From Europe to Africa in America - A Sisters' Expedition

[MRYPPNS]

I have spent the afternoon reading all the chapters and I can't wait for more!

 

[TyRy]

YAY - an update! You two are the opposite of me...I could ride Dinosaur over and over, but EE is one time and that's it. I think it's the backwards part I have trouble with.

I love seeing the rope drop photos as with DH I'll NEVER get to a rope drop!

 

[LuccaDrake]

Great update! I feel the same way about Dinosaur! I love the ride but always close my eyes before we get to the scary part!

~Beka~

 

[tiggrbaby]

Lovely update; worth the wait!

 

[If U Had Wings]

Yah for the update! I was thinking of you this weekend. I was watching a tv show about International house hunting, and it was a couple looking to buy a condo in Berlin. I was amazed at how tiny some of them were.

I'm loving how small the crowds were at AK. It looks like the two of you practically had the place to yourselves. It must have been wonderful.

 

[klacey1]

Wonderful update-- on my birthday, too! Great present! Seriously, totally worth waiting for. That first sunset shot is beautiful...

 

[All7OfUs]

Let's see..... in no particular order- thoughts that came to mind:

1) Dino is a ride I can do without. I swear I feel my neck about to break everytime I ride it or it's evil twin Indiana Jones at DLR. Your picture is hilarious, though! Looks just about like me. But I"m trying to hold my head on.

2) Rope Drop at AK is my favorite. Not for the show, by any means, but for the fact, that you can easily get 3 rides on EE by doing so in a very short time. Isn't the queue theming the bomb in EE??!

3) So glad you gave Katharina the freedom to go a little slower to see more while you got FiPs.

4) WOW! Awesome sunrise picture!! That'd sure make getting up easier!

5) Perfect Pluto pix!! You two look so happy, and ready to give the day your best shot!

6) Yeah, cheesy is a good word for Dinoland. I know the backstory, and what not, but still not my cup of tea.

7) I wonder what Katharina is thinking in the picture in front of the Harambe sign??

 

[Flossbolna]

an update!

That Dinosaur picture completely cracks me up!

I was tempted to buy the picture because I thought it was so funny!

I am with you on the sweet pastries, I actually rarely get them anywhere and they are generally slathered in icing of some sort. Bleh. I don't think I'd generalize it to say it's an American thing but it is a mass produced quick service style for sure so certainly more readily available. At a good bakery, not so much.

Cinnabon does a decent job for a volume produced roll, the quality and quantity of the cinnamon is much greater and it's a cream cheese frosting versus the very sweet icing on some.

That is interesting. I have read about Cinnabon here on the DIS many times, but never came across one on my travels in the US. I really have to make a point to find one next time I am there - like I did once with Cracker Barrel.

I get your point about the amount of icing and agree. But then I think that generally the American taste is sweeter than the European. Even chocolate is sweeter in the US than here in Germany. Also here in Germany there has been a trend that people use much less sugar today than 30 years ago.

What a fun and deserted park you had!!
I agree about PW.....it is definitely not worth standing in a long line but EE on the other hand
Love the picture on Dinosaur....you did a good job of not explaining it....for some reason I laugh the whole time we are on it
Hope you had a nice breakfast and enjoyed some juice...the same juice that is served at Boma

Tracy

p.s. Thanks for the update

I am glad that you liked the update. It was fun to write about our very first park experience! I can't understand how someone can laugh on Dinosaur!!

The breakfast at Tusker House was good and will be featured in an update tonight!

I am enjoying the return of your TR, ladies!

But I had to comment on this, specifically...

Kathrin is our older daughter's name. It is not ever found here in the US and she was often called Katarina in school!

Hi Elin, that is really funny about your daughter's name. How did you come up with it if it so uncommon in the US?

 

[Flossbolna]

The second time you got up on this particular day, correct?

Indeed... And we felt so much better at the real 7 am!!

Yes, that's odd. That's not where they did rope drop last year.

They seemed to have changed that permanently. At least there was a blog on allears.net about it. I am not sure wether they are still doing it that way now.

Hilarious! Did you get to see anything on the ride?

I kind of knew when to expect the Dinosaur attack (that's when they take the picture), so I could see some of the ride before then. I am not sure about Katharina, but she might have gotten a clue from me, when I started to hide that this might be the smart thing to do.

In previous years I always ended up in the front row all the way to the right which is the worst place to have!!

Ooooo, thanks for posting this. I've heard a lot about that juice at Boma, but did not realize that it is also served at the Mara. Looks like I'll be taking a little morning stroll over that way in a couple of weeks.

Sorry, but I think Tracy was talking about our upcoming breakfast at Tusker House... I don't think Mara has the juice from Boma.

Glad you girls are posting again.

Great update and pictures!

Kathy

Thanks! More updates should follow much sooner now!

I have spent the afternoon reading all the chapters and I can't wait for more!

Hi and It is always wonderful to get new readers! Did you use the links at the end of the chapters? I just put those in yesterday, so it would be great if they already were helpful for someon!

 

[Flossbolna]

YAY - an update! You two are the opposite of me...I could ride Dinosaur over and over, but EE is one time and that's it. I think it's the backwards part I have trouble with.

I love seeing the rope drop photos as with DH I'll NEVER get to a rope drop!

How can anyone enjoy Dinosaur??? Just kidding, I think that's the beauty of WDW: everyone finds something they really enjoy!

More nice rope drop pictures will follow in the next days!

Great update! I feel the same way about Dinosaur! I love the ride but always close my eyes before we get to the scary part!

~Beka~

That's the good thing: Once you know when the scary part comes up, you can actually enjoy it before. There are some nice scenes!

Lovely update; worth the wait!

I am glad you enjoyed it!

 

[Flossbolna]

Yah for the update! I was thinking of you this weekend. I was watching a tv show about International house hunting, and it was a couple looking to buy a condo in Berlin. I was amazed at how tiny some of them were.

That's interesting - I guess space is just much more rare here than in the US. But I guess appartments in NYC are tiny as well? Berlin is after all a pretty big city with 3.5 mio inhabitants. And generally Germany is much more densly populated than the US.

I'm loving how small the crowds were at AK. It looks like the two of you practically had the place to yourselves. It must have been wonderful.

It really was a trip with small crowds, more on that later! But that's one of the reasons I really love rope drop. Those first two hours are just so empty.

Wonderful update-- on my birthday, too! Great present! Seriously, totally worth waiting for. That first sunset shot is beautiful...

Happy Birthday!! The sunset from the room was really a wonderful bonus!

Let's see..... in no particular order- thoughts that came to mind:

1) Dino is a ride I can do without. I swear I feel my neck about to break everytime I ride it or it's evil twin Indiana Jones at DLR. Your picture is hilarious, though! Looks just about like me. But I"m trying to hold my head on.

I actually enjoyed Indiana Jones at DL much more. I don't like the darkness of Dinosaur and I find it scarier. The ride system I am still fine with, but I can understand how someone would really hate it for its jerkiness.

2) Rope Drop at AK is my favorite. Not for the show, by any means, but for the fact, that you can easily get 3 rides on EE by doing so in a very short time. Isn't the queue theming the bomb in EE??!

EE is such a wonderful ride - including the queue. I once spent quite some time in that museum. This year however, we noticed kind of a strong dung smell in the queue which was not very pleasant... We think it came from the heating they put on in there (yes, they have heating in there and there were days when we really appreciated it!!).

3) So glad you gave Katharina the freedom to go a little slower to see more while you got FiPs.

That's what big sisters do for their little sisters!

4) WOW! Awesome sunrise picture!! That'd sure make getting up easier!

It was such a nice discovery that morning and we really looked forward to it on the other mornings, too!

5) Perfect Pluto pix!! You two look so happy, and ready to give the day your best shot!

I like those pictures a lot as well! We really do look very happy and I think at that point we both had those big smiles on our faces even when no camera was pointed towards us. It was a magical morning!

6) Yeah, cheesy is a good word for Dinoland. I know the backstory, and what not, but still not my cup of tea.

Perhaps because it is too close to home? I was wondering wether I might enjoy it so much because it kind of fits into my touristy image of the US. Prehaps it would really work much better in Europe than in the US. Like with Frontierland. Which I think I once read is the largest land in DL Paris because that's what the Europeans really enjoy. While Fantasyland is comparably smaller.

7) I wonder what Katharina is thinking in the picture in front of the Harambe sign??

I'll let Katharina comment on that, but I have some idea...

 

[nodnol]

7) I wonder what Katharina is thinking in the picture in front of the Harambe sign??

Usually I don't like posing for pictures but with this particular picture I think it was the sun that put this strange expression on my face... happened quite often on the trip! Or I might have been really hungry by then

 

[Flossbolna]

Usually I don't like posing for pictures but with this particular picture I think it was the sun that put this strange expression on my face... happened quite often on the trip! Or I might have been really hungry by then

I was thinking you were trying to remember the pose you had trained for with Remy...

 

[PNO4TE]

Hi Elin, that is really funny about your daughter's name. How did you come up with it if it so uncommon in the US?

We knew we wanted to name her Catherine/Katherine/Kathryn/Cathryn... but none of those spellings "looked good" with our last name. So I started playing around with spellings and looked in baby name books and found that spelling. We both loved it and so it was done! For what it is worth, our lovely daughter does NOT like her name.

 

[glennbo123]

Sorry, but I think Tracy was talking about our upcoming breakfast at Tusker House... I don't think Mara has the juice from Boma.

Noooooo!

I may still have to verify that personally, just to be sure.

 

[If U Had Wings]

That's interesting - I guess space is just much more rare here than in the US. But I guess appartments in NYC are tiny as well? Berlin is after all a pretty big city with 3.5 mio inhabitants. And generally Germany is much more densly populated than the US.

They never specified what part of Berlin the apartments were in, but I'm guessing it may have been East Berlin, as the real estate agent was saying they had lots of empty places available since the wall came down and people moved out.

I think the places were mostly about 440 square feet, which I thing is about 135 square meters. I guess what was most surprising was the set ups. No closets, murphy beds instead of regular bed areas, and in a couple the places there was no oven, only a stove top. I do have to say I loved the combination clothes washer/dryer. I thought that was ingenious.

I guess I'm so used to the suburbs. I have a 750 square foot place, and where I live that's considered really small.

 

[Lady Lallie]

I am caught up! And just in time for an update!!

I love your picture with Pluto, it's so adorable.

 

[miprender]

Getting up at 7 am was no problem at all! We quickly got ready and went off to the Mara to get a cinnamon roll to share as well as hot tea:

This was nice, but very sweet (a recurring theme with regard to all sweets, I think the Americans likes their food much sweeter than Europeans). I was expecting more cinnamon taste as well.
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I completely agree!

That's too funny because I remember when some coworkers visited from Germany a few years ago, they said the same thing. They said their breakfast was more like dessert.


Yeah for an update. We also had the sunrising over our pool view room and it was so beautiful to watch each morning. We just love the AKL.

 

[All7OfUs]

Usually I don't like posing for pictures but with this particular picture I think it was the sun that put this strange expression on my face... happened quite often on the trip! Or I might have been really hungry by then

Both of those make me glare at the camera (not that you were sporting a "glare") too. Clearly that was not a "I just rode EE and loved it moment".

I was thinking you were trying to remember the pose you had trained for with Remy...

 

[MRYPPNS]

Hi and It is always wonderful to get new readers! Did you use the links at the end of the chapters? I just put those in yesterday, so it would be great if they already were helpful for someon!

My timing was great than because I used those links...... Links! lol