"Orlando's worlds" - sea world

Third world seen in Orlando: "sea world". This one is probably the one that requires the least explanation. Pictures should suffice. So here they are with few comments.

The pirates show with seals was quite funny, especially when it turned out that the kid chosen to interact with the seal could not speak a word of English... The trainer/translator managed to save the show and get back to the storyline. The seal was happy to get an extra serving of fish...

The killer whales made a big impression - or rather a big splash.

The dolphin show was probably the most athletic, with the highlight being the dolphin surf! The dolphins seemed to have even more fun than the humans.

The underwater viewing platform was probably the best place to observe them, swimming and twirling. I was surprised to see many marks and scratches on their skin. A keeper told me that it was due to dolphins biting each other, as a way to communicate.

OK, so not everything at sea world was about show and high speed. This huge octopus found a nice relaxing spot between a starfish and a sea anemone.

 The sea horse was graciously moving up and down.

 The jellyfish was trying not to get entangled with his neighbors.

Let's keep the best for last. Here a huge manatee, quietly floating. Such a peaceful animal... yet another endangered specie. This is the largest animal that I still had not seen - I wonder which one took that spot now...

Philadelphia

To start with the obvious - although not well known outside of the USA - Philadelphia was the first capital of the country! Yes, from 1790 until 1800, it was the capital, while Washington was being built on a swamp... OK, it was only for a meager ten years, but still! Philadelphia had also been the most populated city in the US.

Today, tourists are guided through the "Constitutional tour" to discover the highlights of the last colonial days and the first independent days. Philadelphia has its own White House, actually just its foundations, because the building was destroyed in the 19th century. There is the Capitol, and the Supreme Court. All look like traditional, yet unimpressive, buildings. There is the Declaration House, where the Declaration of Independence was written. A little bit further, we come across the Independence Hall, where the Declaration and the US Constitution were signed. And I should also mention the Hollywood-look-alike "Signer's Walk", with a plaque for each signer of the Declaration of Independence. Still in the neighborhood, the first two banks of the US. All the powers in this town!

One of the most well known object is the "liberty bell". It has to be said that this bell was not made of the best iron.... and broke several times. One of the last time it was broken was a few years ago, when a visitor used a hammer to hear its sound. Since then, approaching the bell means going through airport-style security checks.

The independence also means having a new flag. The legend has it that the first flag was sow by Betsy Ross and it looked like the one below.

All in all, it seems that the city remains in admiration for Benjamin Franklin. He features on most public places, old or modern. His old house, compound and post office, as well as his resting place are part of the tour.

Philadelphia also hosts several museums, including the one dedicated to Rodin. The pieces were great, but unfortunately not well presented. The light was mostly bad. Still it is necessary to show Rodin's masterpiece: the Gates of Hell. To admire the details, one solution: go to Philadelphia.

Finally, I have not spoken much about American food - for obvious reasons - but let me make an exception here and mention the famous "Philly's cheese-steak". Of course, it is not high cuisine, but it is good nonetheless. Especially when it is made and eaten at Jim's Steak.

Being late with this blog, I thought - although it might not be appropriate - that I would put this picture of Adventure Park in Wildwood, on the New Jersey coast. Since the picture was taken, the hurricane Sandy passed nearby and it is very much possible that this park was flattened out... 

American election night

 After months of political campaigning, lots of corrosive TV ads, and three high-level debates, it was finally time for election day. It started in the apartment block, where the concierge asked if I was going to vote - and was a bit shocked when I said "no". It continued in the bus, with the driver repeating at each stop to remember to vote. However, I did not see the long lines of voters.

It proceeded in the evening with an "election night" in a local theater with a lively crowd of Americans, 90 percent Democrats, as is typical in Washington DC. The main news channel was CNN, which seemed to me to be a bit slow in announcing the results. Maybe it was more cautiousness, in light of the mistakes made in previous elections. 

The results came in state-by-state, as the voting closed according to each state's practice. The big moments where went CNN was making projections. Each state coming in blue, the color of the Democrats, was greeted by loud cheers, while the red states, the color of the Republicans, were almost booed. Still there were many yellow states, which were too close to call. In between the announcements, there was music, food and drinks. All in all, I thought the crowd was quite civil.

Obama and Romney needed to reach 270 electoral college votes to be elected. After every projection, the numbers reached by candidates would be adjusted. After winning several swing states, such as New Mexico, Nevada, Wisconsin and Iowa, CNN announced after 23pm their most anticipated projection: BARACK OBAMA re-elected President, since he had won Ohio. Cheers, claps, hugs, champagne. It was party time !

It was then time to go to the White House and celebrate with the American people. Quite a good crowd, mostly young people and students. Here again, happiness and togetherness were the key words. No exhuberance, maybe because of the very cold evening... 

After this long and difficult campaign, the work of putting America back on track awaits the President. Good luck to him, good luck to America. Shall I finish by God bless America...