Disney World 2008 Pics Of The Day--Day 6

Day six was a day of ups and downs. My health gradually improved as the day went on, which was a blessing for which we were extremely grateful, and the lovely warm sunshine lifted our bodies and spirits in tandem. However, we also got some very bad news from Portland fairly early on in the day, and it was difficult for us to process our emotions and thoughts while in a place that is so far from home, and so entirely focused on frivolous and very worldly things. Rest assured, nobody died or anything, except perhaps a few of our cherished hopes and dreams. Actually, even that last statement isn't true, because our hopes are not rooted in people or circumstances, but in the One who is above them all. It just took us a while to remember that. Remember we did, though, and after walking, talking, and praying together, our minds and hearts settled into a somewhat subdued, but peaceful state.

We did enjoy our last day at Epcot. We didn't go on any of the more adventurous rides, or push my physical limits too much. We were mostly just satisfied that I was out of bed and we had such nice weather. We shopped a bit and bought some small gifts for the children of the friends who are providing our airport taxi service for this trip. (We live very near the Portland airport, and are often called on to do taxi service. We are always glad to do so, and it is generally no trouble for us, being so close, but it is usually more of an effort for the people we ask, because none of them live at such an easy distance as we do. We are very grateful for friends who will put themselves out for us like that, and know that while they would refuse any token for themselves, they will not turn down Disney trinkets for their children. We feel quite tricky and self-satisfied at this method of getting around their reticence to being properly thanked!) One of the highlights of the day for us was watching the newly updated circle-vision movie about Canada. They've got the always amusing Martin Short serving as tour guide, and have cut in new footage with the old to bring the movie into the 21st century. We love circle-vision movies anyway, but the upgrade made it all the more fun.


Okay, now we come to the whiny complaint portion of what is turning into a rather lengthy trip journal entry. Here it it. "Wah! I wanted French Food!" That in a nutshell is my chief gripe for the day. Let me explain: We bought into the Disney Dining Plan, which pre-pays for meals at some rather nice restaurants, and because the restaurants are very popular, requires advance reservations to get a table. No problem! We booked our tables well ahead of our trip, through the Disney Dining reservation center. The trouble is, you never really get a chance to look at the menu before you choose where you will eat. This is a leap of faith for me, because I have some rather annoying dietary restrictions (no wheat) that make it a bit of a crap shoot whether there will be anything at a given restaurant that I can eat. Some restaurants are easy--I can always eat Mexican and most Asian food, and Italian is almost always out, unless I make noodles at home from scratch. The Disney website assured us, however, that all their restaurants could handle dietary restrictions, and, thus assured, we planned to expand our dining horizons by venturing into a highly-touted French restaurant. When we actually sat down to look at a menu and talk to our waitress about what I could have, however, it boiled down to "anything without the sauce." What?! The whole point of French food is the sauce!! They said I could have escargots in burgundy sauce--without the sauce--a.k.a. dry snails. They said I could have a beef fillet in peppercorn sauce--without the sauce--a.k.a. slab-o'-meat, and they said I could have green beans. I could not, however, have any of their potatoes, including mashed. I ask you, who puts wheat in their mashed potatoes? You'd think fancy French chefs could whip up an alternate sauce using corn starch--heck, even I could do that! We just couldn't bring ourselves to pay $50 dollars per person for dry snails, a steak and some green beans, so we left. We spent the next hour walking around looking for a restaurant with an open table, and found not a one. (Sometimes I just hate what my stupid dietary needs put my husband through. He could have had the French food, and I started thinking I should have just eaten the stinking boring green beans and meat slab.) Eventually, though, we had a breakthrough. We called the magical Disney Dining central office, where they see the reservation lists for all the D-World restaurants at once, and the operator saw that there had just been a cancellation at the Mexican restaurant across the way. We jumped on it, and within half an hour we were happily dining on tilapia with guacamole sauce. Margaritas further improved our mood.

That pretty much sums up day six (at some length I might add). On to a few photos...

As we were leaving Animal Kingdom Lodge for the day, we passed by this watering hole. It was rather picturesque.

Ked and I had fun playing with lots of sciency stuff at Epcot. The techno-gizmo pictured above measured our reaction time, memory, and hand-eye coordination. We were, of course, outstanding in all categories. We got to play a fun driving game, too, in which I qualified to be a secret agent!! I was so excited, I immediately called up the CIA to see what my pay-grade would be. They said they'd get back to me...

Here's Ked in "Canada." Made us a bit homesick for the Pacific Northwest. Good thing we're heading home tomorrow!

We had an enjoyable stroll through "England" as well, and saw a really fun street play about King Arthur, which drew in volunteers from the audience. I really wanted to play the evil wizard. Oh well, maybe next time.

Personal disclaimer: I did not want to post this picture. I felt tired and grungy and highly un-photogenic, but my dear husband likes it, so I comply. It would, perhaps, have been better for me to comply without the disclaimer, but vanity, alas, has won the day. The disclaimer remains.

Here is Kedley at the restaurant where we did not eat, in France. I show it to you, however, because you might like to dine there yourself someday. Other than the fact I couldn't eat anything on it, the menu looked terrific!! I hope your day is a lovely one. We are off to say our farewells to Animal Kingdom. Especially the tigers. We like the tigers.

Disney World 2008 Pics Of The Day--Day 3

Ked and I had another lovely day today. After a VERY leisurely start to the morning, we headed on over to Epcot for some rainy-day fun. Most of what we did was of the indoor variety, which was a good thing, since every time we emerged from our sheltered pursuits we saw fresh evidence of the teary weather. Actually, though, we had very good timing for most of the day, and while we frequently trod on dewy pavement, we seldom saw (or felt) the showers that kept the sidewalks glistening. We popped from experimental greenhouse to aquarium, aquarium to ride, and so on, and barely noticed the weather--other than a experiencing a vague sense of homeyness, since rain reminded us of what it was like to be home in the Pacific Northwest.

I'm not going to babble much at you tonight. It's very late and we're both still sick, but I do have a few pictures to send your way, so here goes:

Just like the last time we were here, in January 2007, we couldn't resist climbing on board a couple of Segways and taking them for a spin.

We also enjoyed taking another tour of the experimental greenhouses where Disney magicians grow giant fruits and vegetables and work on new and innovative ways to increase product yields. The picture above shows some of the different ways their produce gets its start. One of the things they're working on is a way to grow plants with no soil, just water and nutrients sprayed right on the roots. They're hoping that maybe someday the folks at NASA can use this method to grow food in space.

We spent quite a bit of time around the aquariums, watching dolphins race by and manatee munch on romaine lettuce. We also had a look at some of the smaller aquatic scenes, such as the vivid tank pictured above.

We saw a few of Nemo's friends and family when we peered into their watery homes.

This Nemo wannabe tried to convince us he was our favorite little clown fish, but he couldn't fool us--not enough stripes!!

If this wasn't Dory, though, she was doing a pretty fair imitation.

I don't know what kind of creature-fish this is, but the whole scene, fish included, was such an intriguing combination of ugliness and beauty that I just couldn't resist giving you a glimpse, even though the picture is a little blurry.

On our way out of Epcot in pursuit of our dinner, we made our way through Canada and England, and headed off to enjoy what will almost certainly be the food highlight for the week. We ate at Flying Fish Cafe tonight, and it was stellar. The food, the service, the atmosphere, all of it added up to a great memory. The waiter was everything a waiter should be. The chef came to talk to us not once, but twice, and all that attention didn't even hold a candle to the wonderful food, so you can imagine what a fine meal it was.

Here's a sample of the decor. As you can see, the fish are flying.

I'll leave you with the images of our delightful repast. On the left is Ked's monkfish, followed by my potato-wrapped snapper, and a beautiful cheesecake with a walnut crust. Mmmm, cheesecake...

Good night.

Disney World 2008 Pics Of The Day--Day 2

After a leisurely morning spent posting pictures here at the Meow for the entertainment of friends and strangers alike, we headed over to Epcot on Friday for a day of fun and frolics. Most of our day passed pleasantly away, as we wandered from country to country in Epcot's World Showcase. We chatted with some singers from the Voices of Liberty (an absolutely amazing A Capella group performing at the American Heritage Gallery), and discovered that one of them was from our hometown of Portland, and we had acquaintances in common. Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Small World," doesn't it? The day was full of highs, very few lows, and one or two surprises. I think my favorite moment of the day, though, was when a six-year-old came up to me and asked me very sweetly and innocently, "Are you a teenager?" Talk about your Disney magic! This really is the happiest place on Earth!! I love that child. I truly love that child. On that note, on to the photos for the day. (Please be kind and refrain from commenting about how only a six-year-old could mistake me for a teenager. We are here to indulge in a little fantasy after all.)

Here's the ultimate landmark in Epcot. The big hollow ball behind me is one of our favorite rides, called Spaceship Earth. It's a gentle ride through human history, with a few tweaks since the last time we were here. They snap your photo at the beginning of the ride, and now at the end of the ride you get to see yourself zip around in a cartoon world of the future. It was so much fun we went around twice.

Ked insisted that we post this picture of me wandering around China. I decided to indulge him on this one. After all, it is his vacation too.

China kept us fascinated for quite a while, and these ladies were one of the highlights. Last year it was quite cold when we were here, so the acrobats performed indoors, but this year the weather is smiling, so we got to see the troupe contort out here in the open. No matter where they do their thing, though, it all looks equally impossible.

This gentleman had his work cut out for him when the wind kicked up. Despite the stiff breeze, though, he still managed to catch five bowls at a time on his head, while balancing on that teeter-totter.

I've been hitting the treadmill pretty regularly lately, so after a while Ked started thinking that borrowing that power chair beside him might be a good notion, just to keep up with Power Kat.

We just love all the interesting architectural details in Epcot, and Japan kept our cameras close to hand. I was thinking it might be of some use to have mine surgically implanted. Maybe once nanotechnology advances far enough that'll be an option, eh?

Scenes like this lake view panorama were what kept prompting the shutter-bug.

Here you get the flavor of the Moroccan souk. It was all incense and color, and crowds of bustling shoppers, just like the real thing--complete with the eager salesman who really, really wanted to make a sale--any sale.

The mosaic tile work throughout the Moroccan quarter is simply amazing. It's not a style that I would necessarily want to use to decorate my home, but you can't help but appreciate the intricacy and beauty of the designs.

Ked found the musical instruments fascinating.

He jumped at the chance to get "hands on" with some nearby drums.

Here's the atmosphere inside the Mexican temple where we ate our dinner. Our very, very yummy dinner.

This mariachi band kept the wait for our table lively. Disney musicians are soooo good!

Here's a shot of the World at night. Beautiful, isn't it? We'll leave you with this one--until tomorrow. Have a great day!!