This time I go to Orlando together with my collegue Björn. We fly via Atlanta - the biggest and busiest airport of the world. And Atlanta is home of Coca Cola
Find below an overview of the locations visited or mentioned
1
Flight to Orlando
Manhattan shows in best wheather on departure from Newark
Orlando greats with crazy things
2
Kennedy Space Center
The birth place of American space travel. Wonderful park. We needed a complete day from 9 in the morning to 7 in the evening. There are so many things to see. Most things are history but there are active parts as well. Unfortunately no "real" Space Shuttle was there.
NASA logo at the entrance
In Rocket Garden you find old rockets from Mercury, Gemini, and Saturn/Apollo era including the capsules.
View over Cape Canaveral, an upstream island where the launch facilities for unmanned flights are located
Launch Complex 39 (LC39) contains the two Space Shuttle launch pads 39a and 39b. The photograph shows launch pad 39a
Vehicle Assembly Building - this is where the Space Shuttles get prepared for their flights. The get mounted onto a mobile launch platform and will then be dragged to the launch pad. The building is huge and according to the guide the second biggest building in the world with regards to the volume.
Saturn/Apollo complex. On display are the remainings of the moon program
Launch Control for the manned Apollo missions to moon
A left-over Saturn V rocket. This is really big.
Another left-over: a moon landing vehicle
ISS components get prepared Inside the ISS Assembly Facility
The European module Columbus
Explorer never made it into space. Now you can have a look into it
A thunder storm shower comes down on the Explorer
3
Daytona Beach
We decide to append a trip to Daytona Beach. The city is very calm and dead backwater.
Nice evening mood on the water
The atlantic beach. You may drive a car here during the day
Even the trucks have wings in Daytona Beach. The City is home of the Daytona 500, a very popular NASCAR race
4
Disney World Resort Epcot Center
The Epcot Center is a must go but quite disappointing. The rides are not very thrilling and the exhibitions are somewhere between silly and outmoded.
World Showcase Germany - Oktoberfest, of course
Siemens presents the history of communication in Spaceship Earth. This is rather irritating
Fishes on display in The Seas with Nemo and Friends
5
SeaWorld
Another must go and worthwile. Nice animals in nice enclosures and some nice rides
Björn grants himself the Journey to Atlantis. It is too wet for me.
A shark above our heads in the shark tunnel
Bird fight at the sea lions bassin
Shamu Show with killer whales (Orcas) - very worth seeing. A great show of about half an hour. Dont go to the lower audience area.
The audience in the lower area gets a lot of water
6
Flight Back
The flight back is delayed. We see several 4th of July fire works from the air plane. But prior this we see other things
Fernandina Beach at the border between Florida and Georgia
Approaching Charlotte, North Carolina
Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte