What a Wonderful World

February 11, 2017

Bill and I decided a few months ago that we would go to Florida to see Madison Central cheer for a national championship. So here we are.

The competition starts on Saturday and finishes on Sunday.

But on Friday we had some free time so we did what we love to do -- go to Epcot Center.

Now we never took our children to Epcot when they were young because they wanted roller coasters and stuff like that. In the past few years, though, Bill and I have steered clear of the coasters (because we are getting too old for that nonsense) and have thoroughly enjoyed roaming through the different countries at Epcot. Here are some fun things we did today:

• SOARIN - How cool to be suspended in front of a concave screen, "hang gliding" above some of the most picturesque places on earth. I loved it!
• LUNCH and a SHOW - We have had some REALLY good food at Epcot over the years. (It OUGHT to be good -- we pay enough for it!) Today I just got a salad but it was SO yummy! We took our lunch outside and ate as we watched a 3-man drum corp perform using trash cans and lids and buckets and dust pans and hard hats . . . .
• FROZEN - Bill has never seen this movie. We need to remedy that! This little boat ride was really cool. It went forward, then backward, then forward again. Interesting twist to a routine indoor boat trip. And, of course, the characters and scenery and special effects were spectacular. Do you wanna build a snowman?
• CARAMEL - In Germany, there's a caramel shop that has all kinds of delectable yummies. We usually get a square of just straight-up caramel but today we also got an apple caramel oatmeal cookie. It's fun to over-indulge when on vacation!
• CHINA - Every time we go to Epcot we make sure to see the acrobats perform. They do NOT disappoint! How on earth they do all that stuff, I'll never know!
• ART ON EXHIBIT - We didn't spend a whole lot of time looking at the various art exhibits. But we did take part in a HUGE paint by number mural. They hope to have it completed by Saturday evening.
• DISNEY ON BROADWAY - We thoroughly enjoyed hearing some awesome music from various Broadway shows: Lion King, Little Mermaid, Aladin, and others. It was exquisite.
• MARIACHI - I was entranced by the rhythm of some of the Mexican songs. I was able to chat with a couple of the musicians about this after their performance. How surprised I was to learn that it was 3/8, 6/8, 9/8 and sometimes 12/8. I would have never guessed.
• PRINCESSES - We saw big Snow White and Belle and lots of little Elsas and Annas!

I have often wondered about what people think who come to Epcot from other countries. Do they like the section in Epcot devoted to their country? Is the food authentic? Is the architecture accurate? Knowing Disney's attention to detail, I can only imagine that it is spot on.

After having walked through all the different countries in Epcot, I am reminded of what a beautiful and diverse world we have. It is wonderful. We are truly blessed.