Wednesday was very hot indeed! We had planned to go to Seaworld later in the day, but the children wanted to set off a bit earlier, so we decided to explore International Drive first. I'd heard of a good restaurant called Bahama Breeze and I wanted to see if we could find it as a possible dinner venue in the evening.
International Drive goes from the extremely elegant (at the Seaworld and Aquatica end) to a bit tacky, but it was interesting to drive slowly along and see all the things going on, such as the upside down house and Ripleys Believe it or Not exhibition. There were also plenty of restaurants and we found the location of Bahama Breeze very easily. On the way we saw a Dairy Queen so after trying to back track (which took a lot longer than I thought!) we stopped off for an ice-cream to cool down a bit. Thank goodness every restaurant is air-conditioned!
Seaworld looked very busy - what a difference a week makes! We parked the car some distance from the entrance (all the preferred parking had been taken) and walked in the fearsome heat to the ticket turnstiles. People were emerging from the park looking extremely hot. Our first stop was Key West where I wanted to feed the dolphins but the queue was rather long (!) and the wait was about half an hour so we abandoned that idea! There were crowds of people everywhere and the heat was unbelievable, so we all looked at each other, thought of our cool pool and decided to come back later in the afternoon as the park was open until 9pm. We would just need to produce our parking ticket to get back in without having to pay to park again.
Within fifteen minutes, the air-conditioning in the car was blasting away and then after half an hour we were all in the pool, enjoying the blissful cool and the peace and quiet. we spent a very happy couple of hours sitting in the jacuzzi with a drink and then I fell asleep on the sun lounger. Perfect!
Come 6pm we were all back in the car again and speeding towards Seaworld. Luckily there were no jams on the freeway and we managed to park much nearer to the entrance. It was still very hot, but the sun was hidden behind thick clouds and it looked very much like we were going to have a storm. Our first stop this time was the Sealions Tonight show which was very, very funny! The mime artist appeared again to take the mickey out of people coming into the auditorium and then the show started. The cast explained that the show was a p**s take of all the shows in Seaworld and they did it extremely well, with the sealions taking a big part and the huge walrus acting as Shamu. For the people who had been to the other shows it was hilarious as they really did take the mickey of the, at times very cheesy, performances!
After the show we walked to Key West and of course the dolphin feeding was over...typical! We did manage to go and see them, though, and they swam very close so that was some consolation. The children wanted to ride Journey to Atlantis again so Keith and I waited for them opposite the ride in the hope of getting a photo of them but by the time we saw them it was dark. Seaworld looks lovely at night with lots of little lights in the trees and all the shops and exhibits lit up. It was now almost 8.30pm so we called it a day and returned to the car.
International Drive was very busy but we found Bahama Breeze again and even managed to park. There was a 40 minute wait and Keith almost said no, but I persuaded him to wait as we were able to have a drink at the bar - outside! - and before long we were seated. The restaurant specialises in Caribbean cuisine but the men stuck firmly to their ribs, while Sophie and I went for something a bit different. I had shrimp linguine while Soph went for the Jerk Pasta chicken. We pushed the boat out with the starters - Cuban Roasted bread, chicken sliders and chicken wings - which were all very delicious but very filling! I even allowed myself a glass of wine as a treat, a White Zinfandel that disappeared too quickly!
The food was very good but three of us couldn't finish our meals (I'd opted for the light portion so I was smug) and we were given boxes to take the food home in. We had no problems, but the English family on the next table were not at all happy with their experience, made worse by the fact it was their last night and they'd booked the restaurant as a treat. I'm not sure what the management offered them, but the man of the family put his point across in a very firm and controlled manner and I think the staff knew he was not a happy chappie!
We had a much better journey home than the previous evening and a last glass of wine before bed!
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