Holidays in the States

A cross country flight took me to Florida where I was going to spend christmas with my Auntie Janet and Uncle Richard and also Matt was coming out for a few days over christmas. Florida was just what I was looking for, a bit of down time to relax after being pretty much non-stop for the last 5 months. I had a good time in DeLand, in truth there isnt all that much to do there but then I wasnt looking for much to do. I was able to get out on the golf course a couple of times with my Auntie and Uncles friend Red and that was loads of fun, even if my swing was a bit rusty. It was kind of weird playing golf in the middle of December in shorts but its pretty hard to complain about getting to wear a pair of shorts every day. What was even stranger was celebrating Christmas Day in the glorious sunshine and 25C heat. Last year it had rained in Brisbane so it wasnt really that much of a change from home but this was. Even though we had the tree up with the presents underneath, it really didnt feel christmassy at all and it was odd wishing everybody a Happy Christmas. Despite this, it was a really nice christmas day with smoked turkey, sweet potatoes and a corn stuffing, a very southern christmas dinner. My time in FLA ended with a christmas present trip to the Daytona race track. As I said in my blog on Miami, NASCAR isnt really my thing but the trip to the track was pretty interesting. The stadiums are massive and on the day of the 500, Daytona's population swells to one of the top five cities in Florida. There was also people going round the track and the sound of the cars and their V8s is quite something, I can imagine that a full track of cars would be a spinetingling experience. After recharging the batteries in Florida, it was time to head north and continue the party in NYC with a short stop in D.C to visit my other American cousin Drew and his young family. I had never met Drew and Janine's two daughters, Verity and Chance before and what a cool couple of kids they are. I was only in D.C for 2 days but it was nice seeing everyone again and meeting the two lassies. The bus up to NYC was filled with kids all on there way to the city for a New Years party. Jessica, whom I had met in Colombia had very kindly said that she would put me up for my time in New York. She had also managed to get me tickets to a New Years Eve party which was pretty great of her. The party was cool, free booze, free food, a good DJ and a whole load of cool people. I had been thinking about going to Times Square to see the ball drop but I think the party was a better choice, I can do Times Square another time, maybe after global warming has heated up New York a bit. Aside from the New Years celebrations, Jessica walked me all over Manhattan for 3 days. She took me loads of places. I visited Times Sq, the Empire State Building, though I didnt go up as the queue for it was massive, the Rockerfeller centre with its massive christmas tree and iconic ice rink. We went up the Rockerfeller building at night time as well for stunning views of the city all lit up, the Empire State and Chrysler Building poking their spires above the rest. Grand Central Station which looks amazing, Park Avenue, 5th Av with all the shops and their window displays. We managed to get lost in Central Park for a bit and visited countless other little sites including the narrowest townhouse in the city at 75 1/2 Bedford Street. We also went for some fantastic meals including a great Japanese restaurant that sold ceviche!! I of course had the New York style pizza, burger, bagel and pastrami sandwich, so I covered all the bases. My last day in the city I was let loose by myself to explore Downtown and Wall St. There is a massive gap where the towers used to be but the memory tower is coming along and there has recently been a ground memorial opened, though its ticket only which seems strange to me. I got to see the Statue of Liberty from afar but as Ive already climbed it a long time ago, my desire to stand in the 2hour long queue was not great. I finished my time in NYC with a visit to the Guggenheim with Jess' friend Karen. There was a display by Italian scuptor Cattelan. It was a slightly, in fact very, morbid exhibition with figures and animals hanging from the roof. It was however a very interesting display and certainly made you think. And so my adventure around the world was at an end. It has been a truly amazing experience and I have seen some of the most fantastic places the world has to offer. Finishing up in The Big Apple was a thought that I had from the very start and to be able to end up there was great. Talk about ending on a high!!