At last, an Airplane ride

Our travel budget was drastically reduced this year as you can probably tell by all the cob webs
that have gathered here on the blog lately. But last weekend brought us the first chance to get out of town for a while since W had a break from jury duty, and I just needed a break. I called up long time pal and fellow USF Alum Luerne and she graciously invited us to crash at her new place for a couple of days so we could get a temporary travel fix on a budget. We were almost certain that we wouldn't get on the direct flight and had really great plans on the odd chance we still found ourselves sitting around SFO after the Orlando flight. Through some sort of standby miracle we ended up on that very flight and on our way. L. was kind enough to pick us up at the airport, which didn't seem like that big a deal until someplace on I4 we spent 4 hours in a traffic jam. We finally arrived at her house at 2:00 a.m. where we promptly crashed. On the way, we phoned in an order at Chili's that we never actually got to go pick up, so if you work at the Davenport FL chili's, I'm sorry, we're jerks. L. is such a busy hard-working human being that I was afraid we might not actually get to hang out any, instead we had four uninterrupted hours in her car. Important travel note here, I packed up some wine to bring with us, and a certain airline that shall not be named managed not to get it on the flight with us. To be fair, it was likely held up in a TSA inspection, which said airline has no control over.
Disney World Day 1
L. works at animal kingdom, so we just rode into work with her in the morning, and she used a little bit of Disney Magic (c) to get us right into the park. We stopped for a delicious breakfast at the rain forest cafe, which oddly sits just outside the park itself. I had a fantastic cranberry waffle, and they even leave a carafe of coffee on the table (very helpful for a long day of theme parking). Neither W or I had ever been to Animal Kingdom, so it was a fun new adventure for both of us. We went on the safari ride (a little cheesy, but animals are cool). We caught L's Finding Nemo show (Awesome, which is my mostly unbiased opinion). We rode the Everest expedition which was fun, if not just a touch nauseating for both of us. Next, a little lunch at the flame tree barbecue. (Decent barbecue, but comes to you mostly un-sauced so it starts a little bland) They do serve a delicious Safari Amber Ale that when I asked where else I could buy it, I found out it's a re-branded famous label beer, but I wont' spoil the surprise of which one for you. We managed to see or experience almost everything. Must do's include the Lion King show and It's Tough to be a Bug, but you can skip the conservation station and wildlife express train ride.
Ready to move on we headed for Epcot for food and wine time. First stop Mexico, for a midnight blue frozen Margarita. Next, a trip to Japan for a spicy tuna roll, a hatsumago sake, and the simply delicious tuna sensation. (cubed tuna sashimi, avocado, and a splash of soy sauce)
At that point, after a frozen caipirinha, we went into power eating mode, and in no particular order we had
Argentina
Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée
Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec
Greece
Spanakopita and Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki
Atlantis White
New Zealand
Seared Sea Scallop with Vegetable Slaw and Lemon Oil and Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney
Villa Maria Private Bin Hawkes Bay Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon Villa Maria Private Bin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc
South Africa
Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Purèe and Mango Barbecue Sauce
paired with # La Capra Pinotage and # La Capra Shiraz
Germany
Spätzle Gratin with Ham and Cheese and Nürnberger Sausage in a Pretzel Roll
paired with a flight of beers that were each more delicious than the last.
Filled up, and thoroughly enjoying ourselves, we caught the fireworks and then made our way to
the boardwalk where we managed to work up just enough hunger for a funnel cake, and then L. came and scooped us up. Since the wine had finally arrived, we figured we better have a glass to thank our hosts.