Category: Florida

2024 · National Day Calendar · Walt Disney World

May The Fourth Be With You!

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The “Star Wars” universe is a massive achievement. It is hard to think of a time when “Star Wars” didn’t exist, given its extraordinary influence and popularity in pop culture. It all started with the book “Dune” by Frank Herbert. First published in 1965, it is widely regarded as the base inspiration for “Star Wars,” given the huge similarities between the characters and the storyline of the two. Either way, George Lucas set his story in outer space and took the risk of producing a sci-fi movie in 1977, a time when the genre was pretty much dead in Hollywood. Nobody expected the first “Star Wars” movie to do as well as it did. Backed by a meager $9.5 million for production, it had a limited theatre release and was expected to bomb at the box office. There was no way that this sci-fi opus would be a hit. On May 25, 1977, “Star Wars” (later renamed to “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope”) was released.

Through word of mouth and rave reviews, “Star Wars” enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame and changed the entire landscape of cinema, leaving studios completely bewildered by its success. The world was introduced to the Skywalker family saga, and beloved characters like Han Solo, Yoda, Chewbacca, and perhaps the darkest villain of all time — Darth Vader. Grossing over $100 million by the end of the summer, the first installment of “Star Wars” won six Academy Awards and a Special Achievement Award for groundbreaking accomplishments in special effects. For its time, and considering the limited budget, George Lucas pulled off a massive feat by creating advanced effects and filming impressive space sequences using only small-scale figures and setups. 

The success of the first movie was followed by two sequels, “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back,” in 1980 and “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi,” in 1983. The franchise branched out into different commercial lines as well. 

20 years after the debut film, Lucas released the second trilogy of films, the ‘prequel trilogy.’ With a new cast of popular actors like Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor, “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” was released in 1999, followed by “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones” in 2002, and “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith” in 2005. The storyline wasn’t as acclaimed as that of the original trilogy, but the digital technology and effects of the movies had significantly improved and, subsequently, they were overall box-office successes. The marketability of the franchise became more extensive, with a book series, animated TV series, action figures, video games, and clothing lines created for the new generation of “Star Wars” lovers. 

Walt Disney Studios acquired the franchise in 2012, and set forth to produce a third trilogy, the ‘sequel trilogies.’ The seventh film, “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens,” was released in 2015. The universe was further expanded with new characters while staying faithful to the true essence of “Star Wars.” “Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi” was released in 2017, followed by “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in 2019. Several stand-alone movies were also tied in with the main story, “Star Wars: Rogue One” in 2016, and “Solo” in 2018.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/star-wars-day/

2024 · Florida · Georgia · Germany · Pennsylvania · Travel Tuesday

From Florida To Atlanta, Georgia; Flying To Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania & Back To Frankfurt, Germany 2002

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The last day of our vacation day came, and we had to pack up in Daytona Beach. I still had a few pictures to take. Kevin was so silly, I captured photos of his dance move. He made me laugh out loud. After everything was packed and cleaned, we made our way to Macon, Georgia to rest for the evening. On that day, I had my first fresh Georgia Peaches. Wow, they were so tasty and full of juice. No wonder, Pecahes are Georgias State Fruit.

The following morning, we drove to Alanta to catch our flight to Pittsburgh, Pennsylavania. I told my in-laws, that it will be less than two years, before I come back to the US. Kevin and I said our goodbye’s for now, and checked in. In Pittsburgh, we had a three hour layover. Kevin and I took a night flight back to Frankfurt, Germany. We left the USA on Sunday and arrived in Europe on Monday.

We left Atlanta with a few clouds and 93℉/34℃. And we arrived in Frankfurt with rain and 48℉/9℃. I missed the US, and wanted to take the very next flight back. It made me so upset. Thank goodness, I went back to work on Wednesday. There I could tell my co-workers about all the adventures we had in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida.

~ THE END ~

2024 · Florida · Travel Tuesday · Walt Disney World

Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Buena Vista, Florida 2002 🏰🐭

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On the fourth and last day, Kevin and I spent time at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. First, we went to Discovery Island’s “Tree of Life” to see all the carved animals on its trunk. Beneath the tree is a show named “It’s Tough to be a Bug”, which is based on “A Bug’s Life”. In Africa, we went on Kilimanjaro Safaris. In Asia, Kevin and I went to the Kali River Rapids. When we came out of the rapids, I was drenched. But, in the Florida sun in June, I didn’t mind at all. My clothes dried quick. The ride DINOSAUR in DinoLand had some raptors in there, which made me scoot closer to Kevin. I know, they are animatronics. But, they scared me. After that, we had a smooth ride to Pafiki’s Planet Watch. Later, we saw “Mickey’s Jungle Jammi’ Parade”.

While in the Park, Kevin and I encountered quite a few Disney Characters. We ran into Rafiki twice that day. After having all that fun in the park, we were tired. And it was time to drive back to our motel room in Daytona Beach. My in-laws spent their day, relaxing at the beach and in the condo. When we came back from Walt Disney World, Kevin and his dad went grocery shopping for the days ahead. We spent one more day in Daytona Beach before it was time to travel to Atlanta, Georgia.

… to be continued …

2024 · Florida · Travel Tuesday · Walt Disney World

Disney’s MGM Studios, Walt Disney World, Buena Vista, Florida 2002 🏰🐭

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Being goofy is contagious.

On Day #3, Kevin and I went to Disney’s MGM Studios, now known as “Disney’s Hollywood Studios”. And yes, I rode the Tower of Terror. After that, I needed to recover for at least 15 minutes. In future visits, I never went on that ride again. I always said: “I did it once. Done, did it! Don’t need to do it again.” Muppet Vision 3D was funny. And other rides were cool, too.

My favorite part was meeting some of the Disney characters. We walked into Goofy, who was goofy. And being goofy can be contagious. There were other characters like Mushu, the Dragon from Mulan, Dopey from The Seven Dwarfs, and Friar Tuck from Robin Hood.

… to be continued …

2024 · Florida · Travel Tuesday · Walt Disney World

EPCOT, Walt Disney World, Buena Vista, Florida 2002 🏯🐭

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Spaceship Earth in EPCOT

Epcot is divided into four main themed areas, known as “neighborhoods”: World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature, and World Showcase.

On Day 2, Kevin and I went to EPCOT. We did quite a walk in the park. The World Showcase includes the countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States of America, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Because there was so much to see, we made it only from Mexico to Japan that day. However, I had the chance to meet Snow White and see my Hometown sign in Germany. I was born and raised in Würzburg, Germany. The city is at the northern end of the Romantic Street.

After a late lunch, we rode the Monorail to Magic Kingdom to spend the afternoon there.

… to be continued …

2024 · Florida · Travel Tuesday · Walt Disney World

Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Buena Vista, Florida 2002 🏰🐭

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Let the Honeymoon officially begin! We finally made it to Walt Disney World.

Kevin, my in-laws, and I had a place to stay in Daytona Beach, Florida. The first day, we had arrived we hung out at the beach. I was building my first sand castle on the west side of the Atlantic and picked up some shells as keepsakes.

The following day, we all drove to Buena Vista to visit Walt Disney World. It was Day 1 of 4 when we made it to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. I remember when I entered the park and saw the big Cinderella Castle for the first time, I had tears in my eyes. This was a bucket list item since childhood. I always wanted to see Mickey.

My in-laws did their own thing. Kevin and I did our thing. There were so many rides, characters, parades, shops, food. And all I could think of was, how to stay hydrated in the Florida sun in early June. But, we managed it perfectly. And we also got quite a tan.

◊◊◊◊◊

The highlight was on Day 3. I finally met the mouse, THE MOUSE: Mickey Mouse. I was so excited, and so must have been my pen. When Mickey tried to give me an autograph, my pen didn’t want to work. So, I had to borrow another guest’s pen to get Mickey to sign my autograph book. When Kevin and I walked out of the building, I said: “I can’t believe, that just happened.” After that, my pen just worked fine again. 🙄😄

… to be continued …

2024 · Florida · National Day Calendar

National Florida Day 2024

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About 14,000 years ago, the first inhabitants to live in the peninsula that we now know to be part of the U.S. were the Native Americans. The archeological evidence and many artifacts the Native Americans left behind established this fact. In 1513, the Spanish explorer, Juan Ponce de León, arrived in Florida and made textual records. He called the peninsula ‘La Pascua Florida’ from which the state’s name was derived. The name ‘Pascua Florida,’ which means “Festival of Flowers” in Spanish, was given because of the region’s vast and flourishing landscape.

The first region where the Europeans settled in the United States was Florida. During the 16th century, the area was populated with French and Spanish settlements as well. Florida was also under the colonial rule of Spain from the 16th to the 19th century. The 19th century also witnessed the coming together of various communities. Florida became a refuge for African slaves, fugitives, and the Native American people. The new Native American groups from the South banded with fugitive slaves and became a group known as the Black Seminoles. The Seminoles were Native American people who moved to or lived in the state.

Florida was also under the rule of Great Britain during the 18th century, and after its independence, it became a territory of the United States in 1821. Finally, in 1845, Florida was admitted to the Union as the 27th U.S. state. We celebrate this day every year to remember its history and honor the various struggles it endured.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/national-florida-day/