Simple Pleasures: Vacation

Unique Hotel in Sweden

As if flying across the Atlantic wasn't enough, I decided to spend the night aboard a 747. One major difference, this one would not take off.

In order to catch an early morning flight out of Stockholm, I had to stay one night in close proximity to Arlanda Airport.

I had heard of the Jumbo Jet Hostel, situated at the Entrance to Arlanda Airport and decided to give it a try. Hotels tend to be expensive around the airport, and though the hostel isn't exactly cheap by North American standards; it is an affordable option. The 5 minute free bus ride to and from the Airport is an added bonus.

Once I got off the bus stop, the Plane was right in front of me. The staff was very friendly and the basic amenities was all I needed for my one-night stay.

The plane has an observation deck on one of the wings, but due to the winter conditions it was not open.

The rooms are on the small side, but very comfortable bedding and a flat screen TV. I had a shared bathroom but there are also rooms for 4 people sharing with bathrooms in the hallway.

The cockpit room would be the most expensive and certainly a treat for any aviation fan. It has a panoramic view of the airport.

There's a cafe aboard where breakfast is served, and a common sitting room. Breakfast is served between 3:00am and 10:00 am.. It is self-help, and consists of hearty fresh breads, cheese, cold-cuts, yogurts, fresh fruit, boiled eggs, coffee and juices. Perfect before heading out in the dark to catch the bus to the airport.

Overall, this was a new and interesting experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCow8FUMcH8

Florida in July is like sitting in a hot sauna and then going straight for the hot tub to cool off. This time of year there is absolutely no escaping the sun and heat while outdoors in this Sunshine State.

We spent a week at a gulf beach condo in Indian Rocks (Tampa / St. Petersburg Area) and the only relief from the heat is to befriend the AC..

I'm not the type of gal to sit inside all day so we faced the heat every single day. Now, I know the meaning of Feeling Hot Hot Hot!


Living creatures on beach after tide

Beach outside our Condo

The kids love shopping so we did hit the malls a few times to appease them, but we also managed to do a bit of exploring.

Sunken Garden in St. Petersburg

A 100 year old botanical paradise in the midst of the city. It brought some relief from the intense heat.. Beautiful tropical garden 15 feet below street level.

Florida Botanical Garden and Heritage Village

Located in Largo, nearby Clearwater, this is a fabulous park with walking trails, botanical gardens and a Heritage village. We spent one morning walking through the beautiful gardens and then visiting the village which is a living history museum. There were volunteers in most buildings that gave us a private "tour and history" of the particular building. Most people are not really interested in the past, but myself and my daughter finds it interesting and we enjoyed our morning tour of these historical homes. Both the gardens and Heritage Village is offered free of charge.

Surrounded by Huge Banana Leaves


We tried..but we did not see any gators

Dunedin - Florida

A quaint little "Scottish" town just north of Clearwater. This is Toronto Blue Jays' spring training home. There really is not much happening here in the summer months. If you're not careful you might drive past the town as it's very small...... With hubby and son planted on the park bench, myself and my daughter quickly visited the few stores as it was stinking hot out, and then we headed down to the pier to "cool off". We met the most funny Sicilian on the Pier.. He gave us a song and dance about being a professional singer, and then he serenaded my daughter. It was priceless..

Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary

This is the largest wild-bird hospital in the U.S. , located in Indian Shores, a short distance from our condo. So many birds in one place and so many dedicated volunteers to help save their lives. A safe-heaven for birds in the midst of tourism.

A boat-ride on the Intracoastal

We rented a boat for a few hours, and it was a good experience. We learned that we are not power boaters.

The kids wanted to go as fast as possible, the faster the better. I much prefer as slower crusing speed where one can take in the scenery along the way and perhaps take a picture or two.

We did cover a long stretch of waterway though, and I know that if we had stuck to 5 knots we would not have gotten very far. The intracoastal is beautiful with all the extravagant houses along the route such as Lisa Marie Presleys and Hulk Hogans mansions among others. We did get lucky and caught a glimpse of dolphins swimming by the boat.