A Taste of America

Ah, Florida! What a change from European destinations. For one, it was hot! Really hot! I'm sure our three years here in the chilly environs of Northern Europe made it feel even hotter. We all said this was good training for us as we move to a very sticky San Antonio. Also, Florida is chock full of family friendly destinations. While Europe has the Louvre and the Vatican, Florida counters with Disneyworld and Gatorland. Needless to say, it was nice to shift gears for a while.



While I was in a conference during the first week, Jen and the kids hit up all five Disney parks. I joined them the final day for a trip out to Epcot center (my favorite of all them all). I was anxious to see Europe transplanted into Central Florida. In "Germany", we got our pretzel and colabier fix while our kids tumbled around one of the many playgrounds throughout the park. I think I surprised the German girl at the counter when I was able to place my order and chat with her in German. You could tell she was happy to speak in her native tongue. Like the Germans here in Kaiserslautern, I was anxious to try out my German in the US. Aside from that, the highlight was watching our kids while they took in the park. Seeing their reactions enabled Jen and I to relive some of the magic we experienced at their age.



We headed south for Miami once we were through with Orlando. A bad cold and terrible weather prevented us from seeing much of the city but we did get a chance to see the Everglades. Seeing these alligators up close in their natural environment was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.



Another highlight of our trip was Key Largo. We fell in love with this northern-most town on the Florida Keys. We were greeted with white sand beaches, hammocks swinging in the distance, Bob Marley playing in background, warm water, and tropical drinks served up at the tiki bar. It was about as close to Hawaii as we could get without boarding a plane to Honolulu. Jen and I agreed that we will DEFINITELY be returning to this place.

The final highlight was spending a few hours with my brother Nick and sister-in-law Nena. We ran into these guys at Miami's hip South Beach. We chowed down on some great Cuban sandwiches and plantains while we washed it down with Presidente beer. Good times! Looking forward to a lot more of this sort of stuff when we return to America in a few weeks.