Taverna Opa - Great Greek Restaurant in Orlando

Taverna Opa is a fantastic Greek restaurant located at Pointe Orlando.  It is on International Drive and is surrounded by other restaurants and shops and a movie theater.  You could easily turn this into a great date night starting with the incredible ambiance and food at Taverna Opa followed by a movie.

I have visited Taverna Opa many times and have always had great food. They also have belly dancers who will dance for you and with you and many times people are actually dancing on the tabletops.  I am not the biggest fan of the table top dancing unless it is on someone else's table! 

Be warned that there will be napkins thrown in the air at any moment and they might snow down upon you while you are eating.

All in all Taverna Opa is a fantastic place to visit with great food and even better ambiance.

See you there - just make sure you don't dance on my table!

The Manta Roller Coaster at Sea World Orlando

Image by Tony Warren via Flickr

Wow - what can I say!  I loved the Manta Roller Coaster at Sea World in Orlando.  It was definitely the highlight of the day for me and was the last thing I did prior to leaving the park.  Everyone else chickened out and my nephew ended up telling everyone that I would break the ride as I by far the biggest person on the ride.

On another positive note, it is very difficult for me to fit the harnesses over my shoulders but this fit very nicely and I was even comfortable.  I don't want to ruin all the surprises of Manta but it does feel like you are flying.

If you are going to take little kids and they want to see Elmo, definitely check with the park to see what the schedule is for characters as my nephew was disappointed not to see Elmo.

All in all, it was an enjoyable trip to Sea World and I would definitely recommend the Manta!

See you in Florida!

Highland Games in Orlando

Hard to believe it is that time of year again for the Highland Games in Winter Springs, FL (just outside of Orlando). I attended this event last year and this year they extended it to two days of activities.

Despite being very cold by Orlando standards, there was still a large turnout. I had hoped to see the strength events and unfortunately I missed the top competitors. Still the women and masters groups put on a good show.

This year there were fewer bagpipes and drums bands performing on the main field. I have attached a picture of the performance.

The highlight for me was during the sheepdog exhibition, a ewe decided to charge the sheepdog and chase two of them around the field. I only wish I had that on video tape.

One warning to anyone attending a future event - make sure to have lots of cash as many of the merchants and food vendors only accept cash.

All in all, a great fun day at the Highland Games in Orlando. This just goes to show you that there are many other fun things to do in Orlando outside of Disney and Universal Studios.

Til next time....

Disney Magic Kingdom Magic!

Whew! It was hot today at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando. Many tourists don't realize how hot and humid it can be during this time of year. For that reason, I took my girlfriend and her nephew in the mid afternoon to minimize the exposure to the heat.

It was so much fun watching a 1 and 1/2 year old experience Disney. From the Winnie the Pooh ride to seeing posters of Mickey Mouse - his highlight came when he got to have his picture taken with Mickey. He had been so excited everytime he saw Mickey but when he saw Mickey in person, he was scared and tried to run away. This lead to some great action photos!

When visiting Disney, make sure to bring plenty of Sunscreen and stay hydrated. This would be the best way to deal with the sun and heat here at the Magic Kingdom Orlando!