USA 2006

Space Shuttle Launch - "Atlantis"

Around 8:45 a.m., we head back to Kennedy Space Center to watch the shuttle launch at 11:15 a.m. Once there, we find out that, unlike on "normal" days, we won't be taken closer to the launch pad by bus.
So we drive to the Astronaut Hall of Fame, from where you can see the launch pad about 24 km away. We arrive there about 30 minutes before launch and get to witness the event live. The whole spectacle lasts about 2 minutes.

Youtube Video: Space Shuttle Launch

Then we head back to Orlando, where we had actually planned to go to Wet’n’Wild (a large water park), but since it’s Saturday, it’s very crowded and we lose interest. So we take a long afternoon nap, which is actually quite nice.

At 8 p.m., we'll head to Kobe's Restaurant for dinner. They offer a Japanese dining experience where the food is prepared right at your table. We've done something like this before in Hawaii and highly recommend it.