When I last left off I was here:
And walking towards Epcot to meet my friend - let's call him Mark. That's not his real name but I have to call him something, don't I?
My plan was to go ride a few rides and then have a few drinks, meet up with Mark, and watch Illuminations. Mark was actually working IN Epcot until 7:30, so once he was off we'd meet up quickly.
I paused on my walk to take in the gorgeous view:
I was absolutely loving the BW vibe - it was truly beautiful and in such a great location. I still couldn't believe my luck.
I strolled in through the International Gateway and thought about where I wanted to go. I decided to head towards Mexico and ride, then go to SE and some of the rides at the front of the park. Somewhere along the line, I decided to go to FW first, then come back and walk the lagoon, and THEN ride in Mexico.
While strolling along, I checked the
MDE app to see what the current wait was for Test Track. I was almost to SE at the time. I almost fell over when I saw that there were "supposedly" FP- left for Soarin'! WHAT? It was 5:53 p.m.; how are there FP- for Soarin' left? I thought I read all over these boards that FP+ for headliners were gone quick?
Should I go check it out? I went back and forth. I started walking towards Soarin' but decided it was ridiculous and turned back around and walked towards SE. I almost got to SE, checked the app again, and sure enough it still said there were FP-! I really had a few minutes were I just went back and forth walking, and finally committed to actually walking to Soarin', just to see. I really didn't have anything else to do anyway...
I got all the way to the Land, walked downstairs, and saw....
Yep, I pulled two FP- for Soarin'! At 6 p.m. for an 8:30 return time! I actually asked the man minding the FP machines "Are there really FP??" and he said it happened sometimes right after Food and Wine. Wow! Well, I had two FP- for Mark and I, if he wanted to ride, so I headed back into the park.
On to my first Epcot ride - a walkon at 6:15 on Tuesday: SE! But first I walked by Nemo (which I refuse to ride again; I think it's awful).
I made the dumbest face I could muster at the beginning, and here's what my future looks like:
Now it was after 6:30, and I hadn't gotten a drink yet to prove I was on vacation (drinking on a Tuesday is proof enough, don't you think?). I decided to do the loop from Canada to Mexico and grab a drink or two on the way. My plan was a stop in France for a gray goose slushie and then a stop in "Africa" for a Landshark.
As I walked across the bridge to France, weaving in and out of heavy pedestrian traffic, I passed a large family. I heard a young boy pipe up "This is going to be over my head, isn't it?" and a woman say "Way." before I was past them and in France. Wonder where they were headed?
I saw the gray goose slushie cart, but $15?? I am far too cheap for that. Maybe a beer would be more my speed. I'd keep walking and see what I came across.
Soon enough I was in America. There were a lot of people but most seemed to be just walking, not in stores or eating or congregating. I stopped and bought a Sam Adams.
I did get a little irritated at the woman here. I asked what the Sam Adams seasonal was, and she said it was Winter Lager. I said ok and asked for one, pulling out my wallet. "It's a REALLY dark beer," she said, eyes wide. "Really dark."
"O...k." I said, pulling out my ID.
"It's a dark beer; are you sure?" she asked.
"Um, yes?" I said. I was not exactly sure what the issue was with me drinking a dark beer, and am still not sure to this day. But she seemed to think I wouldn't like it. She must get that a lot!
Once I had my (huge) beer, I was ready to move on. Those cups can't be 20 oz, they're bigger for sure. Possibly 24 oz? But it was large. I figured I was paying about the same at Disney for this drink as I'd pay at a bar around home.
Of course I stopped in Germany. I took a picture of the favorite candy of my study abroad group. I lived in Bonn, home of Beethoven, but EVERYONE loved Mozart Kugeln!
And at $1.45, they really weren't that expensive either.
It was now 7 p.m. I wanted to get on the Mexico ride, so I kept moving that direction with my huge beer. I stopped outside La Hacienda in a little alcove and sat to finish my beer. There was a man sitting there alone, so I asked him to take my picture. He looked a little clueless; I just told him I was travelling alone and would like at least one good picture of me. This is what I got:
Ok, well, get rid of the red eye and get a better pic of the beer and it would be a decent vacation picture.
I looked at Mexico longingly.
This ride has been a favorite of mine since Epcot opened. When it was El Rio Del Tiempo, I loved it dearly, but when they merged it with the Three Caballeros (one of my all time favorite Disney movies), it had a permanent place in my heart.
I looked at the clock; I had about 15 minutes until Mark was off. I chugged the rest of my beer (wow, I guess I don't drink much because I was a little tipsy!) and headed in to ride. Here's what I got:
Heading in:
On the ride:
While I walked on to the ride, it was full. This is very rare for the Mexico ride, so I thought maybe I was in for more crowds than I thought.
It was now time to meet Mark. My phone text messages were going off with questions at to where we could meet.
Vamanos!
(Oddly, the FP- say they were pulled at 12:52 - maybe my clock was off, or maybe theirs was?) 
I love the booked planes that aren't so booked. I had the aisle and the other guy had the window; it was perfect if you ask me! I like the aisle seat, since I get fidgety and need to stand up at least once every flight.
