tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-902979726264953152024-03-05T07:59:11.785+00:00Kara's Big Fat American JourneyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-39558064085396051352011-06-14T11:30:00.000+01:002011-06-14T12:45:12.333+01:00Oooo Technology! My Big Fat American Journey is now mobile!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What a fancy schmancy world we live in! <i>Kara's Big Fat American Journey</i> is now accessable from mobile devices.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So check it out - maybe it will give you some ideas for your own USA adventure.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">K</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-29157135763812074882010-11-08T20:00:00.029+00:002011-04-19T11:59:55.585+01:00The songs that moved us: Music from coast to coast<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, I've been meaning to do this for a while so here goes... my playlist of songs covering our road trip from LA to NYC... some are classics, some are cheesy, all bring back memories from the road.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh, and I'd love your musical suggestions for other classic American songs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First up, I have chosen <i>LA Woman</i> by the Doors from their sixth and last studio album...<a name='more'></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NGn6sOtfTbc?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NGn6sOtfTbc?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Up next is the obvious, but no less classic <i>San Francisco (Flowers in Your Hair)</i> by Scott McKenzie co-written by John Phillips from the Mamas and the Papas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Travelling into the desert our next hit song is Elvis Presley's </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Viva Las Vegas</span> - </i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">some classic dancing from the King in this video!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Heading further south is Kings of Leon's <i>Arizona</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Getting spooky in Roswell it's the <i>X Files</i> theme...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">West into the Lone Star State we're greeted once again by that kick-ass band the Doors with <i>The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat).</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For a history lesson in San Antonio it's Marty Robbins with the <i>Ballad of the Alamo</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sticking in Texas is that little ol'wine drinker Dean Martin singing <i>Houston...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everytime I hear this island paradise's name I can't help but singing this song: Glen Campbell's <i>Galveston.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The beautiful southern Louisiana town of Lafayette is celebrated in the The White Stripes' <i>Lafayette Blues</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We may have seen his guitars in Nashville, but Johnny Cash sung us into New Orleans with the </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Battle Of New Orleans</span></i><br />
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And, of course, the Animals' House of the Rising Sun... I still don't think Eric Burden's face matches his voice.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our tour to the swamp wouldn't be complete without a little CCR and <i>Born On The Bayou</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Everytime I hear the name Mobile I think of this song - <i>Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again </i></span><br />
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What better than a cheesy, sugary pop song for Miami by Will Smith.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I was down in Savannah eating cream and banana when the heat just made faint... it's <i>Jug Band Music</i> by the Lovin' Spoonful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Peaches at sunshine in George with <i>Georgia on my Mind</i> and Ray Charles</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">More Lovin' Spoonful in the country music capital <i>Nashville Cats</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On our way north we stopped by the small Kentuky town of Bowling Green - one of my most favourite songs in the whole world is about this place. <i>Bowling Green</i> by Neko Case.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What else do you think of musicially when you think of Canada but this song... <i>Blame Canada</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Capital Hill no other song seems more appropriate than Creedence Clearwater Revival's <i>Fortunate Son</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This song was everywhere when we were in the city that never sleeps - <i>New York</i> by Alicia Keys</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>I'm Shipping Up To Boston</i> - Dropkick Murphys - hell yeah!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In my final goodbye to the States there is no better way than a bit of Frank!</span><br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WV02nP9PLnQ?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WV02nP9PLnQ?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-28661807650469255262010-10-16T11:30:00.000+01:002010-10-16T12:42:10.899+01:00It's a new day, it's a new dawnWell, our trip has come to an end and we're settling into London life.<br />
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If for some reason you can't get enough of my ramblings you can keep up with the adventure here: <br />
<a href="http://justanothergirlinlondon.blogspot.com/">Just another girl in London</a>.<br />
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Thanks for reading - I hope you enjoyed it xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-56036082999766265042010-09-06T10:41:00.005+01:002011-04-26T15:25:46.173+01:00New York City: So from us.. goodnightWell, here it is.. the final entry in <i>Kara's Big Fat American Journey</i>.<br />
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Over two months we have made our winding way across this great country.<br />
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Our last stop... NYC.<br />
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Our bus from Boston arrived right in time for rush hour - lovely. Thankfully, Nick's parents had treated us to two nights right in the centre of town on the corner of 52nd and 8th so it wasn't such a huge schlep from the bus stop.<br />
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The place was lovely, and expensive, friendly and very central to everything.<br />
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With only one day left in the Big Apple we planned to take on everything we'd missed the first time round.<br />
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First stop, last minute souvenir shopping - the tackier the better.<br />
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Next, to the icon of icons the Empire State Building. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprjYLKBnUN3WchRQ0b1JX7VLo1gpGznJzpBvlcbRXoIQ9eBdTutC-uMEgfxmGO9nS2gopbN4iU3P4LWweBY3yH8ociPVwwbQPYr032JEBXcNi5Y5Geu8aP8apG5yYjAfH1c8HeCAEhXg/s1600/IMG_2838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprjYLKBnUN3WchRQ0b1JX7VLo1gpGznJzpBvlcbRXoIQ9eBdTutC-uMEgfxmGO9nS2gopbN4iU3P4LWweBY3yH8ociPVwwbQPYr032JEBXcNi5Y5Geu8aP8apG5yYjAfH1c8HeCAEhXg/s320/IMG_2838.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Because of all the skyscrapers in the city you can hardly spot the ESB in close quarters.<br />
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With our CityPasses we skip most of the queues and in no time we're whizzing up the giant tower. The inside is just as beautiful as out - there was even a real life 'King-Kong' (read: guy in cool gorilla costume) posing for pictures.<br />
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For once I took up the offer of the free audio guide and it paid off as an old dude with the best Noo Yourk accent ever gave a great overview of the city sights.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefj8xKtTSTfkLgW-6h6I4_F8-DVgvIEp4sEi9_KzX7w8I7N7lkVchJe8Ehk_RPR4cfsho8KBhLlGVuVUYNNXelatkyuCGfkvyJXP68HoDt4MPXIhFUL-5YWKphuRG1jwcV9M3WkUebwo/s1600/IMG_2841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiefj8xKtTSTfkLgW-6h6I4_F8-DVgvIEp4sEi9_KzX7w8I7N7lkVchJe8Ehk_RPR4cfsho8KBhLlGVuVUYNNXelatkyuCGfkvyJXP68HoDt4MPXIhFUL-5YWKphuRG1jwcV9M3WkUebwo/s320/IMG_2841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
With the temperature rising on what was set to be a scorching day we escaped the midday sun in a near by pizza joint - cheap and cheerful.<br />
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Heading uptown we took a walk around the man-lake in Central Park.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4L7rNtShCTbJSw4kmOkBjucNWyOrcuJUxH1QX5MxBASon8Z-mEgot3aCQudIMyK77Ttrese57r4lZxj2CLHfcJX4Tv0EsAG8W9_Kw7mMB6XADlbQPB-2vRWsu5DE7Y4r99q4gS4HXLQ/s1600/P8312539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4L7rNtShCTbJSw4kmOkBjucNWyOrcuJUxH1QX5MxBASon8Z-mEgot3aCQudIMyK77Ttrese57r4lZxj2CLHfcJX4Tv0EsAG8W9_Kw7mMB6XADlbQPB-2vRWsu5DE7Y4r99q4gS4HXLQ/s320/P8312539.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
It's remarkable just how quiet a park in the middle of a buzzing city can be. The park is huge and we only managed to see a fraction of the greenery.<br />
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Back downtown I still hadn't seen the famous <i>30 Rock</i> statue - you know, the one that opens the show - I can hear the music now!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDQjzv78n81jSJK93zn3WkbH53JU3XO1kzF5cksCgrKIgQyKokSLtiFSQPOtNQqEvxb11UjjlPcuoEuemfuRfaB6jcHb3-xcOvZtlSOp__J8RUxh7Zh7tv3KcEjrhx4CbaLN3uAkNn0o/s1600/IMG_2852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDQjzv78n81jSJK93zn3WkbH53JU3XO1kzF5cksCgrKIgQyKokSLtiFSQPOtNQqEvxb11UjjlPcuoEuemfuRfaB6jcHb3-xcOvZtlSOp__J8RUxh7Zh7tv3KcEjrhx4CbaLN3uAkNn0o/s320/IMG_2852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>A few photos later I noticed a crowded gathering around the NBC store. Filming was going on.... could it be... is it she? YES! It was the awesomeness herself - TINA FEY!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt0dheIC6psxIwT2SZf6QeTlaAU5lx0XnwA1C1bqlTMi3uteY2U1xKQpIDuaBnMMeJlalzo2yoy7P0DgbYimlNImIS-OqjlYx9fPt5MUECKw6KGfg2KOkVMgzkFkRVspT4iXbR-_2LFk/s1600/P8312580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt0dheIC6psxIwT2SZf6QeTlaAU5lx0XnwA1C1bqlTMi3uteY2U1xKQpIDuaBnMMeJlalzo2yoy7P0DgbYimlNImIS-OqjlYx9fPt5MUECKw6KGfg2KOkVMgzkFkRVspT4iXbR-_2LFk/s320/P8312580.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>OMG it's Liz Lemon! I made Nick take multiple photos on his super zoom - I love you Ms Lemon!<br />
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What other way to finish the perfect day than soak up the bright lights of Times Square one more time.<br />
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We gave into the easy option and had dinner at Olive Garden - complete with cocktails!<br />
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And that was that - two months have come to and end. Back to the hotel and off to bed, hopefully to get a good night sleep before our big flight to London.<br />
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<i>More photos of our NYC adventure <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kara.segedin/NewYork#">here </a></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-65192953234096004012010-09-05T21:47:00.000+01:002010-10-25T16:33:45.264+01:00The Final Blog... is comingThe last time you visited us we had just spent a swelting day around Boston.<br />
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Now, we are back in the city that never sleeps...<br />
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Check back tomorrow for the final chapter in this amazing saga...it's gonna be a good one.<br />
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Plus exciting news for people who actually enjoy reading what I write.<br />
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Kara xAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-24421765805820273782010-09-04T04:30:00.003+01:002011-05-11T15:23:59.791+01:00Shipping around BostonOn what turned out to be one of the hottest days in Boston this year we hopped aboard the city loop tour bus to take in as much as we could of the city in one day.<br />
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All the drivers on the loop seem to be Irish or Italian American men aged 55 plus and they love their city and they love to talk.<br />
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The waterfront section of Boston is airy, beautiful and green, but according to our drivers it was once dominated by a large overground motorway system.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU9zAck8kczn8tZVNJ2ATGDeCCOg9ogMq6-UqpXhVwVUAkymw3RHsZtgCW4KN0WlhNBEEO_kPNxeOofJNB0Fh0m6LQ3D5CHB9KF0-8mwK8UZvVtuyrIfLcehEe9_g6tOCzFdGAPt4K0M/s1600/IMG_2764.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522783044549623634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU9zAck8kczn8tZVNJ2ATGDeCCOg9ogMq6-UqpXhVwVUAkymw3RHsZtgCW4KN0WlhNBEEO_kPNxeOofJNB0Fh0m6LQ3D5CHB9KF0-8mwK8UZvVtuyrIfLcehEe9_g6tOCzFdGAPt4K0M/s200/IMG_2764.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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It would take a lot longer than one day to take in all the history in the city. Revolutionary sites and battlefields are everywhere and easily reached by the loop bus.<br />
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The place of Paul Revere’s famous ride, the site where the American’s drove out the British, the outside of the <i>Cheers </i>bar, Little Italy and Chinatown – they’re all here. Markets aplenty you could find enough great food to fill a lifetime in Boston.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE21sK6Quw2pJ8G8RwTKKRzoEc0mq1HQLe9wmWHwGwFoeA6zicNXsHsFxSH4h7UnMErD5V_srIaKv_JjslhFcGycL163RcRsdAYkiOmDgrHr1UyEihp3GUGR80CvXQuVA_c5A0jegVBg/s1600/IMG_2780.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522783993569322354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE21sK6Quw2pJ8G8RwTKKRzoEc0mq1HQLe9wmWHwGwFoeA6zicNXsHsFxSH4h7UnMErD5V_srIaKv_JjslhFcGycL163RcRsdAYkiOmDgrHr1UyEihp3GUGR80CvXQuVA_c5A0jegVBg/s200/IMG_2780.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRjVYx6ovCLclukXnjCFzllTUHCB2BwNGycPTF1Seo-rJVyohwtcUpVKxbdRq45RC1LaiiRWsWsHlJONqfqyV_oVl7QAt10c1VGiS5wVbROSV2cniAuCApgHJj3GpfJXVnS18GfMUZAY/s1600/IMG_2766.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522783405142153746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwRjVYx6ovCLclukXnjCFzllTUHCB2BwNGycPTF1Seo-rJVyohwtcUpVKxbdRq45RC1LaiiRWsWsHlJONqfqyV_oVl7QAt10c1VGiS5wVbROSV2cniAuCApgHJj3GpfJXVnS18GfMUZAY/s200/IMG_2766.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWPbNsakVv-2pbwk1zdoP8Ru9-go7ArDHUGvqQEExhZNhBZtUIBheNeNs63jhvy_i7PEJz6CPWflbMfVTvU-Abnb4xSxSiiPKKaBUXyIsWqVPNyf55iETEFgAm8U6Oqz_ks4lF-IaUcU/s1600/IMG_2770.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522783572303688162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWPbNsakVv-2pbwk1zdoP8Ru9-go7ArDHUGvqQEExhZNhBZtUIBheNeNs63jhvy_i7PEJz6CPWflbMfVTvU-Abnb4xSxSiiPKKaBUXyIsWqVPNyf55iETEFgAm8U6Oqz_ks4lF-IaUcU/s200/IMG_2770.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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A short ride on a second loop bus and we were in Harvard University. We were there just before the start of semester so the place was packed with students, their families and visitors alike in the scorching sun.<br />
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With not enough time to really see anything in great detail and a sick-with-flu Nick we grabbed lunch at a gourmet burger joint <a href="http://www.bgood.com/">B.Good </a>- so tasty!<br />
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No time to waste we were back on the bus and off to the home of the Boston Red Socks, Fenway Park.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpQIrFUPcEQ3XcUWhi-RHMdVqIZ09NwoUedCHEnSPpLCSD-OD5ndf7LcyoJs_kdyBnwqReDi9iDbaTSaQFXsBmNFA3SzDs4icBId1kk_zpzRxGJQ8q-x57e4b9URo9NZYYrwdg283CBo/s1600/IMG_2814.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522784293388478978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqpQIrFUPcEQ3XcUWhi-RHMdVqIZ09NwoUedCHEnSPpLCSD-OD5ndf7LcyoJs_kdyBnwqReDi9iDbaTSaQFXsBmNFA3SzDs4icBId1kk_zpzRxGJQ8q-x57e4b9URo9NZYYrwdg283CBo/s200/IMG_2814.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Gw5khIfZz2T8mlp3YURp4mc1fGOIw7M05aSoicqseGUzvhEGD7VV7Uba8y-XxrdQwQlPTSisdeZTq0HCQ58LGixztaAgu4ROw1j4rvzyA_j547km9K2JjfawIa5_StUE-xX9A8YyV0g/s1600/IMG_2796.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522784427669460050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Gw5khIfZz2T8mlp3YURp4mc1fGOIw7M05aSoicqseGUzvhEGD7VV7Uba8y-XxrdQwQlPTSisdeZTq0HCQ58LGixztaAgu4ROw1j4rvzyA_j547km9K2JjfawIa5_StUE-xX9A8YyV0g/s200/IMG_2796.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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We got there at the end of a park open day – if only we’d know earlier – so headed straight to the park store.<br />
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Several purchases later, Nick left the proud owner of multiple Boston patches and t-shirts.<br />
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We decided to stick with our hotel area for dinner and had a pretty fantastic Chinese meal. The bartender was cool too and actually knew some stuff about New Zealand – which meant he accepted my drivers licence when I ordered some Japanese plum wine!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-22100353288079591382010-09-03T01:00:00.005+01:002011-05-11T15:24:23.235+01:00Boston: Gummy-Bears to go?A rather long, non-stop bus north brought us to our second to last destination – Boston.<br />
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After circling the massive bus/train terminal a few times we were on way, bags and suitcases and all, to our hotel in the Theatre/Chinatown District.<br />
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The hotel was pretty lovely – there are no cheap digs in Boston, well none that we could find.<br />
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We found this pretty decent Italian place across the road – and dirt cheap. The reason it was so reasonably priced was there was no table service, instead you place you order at a giant counter – several stations for pizza, several for pasta and another for anti-pasta.<br />
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Plus drinks were cheap too! Yes!<br />
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Instead of mints after the meal there is a GIANT tub of gummy bears.<br />
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“Would you like some gummy bears to go?” asked my waitress.<br />
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“Why yes!” and I was presented with my very own pack of lollies.<br />
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Next door was a fabulous ice cream store where I had the best butter caramel pecan ice cream in a m’n’ms mini dipped cone ever.<br />
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A night time walk around the park later and it was time for bed.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-90854521098660981052010-09-02T18:52:00.005+01:002012-01-16T15:31:18.960+00:00New York: High culture in the big cityToday was a day for some culture and what better place to get a good dose than New York City.<br />
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First stop Moma – <a href="http://www.moma.org/">the Museum of Modern Art</a>. I had been looking forward to this visit, but to be perfectly honest it really had nothing on the Tate Modern in London.<br />
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There were several standout pieces including works by Picasso, Van Gogh and Matisse, but the overall collection seemed to lack something, the place was noisy and full of people. And the building itself didn’t have the same arty feel as the Tate’s power station.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_F9ujvj4hrMHO4_ph_NYwpdtG_8VtGyTQALcDmchM16sGAl50ahsxPvmVfwvTUvH5qOOEtgJF87TG-pr6ApKyHL549h2kA8EBY0XtAzQOKLvsBC-RmVnut8wbPW7CF_7jymjIW87lQxI/s1600/IMG_2749.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520540648998186642" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_F9ujvj4hrMHO4_ph_NYwpdtG_8VtGyTQALcDmchM16sGAl50ahsxPvmVfwvTUvH5qOOEtgJF87TG-pr6ApKyHL549h2kA8EBY0XtAzQOKLvsBC-RmVnut8wbPW7CF_7jymjIW87lQxI/s200/IMG_2749.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7facbUJ2tclPX3qwff7RZ0nDS2fP7GguqhUSZPcFcX1AsTTJ4rEjqPdW58gTq_Mo0kJ2On43dnjV_hcefB15z2imN4wzrn91djZm9HsIRBduk40Y4JXf6EBPzqQjn7SXZOuSNZlQHE4/s1600/IMG_2754.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520540902100463010" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv7facbUJ2tclPX3qwff7RZ0nDS2fP7GguqhUSZPcFcX1AsTTJ4rEjqPdW58gTq_Mo0kJ2On43dnjV_hcefB15z2imN4wzrn91djZm9HsIRBduk40Y4JXf6EBPzqQjn7SXZOuSNZlQHE4/s200/IMG_2754.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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It didn’t help that most of the 3rd floor was closed so we didn’t get to see any of the Pollock’s, Rothko’s or Warhol’s.<br />
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It was nice to see some works by the Guerrilla Girls on display.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rEfgP3Okhe9GqVd5x2LzY3KV2e9pPIHxL9RGZBpQjjuqbky5ZxixZ6YDInADHsb6tpcxbeI71PaaxQWVmuiWA3hmKUjewEOVl3v3vG-oHhLWANFW_vSuJdVcX5vivdSQLqEi2lzkOF4/s1600/IMG_2759.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520540226985072754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rEfgP3Okhe9GqVd5x2LzY3KV2e9pPIHxL9RGZBpQjjuqbky5ZxixZ6YDInADHsb6tpcxbeI71PaaxQWVmuiWA3hmKUjewEOVl3v3vG-oHhLWANFW_vSuJdVcX5vivdSQLqEi2lzkOF4/s200/IMG_2759.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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After partaking our in our first street side New York hotdog, we took a short train ride uptown and we were at the <a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/">Metropolitan Museum of Art</a> – the Met. More of a classic museum, the Met displays man-made objects from Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome to the Middle Ages and the present.<br />
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Like the Smithsonian museums in Washington the Met is a huge maze-like building with several days’ worth of sights.<br />
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While the focus is definitely Western, there are several Asian collections on display including ancient Chinese and Japanese amour. <br />
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Sticking with the Asian theme our next port of call was the famous New York stop – Chinatown. Here we each picked up a medium sized wheelie bag to house all the extra supplies we’d pick up on our travels.<br />
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Well, tomorrow we’re off to Boston – the final stop on our journey before coming back to New York and on to London.<br />
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<i>More NYC pics <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kara.segedin/NewYork#">here </a></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-8775609247464278972010-09-01T17:40:00.000+01:002010-10-25T16:35:11.107+01:00Back in actionHey!<br />
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It's been far, far too long, but finally I'll be bringing you the final blogs from our great adventure.<br />
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Watch this space and over the next few days you'll be filled in on the action!<br />
<br />
KaraAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-47989616165215556152010-08-31T09:30:00.004+01:002012-01-16T15:30:30.440+00:00More NYCWhat does one do on a sunny August day in NYC? Go to the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/stli/">Statue of Liberty</a> of course. <br />
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That was also the plan for thousands of other tourists, but thanks to our city passes we managed to skip our way to the front of the lines - VIP style.<br />
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After being packed onto our ferry we were taken to our first stop, the lovely lady herself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPA58n99WuTo4PXDwBeEKQcmSQq0mdFP0vgWIFx5em_XuEPEwJcP6xbX8X_8dwuDHr_dKBKEaJ8OvmDp5_I5DXhJ-CjHv7itzplSVXg91vft9tDZz6exTlK6mRcOmHfgJEgSDIHH1q-U/s1600/IMG_2627.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511764455793373490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKPA58n99WuTo4PXDwBeEKQcmSQq0mdFP0vgWIFx5em_XuEPEwJcP6xbX8X_8dwuDHr_dKBKEaJ8OvmDp5_I5DXhJ-CjHv7itzplSVXg91vft9tDZz6exTlK6mRcOmHfgJEgSDIHH1q-U/s200/IMG_2627.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Liberty isn't as tall as I'd expected but no less impressive - the perfect weather was a plus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1c5TOoAjETz8iFpnQPGknCWZHq1mqxXMCFJImFT-8SOomImggWtRHaFZRyA_suBksXqQgaNSsxU8qgE5Ynqm87SIkzOGJPL1KbhNFk7BPecI-PJxFzQygQCtd3XTG1o7a4OOUylvOYc/s1600/IMG_2663.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511766958411377506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU1c5TOoAjETz8iFpnQPGknCWZHq1mqxXMCFJImFT-8SOomImggWtRHaFZRyA_suBksXqQgaNSsxU8qgE5Ynqm87SIkzOGJPL1KbhNFk7BPecI-PJxFzQygQCtd3XTG1o7a4OOUylvOYc/s200/IMG_2663.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Fun fact of the day: the Statue of Liberty is actually coloured bronze, but the sea air turns it green - I think it suits her!<br />
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Much walking and photograph taking followed and once again we were packed onto our ferry for a short trip to <a href="http://www.ellisisland.org/">Ellis Island</a>.<br />
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The experience of being shepherded and crammed onto a ferry helped get us in the mood for Ellis Island - once the main point of entry for immigrants to the US.<br />
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You'd need a whole lot of time to really get anything out of Ellis Island and since we were running around we didn't get to see much at all.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCH16_kRtsUK0_4XRXMrZRcpGBcN8rrEh4wjE39uqKPfzFlSlNMRcSuiq8loSrgdGncrOLBTbxYXqwmjm3tbTTrfLnrIRHoV2c4Hs9JMqUMqUReMvLVmVWiQtogrtGXiTA3IXip_isr8Q/s1600/IMG_2684.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511766543956065618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCH16_kRtsUK0_4XRXMrZRcpGBcN8rrEh4wjE39uqKPfzFlSlNMRcSuiq8loSrgdGncrOLBTbxYXqwmjm3tbTTrfLnrIRHoV2c4Hs9JMqUMqUReMvLVmVWiQtogrtGXiTA3IXip_isr8Q/s200/IMG_2684.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Back in Manhattan we took a short walk uptown to Ground Zero.<br />
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Now a large construction site the city is looking to the future. But a memorial museum near by will make sure no one will forget the attack or the victims.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL92pXWyAF14pwYnmR-lQsQw30CHHLVtiRsgU-4FSRS52u-VbEi6xA8NdnwDZhZVjS4lqHTycFe8teZz97SNf-qj7mthTlrLTbFIckGS11JQ6kGAGBixFqsseGozR5wqYyv1vsksDTgAQ/s1600/IMG_2687.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511768645940745394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL92pXWyAF14pwYnmR-lQsQw30CHHLVtiRsgU-4FSRS52u-VbEi6xA8NdnwDZhZVjS4lqHTycFe8teZz97SNf-qj7mthTlrLTbFIckGS11JQ6kGAGBixFqsseGozR5wqYyv1vsksDTgAQ/s200/IMG_2687.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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A timeline traces the events leading up to the morning of September 11, 2001 with remains of the towers on display.<br />
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The most moving part of the exhibit is the display of photos and mementos belonging to each person who was killed put together by the victims' families.<br />
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Since the loss of the Towers the <a href="http://www.rockefellercenter.com/">Rockefeller Building</a> has reopened its glitzy, art deco observation decks to the public and that's where we headed next.<br />
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Part of the Rockefeller Plaza (were <i>30 Rock </i>is set), we arrived at the <i>Top of the Rock</i> just before dusk - and the place was insanely crowded.<br />
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There are three separate decks - each slightly higher than the last.<br />
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And, well, the views of the city speak for themselves....<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxV0F9G6fKmrNLq-QvzSPnDNR7UI0iuq7wYG7JxS2OtfX0RGTOdDt67Umi4zXqF6EExyFKgSgHgdSPOcQuGVMGzRhwoUTqlHBMhfToE-xzWhZCpJYP2qLIPD1mLbzvbAxtzoRbiAARfc/s1600/IMG_2694.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511771345257175730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirxV0F9G6fKmrNLq-QvzSPnDNR7UI0iuq7wYG7JxS2OtfX0RGTOdDt67Umi4zXqF6EExyFKgSgHgdSPOcQuGVMGzRhwoUTqlHBMhfToE-xzWhZCpJYP2qLIPD1mLbzvbAxtzoRbiAARfc/s200/IMG_2694.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR84_q2MlmQDgE5AoJXWXmwGfCBnsVIYyjuojsfoH9UCFjdjAjwxulqotAPOy2YCTgTf9v9lv9406czOTg5AjwMFlg_kUYIQ_L-43j0wAMaUgfT06_A1IkdPFqNJRTPZ-FwO0XR8Ox-IM/s1600/IMG_2713.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511772844229406418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR84_q2MlmQDgE5AoJXWXmwGfCBnsVIYyjuojsfoH9UCFjdjAjwxulqotAPOy2YCTgTf9v9lv9406czOTg5AjwMFlg_kUYIQ_L-43j0wAMaUgfT06_A1IkdPFqNJRTPZ-FwO0XR8Ox-IM/s200/IMG_2713.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ85mmCKZL7XY8SlKUs0tuaFMRzTPLmb1yCj-wA4pJ_nT0vmfMC80aGvDWVeLD9RXYnc8gNAj4nBsAFPN3ZrWo5cTBNekl9xQzFP7SB8XiXAtRQ7hwnckdO3Lnc1zNo7keeN83PVjGC-0/s1600/IMG_2741.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511773450025314882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ85mmCKZL7XY8SlKUs0tuaFMRzTPLmb1yCj-wA4pJ_nT0vmfMC80aGvDWVeLD9RXYnc8gNAj4nBsAFPN3ZrWo5cTBNekl9xQzFP7SB8XiXAtRQ7hwnckdO3Lnc1zNo7keeN83PVjGC-0/s200/IMG_2741.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a></div><i>More pics from NYC <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kara.segedin/NewYork#">here </a></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-51661527180116216132010-08-31T03:45:00.008+01:002012-01-16T15:29:22.393+00:00NY. NY (with a little bit of Dave)After two months of travelling we made it - New York City!<br />
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This leg of our journey began in DC with a four hour long bus ride north to the Big Apple. <br />
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It's hard to explain approaching NY from the distance as the city comes into view. The bus made its way through the complex NY streets to drop us at our stop by Penn Station around 4:30pm.<br />
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Without time to think we were on the Subway catching the E train to Times Square followed by the N train to Queens.<br />
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Our hotel was in a great location just across the river and 10 minutes from the centre of town. There was a great cafe below the train serving fresh food and magnificent cupcakes and with a server who called Nick "Boss".<br />
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Our first full day in the city was a little aimless. We were trying to find a place to buy a <a href="http://www.citypass.com/new-york">City Pass</a> (entry to the main sights) but ended up walking around the insanely busy Broadway area.<br />
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It was here we were approached by a man with a clipboard.<br />
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"Would you like to come to a taping of the <i>Late Show with David Letterman</i>?"<br />
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Hell yes! I'd tried getting ticket online under my and Nick's name, but with no luck. Going to the show was one of my top must-dos for NY.<br />
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All we had to do was answer a show related question correctly. Our question - "What is the name of Dave's production company?" Answer given by me: Worldwide Pants!<br />
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We have a winner.<br />
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The man with the clipboard told us to head over to the Ed Sullivan Theatre between 2-3pm to pick up tickets. People who were phoned for tickets got to sit on the floor while the rest of us sat up in the balcony.<br />
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Filming began sometime after 4:30. The theatre it small so even though we were up top we were still close to the action. First up was a video staring stage manager Biff Henderson. Next, a comedian warmed up the crowd then it was time for the Late Show band to take the stage before Paul came on.<br />
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Finally Dave makes his entrance and has a quick chat with the crowd before disappearing again for the real start of the show - tonight's guests: Christina Applegate, Miss Universe, some band and some comedian.<br />
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The band keeps the auidence entertained during the breaks and despit what looks like organised chaos everything runs smoothly on stage.<br />
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After the show we walked passed the Hello Deli and Rupert was inside sitting at the counter - I'll have to go back at some point for a photo!<br />
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To finish the night we took a stroll around Times Square with its bright lights and family friendly chains - still an impressive sight, but too commercial for locals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5SyiZuChpc9H1_q58FtSvPov26FYKfVe-MC_CYgM92Lddeu5FnGIwbU2L5iU8m59FjxzSwRhW8a2twEt_auvNWHMfpOba_deK8TCcXJeWnW1cPZwfLmsxGApLeGyzZgh6JOkmPND1K0/s1600/IMG_2615.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511407353471297042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5SyiZuChpc9H1_q58FtSvPov26FYKfVe-MC_CYgM92Lddeu5FnGIwbU2L5iU8m59FjxzSwRhW8a2twEt_auvNWHMfpOba_deK8TCcXJeWnW1cPZwfLmsxGApLeGyzZgh6JOkmPND1K0/s200/IMG_2615.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-59770134417990968432010-08-27T09:30:00.013+01:002012-01-16T15:28:29.956+00:00Washington: A capital time in DCSorry about the pun, but I couldn't think of anything else. <a href="http://washington.org/">Washington DC</a>, the US Capital. Home to the White House, Congress, museums and grand monuments Washington was the first place I visited where I really felt surrounded by a sense of history.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510297463966973490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIiySsgEAZ5Onnz8g0knAxBrF4x_O5uA4U-2g4I93-3WqJN-oTB2hI-od6-frYuHpHU47Sk9nt0r_pICtUJb23RGDcxtEYcE-7rYkkCxc-aIPbwFI9tN3L94-Y1dkNNKqKzTCdC3puBdU/s200/IMG_2500.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /><br />
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<div align="center"><i>The White House</i> </div>We stayed in Arlington VA, 10 minutes from the centre of town by metro - possibly the easiest train system I've ever ridden.<br />
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DC is a budget tourist's, and photographer's, dream. About a dozen <a href="http://www.si.edu/">Smithsonian Museums</a>, Congress, the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/wamo/">Washington Monument</a> and <a href="http://www.nps.gov/linc/">Lincoln Memorial</a> are all free to visit and within a fairly easy walk of each other.<br />
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Leafy green trees line the inner city streets and there are parks everywhere.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR5NXYofhl-AIgobdnRn2BaImOkUr3FFoO_FwQqeaLESKajlia4p3r1ZXPc2XEldRj1k2UKxFBivS9sfOvjZCzNqc0MJxf1WPuMIjWfQLnKUllad9lp3nEiD7X9f0N-JRBJNEtdex75U/s1600/IMG_2515.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510297669497700178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpR5NXYofhl-AIgobdnRn2BaImOkUr3FFoO_FwQqeaLESKajlia4p3r1ZXPc2XEldRj1k2UKxFBivS9sfOvjZCzNqc0MJxf1WPuMIjWfQLnKUllad9lp3nEiD7X9f0N-JRBJNEtdex75U/s200/IMG_2515.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
<div align="center"><i>The Washington Monument</i></div>The Smithsonian Institute runs museums all around the main area of DC covering subjects from air and space, national history, natural history and American Indian Culture - there's easily a weeks worth of viewing if you can handle the crowds and pushy people.<br />
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Out of the above museums I'd recommend the <a href="http://www.mnh.si.edu/">Natural History Museum</a> followed closely by the <a href="http://americanhistory.si.edu/">National History</a> as the main ones to visit.<br />
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They are both mazes of artifacts and information you'd need hours to make sure you'd seen it all.<br />
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The Natural Museum has a huge collection of animals, dinosaurs, early human artifacts and precious stones, including the Hope Diamond.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKDsevHPFQbX1N_LAKxpqVM2Pi8aB9v-kGX0Bk7ksWcEFrhqlJGQfR3sK3ikBXL3qw0C100vZUVqji-sUjC-BvO82rDnU_GNdb99eoxplbeXnsz8io1Wz_5pteFoWLDatTFHH01J54h8/s1600/IMG_2459.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510297019894890946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFKDsevHPFQbX1N_LAKxpqVM2Pi8aB9v-kGX0Bk7ksWcEFrhqlJGQfR3sK3ikBXL3qw0C100vZUVqji-sUjC-BvO82rDnU_GNdb99eoxplbeXnsz8io1Wz_5pteFoWLDatTFHH01J54h8/s200/IMG_2459.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>One big hunk of blue rock - the Hope Diamond</i></div>The National Museum's prize piece is the original Star Spangled Banner - ridiculously huge - and Dorothy's Ruby Slippers.<br />
We started out sight seeing at the top of the hill at Congress. A beautiful building, the only downside is we didn't get to explore the inside.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwswJ2pvAcbTqv2SOSu_tbAPqhrWDXihCVT6k4FSU00D3leDg_e6a3BLtrNxgWG6b5hA2zPq9fqBxaf5mKr6zQ9Hd7dtQPJ3s2UHWVYcAw1AqoBum7ilikCE7rEXLqpvzYUaIybffEGn8/s1600/IMG_2576.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510299379366289586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwswJ2pvAcbTqv2SOSu_tbAPqhrWDXihCVT6k4FSU00D3leDg_e6a3BLtrNxgWG6b5hA2zPq9fqBxaf5mKr6zQ9Hd7dtQPJ3s2UHWVYcAw1AqoBum7ilikCE7rEXLqpvzYUaIybffEGn8/s200/IMG_2576.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>So they didn't really blow it up in that movie - Congress.</i></div>Following the gardens we walked all the way to the Washington Monument passed the reflecting pool and onto the Lincoln Memorial.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiArtc1_Fqb0W-Ii-p9IcbvU3tcNA5uLVNM2I9d8U3SP4lT8wzZ9DzQbBZ3ZAZaSXzkIOiylHHCgSHiAvDSzktXvAyWZCbXKes8XveaHmZOFpTDznDkB9wEd43KWvru69os-cuUelSGU/s1600/IMG_2523.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510298633561200050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiArtc1_Fqb0W-Ii-p9IcbvU3tcNA5uLVNM2I9d8U3SP4lT8wzZ9DzQbBZ3ZAZaSXzkIOiylHHCgSHiAvDSzktXvAyWZCbXKes8XveaHmZOFpTDznDkB9wEd43KWvru69os-cuUelSGU/s200/IMG_2523.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
<div align="center"><i>Me, the Monument and the Reflecting Pool</i></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKFqTWrpZVDNGeCJXcURgPK-Yl5SUiUHDc1hE75fqEkOlAQkUgBtp3dy99-PlteklHvTj6I0x1oFqFd9F1wTITlGU7deZ0lxDSQqEWP6OfrpB5PrM1bxW3NGQjPiSIinz9Wp2B0cKrKk/s1600/IMG_2528.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510298946829121762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCKFqTWrpZVDNGeCJXcURgPK-Yl5SUiUHDc1hE75fqEkOlAQkUgBtp3dy99-PlteklHvTj6I0x1oFqFd9F1wTITlGU7deZ0lxDSQqEWP6OfrpB5PrM1bxW3NGQjPiSIinz9Wp2B0cKrKk/s200/IMG_2528.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
<div align="center"><i>Ab Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial</i></div>To complete our trip we went to the National Holocaust Museum and Arlington Cemetery - the final resting place of JFK and hundreds and thousands of soldiers (over 30 funerals are held there each day).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc-Z4IDtO8yQJN6bKpSVbfIg-YExI_N5ZLzbgCraETg-h54vJk0OKhngcrramS8SybtAaeSareZt7OXP9HTmT042tFzyrhuvnAvDr0_H-cXMBoJ1O8qV0Igwxj2UAsh9uO8zxdwTkIHc/s1600/IMG_2592.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510300068973278786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWc-Z4IDtO8yQJN6bKpSVbfIg-YExI_N5ZLzbgCraETg-h54vJk0OKhngcrramS8SybtAaeSareZt7OXP9HTmT042tFzyrhuvnAvDr0_H-cXMBoJ1O8qV0Igwxj2UAsh9uO8zxdwTkIHc/s200/IMG_2592.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div align="center"><i>Arlington Cemetery</i></div>Since we were right by the Pentagon we thought we'd pop by for a visit, but with reconstruction still underway after the 9/11 attack there wasn't much to see just a tall wooden fence blocking our view.<br />
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There was a policeman with a machine gun patrolling a maintenance area by the subway entrance as we were leaving - only in America... or France.<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">So that's two big thumbs up for DC. The only sucky thing was the lady who wouldn't sell me a Margarita with my dinner because she wouldn't accept my NZ driver's licence.<br />
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<i>More pics from Washington DC <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kara.segedin/WashingtonDC#">here </a></i></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-40006895940120925392010-08-23T09:30:00.018+01:002012-01-16T15:25:19.105+00:00Niagara Falls & our Canadian adventure – eh!All thanks to a little miscalculation on our itinerary. Here we are in Canada! <br />
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We weren’t entirely sure we could get into Canada yet alone get back into the US. But after taking to a couple of people and a quick read of the <i><a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/index.jspa">Lonely Planet</a> </i>website we were 99.9 per cent sure we’d be fine.<br />
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We were staying on the US side of the falls a largely working class and industrial area just outside of Buffalo. It does have some good views, but it isn’t as naturally blessed as the Canadian side and amenity wise it has a long way to go.<br />
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Pretty much every friendly Canadian we met wanted to know why we weren’t staying on their side and offered some teasing words about their American neighbours.<br />
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All in all we crossed the bridge between America and Canada three times, each with varying degrees of hassle and questioning, but it was a fairly quick and painless experience.<br />
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We were expecting the falls to be inside a national park similar to the others we’ve seen on our travels, but civilisation is built up right around Niagara.<br />
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I also thought it was going to be a lot higher, but totally underestimated the width and size of it all. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7p3sl6UFOWP5_TEzRNhLaUj-1eSuurlXdGz1hXNGtZIw18R8qJ3B9OqJfuL1V-JOAJHKDcNYd4e-oLBfXxW7qFMEWJi7B413DOwPA7kkPCXS4H8L7OKvq90qbYtUWSWMZI_J4yY_Szb4/s1600/IMG_2350.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508813393781484834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7p3sl6UFOWP5_TEzRNhLaUj-1eSuurlXdGz1hXNGtZIw18R8qJ3B9OqJfuL1V-JOAJHKDcNYd4e-oLBfXxW7qFMEWJi7B413DOwPA7kkPCXS4H8L7OKvq90qbYtUWSWMZI_J4yY_Szb4/s200/IMG_2350.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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You get so close to the raging water with only a waist high stone wall separating you from a rather large drop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5mzmQO45da-Vo5MCppyvturnCCtV7e7Rtpfd59w9NNDVO78UsBY8amIcV19DLVsplbT97moF7Kr7vLsWcflnSspSzlwryiAK1sl1iVwb5a6uURdLUuDxTPKpaRGQyK1n8_wMVuQDnME/s1600/IMG_2378.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508809515851769922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq5mzmQO45da-Vo5MCppyvturnCCtV7e7Rtpfd59w9NNDVO78UsBY8amIcV19DLVsplbT97moF7Kr7vLsWcflnSspSzlwryiAK1sl1iVwb5a6uURdLUuDxTPKpaRGQyK1n8_wMVuQDnME/s200/IMG_2378.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Dotted along the length of the falls are several early 20th Century buildings left from the old power station. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6X5iExbRkXJb_o95DPvmyPMrdU36yToAxqFlnnMpY5U6BwE5RBcQhj0aov5AJNZfIeNDUG5LFNxz2eEhsUMlyGK8BdhurasG-QCqaWPDNNGibFUhrallT_41_vfSDERawOhEtjmPYPZI/s1600/IMG_2372.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508812083052326594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6X5iExbRkXJb_o95DPvmyPMrdU36yToAxqFlnnMpY5U6BwE5RBcQhj0aov5AJNZfIeNDUG5LFNxz2eEhsUMlyGK8BdhurasG-QCqaWPDNNGibFUhrallT_41_vfSDERawOhEtjmPYPZI/s200/IMG_2372.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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There are actually two falls you can see from the Canadian side the smaller US Falls and the large Canadian horse shoe falls – which is communally called Niagara Falls.<br />
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So much mist comes off the falls when you walk passed in certain places you get soaked and on a sunny day rainbows appear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwweRLxIrKwOmsewg43OqfnALC3jKfWVT7_QuCsLN1losnLf9atzAad39zfm7fcd6Er7HNOX2HVgu3cJCak3N32MShvEUAPAYF4SKVIc8qfLFJ5FagGb4tuxBGD2FNkQADFPxQhYLLpo/s1600/IMG_2361.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508808680779062882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwweRLxIrKwOmsewg43OqfnALC3jKfWVT7_QuCsLN1losnLf9atzAad39zfm7fcd6Er7HNOX2HVgu3cJCak3N32MShvEUAPAYF4SKVIc8qfLFJ5FagGb4tuxBGD2FNkQADFPxQhYLLpo/s200/IMG_2361.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Not sure exactly what to do we bought a <a href="http://www.niagaraparks.com/plan/buy-tickets-packages.html">four adventure pass</a> which included a walk to the white water rapids, a film showing the creation and journey of the Falls, a trip down to viewing platforms at beside and behind the wall of water and finally, a ride on the legendary Maid of the Mist.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXi2dbK3zZys6Uairhm7OuQlIvocRp80-OSQe9Qs5ox4XRhRJmU0xbg02fx5XaGsFI6H7BJpQ2ifU-C099EW4cf7-BEIsRcEQ4meazy11tq0_MIj6uI53HvU0GclzyfjgdAEgCT6h6VQ/s1600/IMG_2278.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508822810499740146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXi2dbK3zZys6Uairhm7OuQlIvocRp80-OSQe9Qs5ox4XRhRJmU0xbg02fx5XaGsFI6H7BJpQ2ifU-C099EW4cf7-BEIsRcEQ4meazy11tq0_MIj6uI53HvU0GclzyfjgdAEgCT6h6VQ/s200/IMG_2278.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzhz-UvpN9Qflq-Pf40ywFIgvgAzNyh5wsJgEA14z1Vs36392TR3bGaOtid6HRJTALgb2LAMnka8upiQhilqS98lvVIhQnrmZiIO5GDw1WGAiHFUCNWLX4zEuxZ05iThczvHpDK7w3yI/s1600/IMG_2346.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508820676246903810" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzhz-UvpN9Qflq-Pf40ywFIgvgAzNyh5wsJgEA14z1Vs36392TR3bGaOtid6HRJTALgb2LAMnka8upiQhilqS98lvVIhQnrmZiIO5GDw1WGAiHFUCNWLX4zEuxZ05iThczvHpDK7w3yI/s200/IMG_2346.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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With $10 Canadian left in my wallet we went for some good clean fun at the arcade.<br />
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Like the Grand Canyon, there's not too much you can say about the splendor that is Niagara Falls - you really have to see them for yourself.<br />
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Traveller’s tip: if you park at the $16 a day carpark and stay until after 10pm the booth person will be gone so you don’t have to pay! Nice!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1u1DOLMsn8jXwcIC4ToeB8nadLK5xqA-6AEcQuLtjHeFE3B1r9EjpXrqZPDzQnq0X6XcH7cCsh8UUJO4SXnZTvnMuTG5L0R656WY_5U38u4DvIFILSP8JXe_3oXo03PrlurQODw-2wY/s1600/P8191900.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508808015979273090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg1u1DOLMsn8jXwcIC4ToeB8nadLK5xqA-6AEcQuLtjHeFE3B1r9EjpXrqZPDzQnq0X6XcH7cCsh8UUJO4SXnZTvnMuTG5L0R656WY_5U38u4DvIFILSP8JXe_3oXo03PrlurQODw-2wY/s200/P8191900.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-88758468349160973782010-08-20T09:30:00.006+01:002012-01-16T15:21:53.115+00:00Oh, hi there OhioPoor Cincinnati, it is the newest recipient of the title “most unexciting city” on our trip which was fine for us because we were just in town to relax before a several days of long drives.<br />
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It didn’t help Cincinnati’s case that we were there in the middle of several large thunderstorms and torrential rain <br />
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Moving on from Cincinnati we found ourselves in Cleveland and with one afternoon in town we went straight to the <a href="http://rockhall.com/">Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame</a>.<br />
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Just outside of the CBD, the Hall of Fame shares part of the Lake Erie shoreline with a science museum and the Cleveland Indians’ baseball stadium.<br />
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With hours of concert footage and interviews you could easily spend a full day at the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Along with rock artefacts such as John Lennon’s guitar, David Bowie’s Ziggi Stardust outfit and Bon Jovi’s motorcycle there is a lot of serious music history – but not too serious.<br />
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The downsides: 1 - the building closes pretty early, the Hall of Fame at 5:30pm and the museum at 6pm and 2 – no photos! This is supposedly because most of the items are on loan and the artists don’t want them photographed, but I think it has more to do with the gift shop selling images and books.<br />
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I did manage to sneak this picture on my cell phone – it’s the suit John Lennon wore on the cover of <i>St Pepper’s</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJIOhB1l0rJiuicNV8cnp7qICWIg6nfxATuDo-nU52PYAf0lKXh9_WhEVuEx4lG2OS_Os1P3BtKXGD2HIiy0tdtRaUi9ciFTgQ1IvZSvzVNXAdqS-MmnOKl5Zy0cqXlYiUAoTqkHn1nc/s1600/Photo-0005.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507601609696691074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJIOhB1l0rJiuicNV8cnp7qICWIg6nfxATuDo-nU52PYAf0lKXh9_WhEVuEx4lG2OS_Os1P3BtKXGD2HIiy0tdtRaUi9ciFTgQ1IvZSvzVNXAdqS-MmnOKl5Zy0cqXlYiUAoTqkHn1nc/s200/Photo-0005.jpg" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 160px;" /></a><br />
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So, for now it’s goodbye to Ohio and hello to New York State – and who knows, maybe even Canada.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-25870380574413292742010-08-17T09:30:00.007+01:002012-01-16T15:21:14.472+00:00Tennessee: Nashville CatsHow did we end up here – heading back westward? Somehow our itinerary was missing five days so we had extra time up our sleeves before we had to arrive in DC. <br />
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And <a href="http://www.visitmusiccity.com/">Nashville Tennessee</a> seemed like the perfect place to visit.<br />
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Staying a short drive from downtown, the first thing I did was book tickets to the <a href="http://www.opry.com/">Grand Ole Opry</a> - "the home of American music" - the radio/live show that's been running since 1925.<br />
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The twice weekly show is back in its original venue after flooding earlier in the year closed the new complex in Opryland.<br />
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If we’d been there in two weeks we could have seen country superstars Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood (omg).<br />
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Driving into the city it’s hard to miss the giant <a href="http://countrymusichalloffame.org/">Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum</a> with piano key-shaped windows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlTVAE-yx4VVaLYDzBQ5ns66G2xnjLAyVsHt29yLl0C4a2hhXNtsOk4xh2uR7Ghehor7lr4-kuXCCUdsuwyBUwca1BKQKNGVYIt1iQeKRN-mVyYgmQizociwC8i1znvnAQSsTBfBInPM/s1600/IMG_2073.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506583804074795346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNlTVAE-yx4VVaLYDzBQ5ns66G2xnjLAyVsHt29yLl0C4a2hhXNtsOk4xh2uR7Ghehor7lr4-kuXCCUdsuwyBUwca1BKQKNGVYIt1iQeKRN-mVyYgmQizociwC8i1znvnAQSsTBfBInPM/s200/IMG_2073.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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The museum is wonderfully put together and would interest any music lover – country fan or not.<br />
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Interactive exhibits, movies and displays chart the development of Country and its influences.<br />
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Numerous guitars, fiddles, banjos and mandolins that belonged to the likes of Johnny Cash, Karl Perkins and Hank Williams are displayed throughout the museum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbAOnqCPY0lCK-C499NQJQiyiCb5-9X-TJYuKqKSwAhXRtQxvjL0rAUCi7fALZ0VVa9eycwppmHdc6YAB218Vh1kwLWdIUi29qVqPRRP9AaONWv9YYlL1YW-1eE2Evy3_SDn_ZDi3_Zo/s1600/IMG_2066.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506584621673917186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvbAOnqCPY0lCK-C499NQJQiyiCb5-9X-TJYuKqKSwAhXRtQxvjL0rAUCi7fALZ0VVa9eycwppmHdc6YAB218Vh1kwLWdIUi29qVqPRRP9AaONWv9YYlL1YW-1eE2Evy3_SDn_ZDi3_Zo/s200/IMG_2066.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk9aR4XM8cMkCrd9YN7iIutGeFCjEFz9GcyC37oChGzb7HTM-hsGSZFSsn30uy_JECeocZBc87PVfi2KAWjuUc3im8t_D7Gg7muDX_OOeTeg77A1Tv72gKGNu69ZpzMSJMk_5KTgEuas/s1600/IMG_2036.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506584218852878370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPk9aR4XM8cMkCrd9YN7iIutGeFCjEFz9GcyC37oChGzb7HTM-hsGSZFSsn30uy_JECeocZBc87PVfi2KAWjuUc3im8t_D7Gg7muDX_OOeTeg77A1Tv72gKGNu69ZpzMSJMk_5KTgEuas/s200/IMG_2036.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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On a more extravagant scale, the museum also has Elvis Presley’s golden car and golden grand piano. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z3XU6XVeJDlofPdroCSSCJm-HSMlXXK__JvsEl54qZhk2QL04v9-04GcnolrZVZS2iXP1qfl0V3kQy7niKB3PGrDJp5rD3es7IgLxx0UY4WhI9emTTaD52yEV5QiuCUXX6Cb3CmOSgA/s1600/IMG_2055.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506583301631388162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Z3XU6XVeJDlofPdroCSSCJm-HSMlXXK__JvsEl54qZhk2QL04v9-04GcnolrZVZS2iXP1qfl0V3kQy7niKB3PGrDJp5rD3es7IgLxx0UY4WhI9emTTaD52yEV5QiuCUXX6Cb3CmOSgA/s200/IMG_2055.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlYxYB3EDRoTsrtd0S6Nr3lbcwbnxEHboHlca_eE3nu-Er6AsI05994civ6inppzUiIteswqBkEM3LjoeubR_ttoUS51CCdhNpF6LBNIh1OdPmOsOUVVWrSI9NgfFYxKgOXe0Vxp-GU4/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506583526357435922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlYxYB3EDRoTsrtd0S6Nr3lbcwbnxEHboHlca_eE3nu-Er6AsI05994civ6inppzUiIteswqBkEM3LjoeubR_ttoUS51CCdhNpF6LBNIh1OdPmOsOUVVWrSI9NgfFYxKgOXe0Vxp-GU4/s200/IMG_2050.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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The last part of the museum holds items from recent country superstars and exhibits based around song writing. <br />
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Final stop on the tour is the Hall of Fame honouring the important figures in Country Music history.<br />
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The main entertainment area is one block away from the Museum and is centred on Broadway. Not a terribly large area, from 2nd Ave to 5th Broadway is covered with bars, venues and souvenir shops – kind of like a mini New Orleans, but less seedy and more hillbilly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUP8xJ_am9CgxLbGzhlurEVkn70twdoI_gi_1v78z67Xrwjw2LkGoYi6ZqcLBDcH97PIogMVanlePceQkQKsSChitfUYYsdN028N1Mi_VpmgJWcU9umm6mj3oGuWCsaQUBSdpNg-RzzU/s1600/IMG_2078.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506585045310082962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUP8xJ_am9CgxLbGzhlurEVkn70twdoI_gi_1v78z67Xrwjw2LkGoYi6ZqcLBDcH97PIogMVanlePceQkQKsSChitfUYYsdN028N1Mi_VpmgJWcU9umm6mj3oGuWCsaQUBSdpNg-RzzU/s200/IMG_2078.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmk5IzC3tg_wP_dl06VJxIzq4uYiiIIwq19dWgP0zilU5nB1aX5hL9WExIi0R9NAOPxKH64vbnRWNYgjqA7sD6E2J2xO-tTAzCL4aP7auWRFU7HFHANDSzKZQLhvq8LkLuveqdp_3lF0/s1600/IMG_2079.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506585308358684226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmk5IzC3tg_wP_dl06VJxIzq4uYiiIIwq19dWgP0zilU5nB1aX5hL9WExIi0R9NAOPxKH64vbnRWNYgjqA7sD6E2J2xO-tTAzCL4aP7auWRFU7HFHANDSzKZQLhvq8LkLuveqdp_3lF0/s200/IMG_2079.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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A handy free bus service loops the city and we hopped aboard for the Tennessee State Capitol building and farmers’ market which seemed to be going through a series of renovations so was less than impressive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_QiHciivcDOOBjAbRGp3ls2J8VVWLEcZyroJJxYDEtLPHM9eLYANjhtHZ0Nt8lVENcreVRUwOMkjeLvZI-p5ckCBDxAdxTREBh-V7Wupzx6_D44pdKu_S-0aW4xPMQqrn4YhjGsen4M/s1600/IMG_2083.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506585553248847378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP_QiHciivcDOOBjAbRGp3ls2J8VVWLEcZyroJJxYDEtLPHM9eLYANjhtHZ0Nt8lVENcreVRUwOMkjeLvZI-p5ckCBDxAdxTREBh-V7Wupzx6_D44pdKu_S-0aW4xPMQqrn4YhjGsen4M/s200/IMG_2083.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Later on that evening, we came back in town at the Ryman for the Opry.<br />
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The building is very old with two circular levels. The design features many beams and posts means there are a number of seats where your view is more wood than performer.<br />
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With popcorn and drinks in hand, and an unblocked view, we settled in for the show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUU3eXp71L-X_rUC33ik-VUcpbGgGIqZDGyVkyzSMVFdUGy0Yb46nmYJ2RZoUsF3BO6BqU_-ygBY9z6hFXmAbTolAQphfZjkqI3279v8VGxkWntIJfSZpJj_AqCKtrT7uv_XXS8WaB94o/s1600/IMG_2089.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506585928838636546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUU3eXp71L-X_rUC33ik-VUcpbGgGIqZDGyVkyzSMVFdUGy0Yb46nmYJ2RZoUsF3BO6BqU_-ygBY9z6hFXmAbTolAQphfZjkqI3279v8VGxkWntIJfSZpJj_AqCKtrT7uv_XXS8WaB94o/s200/IMG_2089.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Out group of performers ranged from old-time hall of famers who still have it to up and coming country heart throbs.<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NUlVs2u4St8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NUlVs2u4St8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit;">As the show is broadcast live on the radio the ads are recorded live by an announcer as well - in a very cheesy 1950s way. The song in the video above is a cover of the Johnny Cash number <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">'</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Luther Played The Boogie Woogie' by </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Marty Stuart </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">and His Fabulous Superlative</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">s.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The setlist for our outing was...</span><br />
Friday August 13:<br />
7:00: Mike Snider(host); Jeannie Seely; Jimmy C. Newman; Chuck Wicks<br />
7:30: Ricky Skaggs(host); Jim Ed Brown; The Whites<br />
INTERMISSION<br />
8:15: Bill Anderson(host); The Grascals; Vince Gill<br />
8:45: Marty Stuart(host); Riders In The Sky; Connie Smith<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></div><br />
So next time you find yourself in Nashville make sure you check out the Opry!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-47205043256798715732010-08-15T09:30:00.007+01:002012-01-16T15:19:41.607+00:00Atlanta: Cola, crabs and CNNAtlanta was a city I’d never given much thought to, but as we found out it has some neat attractions that don’t have much in common with each other.<br />
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Atlanta is the birthplace of <a href="http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/">Coca Cola</a> and home to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/StudioTour/">CNN Headquarters</a> and an impressive <a href="http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/">aquarium</a>. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF4u1WeMa8zCGe_w5Nx3aOnF4k8OG3ZZAlqyMWCtt0oHGP80p7WY0xKUbBRZ4tPJlDJjPH89jZJr5fa-G2wf318NAlZf11ipIoc7nFMCWXR3bfC0TRdU9skUvd8YTbVojbR3qNDCy_0o/s1600/IMG_1853.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506203649638078498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCF4u1WeMa8zCGe_w5Nx3aOnF4k8OG3ZZAlqyMWCtt0oHGP80p7WY0xKUbBRZ4tPJlDJjPH89jZJr5fa-G2wf318NAlZf11ipIoc7nFMCWXR3bfC0TRdU9skUvd8YTbVojbR3qNDCy_0o/s200/IMG_1853.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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We pulled up to our hotel just after 2pm and despite what the outside and surrounding area looked like it was nice and basic on the inside and close to the above attractions.<br />
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I found the people of Atlanta friendly and helpful – if you look even just a little lost you’ll have plenty of offers for directions.<br />
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A 10 minute walk away was the World of Coca Cola - part museum and part corporate showpiece. Oh, and you get to try over 60 different types of Coca-Cola drinks from over the world and you can have as much as you like!<br />
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Even as someone who thinks Coke is revolting, I found the collection of Coca-Cola advertising and products through the years fascinating though it would be in nice if they included more of the history – how did the inventor come up with the flavour? How did Coca-Cola become such a large, multinational company?<br />
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The museum features a large collection of Coke themed art - check out the NZ bottle in the backgroud...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7o20fGpkOjZdtqZmb9YhmIMMk0o8YoAac0-pPYa3o5dAHgWviJyawOf9CRcpltpeAVNO5LWYvFBAEltoDAVlQrX4t2RjP4xypvE5QOCE-sGyIYRSRWbGNaFYYOcE8uOOo8IXm4WKoiF8/s1600/IMG_1826.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506202263570158562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7o20fGpkOjZdtqZmb9YhmIMMk0o8YoAac0-pPYa3o5dAHgWviJyawOf9CRcpltpeAVNO5LWYvFBAEltoDAVlQrX4t2RjP4xypvE5QOCE-sGyIYRSRWbGNaFYYOcE8uOOo8IXm4WKoiF8/s200/IMG_1826.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-TuMZNip_uRnASGUcF1j6hZuXEXl0ioKvUGV8p5Tp_kQEPgz7JNS3mDZv0BQqg0pVx_tAs1OBIj5JMYZ6XDKonAVQtwq3S5sns2mwv7qsQCTenxlqFKsiX6ceLLlEVGcs2Q3oVPRFU4/s1600/IMG_1849.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506202772796352162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz-TuMZNip_uRnASGUcF1j6hZuXEXl0ioKvUGV8p5Tp_kQEPgz7JNS3mDZv0BQqg0pVx_tAs1OBIj5JMYZ6XDKonAVQtwq3S5sns2mwv7qsQCTenxlqFKsiX6ceLLlEVGcs2Q3oVPRFU4/s200/IMG_1849.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Once you’ve toured the exhibits (or before and after if you’re like us) you come to the tasting room.<br />
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Divided into pods by region, Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and South America, you can sample your way around the globe.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYy0Rf4OmyD_ke8yU_AL6OLoMDWepMLFrUGBwJM0AjLrO1EPXEz1NuY1WiaHaKZnsluJQ1mRmgY_G-RQ35srzxWM2Y3iwBCySdLJn1_nEjjVQv8xQq2vQEiZaQKptTatTLFhv5oJSNj58/s1600/IMG_1845.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506202992101574082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYy0Rf4OmyD_ke8yU_AL6OLoMDWepMLFrUGBwJM0AjLrO1EPXEz1NuY1WiaHaKZnsluJQ1mRmgY_G-RQ35srzxWM2Y3iwBCySdLJn1_nEjjVQv8xQq2vQEiZaQKptTatTLFhv5oJSNj58/s200/IMG_1845.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Overall, Asia and South America had the nicest drinks (ummm to the Chinese fizzy watermelon drink) while Africa and Europe were largely hit and miss (Italians are sick with their drink of choice!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpp2KJV0J7zw5fOmFvU9u8kjkR5AHyZklCTYj_WLzDm0p2kepUnzups609MR2QQYK5v-1RIHSirtO8F_xAIPrIz093oIzJxxAAaccUiesvvrCOieD9avPc-2_iGzCLCmrlPCAwyMx9S4/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506203144428265458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYpp2KJV0J7zw5fOmFvU9u8kjkR5AHyZklCTYj_WLzDm0p2kepUnzups609MR2QQYK5v-1RIHSirtO8F_xAIPrIz093oIzJxxAAaccUiesvvrCOieD9avPc-2_iGzCLCmrlPCAwyMx9S4/s200/IMG_1847.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Once you’ve sampled to your heart’s content you can pick up a free souvenir bottle of Coke made right there in the building.<br />
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Still recovering from the sugar high of the previous day we walked through the 1996 Olympic park to the CNN building.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-bcZrIkqdwLTA4mMVc25mpBEcKTJxJJ4hLAuNfqYhWvFJsAD7-qrEMd7rVIk8A83WU3r3I2VfjNkHIbK89c9-D5uNorJg75zn9wWrk6lT48zcccfUSt-vi4sLLRLlRXZ0UtPwKwtxZI/s1600/IMG_1860.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506203937265047874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix-bcZrIkqdwLTA4mMVc25mpBEcKTJxJJ4hLAuNfqYhWvFJsAD7-qrEMd7rVIk8A83WU3r3I2VfjNkHIbK89c9-D5uNorJg75zn9wWrk6lT48zcccfUSt-vi4sLLRLlRXZ0UtPwKwtxZI/s200/IMG_1860.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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The massive building has its own food court, hotel and shops. It would be a great place to work if you could get passed all the tour groups trotting by your office window.<br />
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The majority of the shows are filmed in the Atlanta studios (including AC 360) as is the CNN website and radio stations. Larry King is shot in LA while several opinion shows are made in New York.<br />
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The hour long tour goes by fast and you get to see quite a lot of CNN including listening in on the director and crew working on a live show and watching a presenter live in the studio.<br />
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If anyone who works at CNN reads this feel free to hook me up with a job at the London bureau.<br />
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***<br />
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Over the road, the Georgia Aquarium holds a collection of thousands of different species of fish and marine animals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZ0D4Tm9ccTtyFFxXHfRI5ZVw5pgY0se2Ba3q7GqMF1BUTTF7jXnFSgjyN9LMkAD-mxmTOfTVYyjeMhgPp1__v7ySZqJBLsYNtsWAa6Yk9LoN7gJWTDl6W9KCzo7GTKCKn9ceATOOo98/s1600/IMG_1877.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506204226497814962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyZ0D4Tm9ccTtyFFxXHfRI5ZVw5pgY0se2Ba3q7GqMF1BUTTF7jXnFSgjyN9LMkAD-mxmTOfTVYyjeMhgPp1__v7ySZqJBLsYNtsWAa6Yk9LoN7gJWTDl6W9KCzo7GTKCKn9ceATOOo98/s200/IMG_1877.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Exhibits include tropical, fresh and arctic water sea creatures including a chance to pat small sharks and stingrays.<br />
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Thankfully it wasn’t too jam-packed and it kept us entertained until closing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PTjBX3kAoIabdEcPD2yW6wK_UhR9bWaWuWDqHtTg-0Xc7HgAiXVl3TA4f1Wvp64Xa3I2kE0ny5cOQ2HmDuvxXTY7VuH5y31O2TFaHTB9yXAfrfnKrhiQOqNZa4spzkqngOV0Q8OlzdM/s1600/IMG_1928.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506204462518708946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PTjBX3kAoIabdEcPD2yW6wK_UhR9bWaWuWDqHtTg-0Xc7HgAiXVl3TA4f1Wvp64Xa3I2kE0ny5cOQ2HmDuvxXTY7VuH5y31O2TFaHTB9yXAfrfnKrhiQOqNZa4spzkqngOV0Q8OlzdM/s200/IMG_1928.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 152px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-84930378756644556982010-08-13T09:30:00.015+01:002012-01-16T15:17:38.953+00:00Georgia: I was down in Savannah eating cream and bananaSouthern charm is everywhere in <a href="http://savannahvisit.com/">Savannah, Georgia</a>. A national historic site, Savannah is a handsome town with 18th and 19th century architecture, 22 green city squares and a cobble stoned waterfront.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhMrIjyj8Xpyh0BedpXTe-eGYEBth9xJschFlL6lSXu_f-04C707GinBX3NijIt1qY4lkKt2_aGAFSKO85Q0Jpi9HCpWcJcsCZgQnKZg5O-4dmFMww-VxgOQviMYP6Q92si7ys6pyt_o/s1600/IMG_1732.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504677798910432466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhMrIjyj8Xpyh0BedpXTe-eGYEBth9xJschFlL6lSXu_f-04C707GinBX3NijIt1qY4lkKt2_aGAFSKO85Q0Jpi9HCpWcJcsCZgQnKZg5O-4dmFMww-VxgOQviMYP6Q92si7ys6pyt_o/s200/IMG_1732.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Three different operators give trolley car tours around town and they seem to cover the same route and point out the same sites. We took the cheapest tour, <a href="http://www.oglethorpetours.com/">Oglethorpe</a>, because it looked the best, but it wasn’t so great – average really. They would have a better chance of being the best if they didn’t spend so much time justifying why their tour was cheaper than the others and just getting on with providing a great tour!<br />
Anyway, our driver/guide gave us a good overview and helped us get our bearings. He spoke very fast to get everything in and said he was “fixing” to do stuff a lot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxxAFi5L93VDxWM2kUG5f_ytEeXsWFhavoG9HSH7l4onaIRoynnYnDIscqFjBgMKQUM22HjGXfOR1g6lkUdcM-6X6N4Igswn9CtjnH1NF4ZCqGSR57uSEWXuqMY0I9ot37dqr0Z7Vr8o/s1600/IMG_1739.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504678047622321778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRxxAFi5L93VDxWM2kUG5f_ytEeXsWFhavoG9HSH7l4onaIRoynnYnDIscqFjBgMKQUM22HjGXfOR1g6lkUdcM-6X6N4Igswn9CtjnH1NF4ZCqGSR57uSEWXuqMY0I9ot37dqr0Z7Vr8o/s200/IMG_1739.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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We got off the tour in Market Square and spent the rest of the day wandering up and down soaking in the atmosphere.<br />
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Movie buffs will find this interesting – beside a wall in Chippewa Square a famous bench sat and on that famous bench a famous speech was made…<br />
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“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.”<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpvBruuD40IIqhK6UFr781P6iguNexxwWFEwYhOZjuNFb3zI_L3mPnyJCakdNstNyKoDihsepfZkuBCFZZf1CgAbPO-AohmVYrS1EbYIObaUCYXj0wFzMLqEGUQp_n4eTXFKPB83i3BQ/s1600/IMG_1747.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504678488710705826" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdpvBruuD40IIqhK6UFr781P6iguNexxwWFEwYhOZjuNFb3zI_L3mPnyJCakdNstNyKoDihsepfZkuBCFZZf1CgAbPO-AohmVYrS1EbYIObaUCYXj0wFzMLqEGUQp_n4eTXFKPB83i3BQ/s200/IMG_1747.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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That famous scene from <i>Forrest Gump </i>was filmed right here and now the locals know the park as Bubba Gump Square.<br />
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However, the bench was just a prop - you can see it in one of the town museums – and there never was a bus stop there either.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkL_Xh2s3AbX91S4DPhD5-T-7uEsLc-h7RGkfROywzZzwtqMdekI7vKuAXhKIZtQzsqA0DldTmBRI13SlFm7k-AZZQFZIiKI1bR5AWgX5zY3HWbpufXKjMUwkNGEwbT5mjiwYV1M5I0CA/s1600/IMG_1744.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504678261665269554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkL_Xh2s3AbX91S4DPhD5-T-7uEsLc-h7RGkfROywzZzwtqMdekI7vKuAXhKIZtQzsqA0DldTmBRI13SlFm7k-AZZQFZIiKI1bR5AWgX5zY3HWbpufXKjMUwkNGEwbT5mjiwYV1M5I0CA/s200/IMG_1744.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Dinner was at a little place on the waterfront where I had the best chicken, strawberry, pecan salad ever – and a pretty darn good piece of key lime pie!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qjb0pf6sZrMNYjVPLDuOqdyNCXYhq4MgTQO28z8wElMlgWK9pSImTOEBCQgZAXaUmXeNg-pgL-PJWL-JdgnMMBzzknnqyuyn6XKkASbswbE2MnDj5UwXT8HkATDY83vQvaHDymtGIW8/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504678758540142370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8qjb0pf6sZrMNYjVPLDuOqdyNCXYhq4MgTQO28z8wElMlgWK9pSImTOEBCQgZAXaUmXeNg-pgL-PJWL-JdgnMMBzzknnqyuyn6XKkASbswbE2MnDj5UwXT8HkATDY83vQvaHDymtGIW8/s200/IMG_1811.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OZqeWd-rAc9bgSDZxiFncSdKAW0LuclP4xQv02xmPfwcvOhCFVsBu6QfxR9dZeg0YleTyvPOBnxUwEwgO8LfnWTlvwtCsjiUB8JHRyRQPu8t4qwCq3qV8TN_9iIypXJ-aWWH7DwU7UA/s1600/IMG_1817.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504677159863999714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_OZqeWd-rAc9bgSDZxiFncSdKAW0LuclP4xQv02xmPfwcvOhCFVsBu6QfxR9dZeg0YleTyvPOBnxUwEwgO8LfnWTlvwtCsjiUB8JHRyRQPu8t4qwCq3qV8TN_9iIypXJ-aWWH7DwU7UA/s200/IMG_1817.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-19881365075080680492010-08-12T09:30:00.015+01:002012-01-16T15:16:02.143+00:00Louisiana - The forgotten blog: Bounding on the BayouWell now how did that happen? I left out a whole adventure from the blog – and one of the coolest things we got to do – our Louisiana swamp tour.<br />
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Thirty minutes south of New Orleans and on our way to Florida several different operators run tours of Cajun country. I can’t think of why we chose <a href="http://www.cajunencounters.com/">Cajun Encounters </a>other than their pamphlet looked good – and we chose well.<br />
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In the heavy southern air we waited with around 50 other people in the small (and airconditioned) gift and snack shop. When our local guides arrived we were split into two groups and boarded our river boats.<br />
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The journey began in a wide, open river. Here we saw a variety of birds and turtles and unique plant life. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYnqFmmUrIHuXGqJRjGkNjAARVb06yWsoYjsI-LzOdpPv4O1Uhh6ZB4AWPf2NE8EhpSY6PkjCl-peLDzsArcJYrFGa5Pg_1IbhsJJWYogOTWDR4zOVqSGCGYuMlOBhxf0Ct6ZvAL75n8/s1600/IMG_1387.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504653339187298066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYnqFmmUrIHuXGqJRjGkNjAARVb06yWsoYjsI-LzOdpPv4O1Uhh6ZB4AWPf2NE8EhpSY6PkjCl-peLDzsArcJYrFGa5Pg_1IbhsJJWYogOTWDR4zOVqSGCGYuMlOBhxf0Ct6ZvAL75n8/s200/IMG_1387.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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The river winds and gets narrower - you are now entering alligator territory - Big Al’s to be precise. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcEaQ-1o_SpEb3cETW-3pTkpewzD74DvV8zQDGPcZ2vKw5H8cNs37gIyLPaKwaYQiu-sHpsCCzw_0CWlHjoupccp8zKzhT2lEeI1IiJUiLKe_tXa41UWjcRglDBTnYkTn_BPnnzaLsh8/s1600/IMG_1409.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504654765592998882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcEaQ-1o_SpEb3cETW-3pTkpewzD74DvV8zQDGPcZ2vKw5H8cNs37gIyLPaKwaYQiu-sHpsCCzw_0CWlHjoupccp8zKzhT2lEeI1IiJUiLKe_tXa41UWjcRglDBTnYkTn_BPnnzaLsh8/s200/IMG_1409.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Our guide tells us that Big Al is rarely seen by groups but his girlfriends frequently stop by. We were lucky as it didn’t take long for one of the giant females to appear.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7bwPsGU6bnXF-WumioVrakHDfaUAeB7YOYL4gF8d-K38pJBzKg5nZ0N-ljMJ2Gs9dIA7wJBE2BaVsJdrXot29mOZ9QIJRuL3x-_amFqqf8t7BJeshIUpM41eeScH9uwN4NArKuvk3O8/s1600/IMG_1400.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504653644184446082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7bwPsGU6bnXF-WumioVrakHDfaUAeB7YOYL4gF8d-K38pJBzKg5nZ0N-ljMJ2Gs9dIA7wJBE2BaVsJdrXot29mOZ9QIJRuL3x-_amFqqf8t7BJeshIUpM41eeScH9uwN4NArKuvk3O8/s200/IMG_1400.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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We soon found out that gators like marshmallows and wiener hotdogs and they are a great way to get the animals to hang around so you can get a good look at them.<br />
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A short detour off the main river and we found ourselves in swamp land – green, lush and full of life, Spanish Moss drips off every tree.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrY2S0ARBW6gNeA2fOEXXLoG_deu1WTC89mFbRo_Y4ULO5vyPqKGfXV8OlbrHP8ng8a53rfwTLyyyShV92HbX4WEcs126IYOYDIss7ZxPJdmER9Djm7Dzc7nkEidsrHyyDIXc78I5PRo/s1600/IMG_1428.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504654057413721266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrY2S0ARBW6gNeA2fOEXXLoG_deu1WTC89mFbRo_Y4ULO5vyPqKGfXV8OlbrHP8ng8a53rfwTLyyyShV92HbX4WEcs126IYOYDIss7ZxPJdmER9Djm7Dzc7nkEidsrHyyDIXc78I5PRo/s200/IMG_1428.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Our guide joked that we could get out for a walk here if we wanted, but had to follow it with a disclaimer that just a few weeks ago an Australian girl and a Swiss guy took him up on the offer and were soon up to their waists in swamp water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx-dthqxno1fh0G1EwtvOOi3Npyo7_se_uPnFiNFQqMO9OO7GPfR1qYI_C8X9Gek80QJrpbHff7Va1bF0LWWynt-c8zSKm7N0DZ4OkDq6nsbFg07E99Awp7XFJwA1bOyYDrCAex6fBSI/s1600/IMG_1441.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504654287400015986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFx-dthqxno1fh0G1EwtvOOi3Npyo7_se_uPnFiNFQqMO9OO7GPfR1qYI_C8X9Gek80QJrpbHff7Va1bF0LWWynt-c8zSKm7N0DZ4OkDq6nsbFg07E99Awp7XFJwA1bOyYDrCAex6fBSI/s200/IMG_1441.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Back on the river we sailed passed a community of waterside properties. <br />
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Thankfully most of these houses escaped sever damage during Hurricane Katrina however one family wasn’t so lucky. The wind and flood waters carried their home up river and there it remains on top of a riverbank. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXr08HeNPp6LKiOhRCVUek5djwi9DfAgO_zwnxVbmvFby2lkV_etRo90mG1PQK2CIfCPj3I65CKbP_YUA3f0uMnBGJcX-O90pfz95MLdlGE-n9wc2_3F5Ogj3FdVvweBUKnW0KWmbKEM/s1600/IMG_1446.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504654500500076466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJXr08HeNPp6LKiOhRCVUek5djwi9DfAgO_zwnxVbmvFby2lkV_etRo90mG1PQK2CIfCPj3I65CKbP_YUA3f0uMnBGJcX-O90pfz95MLdlGE-n9wc2_3F5Ogj3FdVvweBUKnW0KWmbKEM/s200/IMG_1446.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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A few more gators later and we were back at the visitors centre. Next time you're in Louisiana you have to take a swamp cruise.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-12564987508053296482010-08-12T00:02:00.022+01:002012-01-16T15:15:35.312+00:00Florida: Oh my it's Harry Potter!Thousands of families and screaming children here we come as we took our second ride on the theme park circuit. <br />
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This time we visited Universal Studios and its sister park Islands of Adventure – home to the <a href="http://www.universalorlando.com/harrypotter/">Wizarding World of Harry Potter</a>!<br />
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That’s right, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter the newest addition to the park that opened around May this year and a must see for any Potter geek like me.<br />
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We arrived at Islands just after 9am and already the massive crowds were evident. Thankfully most of them must have headed straight for Potterland at the back of the park because we managed to get on the very scary Hulk rollercoaster easily.<br />
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Several of the rides were similar to ones in LA but different enough to still be fun.<br />
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We were able to beat the insane wait times by taking the single rider line which let us get on rides in less than 10 minutes and many times we got to sit next to each other anyway.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo79CRgRSn3eIzRaGMjdEWX3-khfvBahN9TTE7TCqi7HdX_NmhJUkKFkScRuBfXIAwswqG_qxxdvnmQ9B4JAnNhSPrr__xPDoB845xlqlsG4JTTHqC3VXTkrdd1WltS1QLptgXJDoo7LE/s1600/IMG_1570.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504336966999647362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo79CRgRSn3eIzRaGMjdEWX3-khfvBahN9TTE7TCqi7HdX_NmhJUkKFkScRuBfXIAwswqG_qxxdvnmQ9B4JAnNhSPrr__xPDoB845xlqlsG4JTTHqC3VXTkrdd1WltS1QLptgXJDoo7LE/s200/IMG_1570.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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The park is divided up into sections including Jurassic Park, Superhero Island, Seuss World for the kiddies and, of course, Harry Potter. <br />
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Jurassic Park is next door to Harry Potter and by midday there was a line right through the dinosaurs just to get into the Hogsmead (the Harry Potter village for the un-Potter-educated) let alone get on any rides or into any of the stores. <br />
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I managed to give Nick a good laugh by accidentally wandering into the Jurassic Log flume “splash zone” just in time for a giant wave to hit me in the back of the head.<br />
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It didn’t take long to dry off and after killing time on various rides the crowds had dispersed enough for us to visit Hogwarts (the Harry Potter school for the un-Potter-educated).<br />
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Walking through the Hogsmead Gate it’s hard not to think you’re right there in the middle of the movie and you are only brought back to reality when you remember the throngs of people everywhere.<br />
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The attention to detail is exceptional. <br />
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Chimneys and snow-topped roofs reach up over the cobbled streets and windows are filled with Wizarding treats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYvB7BuQfwt88vkI35h1NtqqkT5wZOjuh_CeVSPdeZ2UnO3PqPIwZIiIwN-NlCTGnOtPgEIeEfXPQpxFXOKddljHv-p37l7SF7XfA_91P-cQqNn0LBg0LH3U5mF4nNdEm7WEonts3ZYE/s1600/IMG_1604.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504300092974537538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCYvB7BuQfwt88vkI35h1NtqqkT5wZOjuh_CeVSPdeZ2UnO3PqPIwZIiIwN-NlCTGnOtPgEIeEfXPQpxFXOKddljHv-p37l7SF7XfA_91P-cQqNn0LBg0LH3U5mF4nNdEm7WEonts3ZYE/s200/IMG_1604.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Olivandi’s Wands, the candy store and the Owl Post are all real stores and all have real queues of people outside just to experience more of the incredible detail.<br />
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Berty’s Every Flavour Jellybeans and Chocolate Frogs are for sale at over the top prices along with a variety of magical treats.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80YWHVGaoCCPnm0SNrisYLJl-cyP0eKilXR8oFKCIpZkslf5_WZghIqFYLoOGwWDCL-UqqLrQUK51tcyZNbHkGRMrBqrhr1CC-43GtkQWCBNgWewA2vU-IlT_gKLxCrSTqBgLmdom8qk/s1600/IMG_1636.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504300560320159794" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj80YWHVGaoCCPnm0SNrisYLJl-cyP0eKilXR8oFKCIpZkslf5_WZghIqFYLoOGwWDCL-UqqLrQUK51tcyZNbHkGRMrBqrhr1CC-43GtkQWCBNgWewA2vU-IlT_gKLxCrSTqBgLmdom8qk/s200/IMG_1636.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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You can even step inside the Hogs Head tavern and grab a frozen or cold Butterbeer – I got mine from a roadside stand. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_OxSl8NZLt-vxGZPYtTiq1I8A7C6D_L2SURQ0KLzmolMfYhdsfwD0Ac0T2ZtB-9LSwAyvD-Qh9NSFx58LyvEYytbEgXk-K4OgcIy7TCkbByAUOM9JTObKiTDHUSpFhkZ6Uc7gsw9gU4/s1600/IMG_1613.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504335598364495106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_OxSl8NZLt-vxGZPYtTiq1I8A7C6D_L2SURQ0KLzmolMfYhdsfwD0Ac0T2ZtB-9LSwAyvD-Qh9NSFx58LyvEYytbEgXk-K4OgcIy7TCkbByAUOM9JTObKiTDHUSpFhkZ6Uc7gsw9gU4/s200/IMG_1613.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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I don’t know how they did it, but my mug of ice cold Butterbeer tasted exactly as I’d imagined it to in my head. Very sweet and butterscotchy with a light fizz and a creamy foam on top – and no, it wasn’t alcoholic, but that would be nice. Nick said it reminded him of creaming soda,<br />
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Now, onto the rides. First up a coaster for the smaller park visitors (and the not so small), Flight of the Hippogriff, a cutesy wooded rollercoaster that swoops through the gardens around Hagrid’s home and a real Hippogriff.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOEw0Q86xN-gF0yvnXHU5HWIcz3RCHr-tg3PVbCJxZK4_8wUJ5Z8__K3yU81VZZoj4eQx48AS-H7jY7dwX7-4Ko1gWuwdrHSTOXC2b98_Vyd6U3kAklkaAYOkjnEg7O9A5ILnXlnjKik/s1600/IMG_1630.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504336275997773874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOEw0Q86xN-gF0yvnXHU5HWIcz3RCHr-tg3PVbCJxZK4_8wUJ5Z8__K3yU81VZZoj4eQx48AS-H7jY7dwX7-4Ko1gWuwdrHSTOXC2b98_Vyd6U3kAklkaAYOkjnEg7O9A5ILnXlnjKik/s200/IMG_1630.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2Ad-0fRwEfQlc7WHgrcmB-MFf-GEVr9FGvmKixkk-Q9qnpWWBYYduO5a_Y4BMNeQBYW6F_XAKvDh97fopMUVt4pv3-KDbR7mBJecDTtRanrtKcGS7hYkRz1ohn60cq58r9yhJxYIGEo/s1600/IMG_1626.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504336578230158210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2Ad-0fRwEfQlc7WHgrcmB-MFf-GEVr9FGvmKixkk-Q9qnpWWBYYduO5a_Y4BMNeQBYW6F_XAKvDh97fopMUVt4pv3-KDbR7mBJecDTtRanrtKcGS7hYkRz1ohn60cq58r9yhJxYIGEo/s200/IMG_1626.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Upping the scary stakes considerably, the duel dragon coaster has you whipping around loops and corners while a second coaster races around beside you. You can choose to fly with either the Hungarian Horntail or the Chinese Fireball and each is a different ride. <br />
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Thanks again to the single rider line we were able to pretty much jump on and off over and over again.<br />
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The third and final ride in Potterland came with the largest line we’d seen all day and it didn’t appear to be getting any shorter. So we joined the masses in the 90 minute queue for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that you into the heart of Hogwarts.<br />
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Though we waited a long time, I don’t think it really took an hour and a half to get into the castle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg3WgVZT7v36oZcB21fuYCPW-P-pxQ7ok43N9U5SNY9vaKFWHYrmN4PXTEdbWQXL9IcJnn7ZXAOPKfbIfT5DDU9eHlaVPhtuHJKG4Vx1zEzympsoXoxIogwBjMYYImHcAJPjIFEo5iBw/s1600/IMG_1609.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504335899979335506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbg3WgVZT7v36oZcB21fuYCPW-P-pxQ7ok43N9U5SNY9vaKFWHYrmN4PXTEdbWQXL9IcJnn7ZXAOPKfbIfT5DDU9eHlaVPhtuHJKG4Vx1zEzympsoXoxIogwBjMYYImHcAJPjIFEo5iBw/s200/IMG_1609.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Just before entering the Harry Potter magic begins with a tour though the herbology gardens. Once inside I was dis pointed I couldn’t bring my camera as riders with mini digitals snap away at the amazing sights.<br />
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These descriptions will probably bore anyone who’s not a Potter fan so I don’t mind if you skip ahead now.<br />
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First you enter through a grand hall passed statues of the founders of Hogwarts, a giant Gryffin and glass tubes filled with coloured sand showing how many points each of the four houses has accumulated. <br />
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Next you come to endlessly high walls covered with talking and moving paintings, including a lovely one of Dawn French, created by flawless technology it’s hard to believe they’re not real.<br />
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As you travel deeper into Hogwarts your next stop is the headmaster’s office (just like the movie!) where by further amazing technology Professor Dumbledore welcomes you to the school.<br />
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I can’t say enough about the attention to detail. Everywhere you look there are little touches that help pull you into the fantasy – cabinets full of odd and ends, dust, worn drapes and flags, floating candles, the list goes on.<br />
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Inside a classroom Ron, Hermine and Harry appear from underneath the invisibility cloak to let you know they’re about to lead a tour before Hermine makes it magically snow from the ceiling. <br />
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A final stop by the Sorting Hat and you’re on you way on an exciting ride through the school grounds and a game of Quidditch using live action, giant scenes and special effects.<br />
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By the time we got off at 9:30pm the queue was still as long as when we went in.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qnQMmdv7rIgXsfqHSrJov8QW8dNC2UnkTHBPXG6uh8U3yu0lkG85oTuhM0_OIjdIS9HXucYgtIN8cqJouUA52XzzcbJ9OBiUVhsnSL-MUI8OjV5XsWqPKxrN_A1FXUtA7NdwCN1SJZk/s1600/IMG_1640.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504337421542147842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1qnQMmdv7rIgXsfqHSrJov8QW8dNC2UnkTHBPXG6uh8U3yu0lkG85oTuhM0_OIjdIS9HXucYgtIN8cqJouUA52XzzcbJ9OBiUVhsnSL-MUI8OjV5XsWqPKxrN_A1FXUtA7NdwCN1SJZk/s200/IMG_1640.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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With two more HP movies still to come I think the crowds will be there for a long time.<br />
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<i>More magical, happy pictures from Hogwarts <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/kara.segedin/HarryPotterOrlando#">here </a></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-79096236041785027222010-08-09T09:30:00.020+01:002012-01-16T15:14:56.998+00:00We're in Miami!Hot, sticky and mainly sunny - that's Miami in the middle of summer.<br />
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We stayed in <a href="http://www.balharbourgov.com/">Bal Harbour</a> just north of the main Miami Strip and home to one of the most over-the-top rich-persons' mall ever, restaurants and a crowded family beach.<br />
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It's also home to a large number of Jewish delis, supermarkets and Kosher restaurants - and a lot of Orthodox Jews.<br />
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A few minutes drive south of our hotel are the famous sandy spots of Miami and South Beach.<br />
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From the afternoon we spent walking around the shops, restaurants and boardwalks of Miami Beach the people range from standard to stunning and everyone seems to spend a lot of time on their appearance.<br />
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Miami and South Beach are just how you’d expect them to be – endless white sand, blue sea, highrises and people everywhere. The waterfront strip is lined with restaurants and the occasional tourist store and to get anywhere you have to fight your way through the line of waiters trying to thrust menus and happy hour vouchers at you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NmXNbj4NaaGQsQIPK2ilfpNWLVuw0eGI-tyYFcVmpFZiVn8-H4LTTlaOPkZ58Bu9NDlY_HXz02S7o2T0_ncT8dcKf7Uwdh405CYjr0R5yJdq2MIGC6zu3wRXaswfVvBFmWGc5XtRtZ8/s1600/IMG_1551.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503984225429122658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NmXNbj4NaaGQsQIPK2ilfpNWLVuw0eGI-tyYFcVmpFZiVn8-H4LTTlaOPkZ58Bu9NDlY_HXz02S7o2T0_ncT8dcKf7Uwdh405CYjr0R5yJdq2MIGC6zu3wRXaswfVvBFmWGc5XtRtZ8/s200/IMG_1551.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Along the Miami waterfront and among the busy streets are rows and rows of beautiful art deco buildings. It reminded me of a larger, more tanned version of Napier.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Fi6OpYh6XyHi7oYt5S0GhAHAsborN1CH6u8MxAkMgTAVY9Uky6jGR-9HjOaeawuG-J59VCeaY5YWdoR59HWNNABmuBgr-oXNcjj-5QAqZYcEqNIqVMz-cbNBhV4DHP7WIznTj53ZbJQ/s1600/IMG_1527.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503983027727407186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Fi6OpYh6XyHi7oYt5S0GhAHAsborN1CH6u8MxAkMgTAVY9Uky6jGR-9HjOaeawuG-J59VCeaY5YWdoR59HWNNABmuBgr-oXNcjj-5QAqZYcEqNIqVMz-cbNBhV4DHP7WIznTj53ZbJQ/s200/IMG_1527.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2bTESOyiF11MBpbX4yEV1HJxrHFtogMsGnyX-HoPKU3DetlFCFA0hXX9AqNMgev45FHxWbGDBp5W_qV0RtB33QXdhV8YeuKagyrMQSImsAMF3Ln5El6dUwW2RiM4NZ-zPr5wQ4CdCuo/s1600/IMG_1529.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503983269844646130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2bTESOyiF11MBpbX4yEV1HJxrHFtogMsGnyX-HoPKU3DetlFCFA0hXX9AqNMgev45FHxWbGDBp5W_qV0RtB33QXdhV8YeuKagyrMQSImsAMF3Ln5El6dUwW2RiM4NZ-zPr5wQ4CdCuo/s200/IMG_1529.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://lincolnroadmall.com/">Lincoln Mall</a> is the main shopping and eating area and runs right up to the beach. Supposedly in the winter high season it’s the favourite place for the rich and famous to shop, but we didn’t catch a glimpse of anyone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xJr4NqeZb-xrqiX1dWhz8-4oCg_C6ldAh4k54PLkYAJHmRxZTFnf9Vq3uafPFdEk1KmQd4m2KY0GMD49RvvVwcW67FoBCL5o-cNK5P4m6AeXgo-UucnrAdiVBQwlxSblfj72_P0arvU/s1600/IMG_1514.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503983443849922594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9xJr4NqeZb-xrqiX1dWhz8-4oCg_C6ldAh4k54PLkYAJHmRxZTFnf9Vq3uafPFdEk1KmQd4m2KY0GMD49RvvVwcW67FoBCL5o-cNK5P4m6AeXgo-UucnrAdiVBQwlxSblfj72_P0arvU/s200/IMG_1514.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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Speaking of famous, the <i>Jersey Shore </i>gang were in town for the second season of their show, but we didn’t manage to see any of them either though I’m sure they wouldn’t be hard to find if you really wanted to.<br />
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Nick has been on the hunt (ha, pun) for a patch for his backpack, but Florida seems to be a patch free zone. I think we visited every souvenir, tourist and surf shop we could find and not a patch in sight. I guess people like fancy trinkets these days – like magnets. <br />
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One our second day in Miami we were ready for the seaside. For a more relaxing beach stop we drove south to the state park, <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/capeflorida/">Bill Baggs Cape in Key Biscayne</a>.<br />
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Just like the more popular main beaches, Bill Baggs has the white sand and clear waters plus an old lighthouse - and a lot less people.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmdh6iRTxkVzEZ_jsC8DqizsSb7at7ssMXm9DY2IkQIWB1XcbGndmLYijJ5M7lQHTycHJWADKeEY-QWwWLxxoRT-wDL_ALTvH7X4Xu8lu6esDBjKUaSICDxZDoLHd5tONLAVIXoinMfk/s1600/IMG_1539.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503985070319125186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDmdh6iRTxkVzEZ_jsC8DqizsSb7at7ssMXm9DY2IkQIWB1XcbGndmLYijJ5M7lQHTycHJWADKeEY-QWwWLxxoRT-wDL_ALTvH7X4Xu8lu6esDBjKUaSICDxZDoLHd5tONLAVIXoinMfk/s200/IMG_1539.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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After our last skin-crisping outing to the beach we rented one of the giant blue umbrellas for $10 and saved ourselves further redness.<br />
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Sandier than when we left, back at the hotel Nick had a new adventure planned.<br />
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Nick is a massive fan of the TV series <i>Dexter </i>(if you haven’t seen it it’s about a serial killer who helps the Police catch serial killers) which is set in, you guessed it, Miami.<br />
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Being a little bit of a <i>Dexter</i>-nerd, Nick Googled locations for the show and while it’s mainly filmed in LA it turned out Dexter Morgan’s “house” was just around the corner from us.<br />
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A short walk from our room Nick quickly spotted the famous apartments. However something told us we were not alone.<br />
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The entrance to the building was plastered with “Residents Only” signs and “No Trespassing” warnings. The area in front of the actually <i>Dexter </i>room is open and in view of all the other apartments so it’s difficult to pop in for a sneaky picture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUK1DS9dCWl5pUtVjgMAkNTdw8zBUtYEX7xCnS6S93NEO2Aet4mHCVtFUo7DrUE4PoNdO59_SZ2Zxi7XKcw2hKnBs47SA4vYnyBnYDYbvvBbDwaMF4eqkg6A1rI6K7NNtHt9-nS27mrvA/s1600/dex.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503982528333782546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUK1DS9dCWl5pUtVjgMAkNTdw8zBUtYEX7xCnS6S93NEO2Aet4mHCVtFUo7DrUE4PoNdO59_SZ2Zxi7XKcw2hKnBs47SA4vYnyBnYDYbvvBbDwaMF4eqkg6A1rI6K7NNtHt9-nS27mrvA/s200/dex.bmp" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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While I was waiting for an overly excited Nick I saw a home-made sign on the residents’ notice board which, to paraphrase, said if you see any <i>Dexter </i>fans here taking photos or videos call this number and the police will be here in two minutes - a slightly over the top reaction if you ask me for visitors simply stopping by for a quick fan photo.<br />
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For our last night we drove back out to South Beach and walked out to pier. Even though it was after 5pm it was still hot and sweaty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ObzAm_gCNaOh5t9TLsAzNZlj4MN0SxAgzyaVDCcmBDkUhZ2NWs2NWUvhBE9h3JI2JG1VX4cmwLoH6Y22ZgLiymn0cZhv-tJxKuym6yJd0vuSzDXxyE3FqyZfVKPU8jBVziRJDfS4PlY/s1600/IMG_1550.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503983824180214786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ObzAm_gCNaOh5t9TLsAzNZlj4MN0SxAgzyaVDCcmBDkUhZ2NWs2NWUvhBE9h3JI2JG1VX4cmwLoH6Y22ZgLiymn0cZhv-tJxKuym6yJd0vuSzDXxyE3FqyZfVKPU8jBVziRJDfS4PlY/s200/IMG_1550.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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We paid a quick visit to the city’s large, sombre Holocaust Memorial funded by Miami’s large Jewish population.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMW0jrxhE4Gc75H9lhq-qyg7ohpifGbPAuNEbfFJF-INVfvKYXglgLjbo57LiFvvFeTPxcLofJ_5qVT9qAMNxQtH4ez5Zl7191JjqXioEMjJFbAmsuh8-PGXy714_cp01bpYGrIAWMCY/s1600/IMG_1564.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503984841983792930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMW0jrxhE4Gc75H9lhq-qyg7ohpifGbPAuNEbfFJF-INVfvKYXglgLjbo57LiFvvFeTPxcLofJ_5qVT9qAMNxQtH4ez5Zl7191JjqXioEMjJFbAmsuh8-PGXy714_cp01bpYGrIAWMCY/s200/IMG_1564.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a><br />
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After a healthy meal at <a href="http://pashas.com/">Pasha </a>we wanted to sample that famous local delicacy Key Lime Pie, but could we find any? Nope. We settled on Reese’s Pieces and Jujy Fruits instead.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-24922125246134358222010-08-09T05:16:00.004+01:002012-01-16T15:12:14.264+00:00Tampa, FloridaYou may be wondering why this blog entry doesn’t have a snappy little title to go along with it, well, I guess I couldn’t think of anything particularly exiting to say about sleepy little Tampa.<br />
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Tampa is a nice city full of everything you need, but nothing that particularly stands out from a tourist’s point of view. A nice place to live but you wouldn’t want to visit – well, for too long at least.<br />
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Our first stop was actually in the next city across, <a href="http://www.visitflorida.com/St_Petersburg">St Petersburg</a>, home to the world’s largest private collection of <a href="http://thedali.org/">Salvador Dali</a> paintings.<br />
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The collection was impressive chronicling right from his early to late career.<br />
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Aside from all the well-known Dali paintings and sculptures, one piece I loved was from the late 70s/early 80s was a small 3D hologram of Alice Cooper singing into a skull topped microphone.<br />
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After spending the morning up to our ears in art we went back to Tampa for some more culture – the old Ybor town centre (rhymes with eeoorr) built with a strong Cuban influence. It would be a great place for dinner and drinks, but on this sticky hot afternoon we just needed a place to cool down.<br />
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We took our lovely airconditioned rental car into the main Tampa downtown area and came across this stunning building.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeshPOmirDiXo52kzhxH9VfhcVwBA_LoD0VLYSlvJH9UYfzBgBKhju3DLDcezbRpyaXOodA5ITzL137XxKWHgb7oDq6pkGpc-StdHg0mzCiVteNYOo_cngt8NJt4ZWSJAPRk5VD-GZ3c/s1600/IMG_1486.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503559399015184482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpeshPOmirDiXo52kzhxH9VfhcVwBA_LoD0VLYSlvJH9UYfzBgBKhju3DLDcezbRpyaXOodA5ITzL137XxKWHgb7oDq6pkGpc-StdHg0mzCiVteNYOo_cngt8NJt4ZWSJAPRk5VD-GZ3c/s200/IMG_1486.JPG" style="display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Originally built as a hotel, it is now connected to the University as a museum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkd_cbsB9YDJJY2IoWnGvBqGh2y1Eq6dIaU4OM8KomYjQY37sWwMArjPolBFedZlFs_7zStJbTDSELlDXesncysPMv96IIpJRMbb_-Un4hyphenhyphenVUu37ayfrUuqQ1D_MofEX7PSwqc5bpCy7w/s1600/IMG_1501.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503559671699972018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkd_cbsB9YDJJY2IoWnGvBqGh2y1Eq6dIaU4OM8KomYjQY37sWwMArjPolBFedZlFs_7zStJbTDSELlDXesncysPMv96IIpJRMbb_-Un4hyphenhyphenVUu37ayfrUuqQ1D_MofEX7PSwqc5bpCy7w/s200/IMG_1501.JPG" style="display: block; height: 200px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 150px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-71889221862245975622010-08-08T05:30:00.000+01:002010-08-09T05:15:48.851+01:00Resuming normal transmissons - hopefully.Hey reader people...<br /><br />You may have noticed an absence of posts over the last few days thanks to a lack of decent internet access - well, that's all about to to change.<br /><br />Please enjoy the backlog of posts from Florida.<br /><br />KaraAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-1752391269124214382010-08-01T09:30:00.003+01:002012-01-16T15:10:17.268+00:00Florida: Take me down to the Panama City (beach)What comes to mind when you think of summer? White sandy beaches, crystal blue waters and too much sun? Well, that’s just what we got up to when we pulled into Florida.<br />
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Our first stop in the Panhandle state was <a href="http://www.visitpanamacitybeach.com/">Panama City Beach</a> home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world (well, according to them anyway).<br />
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The main stretch of beach goes on for miles and is lined with hotels, hotels and more hotels, plus the occasional beach side shop.<br />
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I’m not sure why, but here the usually bright blue waters were full of snowflake like pieces of green algae/seaweed. But this didn’t put off the thousands of swimmers and sunbathers dotted along the water’s edge.<br />
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With only one full day in PCB we headed to <a href="http://www.floridastateparks.org/standrews">St Andrew’s National Park</a> where unspoilt beaches and walking tracks are a nice alternative to the high-rise covered main beach.<br />
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It cost us $8 for all day access to the park and once inside there are numerous beaches and wharves where you can set up for the day.<br />
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We settled on a small, enclosed patch of sand just left of a jam packed family zone.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwidllQ_ndKbxE9gDRzJPLtBm_qeOEKiLBy4gSUo8daXR8bHXuBdt_fXdrtd8Nc1jAeJzOnVXw6IZ-exRLZYOMlkSV-CGx5pThoXknyE1iKOaX_dOjzxp51r5hnS_AJ56dHS4FTVfjUYI/s1600/IMG_1482.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500613106158528578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwidllQ_ndKbxE9gDRzJPLtBm_qeOEKiLBy4gSUo8daXR8bHXuBdt_fXdrtd8Nc1jAeJzOnVXw6IZ-exRLZYOMlkSV-CGx5pThoXknyE1iKOaX_dOjzxp51r5hnS_AJ56dHS4FTVfjUYI/s200/IMG_1482.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Nick had bought snorkelling goggles from Wal-Mart the day before so headed off to try them out and soon discovered the little bay was full of schools of fish.<br />
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We really should have figured this out earlier as large seabirds hung around waiting for an easy meal. Out of nowhere the birds would fly straight up into the sky before dropping and diving below the surface for a feed of fish. <br />
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Nick made a quick run to one of the near by surf shops and came back with snorkels and goggles for all – and this is how I began my first snorkelling experience.<br />
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I was surprised how easy it was to get used to breathing through a small tube with your face in the sea. It was great simply being able to put my face under the water and see (contact lenses make this difficult most of the time) let alone having hundreds and thousands of mini fish swimming around you.<br />
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Floating through the more shallow areas mini-stingrays weaved through the sandy seafloor and brightly striped yellow and white fish came close to look at us. I wish I’d had an underwater camera.<br />
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After a full day in the water and sun, despite multiple sunscreen top-ups we’d still managed to get burnt – ouch.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-40535242495821681572010-07-30T09:30:00.003+01:002012-01-16T15:08:20.962+00:00Stuck inside of Mobile with the Alabama blues againThanks to the great song by Bob Dylan "Stuck inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again" I seriously thought we were heading to Memphis not Alabama.<br />
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It was a real flying visit to this picturesque state where we spent one night in the lazy Mobile suburb of Daphne.<br />
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There's not too much to say, but Mobile seems to be a pretty neat city, with freeways winding over waterways and a high rise skyline showing the heart of the city it would be a nice place to live.<br />
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With the little time we had, and with much excitement on Nick's behalf, we stopped at the Battleship Memorial Park home to the <a href="http://www.ussalabama.com/">USS Alabama</a> and <a href="http://www.ussalabama.com/uss_drum.php">USS Drum</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbTUGjgsx1dZgKL4LYLYr72aLuVFIr3P0jn1QaryEcnoqidad2XZzGDSd2U1qj1z7sZZJLa-wCUAx8WoBn3aczhQc7RdclzDG0KMZ2l1_nY-0rwg-RogdzZPV-RLrT1kLV4a318XJlyQ/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499886523345849874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSbTUGjgsx1dZgKL4LYLYr72aLuVFIr3P0jn1QaryEcnoqidad2XZzGDSd2U1qj1z7sZZJLa-wCUAx8WoBn3aczhQc7RdclzDG0KMZ2l1_nY-0rwg-RogdzZPV-RLrT1kLV4a318XJlyQ/s200/IMG_1447.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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The SS Alabama fought in the Pacific during WWII and Drum cruised Pearl Harbour and Japan.<br />
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Despite my initial reservations about a US Military Museum it was pretty darn cool to be able to walk the decks and climb down the man-hole of real life war machines.<br />
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With so many rooms and passageways to explore you could easily spend hours wandering the massive ship.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdoc2_8dSPnpiZRF7Zb5yZy9HtpKf40IOmLipAYMaG4IEC-nH2RTs5HyAQU5_cM6quxNPAfZ7cXpJDnYIQfabzm-N41_hoshrovcm_ook3m1w1K9h7SuAgud8ndzaIQbA3durdMPYuxg/s1600/IMG_1452.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499888320130200738" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggdoc2_8dSPnpiZRF7Zb5yZy9HtpKf40IOmLipAYMaG4IEC-nH2RTs5HyAQU5_cM6quxNPAfZ7cXpJDnYIQfabzm-N41_hoshrovcm_ook3m1w1K9h7SuAgud8ndzaIQbA3durdMPYuxg/s200/IMG_1452.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrXMWa3T4jWCeyhF6AXZf4Hh9KPWXrlCxixycxMWNRtSjJzE2I7VY1rqnivmbRd16Kih-MIYRkWxqUyCuj7kK99HKuF1jx1BKtikvF_plBD19g4cplKN87GgBiaTv1YqW6L-XUjAD_xw/s1600/IMG_1464.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499888658828082754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXrXMWa3T4jWCeyhF6AXZf4Hh9KPWXrlCxixycxMWNRtSjJzE2I7VY1rqnivmbRd16Kih-MIYRkWxqUyCuj7kK99HKuF1jx1BKtikvF_plBD19g4cplKN87GgBiaTv1YqW6L-XUjAD_xw/s200/IMG_1464.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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On the other hand, the submarine isn't for people who are afraid of small spaces. Even I had to stoop and squeeze through doorways, so anyone over 6 foot would struggle below deck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVzR6bCIwWtFOr1AFdu-89pP3bwZgf9NJUPWBNay_5gksHwrDoyUZyJ6X4TdjWkqpCzsP_MMiVly_fbbFRvf8FA-7h2nDiCvSAIVZyE3ARlJ7JQwb_shDV2dDzUuT7WefQVroZoNJR3w/s1600/IMG_1469.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499889118867592514" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVzR6bCIwWtFOr1AFdu-89pP3bwZgf9NJUPWBNay_5gksHwrDoyUZyJ6X4TdjWkqpCzsP_MMiVly_fbbFRvf8FA-7h2nDiCvSAIVZyE3ARlJ7JQwb_shDV2dDzUuT7WefQVroZoNJR3w/s200/IMG_1469.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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I'm sure this isn't important, but it really stood out to me - everything was very shinny in the sub - the instruments, pipes, levers, dials they all sparkled. I wonder is some poor pleb had to spend each and every day polishing.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn3bJ6NAJ2yEgIH5zvY6ME7RLO4X4ARuRTvQT43A9dunkdhAG1HExBZceZwWxO7NJFF1F4Y0nN-lRaG99R03YImwUC5xBFEzfC-FPskdzNht66IwdfIiV61LohOe1olbwcfA-bJHUE-k/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499889673610670546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtn3bJ6NAJ2yEgIH5zvY6ME7RLO4X4ARuRTvQT43A9dunkdhAG1HExBZceZwWxO7NJFF1F4Y0nN-lRaG99R03YImwUC5xBFEzfC-FPskdzNht66IwdfIiV61LohOe1olbwcfA-bJHUE-k/s200/IMG_1472.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 152px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90297972626495315.post-67112057821991947382010-07-28T09:30:00.005+01:002012-01-16T15:04:25.382+00:00New Orleans: Voodoo and cookingRollin' down the Mississippi to <a href="http://www.neworleansonline.com/">New Orleans</a>. <br />
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Louisiana - home to swamps, voodoo, Cajun Cooking and wild music... oh and one of the highest violent crime rates in the country, but hey, who cares in this extremely wicked state. <br />
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On route to the Big Easy we spent the night in the picturesque Arcadian (Cajun is the shorten form of the word) town of <a href="http://www.lafayettetravel.com/">Lafayette</a>, voted one of the top places to live in in the USA. <br />
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Here in the deep south the weather is warm and the humidity high which makes it feel a whole lot hotter than it really is. Luckily the anticipated Hurricane Bonny passed Louisiana fairly quietly other than a few small showers. <br />
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The sun came out in New Orleans and so did the sweltering temperatures and late night thunderstorms. <br />
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As you drive into the city it's easy to tell the safe areas from the bad - run down buildings, graffiti and empty sidewalks give it away. Visitors are warned against touring the city's many cemeteries even during the day time. <br />
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But it's a whole different story in the French Quarter. Beautiful old buildings stand on cobbled streets lined with trees and balconies are decorated with streamers, mardi gras chains and flags. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmMimD8378wmj_gFZxzNukrTIHvqLRfzPEeoXpCzVNm97_EX55rvnhX-GhT9Q4-TdSy3BohnzGvAF5S60CeY_w7okomnka56YGiTcR6RPZiNG6Wwqv44WLaH-IftPiWvi86rokx3EFtU/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499165144006488914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmMimD8378wmj_gFZxzNukrTIHvqLRfzPEeoXpCzVNm97_EX55rvnhX-GhT9Q4-TdSy3BohnzGvAF5S60CeY_w7okomnka56YGiTcR6RPZiNG6Wwqv44WLaH-IftPiWvi86rokx3EFtU/s200/IMG_1319.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95pWXESTLQGGsm7Psom1UFn66ww3wrYIMZyRrfz5nKjU4R7iiVpi_kckpma09ky4M6bxf4wCo07vRcffIE6fD2Hxya8rvyQ_ajYjqMlco-Jm8zPEVpA7AnLXKc3hQziF_y7jDBbtsddw/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499165333876072050" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh95pWXESTLQGGsm7Psom1UFn66ww3wrYIMZyRrfz5nKjU4R7iiVpi_kckpma09ky4M6bxf4wCo07vRcffIE6fD2Hxya8rvyQ_ajYjqMlco-Jm8zPEVpA7AnLXKc3hQziF_y7jDBbtsddw/s200/IMG_1323.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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The charm of the French Quarter is only interrupted by the over-the-top-ness of Bourbon Street. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky2g6-kG_9cNVVLwUcGM7Ey3tNiDOCMruoHnOzuvxQ8G8Z56tc6GJQddTucfrLt2ep21cHx718spk51f8AVWtgvQddCJMOcXTYGYC-q3Jiv3PWSYL-hUC7U4xFOhyphenhyphenj9r4RjKHeKC85EQ/s1600/IMG_1348.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499165662657359922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky2g6-kG_9cNVVLwUcGM7Ey3tNiDOCMruoHnOzuvxQ8G8Z56tc6GJQddTucfrLt2ep21cHx718spk51f8AVWtgvQddCJMOcXTYGYC-q3Jiv3PWSYL-hUC7U4xFOhyphenhyphenj9r4RjKHeKC85EQ/s200/IMG_1348.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 150px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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Music literally blast from every second bar and the high quality bands entertain crowds made up of everyone from families to middle-aged dancers. However, I loved the street bands the most - like this one - that got the people moving in the middle of the street, in the middle of the rain.<br />
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Our first full day in the city was spent wandering around from air conditioned shop to sweaty sidewalk taking in all the sights and sounds. <br />
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I bought this little guy - my very own authentic Voodoo doll.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiPt_Rv0rOnenRjfyjPQIC1iMYGaqgOg9Dx12SWKvRvMukW7YU5U20jXF9Wq9D0ohkqXogM-u0rKnlfyOl5x4y9nwEXeztCPj30GLt-YbULrjW-x0OHSd7e5bXwlOX3AinR8z2k_IcRk/s1600/voodoo.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499164851515506562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWiPt_Rv0rOnenRjfyjPQIC1iMYGaqgOg9Dx12SWKvRvMukW7YU5U20jXF9Wq9D0ohkqXogM-u0rKnlfyOl5x4y9nwEXeztCPj30GLt-YbULrjW-x0OHSd7e5bXwlOX3AinR8z2k_IcRk/s200/voodoo.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 199px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
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When in came to dinner time I tucked into the traditional Southern food of red bean and spicy sausage on rice -ummmm - with an extremely ummm green cocktail (I got two because the used the wrong sized glass for the first one - yes!).<br />
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As far as party cities go, I'd say New Orleans gives Vegas a good run for its money.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00610047995758581007noreply@blogger.com0