Day 2: Arrival in FL...eventually

We have taken the AutoTrain enough times that we have some habits. Always order the chocolate dessert. Consider soda with dinner. Skip the lounge car movie. That sort of stuff. One of our habits is that we wake up around the time the train reaches the Jacksonville rail yard. Imagine our surprise when we woke up late, but were still in South Carolina! 

Apparently it was a perfect storm of events--literally with flash flooding rain overnight. At some point, one of our two four-thousand horsepower engines died. We had noticed the power outage, but thought it was the normal refueling stop. Alas, not the case. Then, to add insult to injury, a freight train ahead of us had hit a car, so we were stopped for some time.

As Erwin needed to work, it wasn't bad that we were significantly delayed. This meant he was able to work on the train instead of in the hotel lobby. Normally we arrive around 830 AM....that day we arrived after 1 PM. The crew was awesome, though--extra snacks, an additional movie, and even helping me secure extra milk for Lily. And remember me mentioning I was glad I went back for those extra diapers? Had we not grabbed them, it would have been very close!

Instead of beating Lola to the hotel, she beat us there, but that gave her time to get settled. After a 45 minute trip down 417 (with only a minor navigation kerfluffle) we got to the Gaylord Palms. We went up the line to the reservation desk, and were escorted from the queue to the desk-- a distance of 10 feet. No lie, they have someone to escort you from the line to the desk, even though it is pretty darn clear how you would wait in line and go to the registration desk, even if you have never been to a hotel before.<p>

The Everglades Atrium at the Gaylord at night.

The atrium at the Gaylord Palms is simply stunning and really puts the Disney ones down the road to shame. Completely enclosed and climate controlled, the atrium is divided into unique Florida "zones". We stayed in Everglades Atrium, complete with a small hut with snakes and gator grunts. The view from our fourth floor balcony was marvelous. There was also a St. Augustine area (complete with fort), Emerald Bay (with larger gators), and Key West (with a sailboat indoors).

The room was typical for a hotel room of its price point. The only disappointment was the lack of a microwave. Being able to sit on the balcony in the evenings while Lily slept made up for any shortcomings, however.

Erwin finished up his work day and it was time for dinner. We had a 530 reservation for Villa de Flora, but we didn't need to worry. In our whole dining time, there were less than 20 people in a place that could seat hundreds.



Our server had a daughter named Lilly who was about 21 months, so the comparisons began. Our Lily was cuter, and as she counted the crayons and said what color each was, the server commented about how we must be raising a genius. True, but awkward nonetheless.

The restaurant was "open air" under the trees and some strings of lights, but because the atrium is climate controlled, it was the best of both worlds. The food was Med-market-inspired and simply delicious. Lily colored for about 20 minutes before she showed interest in food, but then polished off a lot of fettuccine. The rest of us sampled a variety of offerings. The biggest hit was the golden beet salad with goat cheese. It was exceptional. The beef burgoinise was also superb. And for folks who know how picky I am about mashed potatoes.... I had two servings.

The desserts were great, but the neatest prep was doing creme brûlée in ceramic spoons. Just enough, and looked great. It was espresso creme brûlée so I skipped it, but everyone else said it was delish. Even Lily tried some ice cream for dessert! Afterwards, we walked around and eventually headed to the room for bed.

Let me preface this section by saying that while I am not supermodel thin, I am not fat either. So when I sat on the corner of Lily's bed and the whole thing collapsed, I was pretty darn shocked. (Maybe it was dinner...? That's my story and I am sticking to it!)

Another section of the massive atrium.

We looked and saw that the bedframe was not screwed together. A quick call to maintenance and all fixed. (This will be a bit of a theme...) We sat on the balcony and noshed a bit on some snack mix and called it a night. Fin day 2.