Our brief visit to central Florida has been enjoyable. We arrived yesterday - a day early - to avoid problems with snowstorms, lost luggage or airport control tower fires. (I was at O'Hare this past year both times the control tower went down for fires..) It was good that we did, as we left O'Hare hours late after needing to switch to a new plane due to mechanical problems. We arrived after 10 PM, although it wasn't overly painful as a town care driver met us at the Orlando airport -- part of the National Geographic trip arrangements.
The Orlando Grande Lakes Ritz Carlton has extensive gardens, a golf course and a lake, all with walking paths. I love the climate and the birds - we saw anhingas, ibis, wood storks, snowy egrets and sandhill cranes.
We saw an alligator basking on the lakeshore, as warned we might by the posted signs. Perhaps my favorite was seeing a little chameleon sunning on a sign for the butterfly garden.
Our National Geographic Trip Around the World (NGTAW) officially kicked off tonight, with our welcome dinner and reception. We're up at 6 tomorrow to have breakfast and leave on the bus at 7:30 to head to the airport. Can't wait!
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| Orlando Ritz Carlton |
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| Anhinga |
The Orlando Grande Lakes Ritz Carlton has extensive gardens, a golf course and a lake, all with walking paths. I love the climate and the birds - we saw anhingas, ibis, wood storks, snowy egrets and sandhill cranes.
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| Sandhill cranes |
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| American white ibis |
Our National Geographic Trip Around the World (NGTAW) officially kicked off tonight, with our welcome dinner and reception. We're up at 6 tomorrow to have breakfast and leave on the bus at 7:30 to head to the airport. Can't wait!
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| First evening - dinner menu and random fact cards |
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