An unexpected visit to Washington DC

Posted on by Ian C.

Flying back from Florida, we got as far as Washington DC then learned that Boston airport was snowed in and we could get no further – there was some snow in Washington, but further north was a serious storm! We decided to rent a car and tour the U.S. Capital, but we were dressed for Florida, not winter!

We also were unprepared for the confusing roads and heavy traffic, but we finally found parking at Arlington Cemetry:

 

From Arlington we took a trolley tour bus into the city – it avoided traffic and kept us warm (and took us to the Smithsonian Museums too):

 

We remained stranded for a couple of days, and visited Fort Washington and Delaware! Eventually Boston airport was cleared enough for us to fly home – of course when we got home, there was snow everywhere!

GBMINI buried in snow

DisneyWorld at Christmas

Posted on by Ian C.

Heading to Disney World, Florida, in December is a little odd because the weather is still hot, but everywhere is decorated for Christmas!

We stayed in the Dolphin Hotel – shaped like a giant Quality Street Green Triangle! It’s close to Epcot and Disney/MGM, and has a “sister” hotel, the Swan. Via the Yacht Club or Boardwalk hotels, we could walk to either Epcot or Disney/MGM; there was also a regular ferry service providing free transport to both parks!

 

First we visited Magic Kingdom – still the best Disney park!

Next stop was Epcot; a great ride there is Test Track, which races you at over 60 mph round a very curvy track!

Epcot is close enough to the Dolphin hotel to see it – here’s a nice night time picture:

Dolphin hotel from Epcot

 

Finally, we visited Animal Kingdom – it’s much less of a Disney park than a zoo, but still a pleasant visit, and meeting the “not-so-real” animals is great!