amazing park and we did all the shows and other attractions we wanted to by 3pm because of the fast pass which meant we good head home shattered and in need of a relax by the pool :-)

We needed a day off so we relaxed by the pool and recharged for Disney's Magic Kingdom the next day. We struggled to choose which of the 4 Disney Parks to choose but went to MK as it is the typical Disney park with the characters and parades etc. It is what you expect for Disney World; busy, full of kids, huge but good fun. We managed to sneak into a vip reserved area for the parade so we got up close and personal with the characters which was fun. We then went on a search for scary rides however there aren't too many here as it is aimed for kids. Even though we had alot fun we felt like maybe we are getting a bit old for some of the rides. However, the shows are fantastic and worth the money qlone as they bring back fond memories of our childhood watching classics such as Fantasia, Lion King, Sleeping Beauty and of course Winnie the Pooh! We are really glad to have visited.

It was sad to leave Orlando because it was a great few days but we were excited to pick up our RV/Motorhome which we had reserved on a one week relocation. This involved a totally free rental for relocating it one way up to Boston (1700miles) in 7 days. We had a nightmare morning trying to get to the rv rental office on the hugely limited public transport of Orlando in 30degree heat and getting lost twice. 3 hours later we got there and after an introduction on how to use the rv we were off.... This beast sleeps up to 5 people and has a kitchen, lounge and shower room with toilet - scary but exciting. Our next week involves roughly 10 states and will be a whirlwind tour of the east coast - an exciting adventure awaits us.

We will update on our monster road trip.

Lots of love
Alnsoph x

After Mum and David left for New York we headed to Columbus to meet up with Nathan and Katie. They stayed briefly with us in Southampton during their visit to UK (albeit 5 in one room - so allowing us to stay in their lovely 2 bed condo with balcony overlooking the lake didn't seem like too much of a fair trade :p). We were able to arrange dinner for them that night which was good and they enjoyed not having to cook ok a busy working week :-) Afterwards we settled to watch the Barca vs Chelsea game - not often Al says this but a big hurray for Chelsea! The evening was finished with a trip to a local ice cream parlor which has an array of odd flavours including salty caramel, honey cake and bumbleberry crisp.

The two days following were very different. The first was spent mainly in the pub! Al and Nathan did head out for a game of frisbee golf in the morning (bringing back memories of Queenstown NZ) whilst Soph got very organised and arranged her CV and applied for jobs. Then we headed to an Irish Pub to watch the other champions league game which was showing live and did a brief spell around the local mall. The weather was crap so we didn't feel too guilty doing this. Our other day was spent roaming an area called Hocking (the name doesn't do the place justice) Hills which is home to large rock gorges, caves and waterfalls. It felt quite prehistoric having to forge tracks over streams using rocks etc and was very enjoyable. Afterwards Nathan drove us to his university campus OU and his old student hours and were he engaged Katie, he was a superb tour guide - been there done that, we even got the OU t-shirt! It was great to see Nathan and Katie and our thanks goes to them for having us in their house and being so kind to us!

We spent two more days in Ohio before heading down South to Florida. A HUGE THANK YOU and lots of love goes out to all of the family we stayed with and saw throughout our stay - it was incredible! We managed to get our flight to Miami on frequent flyer points which was a nice little bonus and shows how much flying we have done. However, the plane was nothing like we have seen before. It was tiny! Like a private jet, with about 10 businessmen/women and us. We somehow got the front row seats for a touch of extra leg room. But this plane was tiny, the only planes we had ever been in that were this size we had jumped out - we were not hoping for a repeat of this! It had one flight attendant, just one, and you couldn't stand up straight in it. You could also touch both sides of the plane at once quite comfortably! At the end of the flight we collected our things in no rush and were last off. The pilot came out of the cockpit and had a quick chat with us and offered Al to sit in the pilot seat in the cockpit! He of course jumped at the opportunity! You don't get that experience nowadays on a boeing 747 jumbo. We arrive at 9.30pm and were the last to collect our bags. After this we headed outside to wait around 30mins for our hotel shuttle. When it arrived the driver speaks not one word of english (this is not uncommon in Miami) and we hop in. After a 10 min drive we arrive at the hotel, but no reservation and they try to charge us $20 more than we booked it for.... Luckily Al had the confirmation but unluckily it showed we were at the wrong location of the 2 same hotels in the area. "No problem sir, we will arrange for the shuttle to drop you at the correct hotel", great we thought so we hop back in to the shuttle to be dropped back at the airport by the non-speaking driver..... Another call to our correct hotel and a 30 min wait we see another bus, identical to the first but with a different driver. He speaks atleast enough english to confirm it is the correct hotel. YAY! We arrive gone midnight and head straight to bed.

So Miami is a strange one. It is not quite what the movies/songs about it suggest. The fact we had one of our two days a total washout didn't help, however we are not sure sunshine would have helped. It was not this gorgeous beachline with glamourous buildings, cars and people we expected. It seemed more like USA's answer to magaluf. We expected clear sand, cocktail bars and movie stars but we got burger joints, salesmen and seaweed - a stark contrast. When you compare it to coastlines witnessed in Asia, Australia and NZ we have to say it doesn't come close. Sorry America but you lost that one.

On the way to Orlando, the world of theme parks, we stopped at "Gatorland". This is home to hundreds and hundreds of crocodiles and alligators. They range from the tiny (the size of your hand) to the huge (about 14ft)! Some where white.... Soph got to touch one which was a great exerience for her. Al got bombarded by birds (the flying kind) in the aviary and made close friends with an orange one which was obsessed with his long hair. We also watched two gator shows including the feeding, as vultures began to circle and fight for the food, which was great. Florida is renounded for crocs/alligators so it was great to fit this in.

Next stop the theme parks for some adrenaline fueled days.

Lots of love
Alnsoph x

So we arrived in Cincinnati on the mighty Megabus and we were met by Al's Auntie Elizabeth. She very kindly took us to her lovely house where we were to stay for the next few days. We met her husband Bill and Al's cousin Robbie who, without much effort, enticed Al to engage in a game of ultimate frisbee in the garden! Later in the evening some of the rest of Al's lovely family arrived and we had a huge BBQ (what the Americans call 'grilling out') and spent lots of time having a well needed natter. Al hadn't been to see his family in the US for around 13 years so they had lots to catch up on!

The next day was our first full day in Lebanon and Al's Grandma had kindly lent us her car for the day. Having recently watched the film 'Milk Money' which was filmed in Lebanon and included the local 'Village ice cream parlor' I was pretty keen to make sure we definitely headed to Broadway to sample some ice cream for ourselves!! We did just that and I had a scrumptious and authentic American shake made with choc-chip ice cream - very happy me! We then walked around further, looking at the famous Golden Lamb hotel/restaurant which is also featured in the movie. After this, we headed to nearby Caesar's Creek (well nearby in USA terms - it was still 25mins drive away!) where we walked a very cute little trail taking snaps of wildlife and basking in the good weather. Our final excursion tat afternoon was a trip to Waynesville, a place renowned for antiques and old-school shop facades. I was in heaven, but Al not so much so I bought a couple of little bargain things and tried not to bore Al too much! Back home, we dressed up for a trip to the lovely American restaurant the Olive Garden with Al's Gma and Gpa. Spoilt travellers!
On the way back from dinner, we took a detour down memory lane (for Al) as we were driven to his grandparents previous house where he had visited as a child and had many fond memories. It was amazing for me to see and Al was pretty chuffed to be able to see it again despite Gma & Gpa no longer living there. A good day!

So today was the day we'd been looking forward to... Al's Mum and Stepdad David were due to arrive! We surprised them that evening at the airport (with the help of Auntie Elizabeth!) and although they looked a bit dazed from their long flight, they were definitely happy to see us! The next day, Al's cousin Kelly was off work and kindly took us four and Auntie Eliz to a place called Yellow Springs, a little nature trail with a waterfall. We were lucky with the weather again, bright sunshine and we had lots of fun trekking together. We went into central Yellow Springs to look round the shops and have a tasty lunch at Peach's Grill.

As the week progressed, the weather took a turn for the worst so we decided to head to Dayton one day to visit the Wright B flyer museum, home of a replica of the first ever airplane! We had a brilliant tour guide and it was a pretty interesting display despite the museum only being the size of the plane hangar! We then headed to 2nd street indoor market for a spot of some tasty fresh lunch and to buy some amazing strawberry flavour yoghurt covered pretzels, mmmm! We headed home for the main reunion night of Al's family and we had a vertiable feast laid on by Al's other Auntie Carol! We finished off the night with Al's cousins taking us to a little pub/bar in Lebanon and perhaps a few too many beers for Al man! With a sore head the next day, we spent more time seeing family before cooking up a homemade Mexican feast, paid for by Anne and David - lovely people!

Monday and... Al's birthday! I was sneaky and crept out at 8am with the help of Elizabeth to get some supplies and create Al's surprise birthday cake - a Hamburger cake! He was out with Anne, David and Carol all morning (more ice cream parlour and Golden Lamb visiting!) Before coming back to Carol's to find Eliz and I and the cake! He was pretty surprised and loved the cake :-) another trip to Olive Garden for birthday dinner just Al, Anne, David and I and a drunken evening making smores by the fire pit. Good times all round! Early the next morning, Anne and David were off for the second leg of their trip, flying NYC - our time with them went so quickly! But we were also off somewhere that day... to visit Al's cousin Russell's good friends Nathan and Katie in Columbus!

We prepared for our 3 hour flight to Chicago from Phoenix. At the airport we grabbed some lunch and in the excitment Soph left her wallet on a bin... Panic! She ran back from the security line to where she left it but it was gone... A man saw her panicking and asked her if she had lost a purse and luckily said he had handed it in only a few minutes prior. A very lucky escape. The flight was rather less memorable and ploded by easily. We arrived in Chicago and took a 1 hour metro ride to our accommodation - a shared apartment in the heart of Chicago. It was a nice flat with a great location and the room was very nice.

We only had 2 days in Chicago really so had a job packing things in. Luckily however, we were within walking distance from many of the main attractions in the central loop. We managed to obtain some free bags of the world renound Chicago mix popcorn from Garrett's pretty much just because we were english :-) The Chicago mix is an unusual blend of Cheese and Caramel popcorn... Eaten together I am not too sure but seperately they are both yummy. A nice area to walk around is Millennium Park which is home to the silvery kidney bean shaped attraction of Cloud Gate. It is fun to take pictures of the Chicago skyline and yourself in its mirrored reflection. Also, it is just a pretty grounds with some museums and gardens. We of course sampled the culinary delights of a typical Chicago hotdog, all 1,000 calories worth! Afterwards, we headed to an improvised comedy production after it was recommended in amongst a list of chicago activities. A fun and unusual experience.

The next day we headed to Merchandise Mart. The Merchandise Mart is the world’s largest commercial building, wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, The Mart spans two city blocks and rises 25 stories. It even has its own zip code. We then strolled up Miracle Mile and checked out the large Marilyn Monroe statue - of course Al proceeded to take a cheeky look up her skirt (google it to see what we mean). Finally a walk to Lake Michigan via Navy Pier. A large pier with many shops, restaurants and attractions. It is a vibrant place and provides excellent views of the massive lake (it is larger than the whole of the state of West Virginia measuring over 22,000 sq miles, for all intensive purposes it looks like a freshwater ocean). The pier also gives great views looking back into Chicago. Chicago is a cool city, it has a good vibe, great food and a lively atmosphere. Two days wasn't really long enough but we were eager to meet with Al's family and thus weren't too fussed about leaving.

Al's cousin Russell lives in Indianapolis with is lovely wife Lindsay and cute cute son Corwin. It is great to meet with them again and we got to spend 4 amazing days with them. The first night we went for a lovely dinner in the heart of the city (Al ate the largest burger you have ever seen while Sophie went for a healthier wrap option). We then headed to an Nba game of Indianapolis Pacers who are currently on a hot streak. Needless to say the comfortably whooped there opposition.

The next day we volunteered at a local youth centre which was good fun. This was proceed by an excellent lunch. Indy is a big food city like Chicago! That evening we headed to an amazing bar where Russel and Lindsay had a big party a few years back, two days before their wedding. It was a huge amount of fun and we stumbled in around 3:30am! The feeling we all had the next morning was not so fun however...

We also managed to do a tour of the Indy 500 speed way track which is just massive. It hosts an event each year which attracts a crowd of 300,000 people! There is a great museum of past winners of the Indy 500 and the actual cars which took part in the races up to 100 years ago. Next stop was a winery where we sampled some of the best american wines before heading out for a lovely walk across the canal and a fabulous Mexican dinner. It doesn't need to be said that we have had an amazing 4 days here and couldn't thank Russel and Lindsay enough for their hospitality and generosity! We have loved spending time with them all :-)

Next stop Cincinnati where the rest of Al's american family live and only 2 days until we see Mum and David out here. Crazy.

Lots of love
Alnsoph x

We left Vegas to dive through Arizona and into Southern Utah. Here we visited Zion National Park. A stop that we didn't originally plan but we decided to change our plans due to the good things we heard about it. As we drove up we saw birds of prey swirlling the sky and red iron oxide stained cliffs. We went for a hike to the Emerald Falls and also a short walk along the valley floor stopping at some picturesque points. A great way to spend the day.

We stopped for the night in a nearby town. In the morning Al was happy to get a round of golf for free provided by the hotel. He never thought he would say he had a round of golf in Utah amongst the cliffs and hills. We then headed for Cameron, Arizona via Lake Powell (2nd largest artificial lake in US) and the Glen Canyon Dam (4th largest in US). Here we actually got better views than Hover Dam and could appreciate it more with many less tourists. We arrived in Cameron for the night and were staying in a traditional Native American lodge just outside Grand Canyon national park. We passed many traditional roadside Native American jewellery and art stalls due to the fact we were in Navajo county (an area with a 50/50 Native American to White American ratio).

The next morning we headed early to Grand Canyon. We stopped at Dessert View Village where a watch tower from the 1500s still stands and you can climb and look out over the Canyon over a mile deep. An amazing sight. Then, along Dessert View drive we stopped at Moran Point and Grand View Point lookouts for some awesome views and took many photos out of the edge of the canyons south rim. Each lookout gives a different view of the canyon and shows off the coloursand depths of the 2 million year old canyon as well as the Colorado river! Incredible! We stopped and had lunch looking out over the canyon and went for a 5km walk along the rim. We saw two huge birds which we mistakenly thought were California Condors but were in fact Turkey Vultures ( http://www.photomigrations.com/articles/0404500.htm). Their 6ft wingspans made for impressive viewings as the swooped only a few meters above our heads. Such an unbelievable day at one of the seven natural wonders. To top it off we had a surreal experience of being served dinner in our car from a waitress on Rollerskates... :-)

Our final stop in the South West is Phoenix. We drove about 2 hours south from Flagstaff (with a short spell on the famous route 66) to arrive at our motel. It is boiling hot, about 95 degrees farenheit, so we decided to take a dip in the pool which was nice. After an early dinner we headed to 16th street and the Mercer Motuary Building where Al's auntie, Rose Johnson, painted a large mural depicting peace and hope. Rose was very famous in the area and her art work stays untouched 17 years on, quite a tribute to her exceptional talent! It was amazing for us to get the opportunity to see her work and we are so glad we visited it. For those of you interested you can google "Rose Johnson Artist" and many articles/images come up about her incredible work. Afterwards we drove to a drive-in cinema, our first experience of this. We parked up, tuned in and watched the Hunger Games in the car with the stars shining above - quite a treat.

It is absolutely mad to think what we have done in the last 2 weeks. From snowy Yosemite and its Giant Redwoods and the highest waterfall in US to the 282ft below sea level salt flats and 36 degree heat of Death Valley. The buzz of the Vegas strip along with the Hover Dam, a round of golf in Southern Utah, watching birds of prey and fighter jets fly above our heads, along with scaling he dizzy 8046ft heights of the natrual wonder of the Grand Canyon! An amazing 2 weeks and a contender for highlight of the trip. We haven't seen a hint of rain in 2 weeks, not even really a cloud - AWSOME!

Next, Chicago.
Lots of love

Alnsoph x