Thank you very much!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We'll explore the seventeen countries of World Showcase in a clockwise motion. Heading immediately to the left from Showcase Plaza, we'll arrive at the first country of World Showcase:
Rising around the bend, curbing the corner of World Showcase Lagoon, guests can see a rising, multi-tiered Aztec temple, surrounded by dense forests. The temple rises high into the sky, dominating over the rest of the Mexico pavilion. Just across from the temple is a building that plays host to two restaurants, both serving excellent Mexican cuisine. The location features both La Hacienda de San Angel, an indoor sit-down restaurant, as well as La Cantina de San Angel, a quick-service location. The restaurants feature a complete tequila bar and are located right alongside the waters of World Showcase, making it an excellent viewing location for the nighttime fireworks. Attached to the side of the restaurant is El Ranchito del Norte, which specializes in Mexican knick-knacks and what not. Performing in the courtyard of the pavilion, either right in front of the temple, or nearby El Ranchito del Norte, is the world-renowned Mariachi Cobre band. These festive performers have been an EPCOT favorite for years. In fact, the Mariachi Cobre, as well as the Voices of Liberty at The American Adventure, are the only World Showcase performers who have been here since EPCOT Center first opened in 1982. Come gather round to hear the authentic sounds of Mexico surround you in a veritable fiesta of music!
The colored stone steps leading up to the temple reveal a small seating area, camouflaged in lush foliage. Entrances lead into the temple on both the left and right side of the temple, re-connecting back into the center of the temple, where posters and artifacts align the walls, showcasing the many different facts and activities of Mexico. Inside the center temple room is the Mexican Folk Art Gallery, currently playing host to "Animalés Fantásticos: Spirits in Wood". This is an exhibit honoring Oaxacan wood carvers who believe that when they carve a figure, they are unleashing the spirit of each being from each piece of wood. Every figure is handmade from the soft wood of the copal tree, found in the hills surrounding the Oaxacan Valley of Southern Mexico, and blends the modern and traditional, the mundane and the mythical—but always with humor, movement, fantasy and color.
Continuing into the next room, guests find themselves entering into a Mexican courtyard at nighttime. From the stone balcony overlooking the pavilion, guests see a streaming fountain just below, surrounded by bustling merchandise carts and stores, which is then preceded by a courtyard of tables adorned with flickering candles. Strings of lanterns are draped over the courtyard, as the sky is awash in blue lights. The farthest end of the courtyard reveals a small temple.
Continuing back outside the stone steps of the Mexican temple, outside of the pavilion, guests will comes across a stone wall with inscribed details. This is often where Donald, Jose and Panchito, otherwise known as The Three Caballeros, host meet & greets.
Norway was the second pavilion to be added to World Showcase after EPCOT Center had opened in 1982 and this country remains to keep its' original sentiment. Guests walk along the quaint village of a Norwegian town, taking in the quaint cottage-like buildings and architecture. At the entrance of Norway is the recently-added Royal Sommerhus, a meet & greet featuring the ever-popular Anna and Elsa from Frozen. To be quite frank, I don't really like that name. Therefore, I'd give the meet & greet a better-fitting name: Vertshus av Vennskap (that's Norwegian for "Inn of Friendship"). To me, a name that translates to "Inn of Friendship" would much better befit a meet & greet area, because after all, aren't meet & greet areas all about meeting your favorite Disney friends? Plus, I've heard that the design for the Sommerhus was based on an actual historic log cabin: the Detli House of the Trondlag Folk Museum in Trondheim, thus making an inn-based name all the more fitting.
Nearby the Vertshus is The Wandering Reindeer, a store that specializes in authentic Norwegian children's goods: clothes, toys, games, etc. Also in the vicinity are some restrooms and the entrance to the Stave Church Gallery, a small, hidden room inside a replica of said church, offering quiet solitude to take in a small Norwegian museum. Just outside of the Stave Church Gallery, on the opposite side of the tall building, Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe, a small bakery, which serves baked specialties from Norway, including fruit pastries, desserts and even ham and apple sandwiches. Neighboring the bakery is The Puffin's Roost, a complete gift shop for everything Norway-related. The gift shop features Norweigan clothes, custom-made in Norway, including heavy winter clothes, to fine wines, perfumes and colognes, leading to a room of princess dolls and merchandise. The inside of the shop almost looks like a quaint skiing lodge.
http://.com/wp-content/uploads/Maelstrom-1987-3-600x402.jpg
The original Maelstrom was an interesting attraction. With its audio-animatronic figures, detailed scenery, and even a small drop it was like the Norwegian equivalent of Pirates of the Caribbean. The problem with this attraction is that it is far too short and really lacks a coherent storyline. So, I'd remake Maelstrom into a boat ride centered on Norse mythology. I'd even expand the ride building to allow for a bigger adventure. Frozen's stone-faced facade would remain, but this time, serving as the entrance to the Museum av Norrøn Mytologi (or in plain English, "Museum of Norse Mythology".) After passing through the museum for a while, going past various exhibits and facts about the Vikings and Norse lore, guests board their Viking ships and set sail to Valhalla and to the halls of Asgard, the home of the Gods. Once there, they will encounter many of the various Norse gods including Odin (father of the Gods), Thor (the God of thunder), Baldur (the God of peace), Aegir (the God of the sea), Tyr (the God of war), and many others. Things go awry when Loki (the trickster God) fools us into trying to take one of the Golden Apples, the source of the Gods' immortality and perpetual youth. Guest then find themselves in a race to escape Valhalla, fleeing from Idun, Guardian of the Golden Apples, and the Valkyries, warrior maidens on flying horses. This ride would become a true E-ticket attraction with state-of-the-art audio animatronic figures and multiple drops.
Along the banks of World Showcase, the sounds of Norweigian waterfalls dissipate into the background, as the guests come across the next pavilion in World Showcase:
Guests arrive at the many beautifully-adorned and decorated temples of China. The Chinese architecture depicts the beautiful scenery of a Chinese city. The entrance to the China pavilion is highlighted by a tall Chinese red arch, leading the way into a small Chinese water garden, filled with waterfalls and lily pads. Mulan, Shang and Mushu often meet guests in this garden.
Straight ahead of the entrance arch, leading down a narrow path over the water garden, steps lead up to a very detailed replica of the Temple of Heaven. Inside of the grand temple, guests will come across Reflections of China. In this experience, guests are welcomed inside of the grand temple. The lobby of the temple is adorned with Chinese artifacts, beautiful sculpting, banners and images depicting the origins of China. Guests are then brought into a round, Circle-Vision theater, where guests are then enveloped in the history, the art, the cultures and the life of what the country of China is. The grand Circle-Vision experience offers a wonderful portrayal of the country of China, teaching the guests more about the country through the colorful portrayal.
Attached to the temple, just inside of the lobby, to the left, guests will comes across the House of the Whispering Willows. The small room is tucked away in the corner of the Chinese temple and serves as the exhibit area for the pavilion, featuring "Tomb Warriors: Guardian Spirits of Ancient China." The terracotta soldiers in this exhibit are replicas of the soldiers found in the famous tomb excavation in Xi'an, China, the single largest excavation in the world. The original figures, dating from 210 BC, were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers. And they were indeed an army! Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. Legend has it that members of the royal dynasty carried miniature terracotta or stone carved warriors with them in their tombs to protect them from supernatural threats.
Just outside of the temple, an alleyway leads to the back end of the pavilion, running in tangent Yong Feng Shangdian store. The store is an extensive shopping plaza, running through the facades of several different China buildings. The Reflections of China attraction also exits through the shop's plaza. The shop features everything from expensive Chinese jewelry and sculptures, to Chinese garments, lanterns and incenses and stuffed animals. Continuing back up north to the entrance of the China pavilion, on the right, is the Lotus Blossom Cafe, a small cafe area, serving delicious Chinese cuisine. Located further down the ramp, just after the entrance archway is the Nine Dragons Restaurant, which offers an extensive selection of Chinese dishes in a beautiful, relaxing setting.
And that's where we'll stop for now. In the next post, we'll discover the next three pavilions of World Showcase...two of which are completely new!
