Holiday Photos: A Week In Orlando

I spent the last week in Orlando jumping from one ride to another, eating ice cream and spending long days in its glorious sunshine. Mostly, what is offered and preferred by tourists to do is visit the endless numbers of theme parks. I only visited one theme park, Universal Studios, mainly for the Harry Potter theme park. As soon as I stepped into the Harry Potter side of the park, I felt like my 11-year-old self—when I first started reading the books! We took a break from all the theme parks and headed to Clearwater Beach, which is a 2-hour drive from Orlando. That little getaway was very welcomed after all the walking around, as all I did on the beach, was relax and enjoy the cool breeze (it did get a little cold around sunset time!!) Here are some photos and travel log from the trip…

I got to Orlando on Tuesday evening and crashed as soon as I got to the Hotel. Orlando seems to have lots of greenery and this one pictured was just behind the hotel we were staying at. I also noticed lots of cows grazing on grass at different locations.

On my first full day there which was Wednesday, I went to Disney Springs. It is a gorgeous place to hang out if you want to shop and dine. They have a lot of restaurants, some very theme like and some by popular chefs such as Morimoto, however, I really enjoyed the pizza at Blaze Fast-Fire’d located in Disney Springs. It is great for a quick and light lunch. 

On Friday, I went Go Karting (obviously not the vehicle pictured!). There are a lot of Go Karting spots in Orlando—they much cheaper than the theme parks and a lot of fun, especially for kids.

Saturday, I went to Universal Studios and the Harry Potter section was the first place I visited. I was completely stunned by the attention to detail in the Harry Potter parks. I would jump with excitement every time I noticed something I had read about and it made me feel like a kid. It really is marvellous to be walking through the streets and the rides are amazing too. Speaking of rides, I never sit on fast roller coaster sort of rides but while there, I decided to check out Revenge of the Mommy Ride thinking it wasn’t going to be bad because it’s indoors. I was almost in tears and was literally praying for the ride to be over. But once I got off, I couldn’t stop laughing and was so glad I did it. It definitely is one of the highlights of this trip. Sometimes it’s good to step outside the comfort zone even if you did’nt intend to.

I loved hanging out here. It really looks like London doesn’t it? Notice how the trees show it’s autumn here. Everywhere else in the theme park, the trees were lush and green except in the Harry Potter parks. Attention to detail was spot on!

The only thing I bought, in terms of food, at universal studios was Butter Beer. If you are a Harry Potter fan you would understand why. I have been dying to try it since I read it in the books and I must say it didn’t disappoint.

On Sunday, I went to Clearwater Beach. The water there is so clear and clean and the beach is gorgeous.

If you happen to visit Orlando, I would highly recommend taking a trip to this beach. It’s a great escape from the city. Also, I must recommend King’s Pizza located close to the beach for lunch. They have really good food and the owners are super friendly.

The day before travelling back, I decided to stay in at the hotel and spend the day by the pool. I was wanted to get as much rest as I could before the long journey back. It was a perfect way to end the trip.