Weymouth sea life centre

Having visited the sea life centre in Weymouth over 7 years ago. I expected the place to be really run down and not as much fish as there actually were.

 When going into the park there is a restaurant on the left and a few other attractions in which you can visit.Car parking is not free and costs from 80p upwards depending on how much time and how busy the sealife centre is so allow for plenty of time.

I was surprised as it was looking a little shabby but all the areas were in the process of being remodeled and new playgrounds being built within the grounds.

The route in which the booklet helps guide you through the different areas was a little dated as was the park but that didn't stop us having a fun experience throughout the 2 hours we were there.  

 Whilst looking around at the mixture of sea creatures its clear to see that the tanks are kept clean at all times and that the fish are cared for a great deal.

My favourite tanks are  the urchins, sea horses and the lion fish. Whether its because I used to keep these myself makes for happy memories.

There is a restaurant on site but as I wanted vegetables we ventured off in the car on a 5 minute drive which was recommend by a local.

The food at the harvester was very filling and was priced well. 

The service was not the best but it was busy, and I expected the service to be a little slower then the normal. I didnt get to take any photos of the meal although I wish I had as it was lovely, but by the time it had been served up I was starving and couldn't wait any longer. 

Knotts Berry Farm was deserted which worked out amazing for us..

When visiting somewhere for the first time you expect it to be daunting. Honestly because of the time of the year that we went it was quiet which made visiting Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park such an amazing choice.

The musical part of the park wasn't the best I've heard and the actors and actresses seemed a little bored of the act. Saying this the guy that was chosen from the audience did throw a few curve balls towards the actress which made the show a little more entertaining.

When walking around the park it was like a ghost town, being in a ghost town has it's advantages.

For example walking straight on to the roller coasters. I did three coasters within 15 minutes including walking from one coaster to the next.

The view from the front of the queue is always awesome when there's only you and at the most 100 other people in the park. 

The mine train was a little dated for the adults but for the children who were on the train they enjoyed being on it.

The park is the oldest theme park in the US which began as a farm in the 1920's. The Knotts family specialised in boysenberry's. Selling jams, drinks and pies a restaurant was born. 

With all the history that is involved in Knotts Berry Farm and an area that is dedicated to the Old West when the ghost town was built in the 1940's. The buildings are authentic. The mine and log ride were purchased and added to the numerous attractions in the 1960's.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

My Dad posing with a few of the locals.

The coaster rides are amazing my favorite being the Xcelerator. Be prepared to sit in a hot rod seat that smashes 82 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds. Racing up 205 feet into the air before plummeting back down towards the ground at a 90 degree angle  this ride is a must for any thrill seeker. 

 There are so many amazing rides to choose from including the rides for the children at camp snoopy. The show for me was a little bit on the young side so we left it early. All the children were clapping and singing with the songs and joining in. 

Old photo's

I was recently looking through a history book of where I live in Poole, to see what information there is about my family when I came across this old photo.
The 2 young boys at the back are my dad and uncle, in the pushchair is another uncle. The boy at the front nobody seems to recollect who he is and it doesn't say any name in the book either.
In the same book my dad has a monkey that used to be down Poole town on his shoulder. My Dad dislikes monkeys for what reason I'm not sure but he definitely doesn't dislike them in this photo.

So here is my question to you.
Have you ever been surprised by photos that have been published of family members that you've not seen before?

The Grand Canyon tour by papillon helicopter

I loved visiting the Grand Canyon, boarding the helicopter was one of the most memorable days of my holiday. From the speed 140 knots to the  height that we flew at what takes in the car over 4 hours to get to the sky walk we flew past it in 20 minutes.
The view from the sky was incredible on the cloud free day. The soundtrack played through the headphones fitted the flight perfectly.
As we flew across the hoover dam, we were told that the water levels were at 35% capacity due to the draughts in California.  When looking at the water  I could see where the water was at one stage and where it is now due to the white walls which is caused by the water washing the dirt away from the walls of the Lake Mead and the Colorado river.

To see the canyon in person is beyond wonderful and to describe the sights is hard, because no matter how hard  anyone describes it you can not imagine the colors or the hidden depths of the canyons. The Canyon where we flew in was 35 miles wide. 

The Papillon flight pilot was lovely and answered every single question that was asked by the 5 other tourists in the helicopter.
I was lucky to sit in a window seat  whilst my dad had one of the middle seats in the row. The other tourists on board the flight were Australian and Spanish.  The pilot put on a Spanish tape after he explained pieces for the rest of the people onboard.

The company Pappilion provided transport to and from an airfield about 45 minutes away from the Luxor hotel that was included in the price of the flight.

I hope to go back to Las Vegas again in about  10 years time and I will  be going on this flight again when I go back.
I would recommend this to anyone that visits Las Vegas to go  on the tour with Pappilion at half the cost of the other tour operators  it's worth the 5 star score from me.

Warwick castle

An almost 3 hour journey from home took my mom, TJ and myself to many adventures in Warwick yesterday.
From amazing countryside (not that I don't see it everyday) to tudor houses.
For myself I love architecture and how over the years it evolved.
Warwick Castle in itself full of pleasant surprises with various collections of furniture dating 100's of years. One of my favourite pieces being the child's suit of armour although this would not have been used on the battlefield, it was amazing to see how tiny the 6 yr old suit was.

Whilst one half of the castle was decorated for medieval times , the other half was decorated early 1800's with models in each room displaying the various clothing that would have been worn. 

I found whilst walking around the castle there were very few notices about the building or information to read about who, why, what, and when it was made. Although there was a time tower which was a little informative on how the castle was passed down from person to person and for what purpose it was made.