Pete the DISney nut
Official NUTcase
- Joined
- May 5, 2001
AKA Why do they have to make that much noise.
Monday dawned - are you ready for it? All together now - and repeat after me, hot and sunny la de la la la!! :hehe
It has been that hot on the holiday so far - so hot and sunny, I swear I am turning into a lizard! Today is no different because, according to the weatherman, the top temperature today is reported to be in the high 80's. Again!! Mind you, we were not complaining. It was today we had realised we had not had a drop of rain for the whole holiday. We were aware that March is a dry month but we have had freak weather conditions so far - with temperatures a good 10 degrees F higher than what they normally are for this time of year - and even the Floridians we have met during the course of our holidays (in shops, restaurants etc) have all commented on how hot it has been.
Anyway, once we had fed, watered and showered - and again gave thanks to the God of Air Conditioning - we headed towards the buses and off to the AK we went - quite appropriate seeing as how I felt like a lizard!
We arrived at the AK and were taken aback somewhat by the hordes of people who were there - it was absolutely heaving!!! We had read that Monday was a busy day - what with MK busy on the Saturday (two days previously) and the AK today we were feeling very adventurous. It was a good job we had such a lazy day the day before!!! In fact, o loyal readers, this was yet another first for the nuts':hehe
Anyhow, we went through the usual security checks and wandered inside the park and almost immediately decided to head towards the Dinosaur ride - a fave of ours even though it nearly scared Tracy half to death the last time we rode it last year. We wandered over there and saw that the queue was only ten minutes. Excellent, we thought, We got inside and - guess what? No queue. Hmm, we thought. Ten minute queue? Okay. We walked further inside the building and the further we walked, we still saw no queue. Very odd. We finally saw the queue - just beside the loading area - what little queue there was. So, the ten minute queue was actually a five minute queue if that. We got on the car and away we went.
The ride, from memory, was quite brisk and a little bouncy. It was not like that this time. For one thing, it was very quick indeed and it was also very bouncy - in fact, I do seem to recall that the ride was very quick and very rough but they had to tone it down because of customer comments. If anyone else had ridden this ride this year, and last year, I will be interested to hear if anyone else had found the ride different. Anyway, the ride came to that end - again,. I will not spoil the ride for those who are not going andf not ridden it yet - and we had a look at the obligatory ride photo (a huge laugh) but decided not to buy it as we had bought last years copy. Mind you, last years copy had me laughing my head off and Tracy hiding for cover. This year, the roles had reversed. Tracy was giggling away and I - in a momentary lapse of memory - was crouched down in the seat cowering like a gibbering idiot!!! :hehe
Tremendous fun. From there, we went for another wander round and stopped off for a liquid break - it was tremendously hot. In fact, from when we went in to the Dinosaur ride, to when we came out, it felt like God had turned up the heat. We wandered around some more and found ourselves wandering over to the Dinoland area so we thought we would give the TriceraTop Spin. This is a nice little ride but it is Dumbo with a different design. Not very unique. We did see that the Primeval Whirl was due to open shortly. Excellent news. There was a CM standing there so we asked her when it will be opening. 31st March, she replied. Darn, just too late. Never mind, there is always next year.
From Dinoland, we decided to head towards the Tree Of Life so I could get some footage to take home.
Now, when we entered the park, we saw that there was filming going on today for a documentary. Okay, excellent news. Now, I got my camcorder out and began filming the Tree and was just minding our own business when we heard raucous jeering and we stopped filming temporarily to see what was going on to see a group of American Teenagers walking in front of us and into the Tree Of Life. Oh, marvellous. I have to admit it seemed quite jovial but they were very, very loud! And there must have been at least fifteen of them. Now, frequent readers of my reports know that my comments at the beginning of ewach report has some bearing on what I will be writing about and this is what I mean by my comment - I was their age once and I know kids that age do get excitable but why do they have to make that much noise?!? Anyway, we went in to see It's Tough To Be A Bug and guess what. They decided to go in to see the show as well. I was filming again, inside the tree itself to get some more of the scenery - they were there, jeering away. We were waiting to go inside the auditorium and - yup - they were jeering away again and it was now beginning to annoy us. Anyway, it turned out we were not the only ones to be getting a little peeved with their antics. There was a family from New York there and the father - a very well built guy, about 6 feet 6 (if he was an inch) - was also getting very annoyed. Which we found out and told them, in no uncertain terms how annoyed he was. They pretty soon shut up and that was the last we heard from them. Actaully, if memory serves, I am almost sure the people in the theatre sighed their relief.
I don't mean to dwell on this too much - and it certainly did not spoil our day in the AK - but what is it in Teenage genes that make them act the way some of them do? Just a thought and I fully appreciate it normally it is just a minority of them who spoil it for the majority but it could have spoiled our day, if we had let it.
Anyway, from the Tree Of Life - love the show anyway - I wanted to ride Kali again - Tracy was not too keen as she was wearing a lovely blue skirt and green top and was not that keen to get wet - me, on the other hand was very keen to get wet so I decided to leave Tracy the funds to get herself refreshments and I wandered over to the entrance of the ride. Marvellous - another ten minute wait. Considering it was a busy day, I did not think I would be able to wait until it got quieter so I went to give Tracy everything I was carrying and did not want to get wet - CamCorder, bumbag, money (everything I was carrying basically) and went into the queueing area. Hmmm, very odd. Dinosaur seemed quiet. Kali was very quiet indeed. In fact, it was that quiet that I was able to walk straight down to the loading area and wait with a queue of only five people for the next vehicle to unload it's passengers and load us on.
Now, this is what was confusing me - and not in a bad way at all. It was a busy day, as the people at the entrance showed. All I was wondering was, where had everybody gone to? And was I in the proper park or at MGM? The reason I say MGM is because I felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone!
Anyway, I digress. What do you mean? No change there, then. Hmm, you have obviously been paying attention. Top of the class. :hehe
Anyway. Kali River Rapids. Again, no spoilers here for anyone but I was hoping to get a little damp so I can cool off some because the heat was getting to be very intense - and there was not a cloud in the sky. So, the car set off and we were away for our journey. Now, there are two ways you can go: the damp way and the drowned way.
We set off, and it soon became apparent, to me, that I was definitely going to have the latter journey because the car turned round before we came to the first climb and I was facing the direction of travel and I could see what was coming. Up the bank we went and I could clearly see the first of the traps - the fountain. Great, I thought. The car went over the fountain - after slightly splashing the people who had their backs to the fountain - and once the car had cleared this, it spurted up and landed smack on my head and gave me a thorough soaking. And boy was that water COLD!!!
The journey carried on and I had just got my breath back and had began to warm up some when the car began to spin again and I was now facing the direction of travel. And the drop was on the way. The car began to drop and I could see a wall of water coming over the top of the car - again lightly splashing the people who had their backs to the direction of travel - and it hit me full in the face, again giving me a good soaking.
The ride came to an end, everybody got off, and I squelched my way round to where Tracy was sitting. As soon as I came into view and Tracy saw me, she burst into peals of laughter! I must have looked a right sight, because every part of me was soaked to the skin - even me undies were soaked! And this is the second time a water ride got me this wet!!!
We went from the Kali River Rapids, we went over to the Kilimanjaro Safaris - I figured this will help me dry off some from the soaking - so we went towards it and saw the wait was about 30 minutes or so and that was a little too long to wait. So, an FP each later, we thought mmmm, hunger strikes. Where can we go to eat? We had a natter and decided to eat at the Tusker House which was a good choice: good food at a very reasonable price. Plus the décor inside was unique - to say the least - with it resembling a typical (well, what you would imagine to be a typical) African hut, except with Disney touches.
After a lovely meal, we headed towards the Safari - our FP time was imminent - and we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of animals we saw - this was in the heat of the day - but there were a lot of animals around to make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience, if a little rough. I wish I had taken some footage but the heat was that intense to make me decide against it. Plus, the ride itself is quite rough and bumpy and I did not want to run the risk of losing the camera.
The safari ended and when we checked the time it was 30 minutes before the parade so that worked out fortuitously for us. We made our way to the parade route and found our place just beside the disabled section in Harambe and readied ourselves for the parade.
We loved all the parades in the parks - the floats, the music and the interaction of the characters - but out of them all, I have to say that the music in the AK parade ranks up there as the best music from them all.
From the start right through, the african rhythms really sweep you up and you can almost imagine you are in an African country - especially with the heat being the way it was - and it was a shame the parade ended. It was a little too short for me ( a minor gripe) but it was thoroughly enjoyable and the music really wants to make you dance and sing along. I had to curb the urge a couple of times - I was videoing the whole spectacle.
Now, to go off on a tangent here. Again? I hear you ask. Well, yes. Bear with me.
Has this happened to anyone out there? I was sitting on the ground and the parade had just started. I had just started the camcorder when I had an almighty attack of cramp in my left thigh muscle. And when I say cramp, I mean CRAMP!!!
My whole leg siezed and the grip did not lessen until the parade had passed us by. It must have looked so comical - there was I (6 feet 4) stretching my legs along the place where people were sitting in a vain attempt to shift this - grimacing furiously - while trying my hardest to concentrate on what was happening on the parade and keeping the camera level. Well, it was not easy and Tracy said to me afterwards that me face looked such a picture she wished she could have taken the camera from me to capture it. Mind you, it probably would have made the holiday footage an R rating!!! :hehe
Just thought I would share that with you, and I will be interested to hear if anyome else has had this happen to them.
Back to the Holiday.
Once the parade finished, we thought we would head over to the MK to end our day so we wandered to where the buses pick up and waited a few minutes for the first bus that was going our way. This turned out to be the bus that went via the TTC - excellent, this will give us a chance to ride the Monorail. So this is what we did.
Once we got off the monorail at MK, we went through the usual checks and, once inside the MK we decided to catch up on a couple of rides we had missed - namely IASW and PPF.
We were able to walk on Small World - and consequently had the dratted theme tune going round and round our brains the rest of the evening (curses!!) - still our fave cutey ride, though - and then went to the Peter Pan's Flight.
Sorry, folks, but another aside here. Still, what's new?
While waiting in the inevitable queue for this ride - waiting time 55 minutes! - we were surprised and more than a little impressed by this waiting area. Just as you think the end is in sight, you turn a corner and your hopes are dashed by seeing the queue snake on and on into the distance. Once you think (again) that the queue is about to end, yet again, the queue has another surprise in store and snake around yet another bend and only then are the ride vehicles in sight.
Anyway, back to the story. We love this ride - the attention to detail is quite something to see and the sensation you get when you feel you are miles above London is unique to, we think, the whole feeling of what the Imagineers were trying to put across on all the rides inside the MK.
From there, we were feeling hungry again - we ate at the Tusker House around 2pm - it was now nearing 7pm and Pete was feeling a bit peckish. So we had a seat and thought about where we could go for something to eat. We remembered reading that Tony's was quite a nice place to have a meal and so we thought we would have a mosey on down to the hub at the bottom of Main Street to see if they could fit us in.
Well, folks, if you are stuck for somewhere to eat and you want something a bit special which will not break the bank, you cannot go far wrong if you decide to eat here for a meal.
We walked in and asked if there was a table - it seemed quite busy so we were expecting to be told: a) sorry, we have no tables as we are fully booked, or b) Yes, no problem but you will have to wait about an hour for a table.
Well, imagine our delight when we were greeted by a lovely lady who said, no problem at all; you may have to wait ten minutes for a table but if you can take a seat on the foyer, once one becomes available we will seat you then.
That chuffed us. We took a seat on the foyer, looked around at the sights and it only seemed like we were there a few minutes when the greeter shouted out our name. This was not a ten minute wait, by any stretch of the imagination.
We walked in to the restaurant and it was like we were transported back in time. The décor was really lovely, all vaulted ceilings and marblesque flooring. This was nice. With a capital N.
Presently, a nice man came along and said his name was Murphy - even though the name badge said his name was Jason and he will be our server for the evening and to pay no attention to the name badge. Well, that totally threw Tracy and I. Still, never mind.
He was a thoroughly charming guy - and very efficient as well. Right from when we walked in and he gave us our first drink right the way through until we left, he made us feel we were the only people he was serving. I had the Baked Seabass for my entrée and Tracy decided on the Chicken Alla Mosala.
Everything was just right - and the quality of the food was up there amongst the nicest we had eaten during the whole of our holiday.
And then the fireworks started.
One thing Tracy and I did not know was you can see the fireworks very clearly from the restaurant - however, you can hear them a lot more clearly than see them. All we could hear was the loud bangs of the firework display. On checking the time, it was clear what was happening. We turned our heads and, in the distance, we could see the castle and every now and again a firewrok came shooting over the top and blossoming into a kaleidoscope of colour.
Anyway, the firework display came to an end and we were just finishing our dessert and the night time parade had started - which we knew because the restaurant was right on the hub, as mentioned, and the parade passed right by the front of the hotel. Right past us.
It was the perfect end to what had been a perfect day - apart from the loons in the AK (but we had forgotten all about them) - and as we headed back home, we knew we were back here in the morning to meet up, once again, with Bev and Vicky (obviously gluttons for punishment - putting up with us two twice in two weeks!!) for Breakfast. In Cindy's no less.
But, more of this in the next instalment. As we lay in bed, thoroughly exhausted but blissfully happy, we fell asleep with the knowledge that tomorrow will be as good as the days gone by.
COMING SOON: Why not make a day of it?!?
Monday dawned - are you ready for it? All together now - and repeat after me, hot and sunny la de la la la!! :hehe
It has been that hot on the holiday so far - so hot and sunny, I swear I am turning into a lizard! Today is no different because, according to the weatherman, the top temperature today is reported to be in the high 80's. Again!! Mind you, we were not complaining. It was today we had realised we had not had a drop of rain for the whole holiday. We were aware that March is a dry month but we have had freak weather conditions so far - with temperatures a good 10 degrees F higher than what they normally are for this time of year - and even the Floridians we have met during the course of our holidays (in shops, restaurants etc) have all commented on how hot it has been.
Anyway, once we had fed, watered and showered - and again gave thanks to the God of Air Conditioning - we headed towards the buses and off to the AK we went - quite appropriate seeing as how I felt like a lizard!
We arrived at the AK and were taken aback somewhat by the hordes of people who were there - it was absolutely heaving!!! We had read that Monday was a busy day - what with MK busy on the Saturday (two days previously) and the AK today we were feeling very adventurous. It was a good job we had such a lazy day the day before!!! In fact, o loyal readers, this was yet another first for the nuts':hehe
Anyhow, we went through the usual security checks and wandered inside the park and almost immediately decided to head towards the Dinosaur ride - a fave of ours even though it nearly scared Tracy half to death the last time we rode it last year. We wandered over there and saw that the queue was only ten minutes. Excellent, we thought, We got inside and - guess what? No queue. Hmm, we thought. Ten minute queue? Okay. We walked further inside the building and the further we walked, we still saw no queue. Very odd. We finally saw the queue - just beside the loading area - what little queue there was. So, the ten minute queue was actually a five minute queue if that. We got on the car and away we went.
The ride, from memory, was quite brisk and a little bouncy. It was not like that this time. For one thing, it was very quick indeed and it was also very bouncy - in fact, I do seem to recall that the ride was very quick and very rough but they had to tone it down because of customer comments. If anyone else had ridden this ride this year, and last year, I will be interested to hear if anyone else had found the ride different. Anyway, the ride came to that end - again,. I will not spoil the ride for those who are not going andf not ridden it yet - and we had a look at the obligatory ride photo (a huge laugh) but decided not to buy it as we had bought last years copy. Mind you, last years copy had me laughing my head off and Tracy hiding for cover. This year, the roles had reversed. Tracy was giggling away and I - in a momentary lapse of memory - was crouched down in the seat cowering like a gibbering idiot!!! :hehe
Tremendous fun. From there, we went for another wander round and stopped off for a liquid break - it was tremendously hot. In fact, from when we went in to the Dinosaur ride, to when we came out, it felt like God had turned up the heat. We wandered around some more and found ourselves wandering over to the Dinoland area so we thought we would give the TriceraTop Spin. This is a nice little ride but it is Dumbo with a different design. Not very unique. We did see that the Primeval Whirl was due to open shortly. Excellent news. There was a CM standing there so we asked her when it will be opening. 31st March, she replied. Darn, just too late. Never mind, there is always next year.
From Dinoland, we decided to head towards the Tree Of Life so I could get some footage to take home.
Now, when we entered the park, we saw that there was filming going on today for a documentary. Okay, excellent news. Now, I got my camcorder out and began filming the Tree and was just minding our own business when we heard raucous jeering and we stopped filming temporarily to see what was going on to see a group of American Teenagers walking in front of us and into the Tree Of Life. Oh, marvellous. I have to admit it seemed quite jovial but they were very, very loud! And there must have been at least fifteen of them. Now, frequent readers of my reports know that my comments at the beginning of ewach report has some bearing on what I will be writing about and this is what I mean by my comment - I was their age once and I know kids that age do get excitable but why do they have to make that much noise?!? Anyway, we went in to see It's Tough To Be A Bug and guess what. They decided to go in to see the show as well. I was filming again, inside the tree itself to get some more of the scenery - they were there, jeering away. We were waiting to go inside the auditorium and - yup - they were jeering away again and it was now beginning to annoy us. Anyway, it turned out we were not the only ones to be getting a little peeved with their antics. There was a family from New York there and the father - a very well built guy, about 6 feet 6 (if he was an inch) - was also getting very annoyed. Which we found out and told them, in no uncertain terms how annoyed he was. They pretty soon shut up and that was the last we heard from them. Actaully, if memory serves, I am almost sure the people in the theatre sighed their relief.
I don't mean to dwell on this too much - and it certainly did not spoil our day in the AK - but what is it in Teenage genes that make them act the way some of them do? Just a thought and I fully appreciate it normally it is just a minority of them who spoil it for the majority but it could have spoiled our day, if we had let it.
Anyway, from the Tree Of Life - love the show anyway - I wanted to ride Kali again - Tracy was not too keen as she was wearing a lovely blue skirt and green top and was not that keen to get wet - me, on the other hand was very keen to get wet so I decided to leave Tracy the funds to get herself refreshments and I wandered over to the entrance of the ride. Marvellous - another ten minute wait. Considering it was a busy day, I did not think I would be able to wait until it got quieter so I went to give Tracy everything I was carrying and did not want to get wet - CamCorder, bumbag, money (everything I was carrying basically) and went into the queueing area. Hmmm, very odd. Dinosaur seemed quiet. Kali was very quiet indeed. In fact, it was that quiet that I was able to walk straight down to the loading area and wait with a queue of only five people for the next vehicle to unload it's passengers and load us on.
Now, this is what was confusing me - and not in a bad way at all. It was a busy day, as the people at the entrance showed. All I was wondering was, where had everybody gone to? And was I in the proper park or at MGM? The reason I say MGM is because I felt like I was in an episode of the Twilight Zone!
Anyway, I digress. What do you mean? No change there, then. Hmm, you have obviously been paying attention. Top of the class. :hehe
Anyway. Kali River Rapids. Again, no spoilers here for anyone but I was hoping to get a little damp so I can cool off some because the heat was getting to be very intense - and there was not a cloud in the sky. So, the car set off and we were away for our journey. Now, there are two ways you can go: the damp way and the drowned way.
We set off, and it soon became apparent, to me, that I was definitely going to have the latter journey because the car turned round before we came to the first climb and I was facing the direction of travel and I could see what was coming. Up the bank we went and I could clearly see the first of the traps - the fountain. Great, I thought. The car went over the fountain - after slightly splashing the people who had their backs to the fountain - and once the car had cleared this, it spurted up and landed smack on my head and gave me a thorough soaking. And boy was that water COLD!!!
The journey carried on and I had just got my breath back and had began to warm up some when the car began to spin again and I was now facing the direction of travel. And the drop was on the way. The car began to drop and I could see a wall of water coming over the top of the car - again lightly splashing the people who had their backs to the direction of travel - and it hit me full in the face, again giving me a good soaking.
The ride came to an end, everybody got off, and I squelched my way round to where Tracy was sitting. As soon as I came into view and Tracy saw me, she burst into peals of laughter! I must have looked a right sight, because every part of me was soaked to the skin - even me undies were soaked! And this is the second time a water ride got me this wet!!!
We went from the Kali River Rapids, we went over to the Kilimanjaro Safaris - I figured this will help me dry off some from the soaking - so we went towards it and saw the wait was about 30 minutes or so and that was a little too long to wait. So, an FP each later, we thought mmmm, hunger strikes. Where can we go to eat? We had a natter and decided to eat at the Tusker House which was a good choice: good food at a very reasonable price. Plus the décor inside was unique - to say the least - with it resembling a typical (well, what you would imagine to be a typical) African hut, except with Disney touches.
After a lovely meal, we headed towards the Safari - our FP time was imminent - and we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of animals we saw - this was in the heat of the day - but there were a lot of animals around to make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience, if a little rough. I wish I had taken some footage but the heat was that intense to make me decide against it. Plus, the ride itself is quite rough and bumpy and I did not want to run the risk of losing the camera.
The safari ended and when we checked the time it was 30 minutes before the parade so that worked out fortuitously for us. We made our way to the parade route and found our place just beside the disabled section in Harambe and readied ourselves for the parade.
We loved all the parades in the parks - the floats, the music and the interaction of the characters - but out of them all, I have to say that the music in the AK parade ranks up there as the best music from them all.
From the start right through, the african rhythms really sweep you up and you can almost imagine you are in an African country - especially with the heat being the way it was - and it was a shame the parade ended. It was a little too short for me ( a minor gripe) but it was thoroughly enjoyable and the music really wants to make you dance and sing along. I had to curb the urge a couple of times - I was videoing the whole spectacle.
Now, to go off on a tangent here. Again? I hear you ask. Well, yes. Bear with me.
Has this happened to anyone out there? I was sitting on the ground and the parade had just started. I had just started the camcorder when I had an almighty attack of cramp in my left thigh muscle. And when I say cramp, I mean CRAMP!!!
My whole leg siezed and the grip did not lessen until the parade had passed us by. It must have looked so comical - there was I (6 feet 4) stretching my legs along the place where people were sitting in a vain attempt to shift this - grimacing furiously - while trying my hardest to concentrate on what was happening on the parade and keeping the camera level. Well, it was not easy and Tracy said to me afterwards that me face looked such a picture she wished she could have taken the camera from me to capture it. Mind you, it probably would have made the holiday footage an R rating!!! :hehe
Just thought I would share that with you, and I will be interested to hear if anyome else has had this happen to them.
Back to the Holiday.
Once the parade finished, we thought we would head over to the MK to end our day so we wandered to where the buses pick up and waited a few minutes for the first bus that was going our way. This turned out to be the bus that went via the TTC - excellent, this will give us a chance to ride the Monorail. So this is what we did.
Once we got off the monorail at MK, we went through the usual checks and, once inside the MK we decided to catch up on a couple of rides we had missed - namely IASW and PPF.
We were able to walk on Small World - and consequently had the dratted theme tune going round and round our brains the rest of the evening (curses!!) - still our fave cutey ride, though - and then went to the Peter Pan's Flight.
Sorry, folks, but another aside here. Still, what's new?
While waiting in the inevitable queue for this ride - waiting time 55 minutes! - we were surprised and more than a little impressed by this waiting area. Just as you think the end is in sight, you turn a corner and your hopes are dashed by seeing the queue snake on and on into the distance. Once you think (again) that the queue is about to end, yet again, the queue has another surprise in store and snake around yet another bend and only then are the ride vehicles in sight.
Anyway, back to the story. We love this ride - the attention to detail is quite something to see and the sensation you get when you feel you are miles above London is unique to, we think, the whole feeling of what the Imagineers were trying to put across on all the rides inside the MK.
From there, we were feeling hungry again - we ate at the Tusker House around 2pm - it was now nearing 7pm and Pete was feeling a bit peckish. So we had a seat and thought about where we could go for something to eat. We remembered reading that Tony's was quite a nice place to have a meal and so we thought we would have a mosey on down to the hub at the bottom of Main Street to see if they could fit us in.
Well, folks, if you are stuck for somewhere to eat and you want something a bit special which will not break the bank, you cannot go far wrong if you decide to eat here for a meal.
We walked in and asked if there was a table - it seemed quite busy so we were expecting to be told: a) sorry, we have no tables as we are fully booked, or b) Yes, no problem but you will have to wait about an hour for a table.
Well, imagine our delight when we were greeted by a lovely lady who said, no problem at all; you may have to wait ten minutes for a table but if you can take a seat on the foyer, once one becomes available we will seat you then.
That chuffed us. We took a seat on the foyer, looked around at the sights and it only seemed like we were there a few minutes when the greeter shouted out our name. This was not a ten minute wait, by any stretch of the imagination.
We walked in to the restaurant and it was like we were transported back in time. The décor was really lovely, all vaulted ceilings and marblesque flooring. This was nice. With a capital N.
Presently, a nice man came along and said his name was Murphy - even though the name badge said his name was Jason and he will be our server for the evening and to pay no attention to the name badge. Well, that totally threw Tracy and I. Still, never mind.
He was a thoroughly charming guy - and very efficient as well. Right from when we walked in and he gave us our first drink right the way through until we left, he made us feel we were the only people he was serving. I had the Baked Seabass for my entrée and Tracy decided on the Chicken Alla Mosala.
Everything was just right - and the quality of the food was up there amongst the nicest we had eaten during the whole of our holiday.
And then the fireworks started.
One thing Tracy and I did not know was you can see the fireworks very clearly from the restaurant - however, you can hear them a lot more clearly than see them. All we could hear was the loud bangs of the firework display. On checking the time, it was clear what was happening. We turned our heads and, in the distance, we could see the castle and every now and again a firewrok came shooting over the top and blossoming into a kaleidoscope of colour.
Anyway, the firework display came to an end and we were just finishing our dessert and the night time parade had started - which we knew because the restaurant was right on the hub, as mentioned, and the parade passed right by the front of the hotel. Right past us.
It was the perfect end to what had been a perfect day - apart from the loons in the AK (but we had forgotten all about them) - and as we headed back home, we knew we were back here in the morning to meet up, once again, with Bev and Vicky (obviously gluttons for punishment - putting up with us two twice in two weeks!!) for Breakfast. In Cindy's no less.
But, more of this in the next instalment. As we lay in bed, thoroughly exhausted but blissfully happy, we fell asleep with the knowledge that tomorrow will be as good as the days gone by.
COMING SOON: Why not make a day of it?!?
