The Adventure Begins...

These were the words scribed above the entrance to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter as Jack and I stepped across the much anticipated threshold of Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando Florida. I admit it, I am a big Harry Potter fan. No getting around it, I was hooked with the first book and feverishly anticipated each book and movie as it came out. I have been looking forward to visiting "Harry Potter Land" as Jack kept calling it, ever since I knew we were going on this trip! It's taken all my patience to wait this long, but we finally made it!

...and all I've got to say is, WOW! Entering Hogsmeade, you came right up to the Hogwarts Express Steam Engine at 9 3/4, with all the hustle and bustle you would expect. Muggles everywhere! It was crowded, it was crazy and it was fun! We joined right in on the madness of the shopping and the picture taking and the laughter. Kids of all ages, little ones and old ones just like me! We all were enthralled. It was great!


















































Moving on, the "Islands of Adventure" really had a lot to offer! We had a blast at each one of them. It was fun to go to a theme park you've never been to before; each thing you come to is new and a fun surprise! Super heros like Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk were there, then over at Toon Lagoon we got to see Popeye & Olive Oil and even Betty Boop came out for picture taking (all the Dad's got in line for that one!). We got soaked on the Jurassic Park River Adventure (thinking it was a "calm" ride) but laughed it off as we goofed off at Seuss Landing with all their adorable characters. At the Lost Continent we watched The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad Stunt Show and the Poseidon's Fury show to rest up a bit.

































































It was a full, long day as we pulled our tired bodies home...boy, having fun is exhausting!

As the day ended, our bodies might have felt "old", but our spirits sure felt like a "kid" again!


If you wish to view the rest of the photos from this trip, you can at my Flickr account at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/74905158@N04/


..kicking back in Florida, Marie