The Loudshoes Head South, Part Four

The rest of our holiday was delightful: fireworks and roller coasters and 3-D movies and park food. There is so much to do at Disney World, even a week is barely enough to get through it all.

I got a rotten cold about half way through the week that cut me off at the knees and made me beg for mercy. Is there anything more miserable than getting sick while on your holidays? (The answer is yes: flying when you are sick.) I took one day to stay behind and wallow, and then I was able to rally and enjoy the rest of the holiday with copious amounts of Advil and Sudafed. I have to say, though, that being turned upside down while hurling alond at Mach 1 in the dark (The Rockin' Roller Coaster at they Disney Hollywood Studios) when your head is stuffed full of yuck is pretty unpleasant.

Other things from our week away:

• My holiday starts when I arrive at the airport. Somehow, this translates into a caloric "get-out-of-jail-free card", and I start eating as soon as possible. I'm not sure if this is because of my father's Rule of Travel, ("eat when there's food and go to the bathroom when you find one. You never know when your next chance to do either will be.") or if it's merely a response to a cessation of the norm, but when I set foot in any airport, it's the beginning of the "all chocolate, all the time" diet.
• I remember a time when people used to actually dress up to go on airplanes, like it was some sort of fancy party we were attending. I wised up and now wear comfortable, unwrinklable layered clothing that I could deal with wearing for the next week if they lost my luggage. But I saw a young woman at O'Hare wearing honest-to-God pajamas, which I thought was pushing the boundaries a bit. I get that comfort is a priority, but come on. Look into yoga pants.
• While waiting for our flight, the girls and I took a walk and were enchanted at the fact that there were planes departing from our terminal to Sao Paolo and L.A and Amsterdam and Sydney. So glamourous! Thing 1 saw a notice for Narita-Tokyo and exclaimed with delight "And that one's going to Narnia!". (She knew, she was just being funny.)
• There really isn't anything quite like the sensation of leaving the cold and dark and walking out into the warm and light. I just love that.
• Thing 2 asked why planes had two engines, and the Mister explained that it was in case one engine failed, the plane could still operate safely if it had one working engine. Sh e thought about that for a second and perked up and said "oh, like kidneys!"
• Much like the mall during Christmas shopping , Disney is in dire need of some sort of traffic direction for pedestrians. Walking in one direction while looking in another should be punishable by law, and if you can't drive and talk on a cell phone, then I'm not sure you should be allowed to walk and do it either.
• Groups over 6 pr 8 should be banned. There is no need whatsoever for the entire Mexican soccer team to walk altogether. Especially if they feel the need to chant in Spanish non-stop while walking directly behind me.
• At one outdoor fireworks attraction, there was a commotion on the other side of the amphitheater and we saw a young man being escorted to his seat by body guards. There was a whole lot of whooping and hollering, and it appeared that the guy was somebody famous, but we couldn't get a good enough look to see who it was. The Mister said it was probably one of the Jonas brothers, and two seconds later, I heard someone a few seats over say "I thought I heard it was a Jonas brother". And that's how riots start. (Turns out it was some sort of Argentine pop star, maybe the Jonas brother of Buenos Aires. )
• Going away is fun, but coming home is amazing.