Orlando - Kennedy Space Center and Everglades

Enough fooling around, wandering endlessly in downtown Miami, I decide to get a taxi whene I arrive at the Greyhound bus station in Orlando. Problem: there is a taxi station, but not a single taxi around. So it will be a 25 minute walk to the center, to get the local bus which will drive me to my hotel, around 10 miles away.

First day in Orlando starts with the Everglades, with an airboat tour, looking for alligators.

Then let's head to Kennedy Space Center, what used to be called Cape Canaveral.
This is the place where the shuttles and rockets are built, and then launched.
Thomas Pesquet and all the astronauts who worked on the ISS started from here.

Here is the VAB, the Vehicle Assembly Building. It is designed to assemble the large pre-manufactured space vehicle components, such as the massive Saturn V and the Space Shuttle; and stack them vertically onto the Mobile Launch Platform and crawler transporter.

You also get quite close to the different launching pads, and try a simulator, experiencing what it feels like to be aboard a rocket during the take off.

 Back at the visitor center, you can learn a lot about the planets, what will be needed to send men to Mars and see rovers.

That was a great day!

Miami (2)

During the bus ride back to the "continent", you get a nice view on the sky line, the harbour, and the Venetian islands, where you can park your yacht right in front of your house.

Now let's head to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, in order to get some fresh air, if you can call "fresh" 29°C and a maximum rate of humidity at 09:30.

The early 20th century estate includes Italian Renaissance gardens and a subtropical forest. The landscape and architecture were influenced by Veneto and Tuscan Italian Renaissance models.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miami (1)

Hey!

After a 19 hour delay, here I am in Miami, let's hope that adventures are over for this week, and that I am going to have a peaceful day.
As yesterday I was supposed to land at 20:30, plus one or 2 hours at the immigration, I had planned to take a taxi to the hostel. But with the new flight, I landed at 15:00, immigration was very efficient, and I get out of the airport before 16:00.
As I am supposed to leave Miami tomorrow at 13:00, I will try to take advantage of those few hours today, and visit the central part of the city, keeping Miami Beach for tomorrow.
In order to do this, the best solution seems to take the metro at the airport, and stop at the first station downtown, I will have a walk, and then take a taxi to head to the hostel.

Call it the jet lag, the exhaustion of the last months, or I don't know what else, that's where I make a beginners' mistake: in a modern and rich American city such as Miami, downtown is not the nice historical city center as what you could find in Europe, but a destitute district, with absolutely no taxi, and streets full of homeless and junkies.
After walking 20 minutes in those streets, I eventually manage to find a taxi, reach the hostel, and go for a walk in South Beach, enjoying the Art Deco buildings.