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    • Florida 2019
      Day 8

      Sea World Tag 2

      October 12, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      Und heute geht es noch einmal nach Seworld Orlando. Ein zweiter Tag mit Mittagessen bei den Orcas und Halloween-Stimmung im gesamten Park. Es gibt diverse Stände an denen man sich Süßigkeiten holen kann. Nicht zu vergessen sind natürlich die ansonsten auch vorhandenen Attraktionen und Tiere. Hier ein paar Ausschnitte...Read more

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    • TravelerFlorida 2023 mit den Wagner‘ s
      1
      Day 4

      SeaWorld 3. Teil

      June 25, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 27 °C

      Ein schöner Tag in SeaWorld geht mit einem tollen Feuerwerk zu Ende. Das lange Anstehen (110 min.) an der Wasserbahn hat sich für uns und den Föhn zum Trocknen gelohnt. Maja und Christine haben die ICE Breaker Achterbahn (natürlich 1. Reihe) noch für die Nachtrocknung genommen. Gute Nacht und bis morgen.Read more

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    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      Day 2

      Reconnecting

      January 8, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Such a cool day that began when we shared breakfast with fellow DGE Paul and Sue Rogers. They were fully versed with the layout and foibles of the resort and were able to guide us through the buffet, the best shops, cafes & and bars, and take us directly to the Registration desk.

      On the way we caught up with most of the contingent - found out Wayne got in at 6.30am and still didn't have a room, chatted with Prath & his wife who flew in from Darwin, heard that some got stuck in LA, some in Dallas and some had been in the area acclimatizing for several days.

      It was a beautiful, balmy 25-degree day perfect for walking around the complex to check out the facilities. I counted 4 swimming pools and 3 hot tubs. Philip was most interested in the full championship golf course designed by Arnold Palmer, Then there were the volleyball and tennis courts, and of course, the fishing dock. But most interesting of all ... on the other side of the water hole was a quite large alligator soaking up the sun too!

      We had an informal Australia, NZ, Pacific Islands meeting in the afternoon to sort out our "costumes" (t-shirts and scarves) and other important business ... like when to wear them!! Following a reviving margarita in the bar, it was time to pipe Gordon and Heather into the welcome reception. It was very colourful and social, and after a taste of the delicious Italian buffet, I spent the rest of the evening catching up with Ravi and Shobana. It felt like it was only a few months since we'd stayed with them, not 11 years. Amongst all the family news, I was fascinated to hear that a bear and her 2 cubs had moved into their home in Kotaguri during covid. Those bears have good taste 😁

      We talked and talked, promising to spend more time together, until the jetlag finally kicked in, and it was time to say, "See you later ..."      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      Day 3

      Singing for our supper

      January 9, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Fun time is off the menu, and it was down to business today. We savoured the last few minutes of freedom by looking at the view out the window, trying to spot that alligator - no luck - and instead seeing a beautiful white egret.

      Gordon announced his theme at the first session, and we picked up our beautiful themed tie and scarf, ready for a photo op and special Presidential lunch tomorrow. Then we were split up to go through our respective workbooks at opposite ends of the complex.

      The work was interesting, but the part I enjoyed most was meeting new people. Like Marie Angela from Brasil practising her very good English, the ex-marine Bill from Virginia who loves the Lord of the Rings and wants to visit the film sites in NZ, the recently retired DEA agent Victor from Miami who spent 14 years in the Airforce deployed around the world, the food importer from Nazareth whose husband is responsible for all the Rotary clubs in Israel. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

      We all - Australians, Kiwis & Pacific Islanders - had an informal dinner together tonight, which was very relaxed and low-key. But it was soon obvious that people were ready to "talk to the pillow" as Geoff put it when we said goodnight at the ridiculous time of 7pm.      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      Day 4

      Scotch mist

      January 10, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Woke to a hazy, misty morning this morning, with steam rising off the greens where the sunrays were sneaking through the clouds. It was another busy workday broken up with an invitation-only lunch and photo op with incoming president Gordon and his wife Heather. They recognized us when we lined up for the photo and remembered that we came from "the end of the world" (District 9999). I was even more amazed when Heather singled me out for a specially big warm hug and a relatively long, easy conversation in a room full of about 200+ important people. She's a really lovely, kind and very funny woman. We didn't get to chat with Gordon as he was being monopolized by the VIPs at the other end of the room.

      Shobana and I have been spending a lot of time together, and this afternoon we worked on our "Peace" crafting project. It was a nice relaxing antidote to the full-on programme, though neither of us could claim to be an artist! I must admit that I played hooky for the last half hour of the day. Came back to our room and was mesmerized watching the egrets feeding by the water's edge - a nice timeout.

      This evening was great fun. We sat next to one of the Rotary directors - Jeremy from the Cayman Islands - and also with our Aussie friends from South Australia. I was nervous about the Haggis on the menu ... but it came to the table looking more like a Wakefield pie than some animal's intestines, and it was quite delicious. We were entertained with pipes and dancing, taught how to do proper scottish... though Phil and I sat that out. We were still yakking away with Jeremy and hearing the story of the exploding haggis ... when his mother microwaved it!

      Heather, accompanied by the guitar and flute, sang a beautiful Scottish love song and then one of my favourites, the Banks of Loch Lomond.

      The formalities ended with a toast (a wee dram) to Gordon's dad, who was manager of the Glenmorangie Distillery. One sip was enough for me, though it was smoother than most whiskeys I've tried. The Koreans at the table were keen to join in the toasting, but alas, thought it was the knock-back-in-one-shot kind of drink, and had to do the official toast with an empty glass! It was all good fun and a wee taste of Gordon's beloved Scotland.      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      Day 5

      The colours of the map are running

      January 11, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Tonight was cultural exchange night, where we got to mix and meet with attendees from all over the world. It was colourful, chaotic bedlam rounded off with international tasting stations from India, China, USA, Australia, and various other nations. We ate our BBQ prawns under the stars in the hotel courtyard with strings of fairy lights to see by and all sorts of background music playing from Italian opera to Zorba the Greek.

      Earlier in the day we'd heard from the best speakers yet - Gordon telling his own story of the impact of mental illness; a young semi-paralyzed victim of a gunshot wound to his head at age 13, and the impact on his life; a John Hopkins doctor speaking on the treatments available and how advanced they are; a young woman working to provide humanitarian aid in Ukraine with the full support of her Indian parents (her father could remember the trauma of partition in 1947); and Heather talking about being Gordon's Rotary partner.

      The image that will stay with me was the partially-repaired young man Freddie talking about Kintsukuroi - the Japanese art of sealing breaks and cracks in their ceramics with powered gold to make the "broken" object more valuable and beautiful than before.      Read more

    • TravelerAlligator Alley
      Day 6

      You take the high road

      January 12, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      A lighter day today for partners, we just had one working session, then a farewell celebration in the sun-filled courtyard. There were infused waters - strawberry, pineapple & orange, cucumber - to drink, and fruit kebabs to eat. If you felt semi energetic, you could do chair yoga, Tai chi, sudoku, or other pastimes. I spent the time talking about what to see and do in New Orleans with Mark (his photos of oysters the size of plates stuck with me), discussing the merits of the programme with Ian, and passing on greetings from Nelson to Tom Thorfinson.

      I also had some lovely conversations at the meal table with Marie Christine about the beauty of France and in particular her hometown, Les Sables-d'Olonne on the West Coast. Then she asked me about the native animals in New Zealand, and I explained that we mostly had birds that can't fly. She thought that was very odd. I mentioned that we did have one native mammal - a bat. Pardonne-moi, she said, a what? Bat, I repeated. She reached for her phone and Google Translate, and after I spelled it, she said cautiously ... " A flying mouse??" Mais oui, I said, that's right 😁

      One of the biggest highlights for me has been reconnecting with Shobana over the last few days. At least once or twice a day, we hang out quietly together and talk about everything and nothing, and we introduce one another to each other's friends, or in Shobana's case - the latest hilarious meme. It's good to know that she and Ravi are coming to Melbourne, so we'll be able to catch up again at the Conference.

      The last night banquet was a chance to round off the week and relax with our new friends. We shared our table with Bill & Deb and half a dozen from the German contingent. They all spoke excellent English, and we had some interesting conversations about how they were planning to organise their year. The night ended with speeches from the three RI leaders, who were eloquent and inspiring.

      Although we were invited to Craig and Kiki's stunning suite for the after-match function, we said our goodbyes in the hallway, and headed back to our room to talk to the pillow 😴      Read more

    • TravelerFlorida
      Day 8

      Sea World Orlando

      April 23, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Diesen Park haben wir besucht, weil wir ein 1 für 2 Ticket vom Bush Gardens haben und die dazu gehörigen Wasserparks so schlechte Bewertungen haben, dass sie für uns nicht in Frage kamen. Die Delfin- sowie die Orcashow haben wir bewusst gemieden. Uns interessierten hauptsächlich die Rides, leider waren einige geschlossen.Read more

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    • TravelerU.S.A. M&K 2022
      Day 17

      Adrenalin und viel Wasser

      August 8, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

      Da sind wir uns (Kop) einig: noch nie hatten wir einen derartigen Adrenalin-Schub wie heute. Im Sea World Park kann man nämlich nicht nur nasse Tiere anschauen und angreifen, sondern auch richtig heftige Achterbahnen fahren. Wir hatten zum Glück 4 rides, bevor alles im Park wegen eines Unwetters gesperrt wurde. Ich bin erstaunt, wie Kathrin diese Fahrten alle genossen hat! Die Bilder am Schluss verraten es. Jedenfalls besteht Suchtgefahr nach diesen Dingern. Keine Gefahr auf einen höheren Biekonsum besteht bei dem zwar guten, aber ausgesprochen teuren Bier hier. Mit $ 12 pro kleiner Dose war es das teuerste Bier, das wir je getrunken haben. Das Wasser in der Überschrift bezieht sich weder auf das Wetter, noch auf den transparenten Durstlöscher selbst, nein, bei der letzten Fahrt im Park wurden wir regelrecht ins Wasser ein-ge-soakt. Wir waren beide bis auf die Unterwäsche triefend naß und hoffen, dass wir uns bei der einstündigen Heimfahrt im eiskalt-klimatisierten Bus nicht verkühlt haben. Sonst ist dieser Park sehr zu empfehlen, auf jeden Fall weniger Leute als in den anderen Parks!
      Ein kurzes Video auf YouTube beschreibt den Park ganz gut: https://youtu.be/uFmOHrVp2IE      Read more

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    • USA
      Day 19

      Sea World

      September 25, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      Heute fuhren wir 20 min ins Sea World. Zuerst etwas bedeckt, dann aber immer wie heisser. Zuerst sahen wir im Manatee Recovery wie sie einem Kranken etwas Blut entnahmen. Wir besuchten die 3 Shows (Orca, Delphine, Seehunde). Bei den Eskimos war es saukalt. Die vielen Bahnen liessen wir aus. Zurück im Hotel ein Bad im Pool und ein 55+ Nachtessen im Perkins.Read more

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