Florida

To celebrate graduating, Shelby and I wanted to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We decided to spend one day at Universal and three days at Disney. Here's a breakdown of what we did in Orlando.

Universal (June 21)

After waking up at the Cabana Bay, our first stop was Diagon Alley inside Universal Studios. The design was incredibly realistic. First, we rode the Escape from Gringott's. We went to Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes, Borgin and Burkes, and got wands at Ollivanders. Shelby and I tried both frozen and cold Butterbeer. We had lunch at the Leaky Cauldron. After discovering everything Diagon Alley had to offer, we took the Hogwarts Express to Islands of Adventure. There, we explored Hogsmeade. The best parts of Hogsmeade were exploring the Hogwarts castle, walking through the Three Broomsticks, and marveling at the selection at Honeydukes. On the way out, we rode Jurassic Park River Adventure. We rode the Hogwarts Express back to Diagon Alley, ate some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's, and walked through more of Universal Studios on the way out.

After our journey to Orlando and a full day at Universal on little sleep, we were completely exhausted. The heat drained the life out of us, so we took Monday off. We booked an extra day at Disney's All-Star Movies Resort and slept in. After getting plenty of rest and visiting Downtown Disney, we were ready to conquer Walt Disney World. It was my first time, and Shelby hadn't been in over 10 years.

Disney's Animal Kingdom (June 23)

Our first stop in the amazing Animal Kingdom was Africa. Since we used our FastPasses on afternoon activities in Hollywood Studios, we had to wait in the lines in Animal Kingdom. Kilimanjaro Safaris was our first adventure, and it was really neat. After the safari, we grabbed some fresh fruit and shopped a little. We went to see Festival of the Lion King, which was the best show we saw in our entire stay at Disney. Shelby and I walked through the rest of the Animal Kingdom on our way out. Asia and Africa were both so expertly designed, but the best part of Animal Kingdom was the Tree of Life. It was magnificent.

Disney's Hollywood Studios (June 23)

Upon arrival, Shelby and I needed lunch. We went to Rosie's on Sunset Boulevard. The afternoon was hot, and we were becoming more nervous about the Tower of Terror, so we went to see Beauty & the Beast live. The performance was great. Our FastPass for the Tower of Terror was around 4:00, so we headed that way. Even though we cut through the line, we still had to wait. The anxiety was real. We were assured by several people in line that we would survive, but I wasn't totally convinced. Once we were actually on the ride, I knew that it may be the end of me. On the initial drop, I let out a scream that I didn't know I was capable of. When it was over, Shelby's gripped hands had to be surgically removed from my arm. We survived it. Did I mention that we're not ride people? It was a rite of passage.

Next, we headed to the Animation Courtyard for something more tame. We visited the Magic of Disney Animation, which was very corny. We also saw Mickey and Baymax there, so it worked out. We saw the Voyage of the Little Mermaid next. Ursula is a queen. It was raining as we left the theatre, so we walked from awning to awning for a while. I was lightly drinking, so things are a little out of order from here. I know we saw Muppet*Vision 3D. It was fine. My dream of 20 years came true when we ate at Pizza Planet for dinner. Next, we used a FastPass at Star Tours, which Shelby wasn't entirely enthused about. We both really enjoyed it, though. Even though we had to wait in a 90 minute line, we did Toy Story Midway Mania! It was as awesome as we expected. We then shopped around for a while. Our final FastPass was Fantasmic!, but it was canceled due to the thunderstorm, so we left without seeing what was supposed to be a great show.

Disney's Magic Kingdom (June 24)

Our day at the Magic Kingdom was kind of a whirlwind, but I'll attempt to recall it in order. We first visited Fantasyland. Enchanted Tales with Belle was a neat show/walkthrough experience. We went to Under the Sea, a ride through the story of the Little Mermaid. We used an extra FastPass on Peter Pan's Flight, because the line was long. It was one of our favorite rides. We also escaped the heat by going to Mickey's Philharmagic. On our way through Liberty Square, we stopped at the iconic Haunted Mansion. Our longest wait of the week was at the Jungle Cruise in Adventureland. The line didn't seem so long when we got in it, but it lasted forever. The cruise was fine, but it wasn't worth waiting over an hour.

The park got busy quickly, so we ate lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus, which had plenty of seating and virtually no lines. We also had a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle at some point. We also had a Citrus Swirl from Sunshine Tree Terrace. I guess now's as good a place as any to mention that this day was incredibly hot, and I was feeling the worst I'd felt all week. I was stopping every five minutes to blow my nose. It was bad news. Despite the heat and illness, we went on.

When we arrived in Tomorrowland, Space Mountain was closed. Because we had a FastPass, they said we could use it anytime after it reopened. In the meantime, we went to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, which was a good time. When we were finished, Space Mountain was open. I was also anxious for this ride, but I knew I had to do it. The ride was set up for single riders, and I have no idea how tall people regularly ride it. I was also holding a huge backpack, so it was pretty uncomfortable. On top of that, this ride that people have been talking about my entire life did not live up to the hype. It was really rough and twisty. I'm not sure why people like that, but I'm still glad we did it. Our FastPass for Space Ranger Spin was ready after we left Space Mountain. It wasn't as good as Midway Mania!, but it was still cool. We left before our FastPass for Splash Mountain, because we were exhausted, and another storm was approaching. (We went back for the nighttime shows the next night.)

Disney's Epcot (June 25)

We got to Epcot around the time the World Showcase opened. We grabbed a cronut and walked through Canada. We shopped around in the UK and headed for France. In France, we got a snack and a cocktail. Then, we walked through fascinating Morocco. The next country was my favorite of them all: Japan. Shelby and I shopped through the various rooms, ate sushi, and drank some cocktails. After visiting the American Adventure, we explored Italy and Germany. In China, we watched part of a performance to cool down. We walked through Norway and got margaritas in Mexico to end the World Showcase. I easily could have spent a day just in this half of Epcot. It was really neat.

Feeling pretty good, we went to Future World. We had a few FastPasses, and we didn't want to miss anything. By the time we got back up to the huge golf ball, the worst storm of the week was heading in. We used our FastPass for Spaceship Earth, which was much more enjoyable than we expected. Next, we were scheduled to visit The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The aquariums and general air conditioning were really nice. We did Turtle Talk with Crush, which was fun. The rain felt great, but it meant that Test Track was closed for the day. Instead, we used our FastPass for Soarin'. This was definitely one of the best attractions in all of Disney. Shelby was pretty nervous, but she enjoyed it. On our way out, we rode the Mission: SPACE simulation (mild version, obviously). It was cool.

We took the Monorail and a ferry to Magic Kingdom that evening. We were just in time to get a great spot at the Main Street Electrical Parade. We then walked to the castle to wait for Wishes. Celebrate the Magic was a really cool experience. I didn't know that projecting onto the castle was a thing, but the show was terrific. The fireworks were also cool. We ate at Casey's Corner and shopped a little more before leaving Disney.

Overall, it was a great trip. For our first solo vacation, Shelby and I did well navigating and planning. I'm excited to go back later in life to get a new magical experience.

states: 08/50

Bryce :)

Alabama

On our way to Orlando, Shelby and I stopped for a night in Birmingham, Alabama. We drove through Little Rock, Memphis, and across Mississippi. We arrived at our awesome apartment airbnb late at night after driving for over 10 hours.

The next day, we went to Fife's for breakfast. It was in downtown Birmingham, and the food was authentically Southern. Our waitress called us babies, and the tea was probably 75% sugar. The food wasn't amazing, but it was a cool experience. 

After breakfast, we went to the Civil Rights Institute. The museum was great. I liked the way it was curated to show the horrific things that happened, but it remained unbiased. I think it was a great example of how information should be presented to people who don't have a working knowledge about racism.

We needed to get to Orlando by the end of the day, so we didn't spend much more time in Alabama. It was too early for us to get lunch before leaving, so we waited until we were passing by Atlanta to go to the Dwarf House, Chick-fil-A's original restaurant.

states: 07/50

Bryce :)

Arkansas

Shelby and I have limited experience in Arkansas, but we needed a place where we can travel to for a day. Little Rock seemed like the obvious choice, so we did some research and left for our 24 hour trip on the last weekend of spring break.

The drive was about five hours, and the weather was supposed to be rainy, but it was overcast and felt great. Our first stop on Friday evening was ZAZA, where I had some of the best salad and pizza of my life. Have you ever had feta rosemary potato pizza? It was incredible. After, we made our way to the hotel in downtown Little Rock.

In the morning, we went to the Root Cafe for brunch. The line was long, but it was definitely worth it. I had an omelette, and Shelby had pancakes. We also got a donut muffin for later, which was wonderful. After brunch, we drove to the Clinton Presidential Center. The museum was a really neat snapshot of Clinton's presidency. It was cool, because I was alive for his presidency, but I don't remember it very well. The best parts were obviously about Hillary.

We drove through the River Market District and made our way to Big Dam Bridge. We were in need of physical activity, so we walked across the bridge, and took some photos. There were some good dogs taking walks, and Shelby was fascinated by how the dam worked. On our way back home, I continued to play the license plate game. I saw 29 states, which I'm proud of for such a short journey.

states: 06/50

Bryce :)

Oklahoma

For people who grew up in the Oklahoma City area, Tulsa is the obvious vacation away from home but still within the state. Shelby and I spent the weekend in Tulsa, OK with our good friends Sarah and Sylvain. The main reason for our trip was because the legend himself, Justin Timberlake, performed at the BOK Center. So it just worked out that we could spend a few days and cross another state off the list.

On Thursday, the four of us met at the hotel and walked in the freezing rain to see the man of our dreams. My entire world ended, I was revived, and nothing was ever the same again. We enjoyed his perfection from our seats right next to the stage; in fact, the stage came up into our section. We were exhausted after, but not more exhausted than we were hungry. We went to the restaurant in the lobby of our hotel for homemade chips before bed.

Friday was our big day to really explore the city. I had been asking friends and coworkers for over a month which places were necessary to see. After recovering, we started the day out at Brookside by Day with mimosas and some seriously delicious diner breakfast. From there, we drove around the city some before stopping at The Center of the Universe. Sarah and I knew the secrets of this local gem, but Shelby and Sylvain didn't. We enjoyed it for a couple of minutes before the cold became too much. Many of the roads downtown were blocked, because there was a big race the next day, so we had to walk a couple of blocks in the sleet to get to our next destination. It was worth it, because there was hardly anyone at The Gypsy coffeehouse, and we just relaxed while drinking mochas and playing chess.

After we were ready to brave the freezing weather again, we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We were recommended Andolini's Pizzeria on Cherry St, so we went there for dinner. There was a bit of a wait, but you could watch the pizza being made in the waiting area. It was neat, and I never want to forget that house made smoked mozzarella which made the pizza even better. Paired with a Belgian beer, and this may have been the best meal we had all weekend. After dinner, we went to The Max, an awesome retropub. There were a lot of cool arcade games and fun drinks. 

On Saturday, we met some friends who recently moved to Tulsa at an authentic Irish pub called Kilkenny's. It was delicious, and I kept having flashbacks to our time in Dublin earlier this year. On the way back home, we visited the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks. I was the only one who had been previously, but it had been about a decade, so it was essentially a new experience for everyone. The best part of the aquarium was probably when we got to see the beavers being fed. They ate broccoli and grapes, and they were so happy. Their hands were really impressive. Of course my favorite part of the aquarium was the mammals, but the fish were neat too. 

states: 05/50

Bryce :)

France

Paris was a stressful, surreal blur. All right, that's a little dramatic. But from June 28 to June 30, we were in France. It was an overall good experience, but I found it to be rather draining.

The apartment we found on airbnb was amazing. Ludwig was such a cool guy, and he gave us good suggestions. That night, we went to a Basque place in the same neighborhood. It was really neat to try real French food while also avoiding the touristy restaurants.

Probably my least favorite part of our trip was going to Montmartre, where we saw La Basilique du Sacré Coeur. It was really neat, and the inside was cool, but it was not worth it. The climb to the top was a little miserable, and all the way up, we were harassed by guys trying to sell us things. I could have definitely done without that experience.  

On our first full day, we went to all of our favorite American places to get that out of our systems. Early on, we decided that a museum pass was right for us. We had a huge list of places we could go, and we didn't ever have to wait in line. Musee d'Orsay had Van Gogh, Monet, and tons more impressionism pieces. The museum is massive. We went to the Centre Pompidou. Modern art, especially this much of it, can be a lot to handle, but I really enjoyed it. They had Dalí, Picasso, and Warhol. We went to the Louvre to see the highlights (Mona Lisa, Michelangelo). We saw Monet's water lilies at L'Orangerie.

We shopped the Champs-Élysées and ended up at the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed to the top and got the best view of Paris. We found a good spot and waited for sunset, so that we could take pictures with the lit up Eiffel Tower. For our final night in Paris, we went to the Eiffel Tower and watched it sparkle. We just sat on the lawn and drank some champagne. This night was extra cool, because we rang in the second half of 2013 while at the Eiffel Tower.

I also documented the trip through even more photos on Tumblr.

Bryce :)

Belgium

Patrick, Jordan, Shelby, and I spent June 23-26 in Brussels. Speaking for all of us, the bed and breakfast we stayed at in Belgium was the best and most beautiful one of all. Of course, it couldn't be perfect, though. There were a million (75) stairs. We got a full workout in every time we wanted to go up to our amazing penthouse.

At least compared to our other destinations, Brussels doesn't have as many attractions. Because of this, we spent a lot of time in our neighborhood and just hanging out around the house. We saw Grand Place, which is pretty amazing. The details on everything are so perfect. We also found a local chocolate shop, and we spent the rest of our stay in Belgium trying different truffles.

Our day trip to Ghent and Bruges was maybe my favorite one of the trip. In Ghent, we had the quintessential Belgian waffles. They could not have been better. Bruges was breathtaking. We took a boat ride down the canal, and it was amazing. It's just a really beautiful place.

For our final day in Brussels, we went to Atomium. It is basically a huge atom-shaped structure which is a museum. I'm still not sure I really understand it. Things happened in there that can't be shared. It did, however, give us a great view of the city. After, we became tourists and hit the city center. We saw the famous, tiny Mannekin Pis. Also, Brussels is the headquarters for the European Union, so we went to European Parliament.

Bryce :)

Netherlands

We were in Amsterdam June 20-22.

The guesthouse where we stayed was a traditional Dutch house. You basically had to climb the stairs like a ladder. It was a neat place in a good location.

It rained the entire time we were there, so we didn't get as many photos as the other locations. But the rain was nice, and I really liked the city. The buildings look amazing. The canals were really great. I enjoyed the city's relaxed atmosphere.

Really, we didn't do much in Holland, because we needed a break after all of our traveling. We did a lot of relaxing. We did visit museums, though. The Anne Frank House is an experience that I feel like everyone should have. It was very special, very powerful. We also visited the Van Gogh museum. I recognized several of the pieces, so it was really neat to see them for real.

Bryce :)