02FEB11 - More walking in Vegas then Phantom

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02FEB11 - More walking in Vegas then Phantom

As we went to bed so late, we slept in this morning. Breakfast is a juice and a muesli bar. We then take off to the Venetian to secure seats for Phantom tonight. We end up on the mezzanine floor, one row from the front, on the aisle to the left of the center. We then continue our exploration of the strip. We cross Las Vegas Boulevard and this time explore the other side of the strip. Some of the larger establishments we explore are Treasure Island, The Mirage, Caesar's Palace and The Balagio. Treasure Island was not much really. Other than the big wooden ships in the front, which are used to put on a pirate show in warmer weather, the rest is basically the casino. Caesar's Palace is the biggest complex I've yet seen. It's giant. Many shops, many tables. Heaps of statues all over the complex, giving a very Roman feel. One of the statue sets consists of "moving statues". Every hour, they put on a show in which the statues move and speak. Whilst it sounds pretty good, I wasn't blown away. The Balagio is known for the awesome water display in the front of the building. It's basically a computer controlled fountain with moving jets. The jets move causing the water to form shapes and patterns. The whole thing is done to music. It's actually very impressive and quite entertaining.

Whilst the exploring doesn't sound like much, it was 1700 by the time we finished and walked back to the hotel. We got ready for tonight's show and then went to see the Phantom Of The Opera - Vegas Spectacular. I enjoyed it a lot, but I would enjoy Phantom anytime, anywhere. Now, it did have some differences, but generally it was very much the same. The theatre was made to look like a theatre in Paris. It had a fake audience mounted to the wings, which made it look bigger, and more authentic. The chandelier was made of 3 or 4 different bits, which after the first scene, where brought together (by wires etc.) to make a single large chandelier. As well as these differences, there were pyrotechnics throughout the show. Pretty cool. Heather tells me I didn't sing too much during the show. I must have controlled myself pretty well for a change.

After the show, we went to the Venetian street scene where there are several restaurants. We chose one and had a better class of dinner than we normally do. I had some spinach lasagna with meatballs and Italian sausages. This was followed by dessert; some sort of warm chocolate ball with liquid chocolate inside, with some sort of sweet egg wash and mocha ice-cream. This was gorgeously delicious. The meal was finished with a glass of port. Can't eat like this every night, that's for sure. This meal was done at slow pace in a very relaxed state. Sitting and watching the people and tourist groups go by, and the two pigeons which had found their way in somehow, and I'm sure where very confused about the fake blue sky. It was around 2200 and it felt as if it were about 1800. I suppose that's exactly the point.

After such a substantial dinner, it was back to the hotel via a SLOW walk. We are both completely exhausted after a long day of exploring, a show and a decidant dinner. Hit the sack.

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Photos

Treasure Island
Otherwise known as TI

Flamingo Hotel
You can see why the rooms were so cheap. It's falling apart. That said, the rooms were quire acceptable and adequate.