| One of my husband's favourite places is Florida, | | | | the Mt. Dora - Lake Eustis Scenic Railway.From |
| since he is an avid golfer and likes to get away | | | | midweek in the second week onwards the |
| from the cold Canadian winter for his birthday in | | | | weather took a turn for the worse. While planes |
| early December.For a while now we had planned | | | | were sliding off runways in Chicago and record |
| to visit Orlando, but neither one of us are into | | | | temperatures were registered in the mid-western |
| theme parks. So there was the challenge for me: | | | | states, we were freezing in Florida where the |
| would we be able to visit Orlando without setting | | | | mercury hovered around 68 to 70 degrees |
| foot into Disney or Universal Studios? For | | | | Fahrenheit (around +20 degrees Celsius). So I |
| someone as curious as me this was a suitable | | | | bought a rain jacket, and determined not to let |
| challenge and I had been doing weeks of searches | | | | the freezing cold interfere with our plans, we |
| on the Internet and communicating with the | | | | headed out to continue our explorations.On a day |
| Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau to find | | | | that was forecast to be rainy, but just ended up |
| out about interesting destinations off the beaten | | | | being a bit grey and clammy, we went out to |
| path.Well, I am happy to say, we arrived back | | | | discover Loch Haven Park, Orlando's center of |
| safely yesterday from our trip, and the trip itself | | | | science, art and culture. We then continued our |
| was quite an adventure since we decided to drive | | | | explorations further south to discover some of |
| from Toronto to Orlando, about 2100 km each | | | | Orlando's historic neighbourhoods and parks such |
| way! Actually, the drive was not as painful as I | | | | as Lake Cherokee and Lake Lucerne.As the |
| expected. The drive through Pennsylvania and | | | | drizzly weather continued, we went on to visit |
| West Virginia was nice and hilly, and I particularly | | | | Florida's Natural Visitor Center in Lake Wales, |
| enjoyed coming over the ridge of the | | | | about an hours drive south of Orlando, where I |
| Appalachians, right where Virginia and North | | | | got a really good understanding of Central Florida's |
| Carolina meet, where you get a beautiful view of | | | | citrus industry. I spent the afternoon in another |
| the piedmont area around Winston-Salem that | | | | famous attraction in Lake Wales which holds two |
| spreads out towards the Atlantic in front of the | | | | National Historic Landmarks: the Historic Bok |
| mountain chain.And I am even happier to say that | | | | Sanctuary, where I got to see the beauty of the |
| in the 14 or so days that we spent in Orlando, | | | | Bok estate and its historic carillon tower, |
| not only did we get to play a lot of golf (to make | | | | combined with a tour through the historic |
| my husband really happy...;) - including Mystic | | | | Pinewood Estate, which was decked out in full |
| Dunes, Champions Gate, Royal St. Cloud Links, | | | | Christmas decorations.During these 2 weeks in |
| Hawk's Landing and Timacuan Golf and Country | | | | Florida, we got exposed to a lot of its plants, |
| Club, not to mention the Walking Hall of Fame | | | | flowers and wildlife, much of which you run into |
| experience of the PGA Father Son Challenge at | | | | casually even while playing golf or picknicking by |
| Champions Gate, but I also got to explore some | | | | the waterfront. Florida has a surprising amount of |
| really interesting places, destinations I would not | | | | natural diversity and I enjoyed watching the |
| have expected in Orlando and its surrounding | | | | various types of birds, lizards, and squirrels. The |
| region. I also had a chance to do an interview with | | | | only thing we didn't get to see was a live alligator |
| GolfOrlando to get a much better idea of why | | | | (with the exception of the well-hidden rear end of |
| Orlando is called "The Ultimate Golf Theme | | | | a small alligator during our swamp buggy tour - |
| Park".We started off our first week with a visit to | | | | unfortunately I couldn't even get a good picture |
| the Orange Country Regional History Center, | | | | of that one..).On our drive home, on a bright |
| which gave us a suitable historic background of | | | | sunny day (of course...), we stopped off in St. |
| Orlando and Central Florida. Then, for some | | | | Augustine, a historic town founded by the |
| sociological and cultural insights, we visited the | | | | Spaniards in the 1500s, and the oldest continuously |
| Well's Built Museum for African American History | | | | inhabited town in the United States - a mighty |
| and Culture in Orlando. To top off our first day of | | | | photogenic place, I should add.So, you ask, is it |
| exploration we enjoyed a walk around picturesque | | | | possible to spend 2 weeks in Orlando without |
| Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.The next item on | | | | even setting foot inside a theme park and still |
| my off-the-beaten path agenda was a discovery | | | | have a good time? Well, based on the above |
| of the City of Winter Park, a beautiful suburb of | | | | itinerary I'd say that my plans to explore Orlando |
| Orlando, reminiscent of Old European towns. I also | | | | off the beaten path came to full fruition.Mission |
| went on the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, which | | | | accomplished.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| was an entertaining, informative and visually | | | | website called Travel and Transitions ( Travel and |
| appealing excursion.The adrenaline revved up | | | | Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is |
| significantly on our next outing: a very high-speed | | | | chock full of advice, tips, real life travel |
| airboat ride at Boggy Creek, that was followed up | | | | experiences, interviews with travellers and travel |
| by a much lower speed swamp buggy ride in a | | | | experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural |
| custom-built monster truck that took us through | | | | issues, contests and many other features. You will |
| authentic Florida landscape.After our golf outing at | | | | also find stories about life and the transitions that |
| the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links we enjoyed a | | | | we face as we go through our own personal |
| wonderful picnic by the waterfront in sunny | | | | life-long journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| downtown Kissimmee. Then, on a beautiful | | | | our first travel story contest ( and have a chance |
| Sunday morning we drove about an hour outside | | | | to win an amazing adventure cruise on the |
| of Orlando to reach the quaint town of Mt. Dora, | | | | Amazon River."Life is a Journey Explore New |
| where I hopped on the "Herbie Express", part of | | | | Horizons". |