Florida Road Trip Day 3

Setting off to Orlando! 

We had really enjoyed the Harry Potter world at Universal Studios last year, so we planned another visit this time. After a good breakfast, we hit the road, with about 3.5 hours of driving ahead of us. In the morning, there was rain again, but it soon eased. 

Firstly, we drove along the coast, with the tall buildings of Miami and Fort Lauderdale visible in the distance. Then we encountered a long green belt with lush palm trees 🌴, mixed with deciduous trees 🌿, which always amazed me. I didn't know that such different trees could thrive in the same conditions. On the left and right of the highway were fenced or walled-off residential areas with locked entrance gates, a haven of peace away from the noisy world—last year we had stayed in such a resort and felt quite at home there, but it is a living situation somewhat removed from the reality of life, I think. 

As we continued driving north through the countryside, there were increasingly more “fenced” roads, meaning the lush natural growth was being pushed back by fences on both sides. There were always waterlogged areas where alligators 🐊 surely felt very at home, herons, and other large birds 🦅 flying around—there was so much nature all around us. We took our time with the drive and only reached our destination in the afternoon. Lucky again! A nice room, a good breakfast the next morning, and a free shuttle service to Universal Studios—however, there was a bus stop right in front of the hotel, and Bus 21 took us there and back for $4 per person—very convenient!

Freshened up, we headed out in the evening to the Universal City Walk. There is no entrance fee, and you can have an incredible amount of fun with the great lighting, live music, and dancing; people are relaxed and enjoying themselves—it’s really nice. Our goal was the Chocolate Emporium, where they have the most incredible milkshakes, which are a whole meal and not just a 🥤- see pictures. However, they also come at a proud price of about $15-16, so it's not a cheap treat. Tip: one shake is plenty for two people, or else you might experience a sugar shock 🙈😂.

After three hours of strolling—it was time for the bus, which didn’t show up—so I called a Lyft, which cost the same as the bus to the hotel and worked perfectly. We didn’t need any food; the milkshake was enough to get us through to breakfast 😉. 💤 

Lesson of the day: sometimes less is more—when you share something.