On Monday July 2 we left Rhode Island to fly back to Florida. Jane got free flights with her Visa card so we flew from Providence airport to Baltimore then on to Orlando. As always we enjoy Southwest and got good seats. Our friends Fred and Verena picked us up at the airport at 10PM then home by 11PM. It was midnight before we got to bed. In the morning we went into Celebration for breakfast at our favorite diner then Peter got his haircut....finally!! It was a long 6 weeks without a haircut.
When we returned home we went to visit our neighbors Jack and Claire for a bit then we all returned to our house for a swim in the pool. We really miss our pool on the hot summer days. Dinner was with Fred and Verena who also invited our other friends over for dessert. Everyone showed up with birthday cards for both of us. What a nice surprise. It was a really short visit to Florida but we so appreciate every one's friendship and being "fed" while there!
Wednesday, July 4th found us driving to Sanford, Florida in our Escape to board the auto train. Amtrak runs this train daily between Sanford, FL and Lorton, VA. We checked in at 2PM and were able to board the train by 2:30. Our cabin was called a "roomette". It consists of two facing seats with a fold up table and a top bunk which fold down into a bed. It was great to ride in as seats while the train was moving but at night it was a little small when both beds were made up. We had a porter who made the beds while we were at dinner. Now the best part of the trip, included in the ticket price, is a wine, cheese and snack in the afternoon, dinner and dessert in the dining car, and continental breakfast in the morning. The train left Florida at 4PM and we arrived in Lorton, VA on July 5th at 8:30AM.
Our car was unloaded by 9:30AM and we arrived back in Newport, RI by 6PM. This saved us a 14 hour driving day through the southern states and made the entire trip feel much shorter. It was a nice experience and we would do it again.
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| our sleeper car |
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| The dining car |
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| The first car being unloaded |
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