St. Augustine, Florida

We wrapped up our time in Florida with a trip to St. Augustine. We were interested in checking out Kennedy Space Center, which is not too far, but it was time/cost prohibitive for this trip. My searching led me to St. Augustine, which I've wanted to visit since teaching it in 5th grade social studies. It's the first permanent European colony in what's now known as the United States. It was a Spanish colony. I'm so glad we ended up visiting St. Augustine. It's THE best place Florida location we've visited. I could see owning property in St. Augustine, and I've never ever said that before. Anyway, we all loved it. It was not too crowded, and the beach was easily accessible and beautiful. 

 Ryan & Evan play in the Atlantic

waiting for food at a popular breakfast spot

that face...

Castillo de San Marcos

St. Augustine's colonial fort

We watched a cannon demo!

lovely views from the fort

History is so fascinating!

The walls were made of coquina, rock made of seashells.

The streets of colonial St. Augustine were so interesting. I'm very accustomed to the look of colonial English historical sites, and the difference between the colonial Spanish/English buildings was fascinating.

We are grateful for a memorable, fun summer vacation!

Epcot

Our final park was Epcot! 

iconic Spaceship Earth attraction

Stroller parking lots were always full! 

A LOT of very young children are brought to Disney parks. 

We really enjoyed the architecture, food, and exhibits in the World Showcase! Our first stop was France where we enjoyed some crêpes. We also rode Remy's Ratatouille Adventure in the France area. It's the only ride where I had to close my eyes due to 3-D induced nausea. I think it was due to the fact that the ride was from the perspective of a mouse, so we were seeing from floor level. That messed with me, for some reason. It was still fun! 

Morocco

Japan

Ryan and Evan really enjoyed this exhibit, and got some cute culture stuffed animal souvenirs.

In my last post, I said Slinky Dog Dash was my fave ride, but I revise that. My fave ride was Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. It had the coolest motion features, and played I Ran by A Flock of Seagulls on blast. I lost track of the story line due to the extreme sensory input, but it was in the best way. Beyond words, awesome!

Back to the World Showcase... 

Mexico

I asked for a pic of Joey and me in Germany, given our German roots.

In Norway, we rode the Frozen Ever After ride.

No explanation needed.

Some other Epcot highlights include Test Track and Soarin' Around the World. At the test track attraction, you design a race car, and race around a test track circuit at super high speeds. Soarin' truly felt like flying as we hang-glide around the globe. 

Thus ended our Florida adventure, which we are still paying off, by the way. It was worth every penny. The time with Joey and his family was invaluable, and all that we crammed into 5 days is sort of insane. We would NOT have had such a fabulous experience, if it weren't for Christine's confident guidance and expertise. We are grateful!

Hollywood Studios

Our fourth park day was Hollywood Studios. It is currently mid-October, so my specific memories are not as vivid since our trip was 3 months ago.  What I do remember is spending most of the time walking back and forth between Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land. 

After entering the park, we stopped by the Animation Courtyard to take a few pics with characters. 

Taking a photo with BB-8 was fun. That little droid is adorable.

A rare group photo with Chewbacca. 

He was very gentle, and not at all scary.

In the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge area, we were able to experience the Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run attractions.  They aren't really rides, because they're interactive. It was pretty cool, even for this non-Star Wars enthusiast. I think this was Burke's favorite day of all. He was pretty excited when we got to "fly" the Millennium Falcon. 

TIE Fighter

random droids

Even the Coke refreshment stands gave a Star Wars vibe.

X-wings

Storm Troopers on patrol, and looking for Chewbacca.

Oga's Cantina

Millenium Falcon

Toy Story Land was really fun in a very different way from STAR WARS: Galaxy's Edge. The bright colors and toys were really joyful. 

I think my favorite ride of all 5 days was Slinky Dog Dash!

Fun for all ages!

Evan wearing Emily's ears with Slinky Dog in the background.

Toy Story Parade

Alien Swirling Saucers

late night swim as we do some laundry

Though I have no photo evidence, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that we also enjoyed Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, a Frozen  sing-along, and a 3-D Muppet show at Hollywood Studios. There is one final day to document in our epic 5-day Universal/Disney twice-in-a-lifetime experience.