So I'm starting this as we sit in the Admiral's AA Lounge at Orlando waiting for our first leg home (will probably finish it up in the air). Hard to believe 5 weeks ago we set off on this amazing trip of a lifetime. It has been everything we hoped for and more and it has been amazing to see friends that we haven't seen for years and of course spend some quality time with Adam.

The last few days we have been here in Orlando. The reason we came down here was so I could catch up with a good friend and mentor Debs (yep, another camp buddy). Debs had ran the waterfront for years when I first came to camp and my last couple of years she was the Head Counselor and I was able to work alongside her, where we laughed and cried together throughout the summer. The plan was to fly into Orlando, hire a car and drive north a couple of hours and spend a couple of days with her and another friend, Kelly. Unfortunately, Debs had to go back to the UK for family reasons so we ended up with a couple of days here.

We left Adam's on Wednesday morning, after he drove us to the airport and we said our sad goodbyes. So over goodbyes. Quick flight down to Orlando and after the longest wait ever for bags I looked into hiring a car for either the whole time we were here or just for a couple of days but the price was way more then I thought, which dashed the hopes of popping up to see Kelly just for the day. Should have put more thought into it earlier but honestly didn't think it would be over $100 a day.

Got a shuttle to the hotel and after checking in and checking with their onsite car hire (still no good) I decided to spend a couple of hours by the pool as exhaustion finally caught up with me. Mum kept up her fascination with Netflix (in the middle of a series). We then decided to head to one of the Outlet shops and check them out. They had a nice Italian restaurant where mum got another fix of Mozzarella sticks and we both had a lovely pasta before checking out a small portion of the shops before it was time to get the shuttle home just after 10pm.

For those of you who have never been to Orlando, there is a road called International Drive (I-Drive) and it is just wall to wall hotels and restaurants. There is a trolley shuttle that goes up and down it which isn't too expensive.

On Thursday, after a nice sleep in and good breakky, we decided to head back to the outlets to check out the rest of the shops before coming back to the hotel for an afternoon by the pool. There are so many shops to see. Some have really good bargains, some are just OK. But it takes a while to get around because it is all spread out. I think shoes were the winner today. By the end of it I was done with shopping and just wanted to get in the pool. We stopped one stop short of our hotel so we could pop into the supermarket but didn't really have what we were after. Decided to go to Tony Roma's for an early dinner which was lovely before getting back to the hotel and finally getting down to the pool. So nice to be able to go for a swim at 8pm at night and not be cold!! The hotel had a good hot tub too....nice and hot!!

Friday was our one sightseeing day. We went to the Kennedy Space Centre which had been recommended by quite a few people. This was one reason why I wanted to hire a car as the only option for transport was with Greyline Tours at $50 each but in the end our own option. Entrance was another $50 but worth it. The only downfall was it took about 2hrs to get there and another 2 to get back because of the pick up / drop offs they have to do. Could easily have down with another 2hrs there. They say 105 million people visit Orlando each year, but only 5 million make it to Kennedy, which is a shame.

Wasn't sure what to expect but glad we went. So much to see and do. We started off with the NASA tour / Saturn 5 Centre. You jump in a bus for a mini tour which drives past the tallest single story building (Vehicle Assembly Building) which was built for the assembly of the Apollo / Saturn V moon rocket. If I remember correctly, it is almost as tall as a football field is long. The flag painted on the outside wall is as big as a basketball court and the doors take about 45mins to completely open or close. We also got to see the machines that transport the completed shuttles / rockets to the launch pad. It can take 6-8hrs to transport them to the launch site and they drive along these special paths laid with Alabama river rock because it doesn't spark as it is driven on.

We saw 2 of the launch pads, the road further along was closed as a rocket is being launched on Monday. They give you some really good information. Unfortunately it was raining so it was hard to see some of what they were pointing out. We then arrived at the Saturn V Centre where we were ushered into watch a video discussing the space race. I enjoyed the fact they could laugh at themselves with all the 'stuff ups' they had before they were finally able to launch the first American into space. It was also interesting to hear how worried they were when the Russians beat them and all the things they thought they were doing. After the video, you move into another room which has all the consoles that were actually used when they did the launch of Apollo 8 (first mission to go around the moon) and the footage was shown on screens around you. When the launch happened, they actually had the building shake so you almost imagine the force of it when it happened.

You then go inside this huge building and hanging from the roof is Saturn 5. You just don't realise the size of these things until you see it and then it hits you. This thing launched people into space. Really good descriptions of what each part was for and also descriptions on each of the Apollo missions (race to reach the moon). There was a memorial for Apollo 1 and the 3 astronauts that died when the capsule caught fire while still on the ground. They also had another theatre which was a re-enactment of the first landing on the moon. They have video and audio footage of those moments before it happens and then the landing itself. It was all very well done.

Back to the main center and we visited Atlantis. Again, you start off with a video about how this came about - the decision to build a space shuttle that could be used multiple times and the factors that went in to designing such a thing. The next room almost made you feel like you were in the shuttle flying through space and then the curtain opens and there it is - Atlantis (again hanging from the roof). Crazy to think all those years ago people were able to design such an incredible thing that could fly people into space and then land like an aeroplane. Again great descriptions and some good interactive things to do. Memorials to the Challenger & Colombia crew. Also displays talking about life in space from pooping to eating and sleeping.

We then grabbed a quick bite to eat and while inside, the heavens opened up and it poured down. Joys of Florida in the summer. Mum decided to buy a poncho so she didn't get to wet and we went to a talk by an Astronaut, Roger Crouch who went to space twice as a mission specialist. His story is a testament to never giving up on your dreams. He was 57 before he went up his first time. He was quite entertaining in how he gave his story. In his own words he was a 'hillbilly from Tennessee" who somehow ended up with a PHD in Physics, 40 published papers and then he finally made it to space.

Last stop for us was the Heroes & Legends which had the Hall of Fame. There was still many things we didn't see, including a couple of IMAX movies which we were told were really good, but just not enough time. If you are going to Orlando, definitely take the time to get over here. Worth it and I'm sure the queues are a lot smaller then the other parks.

After the long trip home, we went and had some dinner before I popped down to the pool. Nothing like going for a swim at 9.30pm and not being cold at all. Stayed down till about 11pm with mum eventually joining in too.

Which brings us to this morning. Time to pack and get ready for the long trip home. We had paid a little extra to keep the room till 5pm so we could have a shower before heading to the airport. After packing the majority of stuff I enjoyed the pool for too short of a while before we headed to the other outlets in town for some last minute shopping. Didn't get too far in because the first shop we walked into had some great deals on clothes and then we checked out a couple of bag shops and walked out with a Coach bag each (most money either of us have ever spent on a bag but I'm sure some people wouldn't blink).

Once again, it had started raining while inside. At least this time we had bought one umbrella (would keep the new handbags dry) but didn't really want our shoes getting wet with the long journey ahead of us. Took them off and walked barefoot before coming across a Crocs shop and wouldn't you know it, they had a 2 for 1 special on clearance items and we were lucky enough to find something that suited each of our tastes and fit too.

We went to the get the shuttle back, but after waiting 30mins for it not to show up (meant to come every 20mins), we changed plans and grabbed a taxi instead. And then asked if he wanted to come back in 45mins to take us to the airport. A quick shower and final packing (we didn't even need to buy another bag) and time to go.

Checked in at Orlando, made our way through security which looked a bit of a nightmare but actually moved quite quickly and off to the lounge to await our flight which is where I started. We are now in the lounge at LA after our approx 5hr trip. For a good portion of the flight, we were able to enjoy a light show out the window with storms happening across the country. Little bit of turbulence but it could have been much worse. So now, we have about an hour to wait here before we board the final flight home.

It has been such an incredible journey once again. We were very lucky to have a couple of wonderful, amazing friends house sitting and more importantly dog sitting our furball back home. It has been a big relief not to have to worry about him. Mum has a week off before she heads back to work and I guess a new journey is ahead of me with regards to work but more on that later. To those who have been following our trip, I hope you have enjoyed. All I can say is..."Put Alaska on your to do list but don't do one of those big cruises. You just won't experience it in all it's glory".