The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I just got back from an incredible trip with Zahara. She turns 11 this summer, and as a huge Harry Potter fan, I knew the perfect gift for her would be a trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal theme parks in Orlando! It was even better than I expected!

We spent four days and three nights at Universal's Endless Summer Resort--Surfside Inn and Suites. The hotel worked out perfectly. Staying onsite at one of the more budget friendly hotels was terrific. The rooms were spacious and comfortable, the staff was friendly, and the shuttles to/from the parks were frequent and convenient. We also loved cooling off in the pool after a long day at the parks.

Earlier this spring I enlisted my amazing sister-in-law Amy to help with the surprise for Z. Amy designed a letter from Professor McGonagall welcoming Zahara to Hogwarts. We printed a bunch of copies and put them around the fireplace.

It's hard to tell who was more excited--me or Zahara. We both were giddy with anticipation for our trip. We bought Harry Potter shirts and borrowed an interactive wand from a friend. We read blogs and books on how to best approach our time there. After all that research, I decided the best approach would be to go with the flow. I wasn't anticipating riding most of the rides and had no must-see attractions, other than the parks themselves. That attitude served us very well during our trip. It was one of the least stressful trips I've been on.

Here are some of the highlights from our trip:

Universal Studios Florida

Diagon Alley is incredible. I honestly felt like I was in the books. The level of detail on every store front and display was awesome. Feeling the dragon breathe fire was a real experience! The Tale of Beedle the Bard was worth the stop. We did the Ollivander experience and there were only four of us in the room. Zahara and I both got selected by the wandmaker. Such fun! We didn't purchase the wands, but it was well worth the time.

We purchased a park-to-park ticket and I 100% recommend that! The Hogwarts Express alone is worth it. It's just a fun ride and is different in each direction. But more than that, we loved the freedom of being able to hop around and explore at our own pace. If lines were long in one park, we could just hop over to the other one.

The best thing in Harry Potter World was the frozen butterbeer. I can't describe how delicious and refreshing this drink is! We shared one a day and it was a highlight of the trip.

Seuss Landing was whimsical and more fun than I expected. We spent most of our time in the Harry Potter world, but we did explore the other parts of the parts too. The Cat in the Hat ride was adorable and the If I Ran a Zoo was fun. 

Minion Villain-Con ride was fine, but the line leading up to it was so clever. The posters, booths, and advertisements for bad guys was adorable. 

We did the Men in Black ride on the last day. I had fun shooting the aliens. Again, the line leading up to the ride was filled with fun scenes. I liked the breakroom and the supervisor's office.

The Bourne Stuntacular show was amazing. The effects were incredible. You don't need to have seen the movies to appreciate the show, but if you're a fan there are so many fun pop-outs. Warning for sensitive folks, Z hated the show because there were too many flashing lights, loud sounds, and 4D surprises. 

There's so much more to cover about our trip, but this is getting long enough. I'll report more in a second post. Suffice it to say, it was an incredible trip and I am eternally grateful for the one-on-one time with my favorite daughter :)

Sweet Nori

 This week we lost our sweet kitty, Nori. 

Dan and I adopted Nori 14 years ago when she was only a few weeks old. Nori had been with us through three houses, two countries, two kids, and so many wonderful memories. Anyone who met her loved her. At times she was more of a dog than a cat. She'd run up to anyone and immediately start showing affection. When she was little she even played fetch!

She was a fantastic cuddler and would make sure you knew she was happy by her extremely loud purrs. The flip side of Nori's friendliness is that she really wanted to be around us all the time. If we were upstairs, she would meow very loudly until we came and gave her pets. If we were asleep on the couch or in the guest room, she would climb on our faces and nuzzle us until we woke up and pet her. 

Nori was my number one co-worker. True, she could be disruptive by sitting on my laptop, walking across the screen during video calls, and knocking my pens off the desk, but at least she looked cute while doing it. 

Nori put up with a lot and was so gentle with the kids. Zahara loved Nori with a passion. She took care of her, feeding her, petting her, and making her toys. Asher showed his love a little differently. He roughhoused with her but also would tell her how much he loved her. Catching those sweet moments is something I will cherish.

Nori, thank you for being exactly what we needed. Our family will miss you terribly.

Food and Wine in Franschhoek

After an incredible stay in Hermanus we made our way 1.5 hours west to Franschhoek, an area known for their food and wine. But first, on the way, we stopped at Creation Wines for incredible views and delicious cheese. 

We got so lucky and even had a spontaneous tour of the winery from one of the vintners! It was really neat hearing about how they create, store, and distribute their wines.

We stayed on a working vineyard called Auberge Clermont. Though the grapes were dormant for the season, I loved walking around the property and taking in the views. 

The town was founded by French religious refugees in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Huguenot legacy continues through the French culture in the town, including the vineyards and delicious French-inspired food. La Petite Colombe is one of the top restaurants in Africa for good reason. Our thirteen course meal was full of whimsy, artistry, and delicious flavors! Look at the presentation of the snacks served to us while we waited for our table! 

This course was delicious. It was a freshly cooked bread with a smoked fish spread meant to look like caviar. So playful and tasty!

Every plate was just as meticulous as the last. And to top it all off at the end of the night they brought around a sweets trolly reminiscent of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

 

The next day we devoted to wine tasting. We went to four different vineyards, all with very different looks and price points. You can take the wine trolly or hire a driver to go around the vineyards, but we found it relaxing just taking our time and moving on our own. 

Next up...Safari!

Read more about our trip:

Southern Africa: A Trip of a Lifetime

Touching Down in Cape Town

Lion's Head Mountain and Cape Town

Whale Watching in Hermanus

Whale Watching in Hermanus

Though I was sad to leave Cape Town I was excited that the next leg of our trip was Hermanus, one of the top whale watching spots in the region. The drive up was gorgeous, and it was fun to stop and see some more penguins at Betty's Bay.

Betty's Bay on the way to Hermanus

Once in Hermanus, we started walking the Cliff Path along the harbor. We walked for hours, stopping to admire the views, and eventually making our way back to town for a delicious fish dinner.

The real highlight of Hermanus is the whale watching. We went on a tour (thanks to my generous in-laws!) through Southern Right Charters. I had no idea what to expect, but this 2 hour tour far exceeded my expectations! I couldn't believe how close we got to a pod of whales. We spent the majority of the time watching 4 whales (3 male, 1 female) play. There were at two other whales below the surface we saw occasionally. 

I brought binoculars for us assuming that if we even saw whales it would be in the distance. I had no idea these amazing creatures would literally be up against our boat. We could hear them calling to each other. We felt the spray from their blowholes. It was so special.

We ended our night at our gorgeous B&B right on the water. These sunsets are dreamy!

What an incredible couple of days. Next stop, Franschhoek for wine tastings!

Read more about our trip:

Southern Africa: A Trip of a Lifetime

Touching Down in Cape Town

Lion's Head Mountain and Cape Town

Lion's Head Mountain and Cape Town

After an incredible first day in South Africa visiting Cape of Good Hope, we spent our next day touring around Cape Town. Our first stop was Lion's Head Mountain, one of the four mountains surrounding the city (Devil's Peak, Table Mountain, Signal Hill, and Lion's Head).

Lion's Head Mountain

Reading online, it seemed there were two options for our climb. An easy route suitable for beginners or a more challenging route recommended for experienced climbers. The difficult route included ladders and chains, whereas the easier route was wide paths and great views. Which one do you think we did?

Trick question! We thought we were doing the easy path but more than halfway up realized that was not the case. Funny story. Right after we decided we were not going to climb up the ladder to the next part of the mountain we watched a university rowing crew come by carrying an entire rowing machine! They were climbing the difficult path with all of their equipment to raise money for their team. It was a little deflating, but I'm proud of how far up we went. And the views were definitely worth it!

Climbing a ladder with a rower

Views from Lion's Head Mountain

After our climb we went into the city to explore the V&A waterfront. We listened to an audio tour of the area that was produced by the city. It was really interesting to learn the history of the area and explore some of its secrets. I loved watching the professional buskers, seeing all the seals, and looking out at Table Mountain.

After the audio tour we took a stroll down to Bo-Kaap, a neighborhood most known for its colorful houses. We took another audio tour here and learned the history of how during Apartheid the majority Muslim neighborhood was deeply impacted with many forced from their homes and the formerly colorful neighborhood painted white. Once Apartheid ended, residents re-painted the vibrant colors to signify their freedom.  

We finished our day with an incredible meal at the Test Kitchen Fledglings. Not only was the food fantastic, but the mission of this restaurant is amazing. Underprivileged people with an interest in entering the culinary world are given employment, training, and mentorship.

Another incredible day in South Africa! Next up, Hermanus and whale watching!

Read more about our trip:

Southern Africa: A Trip of a Lifetime

Touching Down in Cape Town