Day 4 - Let Foodageddon Begin!!
I was pretty sure we left Chicago to get warm. What happened to the warmth??
Friday, February 11th at Epcot (Center) - 8a-10p
This is the day we've been waiting for. Foodageddon. There were just too many places we wanted to eat. We knew it would be hard to resist the lure of the food in World Showcase. But we also knew that sharing was the answer.
Before the food orgy, we did have some Segwaying to do. Oh, Segway. I had done the Around the World Segway tour last year. We had both done a Segway Chicago tour last summer. And now it was time for us both to take the Around the World Segway tour. We arrived at Epcot early. We almost had the park to ourselves. Even better, we found out that there would only be five of us on the tour!! Yeah!! There was just one thing we didn't count on. How freaking cold it would be. There was no drizzle like we had yesterday. But man, I wished for the drizzle. This was just cold. And my coat and gloves...in the car. Argh!! Not the wisest choice.
I remembered chunks of the tour from last time. Happily, because there were so few of us on the tour, the "How to Use the Segway" portion of the tour was done quickly. Before we knew it, we were off to the World Showcase. The frigid tundra of the World Showcase.
I can't go too far without acknowledging that YES, it was significantly colder in Chicago. I know the day before, everyone was dealing with -17 degrees. I get that. But still...it was SO COLD in Orlando. The Segway Guy (the same as when Adele and I went last year) said that it felt colder because it was a "humid cold." Hmmm. I've never heard of a "humid cold," but it sounds like a good excuse to me. So I know I shouldn't be whining about the cold but damn. I did finally buy a hooded sweatshirt later in the day which I lived in the rest of the trip. It helped. A little.
The coolest part of the tour is that there was so much of the behind the scenes magic in the World Showcase. I remember the portion of the tour (the Foo Dogs in China...male and female. Male on the right holding the Earth. Female on the right holding the "child"). But some was new. In Germany, we saw the Hidden Mickey (check the crown). In Italy, it's a mirror replica of St. Mark's Square in Venice - the tower is on the other side (Scott confirmed this since he's been to the square). We also heard the story about Japan and our tour guide's trip to Japan (Tokyo Disneyland). It prompted an almost immediate text to Adele saying, "Tokyo. Put it on the list." I love the details. I love the useless knowledge. And we now know that the next Disney trip with Scott (Feb/2013...seriously, I need help) will include the Keys to the Kingdom Tour.
After the tour (and a quick stop at the Sunshine's Seasons in The Land...had to warm up with hot chocolate), we got our Soarin' Fastpasses. We tooled around Future World for a bit. Went on the Single Rider line on Test Track. Then we started on the food. Oh, the food.
I did whine for a few minutes about how I wanted nachos from Mexico. But it was only 30 minutes until our reservation at Via Napoli. Nachos were not on the menu this time. Via Napoli in Italy was our "big meal." We ended up with a Salami and Provolone appetizer, then each of us had pizza. Apparently, my appetite came back, because I devoured the pizza quickly. Very quickly. There was barely time to digest the food before we decided it was Cupcake Time.
In Germany we stopped at the Karamel Kuche. Yellow Cupcake covered with Caramel. Yes, please. It was the frosting...the lard-y frosting. I love the fact that the lard coats my mouth. It just feels (and tastes) good. Now this is the part of the 'geddon where sharing became necessary. There were too many things we had to eat (yes, had to). Cupcake - shared.
We went back to Soarin' to use our Fastpasses, then it was time for more food. We had to stop in Morocco for a lamb wrap. And couscous. I don't know what Disney puts in the couscous, but good lord...I love their couscous. I've tried to recreate it (without chickpeas), but it just isn't right. I also knew I was starting to catch a cold, so once I started on the couscous, I had infected it. Scott wasn't about to eat from the container.
At this point, we had to stay away from the food for a little bit. We started slowly stalking the characters. I wanted to find The Beast. I also had to get a Duffy the Disney Bear and take a picture with Duffy.
Here's the deal with Duffy...I love him. Yes, I'm 35, but I do love a fuzzy stuffed bear. Because I'm mentally 12. Duffy came from Tokyo Disneyland (I want to go to there) and is a phenomenon. So he was brought to the States. I saw many Japanese people with small Duffy bears, but he hasn't made a huge splash here...yet. The Duffy story is that Minnie gave Mickey a Duffy bear when Mickey was going on a trip. Mickey traveled the world with Duffy and showed him the sights. So not only is Duffy a soft, fuzzy bear, but he's a soft, fuzzy, TRAVEL bear. Perfect for me!! My favorite part is that on the daily information sheet, when it comes to characters, it says "Meet Mickey." "Meet Stitch." "Hug Duffy." Love that he gets a hug. I totally gave Duffy a hug.
I also think Duffy infected me with a cold, but I don't care. I still love him.
We did go to find The Beast, since he's my favorite Disney Prince. We looked once and couldn't find him (only to realize we weren't looking in the right place. D'oh!!). The next time we found him, there was a massive line. The last time, the line was way too long. So The Beast...didn't happen this time. Next time though...next time...
It was starting to be time for more food. The next stop was the Rose and Crown Pub. We walked in for Scotch Eggs and Cider. And there was no room in the pub. Luckily, we found a couple at a table for four. They motioned us over and we sat with them. My first thought was, "Dammit...now I have to be social." But they were super cool. We must have been in the pub for an hour and a half. It was probably my favorite time of the day. It was just nice to sit and relax. There was a woman playing the piano ("The Hat Lady") and it was just a great atmosphere.
After a bit of time at the pub and a bit of time at the shop (had to do some shopping), we went back to France for the final bit of dining. It is not a trip to Epcot without getting a pastry at the Boulangerie. Strawberry Tart for me (tradition!!) and Chocolate Eclair for Scott. God, I love the Boulangerie. I'd like to live in that restaurant.
Once we finished the pastries, we waddled around to look for a place to watch Illuminations. As we were walking out of France, we see a table near the water. Scott asked if this would be a good place and I kept looking around for someone to tell us we couldn't be there. I mean, freaking rock star seating!! We sat down and didn't move for an hour. It was great. And Illuminations is my favorite. The music just destroys me. Every. Time.
And with that, the Epcot day was over. We were cold and tired, but Epcot...oh, Epcot. This is consistently my favorite park. It could be because of World Showcase and the food, but it has been my favorite park since I was 11 years old. I'm always sad to leave it. But I also know I will be back. I will always be back. Until next time, Epcot...
Friday, February 11th at Epcot (Center) - 8a-10p
This is the day we've been waiting for. Foodageddon. There were just too many places we wanted to eat. We knew it would be hard to resist the lure of the food in World Showcase. But we also knew that sharing was the answer.
Before the food orgy, we did have some Segwaying to do. Oh, Segway. I had done the Around the World Segway tour last year. We had both done a Segway Chicago tour last summer. And now it was time for us both to take the Around the World Segway tour. We arrived at Epcot early. We almost had the park to ourselves. Even better, we found out that there would only be five of us on the tour!! Yeah!! There was just one thing we didn't count on. How freaking cold it would be. There was no drizzle like we had yesterday. But man, I wished for the drizzle. This was just cold. And my coat and gloves...in the car. Argh!! Not the wisest choice.
I remembered chunks of the tour from last time. Happily, because there were so few of us on the tour, the "How to Use the Segway" portion of the tour was done quickly. Before we knew it, we were off to the World Showcase. The frigid tundra of the World Showcase.
I can't go too far without acknowledging that YES, it was significantly colder in Chicago. I know the day before, everyone was dealing with -17 degrees. I get that. But still...it was SO COLD in Orlando. The Segway Guy (the same as when Adele and I went last year) said that it felt colder because it was a "humid cold." Hmmm. I've never heard of a "humid cold," but it sounds like a good excuse to me. So I know I shouldn't be whining about the cold but damn. I did finally buy a hooded sweatshirt later in the day which I lived in the rest of the trip. It helped. A little.
The coolest part of the tour is that there was so much of the behind the scenes magic in the World Showcase. I remember the portion of the tour (the Foo Dogs in China...male and female. Male on the right holding the Earth. Female on the right holding the "child"). But some was new. In Germany, we saw the Hidden Mickey (check the crown). In Italy, it's a mirror replica of St. Mark's Square in Venice - the tower is on the other side (Scott confirmed this since he's been to the square). We also heard the story about Japan and our tour guide's trip to Japan (Tokyo Disneyland). It prompted an almost immediate text to Adele saying, "Tokyo. Put it on the list." I love the details. I love the useless knowledge. And we now know that the next Disney trip with Scott (Feb/2013...seriously, I need help) will include the Keys to the Kingdom Tour.
After the tour (and a quick stop at the Sunshine's Seasons in The Land...had to warm up with hot chocolate), we got our Soarin' Fastpasses. We tooled around Future World for a bit. Went on the Single Rider line on Test Track. Then we started on the food. Oh, the food.
I did whine for a few minutes about how I wanted nachos from Mexico. But it was only 30 minutes until our reservation at Via Napoli. Nachos were not on the menu this time. Via Napoli in Italy was our "big meal." We ended up with a Salami and Provolone appetizer, then each of us had pizza. Apparently, my appetite came back, because I devoured the pizza quickly. Very quickly. There was barely time to digest the food before we decided it was Cupcake Time.
In Germany we stopped at the Karamel Kuche. Yellow Cupcake covered with Caramel. Yes, please. It was the frosting...the lard-y frosting. I love the fact that the lard coats my mouth. It just feels (and tastes) good. Now this is the part of the 'geddon where sharing became necessary. There were too many things we had to eat (yes, had to). Cupcake - shared.
We went back to Soarin' to use our Fastpasses, then it was time for more food. We had to stop in Morocco for a lamb wrap. And couscous. I don't know what Disney puts in the couscous, but good lord...I love their couscous. I've tried to recreate it (without chickpeas), but it just isn't right. I also knew I was starting to catch a cold, so once I started on the couscous, I had infected it. Scott wasn't about to eat from the container.
At this point, we had to stay away from the food for a little bit. We started slowly stalking the characters. I wanted to find The Beast. I also had to get a Duffy the Disney Bear and take a picture with Duffy.
Here's the deal with Duffy...I love him. Yes, I'm 35, but I do love a fuzzy stuffed bear. Because I'm mentally 12. Duffy came from Tokyo Disneyland (I want to go to there) and is a phenomenon. So he was brought to the States. I saw many Japanese people with small Duffy bears, but he hasn't made a huge splash here...yet. The Duffy story is that Minnie gave Mickey a Duffy bear when Mickey was going on a trip. Mickey traveled the world with Duffy and showed him the sights. So not only is Duffy a soft, fuzzy bear, but he's a soft, fuzzy, TRAVEL bear. Perfect for me!! My favorite part is that on the daily information sheet, when it comes to characters, it says "Meet Mickey." "Meet Stitch." "Hug Duffy." Love that he gets a hug. I totally gave Duffy a hug.
I also think Duffy infected me with a cold, but I don't care. I still love him.
We did go to find The Beast, since he's my favorite Disney Prince. We looked once and couldn't find him (only to realize we weren't looking in the right place. D'oh!!). The next time we found him, there was a massive line. The last time, the line was way too long. So The Beast...didn't happen this time. Next time though...next time...
It was starting to be time for more food. The next stop was the Rose and Crown Pub. We walked in for Scotch Eggs and Cider. And there was no room in the pub. Luckily, we found a couple at a table for four. They motioned us over and we sat with them. My first thought was, "Dammit...now I have to be social." But they were super cool. We must have been in the pub for an hour and a half. It was probably my favorite time of the day. It was just nice to sit and relax. There was a woman playing the piano ("The Hat Lady") and it was just a great atmosphere.
After a bit of time at the pub and a bit of time at the shop (had to do some shopping), we went back to France for the final bit of dining. It is not a trip to Epcot without getting a pastry at the Boulangerie. Strawberry Tart for me (tradition!!) and Chocolate Eclair for Scott. God, I love the Boulangerie. I'd like to live in that restaurant.
Once we finished the pastries, we waddled around to look for a place to watch Illuminations. As we were walking out of France, we see a table near the water. Scott asked if this would be a good place and I kept looking around for someone to tell us we couldn't be there. I mean, freaking rock star seating!! We sat down and didn't move for an hour. It was great. And Illuminations is my favorite. The music just destroys me. Every. Time.
And with that, the Epcot day was over. We were cold and tired, but Epcot...oh, Epcot. This is consistently my favorite park. It could be because of World Showcase and the food, but it has been my favorite park since I was 11 years old. I'm always sad to leave it. But I also know I will be back. I will always be back. Until next time, Epcot...
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