Orlando link festival - Part 2 - On terra firma

OK I'm BACK!

and it is about time I continued with my Orlando Link Festival.

You may remember in Part 1 we got about 40 seconds into this video:

and it was up in air and out on the water and getting out of bed at sparrows.

Let's keep going but now we have some more options for staying firmly on the ground (but not for long):

2013 UPDATE: On the anniversary of this post, Visit Orlando have updated this video! Below is an update list of activities - see how I care for you and keep checking if the videos I have stolen linked for you still work!

10. Horseriding! OK - so perhaps not on the ground yet. There are heaps of horsey things to do. Once again those Eco Safari chaps can take you to a cowboy ranch (think City Slickers without the slack jawed yokel jokes).

10.a  now there is a hanglider in there

11. Tiffany Glass at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.
This museum contains the world's most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany - the son of the famous Tiffany jeweller. This chap developed a very distinct line of leaded-glass which was used in lamps, windows and a whole chapel!  You would never guess all this was there given there was only 2 seconds shown in the video!

12. Shopping! I have no idea what that building is Mall at Millenia has been inserted - but ladies hauling shop bags is a bit of a give away. There is miles of shopping - and for Australians the volume and bargains make it the world's theme park of shopping. Given the price gouging often faced in Australia on brand names, the outlet malls offer incredible bargains on top brand names. The Mall at Millenia is an enormous plush luxury centre offering the highest level retail brands down to some medium level (that is - ones I can afford) and yet it is still cheaper than Aus.


13. Sea World - part of the international Sea World chain, although Shamu has developed a taste for trainers, he has been aquitted of all charges.

14. Also run by Sea World, Discovery Cove is unique in park offerings. Discovery Cove is a water / swimming park with a twist. You pay $200 + for a day and get everything - all food/bevvies and equipment included for your coral snorkling, lazy river float AND a 30 minute "swim with the dolphins". This place is unique - have a look through the website for yourself.

15. Walt Disney World - finally! By 2014, Dumbo flying elephants will have completed their make over and you'll be seeing double; crappy princesses by the dozen, TEST TRACK BABY! - also with a make over;  Zippee dee do dah Splash Mountain is the tallest mountain in Florida!;  blink and miss half a second of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; lose your lunch on Tower of Terror; take an african safari; have fun in the resort pool or sit by the foyer fireplace in your robe (for some reason??); get a wedgie at Blizzard Beach.

16. Islands of Adventure - the jewel in the Universal Studios crown - IoA includes Harry Potter Land - the building of which led to doubling attendance.

17. Universal Studios - the rival theme park. Requires a small amount of planning: they offer 3 hotels and Citywalk: a shopping/restaurant district. Worthy of a look - they offer good packages.

18. Wet 'n Wild water parks - another Universal owned property Wet 'n Wild is the obvious competition to Disney's water parks. If you bring kids to Orlando, highly likely you'd be interested.

19. SkyVenture - except you don't even see the sky, let alone venture into it. Skyventure is fake skydiving! With the aid of a giant wind machine you can pretend you have jumped parachute-less out of a plane - whilst only 3 feet off the ground.

20. Gaterland - the "alligator capital of the world" and "orlando's best half day attraction" WOW! there's some marketing that leaves itself open to unwanted witticisms!


21. LegoLand Florida has been inserted here


21. Kennedy Space Centre - just over an hour's drive to Cocoa Beach remember how that's where I Dream of Jeannie was set?!

 

KSC at Cape Canaveral is NASA's premier space launch site and open for tours.

well - I think I may have given you enough to think about and click on for now. That little video is full of more than you would of thought!

Enjoy

A sprint through Orlando - Part 1

See what I did there??

sprint - olympics - short video coming up. I am just full of imagination.

OK - on with the show. I previously told you that in the wake of Torino convention a number of Orlando videos were being shared on Facebook. Let's have a look at another one:

Did you catch all that? In less than 3 minutes there were 28 different "things to do" plus it was bulked out with shiny happy people bouncing on beds (that's compulsory in Orlando), eating out and basically happy to be there.

So let's have a link festival! For easy reading, I'll split this into 3 parts. Here are the links to the things you can do in Orlando, and most of the links have short videos.

1. Daybreak kayaking available from both A Day Away and Central Florida Kayak Tours. There is a version where you are in a double kayak and someone else paddles! (leaving you free to photograph the wildlife). A quiet kayak, sunrise, a swamp - you will see the magic.
2. Golfing. 24/7 knock yourself out.
3.  Hot air ballooning. Quite a few of these available from which to choose. Must be crowded up there.
4. Kayak fishing tours - yep in addition to those other kayak tours.
5. let's bounce! however, the couple in the bathrobes is making wonder about day spa treatments. More than you could imagine
6. Lake Eola Park. In downtown Orlando - a bit north of the conference site and home for some Australian Black Swans.
7. Zip line with Florida Eco Safaris. Running their own Eco Ranch, these guys have heaps of other things that look way more interesting than Zip lining.
8. Live your dream of being just like Snoopy chasing the Red Baron with Warbird Adventures. Except you're not a dog; and this is set in a different war; and you're not flying a doghouse; and he imagined flying - you'll actually be up in the air! So nothing like Snoopy really. Unless it's like THIS SNOOPY: which is WAY CUTE.

9. Airboat through Boggy Creek. A mere few minutes south of WDW is Kissimmee and a whole bunch of airboat tours. Get to wear headphones to block out the noise! glasses to protect your eyes from wind rush! clothing and sunscreen to protect you on an open barge in the hot Florida sun! see next to no wildlife cause the boat scares it away! A go really fast across the swamp! 

You can filter out the bugs with your teeth.

That's the first 40 seconds. In Part 2 we'll have your feet on solid ground

One Million Birthing Kits

How you feel about giving birth in a hut, on the dirt, miles from a hospital and perhaps with a half trained midwife?

Many women and babies suffer from neo-natal tetanus, and through no fault of their own. Naturally occurring soil bacteria can affect the mother and baby during the birthing process and be potentially fatal for both.

I've told you on numerous occasions about Birthing Kits, and these cheap and simple collection of just a few items can make an enormous difference to the cleanliness of a birthing site.

Last Saturday, both Zonta clubs in Canberra hosted our 8th annual public birthing kit packing day.  Once again, over 200 women donated their time; friends of the club, including Rotary, donated cash; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints donated their hall, chux cloths, cake and hands to help successfully pack 3000 kits for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Go and check out the photos on flickr.

What I really wanted to tell you is that in August, a Zonta club in Brisbane will pack the 1 millionth Birthing Kit!

Over the past 12 years,  all over Australia, small and large groups of Zonta clubs; nurses and midwives; uni and high school students have come together to hand pack these birthing kits and send them around the world.

In September, the Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia) will celebrate with events across the country.

Here in Canberra, there will be a breakfast on 11 September.

In Canberra we will be breakfasting with Dr Luc Mulimbalimba Masururu from the Democratic Republic of Congo and hear first hand about conditions for reproductive health in that country.

There are also celebration events in other States. Check your diary and see if you can make yourself available to celebrate this unique service project.

The Marriott World Centre - bring semaphore flags

In the last few weeks a couple of short videos have been shared among the Zontians on Facebook.

The first, originally distributed by Zonta International, is the official promo video from the Marriott World Centre Resort. It is full of the usual happy, shiny people holding hands, jumping into the pool, jumping on the beds, noshing down in the food court, and basically escaping the horror that is the I Drive outside the front door.

There's rather a lot of pool and food court time in this video. What is missing is where we'll be spending the majority of our time - in their MASSIVE convention centre. So instead, have a look at this video:

Much less jumping. I feel better already.

Finally, here are the Gormans - your typical father and son duo. Mucking about with a ball. As you do. "That is why it's call the ballroom!"

I wish someone would commercialise my vacations.

Just 3 words: Italian, desserts, and wine

I know you are all enjoying the Italian cuisine in Torino!

Did you know when you come to Convention 2014, you can keep that Italian Party going?! At the Italy Pavilion at Epcot!

Gee ... am I in Venice or Florida?????

I have that wonky kind of love for the way Disney mangles everything

And when I turn around ......

I'm suddenly I'm in Florence!

With its own little Disney trashcan - just like the original would have!

And in this little spot of Italy in Florida is the Tutto Italia ristorante and Tutto Gusto wine cellar.

But I was there for a special reason: The Food and Wine Festival Event: Italian Desserts and Wine matching!

OH YES!!

Ushered into room ... yeah yeah .... 50 ish people ... yada yada ... a couple of welcome speeches ... LET'S GET TO THE FOOD!

So we were all seated and presented with this array of shiny glassware and cutlery:

Four desserts and four matching Italian dessert wines! Pancreatic heaven!

The wines all came from the same winery: Batasiolo. All dessert wines - an Asti, Moscato, Moscato Rose and Sparkling Red. They were quite sweet, and it was explained to us that the sweetness is due to less fermination of the sugars, and so the wines had a lower alcohol content. They were also just slightly bubbly or 'frizzante'

Now I know nothing about Batasiolo - from my scant Google research they seem to range from the excellent down to the average everyday. They seem to get average and above reviews

The first dessert up was Tiramisu. I love a good Tiramisu and this was very close to Delia Smith's recipe. How authentic is that!

All that chocolately, coffee, mascaponey goodness in a martini glass - YUM! 

Paired with an Asti - I polished it off quickly. Living up to it's name, Tiramisu always 'makes me happy'.

With my tastebuds just getting going, the next dessert was a cannoli

Fresh, fresh cannoli creaminess. I surrepticiously wiped the creamy filling through the chocolate sprinkles. I don't think anyone noticed.

This was the freshest crispest shell I had experienced in a long time. Had a smooth creamy filling that was studded with flecks of chocolate. Fantastic - and paired with a moscato. I love moscato. I am now having a moscato fling - I notice it on every menu and must have a glass! You know, moscato makes for the best Bellinis!

Onto dessert No. 3: Torta Di Ricotta Con Fragole al Limone.  All you gals currently in Italy: Do you remember what is 'Fragole'??

Yes! It's strawberries! Our first fruit for the session

And look - ripped off - only half the dessert! After giving us two full sized ones now this??  To be frank, someone had to pace my consumption for me - cause I wasn't doing it.

This was nice - well done, technically good etc. Just a little bland. The lemon flavour didn't really cut through. I ate it gratefully but mostly enjoyed the moscato rose with which it was served.

Batasiolo Moscato Rose

This was my favourite of the wines. More bubbly and depth of flavour and fruitiness, whilst still carrying that dessert wine sweetness. Why is this not available in Australia?? (someone please tell me that it is) Don't worry about the small amount in the glass - top ups were continuous.

By now the table was getting clearer - I was running out of glasses and cutlery and all they had left to serve was No. 4: Semifreddo Alla Nutella Con Cioccolato Amaro. No translation needed.

Oh look! More fruit!

Back to the dairy based, fibre free, full sized zone. THIS was my favourite dessert. Basically really upmarket chocolate ice cream. By this stage, the smooth coolness of the ice cream was refreshing and the rich sauce was a bit too much for me. Dessert No. 4 proved my killer.

I took one for the team, and just ate the important bits

.

This was paired with a Sparkling Red - an unidentified varietal. Unfortunately by now I was a bit too full to really appreciate the wine. I do remember that it was not as luscious as sparkling burgundy and seemed a bit like a half failed carbonation of  your average house red.  Perhaps this one is down at their "average" range of products.

In 2 hours I had consumed 3.5 full dairy based desserts and at least 2 glasses of wine. I was a tad buzzy and a tad porky and definitely very happy.

This was definitely 3 Mr Creasotes cause I was "stuffed" and

2 spoonfuls of sugar - because whilst delicious - it was not the most inventive, creative, diverse range of desserts they could have served. I bet there is better in Torino!.

 This special event was part of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival held from September to November every year. However, these desserts are available all year round at Tutto Italia ristorante. Only the Moscato and the Moscato Rose are available, and only at Tutto Italia.

Adjacent to the restaurant is the brand new Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar - which is looking very impressive (according to this review on Disney Food Blog). Have a look at both menus and plan your trip to Italy in Florida!   

5 ways to keep up with Zonta Convention action

I am here in Canberra, Australia.

2000 Zontians are gathered in Torino

 

That means there are another 28,999 Zontians somewhere out there in the world.

How do we all keep up the ZI Convention action?

Well ZI have made it very easy!

The fastest way to get information is from ZI's Facebook page

Posting as it happens!

A daily newsletter is being released - both on the Facebook page and by email, if you have registered an email address in your membership profile on the ZI website.  Of course, the ZI website has links to these sources as well.

There is the Convention website itself. The added bonus you get from visiting the Convention website is that the Convention powerpoint presentations are being loaded up for your reading pleasure.

You can already check out presentations on:

• the Treasurer's Report, 
• Executive Director's Headquarter's Update Report,
• the Achievements Taskforce Report, and
• the Centennial Anniversay Committee.  (Blimey! will I still be blogging by then??)

Convention is tweeting on the ZI Twitter page!

great for smart phone users!

AND ....  ZI have set up a foursquare page.

although it is pretty quiet over there:

Hear that?? sound of crickets chirping....

Finally - you COULD follow me. I have spies at Convention.

But I obviously didn't pay them enough. Cause they are too busy out partying to bother giving me any insider gossip!!

Plenty of ways to stay up to date with Convention highlights. Which method will you use?

p.s. This is my 100TH POST!! YAY!!

Who would of thought Zonta and Orlando would generate so much content! And there is WAY more to come. Sign up, subscribe by RSS, send me an email - let's stay in touch and together get ready for Convention 2014.

2014 Zonta International Convention DATES ANNOUNCED!

Hot off the Zonta International Facebook page:

DATES IN 2014 are: June 27 to July 1 

As mentioned before ("leaked"?) the venue is confirmed as the Marriott World Centre Resort

Probably the LARGEST resort in Orlando - HUGE!

The rate of $169/night (Jan '13 UPDATE:  add tax 12.5%) for a double room is FANTASTIC! very reasonable. Especially considering it is USA school holidays and in the Summer peak season.

In my December '12 reconnaissance trip I will be visiting the resort and will give you a full tour!

Oh - and don't forget it will be HOT.  Remember from my 4 July 2011 post how hot it was that week?

Still just as hot and humid this year! Mr Ice cream was needed again!

Oh - how excitement!!

Stay tuned to Mrs Banks - I'll post more information as soon as I can!