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