After the success of Creepy Cinema 2012, Markus and I decided that we wanted to do something similar for Christmas. We settled on 12 Christmas movies, because 31 days devoted to film is a bit much. We were scrambling all through October trying to watch all the movies and at times, I wasn't free to enjoy them as much. I think that 12 is a perfect number and will help us both get into the holiday spirit.
We tried to choose movies from all different time periods and genres. There are some beloved classics as well as quintessential Christmas movies. Despite the fame of many of these movies, I haven't seen them all and have only watched half of them. I'm so excited to begin the Twelve Days of Christmas Cinema and I hope you enjoy my reviews as well!
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Santa Claus graphic: The Graphics Fairy
After a short boat ride, we finally made it to the Underground River and it was definitely worth the wait. It's comes as no surprise that it's a Natural World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. The actual area around the Underground River is untouched, monkeys and huge lizards still roam free. It was like seeing nature at it's finest. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced before and was one of the best parts of our Philippines trip.
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While in England, we absolutely had to visit Oxford. How could we not venture to this literary and intellectual city? I thought Oxford was beautiful, but I thought every city in England was beautiful. Although, there was something different about Oxford. As soon as we stepped off the train, I don't know what was in the air, but I instantly felt a bit smarter and a bit more refined.
Unfortunately, we were only able to spend half the day in Oxford, but we packed our schedule. We wanted to make sure that we saw everything the city had to offer. It was such an enchanting city and I found myself taking heaps of photos, even when we were just walking through the streets. It's like every building and street corner was begging to have their photo taken. I was very happy to oblige.
On the final part of our Florida road trip, we went to the best of the kitschy roadside attractions. The final days were filled with rockets, mermaids and creepy buildings. I think it was the best part of the trip. It was just Markus and I out on the open road seeing all the attractions of the olden days. It was like we stepped into a time warp and seeing Florida during another time.
Our first stop was at Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. I actually went on a field trip to the Space Center when I was in elementary school, but Markus never had the chance to go. He loves this sort of thing, so I couldn't pass on something that he really wanted to see. It was awesome seeing rockets in real life. I knew that they would be huge, but actually seeing something that was in space was incredible. It's also a bit humbling, because you realize how big this universe is and we have yet to scratch the surface of what's really out there.
My favorite attraction was Weeki Wachi Springs. I personally feel like Weeki Wachi is the epitome of all roadside attractions. What is more kitschy than a mermaid show? I've always wanted to go and for some reason never made the trip. It reminds me of a simpler time, when people didn't need roller coasters and flashy shows to entertain. I really enjoyed the show and loved the old-fashioned feeling of the park. I can't believe the mermaids can perform like that underwater with only a thin pipe to breathe air.
We ventured out to St. Petersburg and Haslam's, Florida's largest new and used bookstore. We were so impressed with the place that we visited every time we were in the area. We also went to Tarpon Springs and checked out the sponge docks. We didn't actually make it into Spongeorama, I read bad reviews, but we did go and eat Greek food. Markus and I still talk about that meal we ate in Tarpon Springs. On our drive back to Fort Lauderdale, Markus and I spied an old abandoned building in Lake Wales. We veered off the main road and drove toward the building. It used to be an old hotel and was surrounded by a run-down strip mall. There weren't any people in sight and it felt like the beginning of a zombie movie. We hightailed it out of there before we became the casualties of a bad B-movie.
I'm glad that Markus and I decided to take a trip through my home state. Even though Florida isn't my ideal place to live, it made me appreciate the side that not many people see. Everyone thinks of beaches and Disney World, but there is more to Florida than meets the eye. If you dig a little deeper, you'll actually see something quite charming.
After traipsing about the outside of Chatsworth House, we finally made it inside and it was gorgeous. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. It was quite grand and majestic, everything you would expect an estate home to look like. It's amazing to think that Europe is filled with similar homes. Growing up in Florida, I always yearned for history like this.
Since Chatsworth House served as a filming location for Pride and Prejudice, there were many familiar parts of the house. I was very happy to walk around and see places I recognized from the movie. There were so many beautiful paintings that could rival any art museum. I was completely blown away by the amount of artwork and beautiful decor. It was amazing.
