May 31-June 3 2001
April 3-7 2002
I had been wanting to visit my friend Fikirte and her family in Florida since we moved to the US and especially since she had had her second baby Aby in March 2001 but I just hadn't had the opportunity. However, when my father announced his visit we planned a road trip to Orlando to see them all.
We set off on Memorial Day and 12 hours later we broke our trip in North Carolina to see my cousin Sally, her husband Brian and their children Emily, Nicholas and Madeline. Unfortunately, there are no photos as I forgot to take the camera out of the car. Oops. But as Emily enacted the old Armenian tradition of throwing water over us before we left to ensure our return I am sure we will be back.
The following day we were in Florida and the wet weather that had dogged our trip so far (my father the rain god) continued, now added to temperatures in the 90s and I couldn't wait to jump into the pool. Florida had changed quite a bit since I was there in 1976- more buildings, more cars and more people but the weather was just as I remembered it.
I hadn't seen Fikirte or Amber since New Year's Day when they stayed with us in New York and we had a really fantastic time playing in the snow, drinking hot chocolate and trying to keep warm. Now it was their turn to entertain me and I had the best time hanging out with Fikirte, her family and friends, although I think I spent more time in the pool with Amber than chatting with Fikirte. Sorry.
We spent such a short time in Orlando that we didn't really do any sightseeing but we did eat in a couple of good restaurants, notably Antonio's La Fiamma in Maitland. The best Italian food I have eaten outside Italy in a beautiful setting overlooking Lake Lily. Lightening was playing all around that evening just to add to the atmosphere. Downstairs from the restaurant is an Italian market and cafe, which was still busy at 9:30 in the evening. Go there, you won't be disappointed. Try the steak seared with herbs and olive oil, better than any steakhouse.
On the way back we drove through Savannah because I had never seen it but we didn't even stop the car. It looked pretty with all the Spanish moss framing the southern townhouses but I was anxious to get home. Two days of driving, nothing to see but trees and roadkill and we were back in the north again and it was still raining.
Update
A conversation with my friend Jenny in Brussels prompted us to firm up the plans we had had for a while to visit Fikirte and Nick in FLA. Verity and Steve had never been and had some curious notions about what the Sunshine State is really like. So we booked a few days at a villa on the outskirts of Orlando with the intention of hanging out with our friends including Jenny and her family who would be there at the same time.
The only proviso for going was that there would be no theme parks and no golf on the vacation. And I almost kept to the deal. I wanted Steve and Verity to really appreciate Florida so I was very careful about what I would let them see. Although we were actually in a villa that backed onto a golf course we idn't have to play but the pool outside the back door meant we could swim in privacy every morning.
We spent two days at the beach, once at St Pete's and once at Cocoa on the Atlantic. We saw the sunset, pelicans and lizards. And I allowed myself a little kitsch extravaganza with a half day visit to Gator World, which was a big hit, especially the gators and birdlife on the lake there. the rest of the time we hung with our friends and soaked up the sun. We ate some very good meals and both Steven and Verity were sold on the attraction of the Orlando area. next time I'll take them to the seamy areas!
