Orlando International Airport Visit

On a recent trip to Orlando International Airport, I found myself sitting, waiting in the food court area in the "unsecured" zone of the terminal. On "my" side was a McDonalds; I later found out that the preferred Burger King was the reward on the "other side" for those who had to submit to the indignity and hassle of security searches.

But still, I was looking forward, just before 7 AM, to getting one of my favorites: a McGriddle breakfast sandwich. And although the service left a lot to be desired, I was happy with the eventual result. My son, who accompanied me on the trip (with my wife and daughter, who were on the "Burger King" side), celebrated our breakfast with me by walking across the court and enjoying a couple of Krispy Kreme doughnuts as well. As we sat there facing a huge cylindrical fish tank in our comfortable chairs, I noticed someone apparently sleeping nearby. I told Will I was going to shut my own eyes for a few minutes, too. And then I thought that finally, here is a public place where they don't mind people just loitering around and even sleeping. Then reality hit me: I'm paying a buck every half hour for parking, up to a $17 maximum bill per day I'm here. So just sitting here I'm paying the airport for "loitering" and "sleeping". Heck, for that price they should give me a small room as well!

Will and I later walked around the shops surrounding the food court. Aside from the bookstores and newsstands (reading material always somehow seems more interesting in airports), we visited their Universal Studios and Disney stores. Apparently, they are there for folks who had just attended these parks and needed mementos before boarding their return flights home (there was a Sea World store as well). I felt pleasant vibes just walking around in them. Part of this was the merchandise, part was the professional, friendly employees working there. Universal's store was the more interesting of the two: half of it was completely devoted to Harry Potter merchandise, almost complete with even Tri-Wizard Cups and Monster Books. I say "almost complete" because I sadly saw no Sorting Hats. But then I thought, the airlines probably don't want anyone bringing onto a plane a hat that they can draw a sword from!

Eventually, my daughter left on her flight to her destination (where we plan to join her in a couple of weeks via the highway) and Melissa came back to our "Mac" side. And off we went, homeward bound.

Waking up at three in the morning to catch an early flight from an airport more than a hundred miles away completely threw off my sleep patterns and sense of time. Fortunately, I had the rest of the day off and slept until late in the afternoon. Let's see, I think I've gotten myself back in sync now. Well, kind of...