Gators galore

Bonjorno!

Since childhood I’ve been a big fan of all things mud and grime so diving into the Everglades should take this old hobby of mine to a whole new dimension.

Come on in, the water's fine (NBCNews)

The Everglades are basically flooded grasslands, thus forming what is called wetlands. Although is seems very eerily quiet and still, the glades are constantly in motion because at the base of this land lies not sand but water. Water flows from the centre of Florida downwards through the Everglades, ending in Florida Bay and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. Don’t expect the water to be as crystal clear as it is at the beaches though, because of the slow movement and vegetation, it’s more of a murky type of water that alligators like to call home.

The Everglades National Park is divided into three main sections: Ernest Coe (entrance near Homestead and Everglades city), Shark Valley (central of the Tamiami trail) and Gulf coast (on the northwest shore). Since we’re starting on the west coast near Naples, we’ll follow the Tamiami trail to the entrance of Shark Valley. From there on out we’ll head towards Homestead and visit the Royal Palm Visitor Centre. But ofcourse the main question you’re all asking yourselves is: what can we do over there? Hold your horses, cowboy, we’ll get right into that!

Florida route: part 2

Bonjorno!

As promised, today we bring you the second part of our route in detail. Eventhough the second part consists of only two places, these places couldn’t be more opposites of each other. On one side you have the beautiful pristine beaches of Sanibel Island and on the other side there’s the slightly daunting mangroves of the Everglades. Two very different sides of nature! 

(Everglades city tours)

Thursday Tickle

Bonjorno!

Mount your broomsticks everyone, because today we’re flying straight into the magical place that is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Accio Firebolt!

Phew, what a bumpy ride. Let’s keep our feet firmly on the ground for the time being while we explore our place of arrival. This place has a bit of a medieval feel, doesn’t it? That’s probably because of the cobblestone roads and artsy lanterns. Not to mention the ginormous castle right in front of you. Where are we, you say? Hogsmeade ofcourse! Walk with us, while we leave muggle territory far behind… .

Florida route: part 1

Bonjorno!

We’re back with a more in dept view into our journey across Florida. During the next three weeks, we’ll give you a more detailed look into the places that we’ll want to visit and the different attracties that we want to check out when we’re there. On the menu today in part 1: Orlando, Crystal Rivers and the Tampa Bay area. Let’s get cracking.

Our holiday will begin in Orlando, the home of a whole lot of amusement parks. We’re not planning anything on our first day there so that we can take our time so get settled in, scurry around the neighbourhood and enjoy the fact that we safely made it over the ocean. The next two to three days will be filled with excitement when we visit the two parks at Universal Orlando Resort. There are a lot of things that I look forward to seeing in both these theme parks but some of my favourites are The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Seuss Landing and the Jurassic Park River Adventure ride (pure nostalgia, people). 

Blowing bubbles

Bonjorno!

(Lolshelf)

For this week’s Thursday Tickle we’re continuing on with the nautical theme with some more in depth info about what Florida has to offer under water. With its tropical climate and crystal clear water, it’s no wonder that Florida is a great place for water activities such as kayaking, snorkeling or simply splashing around in the ocean. Therefore, today, we’ll be looking at some great places to get your snorkel on!