News & Observer Blast from the Past

Just when you were ready for a new trip, no it is the news of an old trip...

Below are links to the news coverage of the first road trip in this blog with Bob Garner.  Their food photos are much better than ours! (Also, we did pay $750 for the 2 of us for this trip even though it is reported in the story as $700. Don't know what is up with that. The next Bob Garner road trip is already paid for though and it is $700. Good news!) Enjoy!

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/12/12/855129/going-whole-hog-and-back.html#storylink=addthis

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/12/10/855688/bob-garner-restaurant-road-trips.html

http://www.newsobserver.com/videos?media_id=37415791

Bob Garner's "North Carolina Weekend" broadcast on PBS on 12/23 at 9pm will be some of the footage he filmed while on our trip. Hopefully, the clip will be online at their website soon, in which case, I'll be back to add the link here. And... here it is! Note that I appear at about the 5 minute mark in a very unflattering camera angle! Only Clay's shirt is visible next to me!

http://flash.unctv.org/ncweekend/12232010highlandlakein.html


On a BBQ related note, we drove down to Grifton today to deliver our Christmas gifts and have a meal and visit with most of Clay's siblings. We stopped at Parker's in Greenville on the way there and picked up barbeque, fried chicken, brunswick stew, cole slaw, hush puppies, and corn sticks. All as good as ever and Parker's is still a model of efficiency! Clay said they even had a sign up offering fried oysters today!

On the road home

Bob with pancake and bacon breakfast

We slept well and long last night. We took our time since and then went downstairs for our complimentary breakfast buffet. I believe the hot breakfast buffet was served in the on site restaurant from 6 or 6:30am to 10am. The cost was about $20pp, but ours was included with 2 cards we had to turn in. We only used one since we ate breakfast yesterday at Three Broomsticks. Anyway, we got there around 7am and left around 8am. The chef did not man the cook-to-order eggs or omelet station until we were leaving. Everyone else in the restaurant had left by then too. There was only one couple left there and they were ordering off the menu, refusing the buffet. Go figure. Anyway, it was a substantial enough breakfast. It included juice and coffee or tea. The Breakfast Pie, which was actually a slice of an egg quesadilla was really good. I had a pancake and bacon and then a bowl of oatmeal. The oatmeal was really heavily dosed with cinnamon. Clay said he could smell it across the table! I must have been stuffed up or I wouldn't have served myself a bowl if I had smelled it. Anyway, we did not leave hungry!

Clay's breakfast

Checkout was quick and efficient since our package was prepaid back in July and we had no extra charges. It was right at 40 degrees F when we loaded the car. Chilly for Florida. But, it snowed at home the day after we got back, so it wasn't so bad at sunny and 40. The traffic was light all the way home.

Bob with Clay's BBQ plate and my sandwich

We stopped for an early dinner at one of the last freeway exits before arriving home. We stopped at White Swan BBQ. We needed to buy 4 pounds to freeze and take to Mom at Christmas time and this saved us an extra trip. We arrived to our home freeway exit just as the sunset was turning a beautiful mottled pink. A beautiful close to a great trip!

Sunset and our exit...

Hogsmeade Part 2



Clay helping himself to Bertie Bott's Everyflavor Beans



After breakfast, it seemed even colder and windier as well as the crowd continued to build. Clay's goal was Honeydukes, the sweet shop. He wanted to get me a birthday cake! Uh-huh! Among other things... First he filled himself a bag of self-serve bulk candy at (I believe $3.99/pound for all of them.). Then he did buy a Cauldron Cake for us to share (just had a big breakfast!) and a giant piece of treacle fudge (I think cakes were around $4 and worth every penny! Fudge was priced at I think $3.99 a piece and all pieces were not equal!) Treacle fudge was white chocolate with caramel and raisins and milk chocolate swirls, I think. Looking up from in front of the bakery style counter where you order your cakes and fudge and caramel apples, there are extendable ears! Continuing on past the counter is Zonko's Joke Shop.

Extendable ears!

Hogwarts Express locomotive on arrival

Debbie studying the schedule, pretty pricey fares!

Owl popped out of clock's tower on Owlery

As we were checking out the entry area in sunshine now, the clock starting chiming and an owl popped out! It was not striking the hour, it was the half-hour. If it strikes on the hour, we never saw or heard it.





Frog Choir

We walked around now to see the themed lines for the Dueling Dragons/Dragon Challenge ride and the Forbidden Forest theme of Flight of the Hippogriff. Both really well done with lots of stuff from the movies. We did not ride either one. First we walked through Dragon Challenge which had stuff from the Goblet of Fire movie. While we walked up the hill to enter the Champion's tent area, we saw and heard the Frog Choir from above. This turns out to be an excellent vantage point, when we saw the Beaux Batons and Durmstrang Spirit Rally from the ground level, I couldn't really see anything for all the people standing in front of us.

Hogwart's School from Dragon Challenge queue

End of Hogsmeade, turn the corner here and see Hogwarts



The Weasley's enchanted car



At the top of the hill going into the Dragon Challenge entrance building, you can see the Weasley's enchanted flying car crashed in the Forbidden Forest as well as the back side of Hagrid's Hut. You can hear Hagrid warning students off from the Forest as well as Fang barking.



The Weasley's wrecked, enchanted car

Once inside the Champion's Tent, you can circle the Goblet of Fire (on fire!), be greeted as a champion, and see the cots, brooms, and refreshments for the champions who are waiting for their turn at the Dragon Challenge. Then, inside the castle area to see the TriWizards Championship Cup, and the floating candles of the Great Hall.

Goblet of Fire

Refreshment table in the Champions' Tent

Broom and cot for waiting Champions

TriWizards Cup (also a secret portkey!)

Floating candles ceiling of Hogwarts' Great Hall

Clay in front of Hagrid's Hut

I had thought to ride Flight of the Hippogriff since it is a kiddie coaster, but Clay freaked out watching it and said no way was he riding and neither should I, so we didn't. I was a little scared to take a chance of setting off vertigo anyway and was just as happy to only go through the line. Since it wasn't crowded, that worked out just fine! I asked and the attendant at the ride boarding area allowed us to go up on the boarding platform and to the far right end so we could get some good photos of Buckbeak with Hagrid's Hut behind her and watch her bowing to the people on the ride as they passed. So, we got to see Hagrid's Hut and Buckbeak in a nest. You could hear Hagrid's voice and Fang barking inside the hut. Cool!





Buckbeak in his nest

As we exited the Flight of the Hippogriff, the young men of the Durmstrang Academy were demonstrating their stick fighting skills and the ladies of the Beaux Batons School were dancing. We rounded the corner just as they started, put I couldn't really see the show over the people in front. After they made a line for photo opportunities but we did not wait. Clay just took a picture of some other random people!

Hagrid's supplies!

Durmstrang students

4 Beaux Batons, 1 Griffyndor, 2 muggles and 3 Durmstrangs



Bob with frozen Butterbeers!



The sun was out now and warm even though the breeze was chill. We decided to try frozen Butterbeers and sit in the sun. (Let me insert here that I strongly prefer regular Butterbeer! Clay liked both and he had to finish mine. On a hot day, Frozen Butterbeer would probably be worth more than gold. But, today, it was sooo cold, it was giving me chest pain! And brain freeze!) So, we went back to the Hogshead Pub/Three Broomsticks and sat out on the back patio with a view of Hogwarts. Frozen Butterbeer in a souvenir mug is $10.99. You can get refills for $2.99 I believe and in the rest of Islands of Adventure, you can get a Diet Coke refill in it for $.85. I wanted to have a mug as a souvenir! Clay got the 16oz. frozen Butterbeer in a disposable cup for $4.25. After we wandered around more and took some pictures since it did not seem too busy around lunch time. Also, they had out actual meals behind glass in Three Broomsticks and the chicken and ribs combo out was dark meat. I asked if I could come back later and get that meal with white meat. We hung around while some one went to the kitchen to ask. The answer came back yes, they would do that if you ordered it specifically that way and it was rung up that way. More later...

Bob is amused.

Inside Three Broomsticks

Happy Birthday to Debbie in Hogsmeade with Bob



The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!

As we shared a delicious caramel creme filled Cauldron Cake in the Owlery for my birthday, we watched about a half dozen screaming kids go by in Hogsmeade. Clay commented that 52 was about the perfect age to enjoy a birthday in Hogsmeade. I agreed and since it was getting a little unhappy in Hogsmeade, I suggested we backtrack and see some other things in IOA (Islands of Adventure). We sat through the Sinbad live action show. Then we walked through the Poseidon's Fury attraction. Both in Lost Continent. We also watched a magic show in a magic shop. It was basically a sales pitch for their products, but there was a lot of audience participation and it was funny. Then we walked through Suess Landing and I talked Clay into riding my only ride of the day! I played in If I Ran the Zoo and I found and sat on Horton's Egg, with Bob. Suess Landing was just as amazing as Hogsmeade and much less crowded! Loved how the trolley train rode around the inside of the ceiling of the Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous restaurant! Clay rode the Cat in the Hat alone and said the wild spinning at the end would have done me in and it was good I didn't ride.



Debbie & Bob sit on Horton's Egg

Bob with Max and the Grinch

Debbie, in Suess Landing, having the best Birthday ever!

Here we are on the one and only ride we took together!

Clay walking Marmaduke!



Hogwarts from Jurassic Park

We walked through Toon Lagoon and Marvel Super Hero Island without doing any thing. We went in the Discovery Center in Jurassic Park and watched a dinosaur egg hatch and I played with some of the other interactive displays. Clay was now deciding that he should ride Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey, or he would regret not doing it. We headed back to Hogsmeade as the sun set for a last look at night and dinner at the Three Broomsticks.


Hogwarts from Jurassic Park

Scary!

Hogwarts from Jurassic Park

We could see and hear Professor Sprout's Greenhouse at Hogwarts from Jurassic Park. Clay decided he would ride Forbidden Journey and that way we would be able to walk through parts of the castle we did not see on the Castle Tour line this morning. There was still not really any waiting, it was almost walk-on status. Clay only had to wait once I left him at the sorting hat because someone had thrown up on the ride and they had to stop it to clean up before they could continue running it. I asked Clay about the Whomping Willow and the Dementor's kiss and Aragog, all things I missed by not being able to ride and he said he didn't see any of them because he had his eyes closed. We looked as his photo from the Dragon's fire breath section and sure enough he had a white-knuckled grip on the restraint and his eyes tightly closed. He did not buy the photo! He did not like the ride, he found it too much like Epcot's Soarin', which completely freaked him out with its feeling of being loose at a great height. Oh, well.

Back to Hogwarts!

House points

Debbie in front of entrance to Dumbledore's office

Bob with fish and chips and Butterbeer

We did some more shopping and then we went to dinner at Three Broomsticks. I ordered the white meat chicken and ribs combo and Clay ordered the fish and chips. He liked the fish and chips and was glad I had talked him out of ordering the ribs that he ate off my meal. He said that they were too saucy and and it was too strongly smoky-flavored. The chicken was fine. Service was not what it had been earlier in the day. It had really fallen apart. We waited a long time expecting that might be normal since we had made a special order. Finally, when people who had ordered after us started going ahead of us to pick up, we stepped up to the counter and asked. They told us they had already given out our meal! They never called our number while we stood there. They basically accused us of having taken the tray and trying to score another free meal. Not. Good. We showed them our receipt (which did not have the special white meat request on it!) and showed them our empty Butterbeer mug (receipt did show a $2.99 refill and a $2.99 regular Butterbeer). Someone else came and spoke to us and they decided maybe someone (besides us) had made an error and they would give us what we had ordered and paid for, but they were pretty surly about it. Kind of took the joy off the day there at the end. (Well, that and Jacob at the Trading Company Store at 4:12pm where we found and bought Hermione's Time Turner key chain. He had the same don't-interrupt-my-coworker-conversation attitude and then rang up $8.35 in change and handed over only $6.35! We are only guessing that he pocketed the extra $2 for himself. That is bad, but we could have done without the hostility as well.) We have to say that those 2 negative staff interactions really stood out in the context of all the rest of the people we encountered really excelling and going above and beyond in their jobs. Anyway, sometimes maybe too much staff is worse than too little it seems. When things were really busy, the staff we encountered were very in character and interacting with the customers. But, when things were slow and there were too many people standing around talking amongst themselves, they seemed to resent the customers as an intrusion. Not good and just commenting on it to give a full accounting. The best birthday ever was not without its down moments.

Bob with ribs, chicken, potatoes and corn on the cob



Strawberry and peanut butter ice cream



After dinner, I went back and ordered 2 bowls of strawberry and peanut butter ice cream  and through the still hostile angry gauntlet at the pick up counter. More peanut butter would have been better, but it was really good. Never had it before. About $4 a bowl. Afterward, we realized they were serving hot chocolate. I think that would have been really good and a more weather appropriate choice for dessert, but too late and I was stuffed again! Clay bravely finished my ice cream for me. 

We walked out of Three Broomsticks at about 20 minutes to 7pm. Closing was at 7pm. Hogsmeade still seemed open for business. We made a final stop in Honeydukes for some candy and cake to take home. We walked through Lost Continent and everything was closed or being closed. We got to Suess Landing as the Trolley Train went overhead. I told Clay that we had to ride once more in the dark! We got there about 5 minutes to 7pm and we were not the last train! It was cool to see everything lit up in the dark from our vantage point up there. Glad we got to do it twice, especially since it was my only ride! We were walking out the Port of Entry gates a couple of minutes after 7pm. We walked through CityWalk with no more stops and on to the Four Points by Sheraton hotel. Clay decided that he needed to get some exercise and went to get some quality time on the treadmill in the fitness room. I decided to tend my heel blister and elevate my swollen feet and ankles!

What a great day! We slept better with the black-out shade lowered tonight and we have complimentary hotel buffet breakfast to look forward to in the morning before the 9-hour drive home. More later.



Debbie turns 52 in Hogsmeade!

So, we didn't get a great night's sleep last night. We used the excessive ambient outdoor light through the scrim curtain as our nightlight. But, it was a bit much! Here's a tip if you're traveling to the Universal Orlando Four Points by Sheraton, take a nightlight to plug in the bathroom. Use the blackout shade behind the scrim one and you'll be set. Another hint, you set the HVAC fan at the window unit, but you set the thermostat across the room on the wall. We found it was a pretty loud fan at either speed.

Our walk, no straight lines in Universal!

We were up pretty early so we could start walking over to Universal by 7am. The park hours on December 1st were 9am to 7pm. Since we purchased the WWoHP package from Universal Vacations, we got to enter Islands of Adventure and Wizarding World of Harry Potter, or WWoHP, or Hogsmeade an hour early. It was about 70 degrees F when we got up, it had dropped 10 degrees by the time we started walking to the park and it dropped for the next 24 hours to 40 degrees by the next morning. It drizzled a little in the morning, but we never got wet. There was bright sun and a cool breeze the whole day. If you were in the sun, it was comfortable. But, if you sat anywhere in the shade, the cold wind would cut right through you! It worked out fine, we were comfortable in the clothes we had packed expecting it to be both colder and rainier.

I'm hoping it is this lonely in Hogsmeade!



Wow! Debbie in Hogsmeade!

They opened the turnstiles at the Port of Entry at 8am exactly. We were first in line at our turnstile. There were fewer than 100 people at the turnstiles at 8am. There were probably fewer than 200 people in Hogsmeade during the first hour. It was perfect. We were in the first very small group in Ollivander's Wand Shop. We could hear the mandrake screaming from the shop window across the street. We could hear the scritching of the quills outside the shop door. We could easily hear Moaning Myrtle in the restrooms since we were practically alone there first thing. The Forbidden Journey ride was not functional until 8:45am, but that was fine with us, we just went through the castle tour line the first time.


in Ollivander's Wand Shop

in the Owl Post



Tethered brooms in Dervish and Banges


I bought a little case that looked like a leather suitcase, embossed with the Hogwarts School of Wizardry & Witchcraft logo that contained notecards and envelopes for $20 at the Owl Post which we entered as we exited Olivander's. The Owl Post leads directly into Dervish & Banges (which is where I actually paid for it). Upon exiting Dervish & Banges, you enter the Owlery and there is a person there with a stamp and and Owl Post deposit box. I got a letter stamped there as well as my new passport (first destination!).

Inside the Owlery





outside the Owlery

After that we wandered a bit and looked in the fake shop windows. We went in the restrooms to listen to Moaning Myrtle complain and flush herself down the toilet. We found the Gringott's Bank ATM, but didn't use it. It would have been cool though to find out if it issues a Gringott's Bank slip! Then, we headed to the end of the street and around the corner to Hogwart's! It is amazing! All of Hogsmeade was amazing! Clay and I both wished that you could actually arrive in Hogsmeade by a choice of first year's boats, Hogwart's Express Train from Platform 9 3/4, by flying broom or Hippogriff. Instead, we walked through Suess Landing. Not the best mood setter. It would have been much more magical to arrive other than by walking through the other parts of Islands of Adventure.

Bob at Gringott's Bank ATM

The Owlery from Gringott's ATM



Turn the corner and there's Hogwarts School!

Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry



Portrait room in Hogwart's Castle



We were told as we approached Hogwart's School that the Forbidden Journey ride was not working this morning. They were sure it would be working later if we would like to return later, or we could go through the castle tour line. We were not going to ride anyway, so we walked through the castle tour line. It skips a lot of the castle! The ride started working at 8:45am while we were inside and it was announced over loudspeaker. People wasted no time lining up to board the enchanted benches. Clay did not work up his courage to ride until we returned to Hogsmeade to eat dinner! I have always suffered motion sickness and now with the Meniere's Disease, I ride very little... think It's a Small World. Clay would wind up on 3 rides this trip and I would only ride one! More later!



Even though we had most of the castle tour almost to ourselves, we did not get very good photos. It is very dark inside and the moving and talking portraits do not photograph. The moving and talking holographs of Dumbledore, Harry, Ron & Hermione do not photograph well either.

Dumbledore's office, notice missing Sorting Hat

Dumbledore's pensieve

Harry, Ron & Hermione

Dragon skeleton in Defense Against the Dark Arts Classroom

Gryffindor Common Room

The sorting hat! It talks about the rules of the ride.



Bob with Scabbers plushs in Filch's

We had to ask a couple of Hogwart's students for permission to see the sorting hat and take a photo. If it had been crowded, we would have missed it! It was very realistic! The voice was perfect! After hearing the sorting hat's poem we were even more sure that we would not ride! We backtracked to the exit and entered Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods. This was probably the best of the shops. There was stuff here that was no where else (Dobby t-shirts, kids sizes only and Christmas ornaments and Marauder's Map t-shirts) and pretty much most of what we found elsewhere we also found here (time turner keychains). Here is a tip: there was a long sleeved polo shirt with the Hogwart's crest and the year 2010 embroidered on the left chest. It was about $50. We only saw it on a cart outside Filch's on the walk back to Hogsmeade. If I had known about it, because of the year on it, I would have bought it instead of the Harry Potter Quidditch team jersey. Don't get me wrong the 07 seeker's jersey is way cool, if very geeky, but I would have chosen the 2010 shirt over it if I had seen it before making my purchase. Just a tip for readers who might feel the same way. Oh, and there was no way I was buying 2 $50 long sleeve HP polo shirts! Check the carts first! You can walk back into Filch's. There was also a wand cart in the same area. Another tip: I had my heart set on the the Marauder's Map T-shirt. When we got there and I held it up to me, the L that would fit around my chest came down to my mid-thigh! So, Clay got one instead of me. (about $24) If they had had a Kid's size XL it would have fit around me and been shorter, but L was as large as they had out.



Bob with a Death Eater's mask in Filch's

This photo is the start of one of our signature moments in Hogsmeade and reflects what a great job they are doing in the details. The young woman visible behind Bob saw us taking this photo. She came over and asked what kind of magical creature we had. I told her we were muggles and Bob was just our little dog. She took Bob and petted him and looked into his eyes, handed him back and said I'm not so sure, I think he may be your familiar. Are you sure he is not a magical dog? That was great! She came up to the cash register later when we were there and told the "students" working the registers about our "magical puppy named Bob". Bob loved it!




Debbie trying on a Gryffindor Quidditch jersey

There are no fitting rooms in any of the shops (that we ever saw!). I tried on this jersey and the Kid's XL Dobby t-shirt over a heavy cableknit cotton sweater. Hopefully even with laundry shrinkage they will still fit! No mirrors either that I noticed. I asked Clay and he said it fit. I asked, is this too geeky and he laughed and said it's pretty geeky! Sold. Clay bought it for my birthday present from him! I also picked out a Gryffindor crest Christmas ornament (about $20).

Flight of the Hippogriff





English on L, American on R with 2 Butterbeers!



By now it was almost 9:30am and our reserved time for our included breakfast at the Three Broomsticks. It was starting to get crowded, and it had gotten colder and windier, so we were happy to go sit inside and have a warm meal. Clay had the English Breakfast and I had the American Breakfast. We both had a regular Butterbeer. The breakfasts were pretty similar. Both had scrambled eggs, link sausage, croissant and potatoes. American also had strips of bacon. British had black pudding (which I found surprisingly tasty!), beans, tomato, and slices of what seemed like ham. I don't think we got a photo of the breakfast menu. But, both ours were $15 as I recall. For the same money, the British breakfast had more food on the plate. They also had oatmeal breakfast, pancake breakfast and Continental breakfast. As I recall, all were the same price. $15 for oatmeal!?! But, our favorite part was the Butterbeer! Oh it is so creamy and delicious! It tastes like creme soda with butterscotch syrup and whipped cream. No idea what it really is. They pour the drink in a cup and then go to a separate machine to dispense the foamy topping. Really yummy! There is music from the Harry Potter movies playing throughout the WWoHP, but we could really hear it well in the restaurant. While we were eating we saw various walls and upper floors light up and get a shadow show of house elfs or owls delivering the post! Connected to the Three Broomsticks is the Hogshead Pub. The mounted Hogshead moves and snorts occassionally. There is a stairwell to the left of the bar and around it you can hear kitchen noises and voices and breaking plates and glasses, which is pretty funny and/or magical because all the dishes, cups and utensils here were plastic!



Birthday toast left a Butterbeer moustache!







Lunch/Dinner menu for later...

Clay never did get around to trying the local real beer!

Hogshead Pub backbar - it snorts!

You could hear kitchen noises at these stairs!

I am going to break here and start a new post with the rest of the days activities since this is pretty long already! Come back for the after late breakfast fun!