No right,no wrong, no rules for me - I'm free *First solo trip 4/30-5/6* updated 8/29x3 *complete*

Good morning!

This feels like the week that will not end. That is all.

Let's keep this Epcot day going...we've barely scratched the surface.

Chapter Two Part Four

I was headed toward the World Showcase and FOOD!! I looked at the gardens along the way...







New back yard goals. For real.

So many butterflies! A hut just for them, gardens just for them, the chalk photo, and these guys.



I was thirsty more than hungry, so I decided to start on the right side of the World Showcase with the Pineapple Promenade

But not before what is possibly the WORST awkward selfie of the bunch so far:




Here is the list of my wants and must do's pulled from my PTR...it's just copied and pasted because for some reason even though I quoted it, it won't let me paste it in?? Anyway, here it is:

(stars indicate must do items):

Pineapple Promenade (showcase plaza)
- spicy hot dog*
-violet lemonade*

Jardin de Fiestas (Mexico)
-chile relleno de picadillo

Lotus House (China)
-bubble tea

Smokehouse (American Pavilion)
- brisket burnt ends hash*
- frozen lemonade with blackberry moonshine

Hanami (Japan)
- frushi*
- matcha sake cocktail

Florida Fresh (located between France/Morocco)
- carne asada with black bean cake
- shrimp and grits
-watermelon cucumber slush

Fleur de Lys (France)
- tarte a l'onion alsacienne
- macaron chocolate framboise


Spoiler alert...I don't eat everything on this list, not even close! But let's not worry about that right now. The fun is talking about what I DID eat, right??

I got to the Pineapple Promenade right as it was opening, I think it was 10:45ish. I was the third guest in line for the day! Two things here were on my must do list, so that's what I started with: The violet lemonade and the spicy hotdog:



I grabbed the little Flower and Garden booklet so I could keep track of everything, but never ended up using it!

It was insanely windy on this day, so eating at one of those standing tables while trying to keep hair out of my mouth and napkins from flying away was hard.
The violet lemonade was something that I was really looking forward to, so how did it measure up?

It was pretty, and it was fine. It tasted like those cheap popsicles, otter pops or fla-vor-ice, the blue ones. It was all I could think about when drinking it. I was disappointed that it wasn't served with a little flower on top.
The hotdog was fine, too. Nothing earth shattering. The hotdog itself was pretty good - it was spicy, which I like. But, the bun was dry and too bready, and it fell all apart. There was no way you could eat that thing by picking it up, it was loaded down with toppings. All of the toppings were fine on their own, but the pineapple salsa stuff wasn't my favorite and didn't quite work with the other flavors.

I ended up eating the hotdog but scraping off most of the toppings and I didn't eat any of the bun after the first bite (which was when I learned there was no way to eat this appropriately without a fork!).

Not the best way to start eating around the world, and I was weirdly full afterward, so it was time to keep moving.

On the way to Canada I passed a merchandise booth for F&G (I had no idea how many artists were set up throughout the World Showcase! I guess because most of them say "no photos please" at the kiosks, but I saw some really cool things!) that was soooo tempting:



Topiary starters!! I wanted one (or several) so badly, but I knew there was no way I could figure out how to get a soggy, wet, plant thing on an airplane.

Speaking of topiaries...if you were hoping I was finished sharing pictures of them, you are going to be disappointed because...





Yep, I have so many more!

I thought the Bambi set outside of the Canada Pavilion was so cute!!

I didn't have much of a plan for this morning outside of looking at the flowers and things, and I'd just watched the Canada film in December, so I kept moving. Sorry Canada Pavilion! I really do love you, you're beautiful!

But London was calling...









The UK was crawling with cuteness. Not just Winnie the Pooh and friends, either!


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Peter Pan and Tinkerbell made an appearance too!

I loved all the little tinker houses in the garden display around Tinkerbell's topiary. I have a lot of pictures of them, but I guess I didn't pull them out for the report?? I'm slipping!

There was at least one more thing I wanted to check out in the UK, but what is it??
 
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I stumbled across your trip report because I've been thinking about doing a solo trip myself, but I wanted to congratulate you and your team on making it to OM Worlds! One of my kids has competed off and on for years, and went to worlds with his team another time when it was also at Michigan State. Maybe 6 years ago? He also went the next year when it was in Maryland. Michigan State is only about an hour from where we live, so he rounded up a team this year (he's in high school now and hasn't competed in about 3 years), and they came in 3rd at state. Oh well! It's exciting, and also a huge pain, as I'm sure you've learned! And I didn't even coach! OM is very popular where we live, and I do really value what it is. But the season gets a little long...

On a practical Mom note, I saw on the news last night that it's expected to be unusually cold next week into Memorial weekend, so remind your kids to bring extra clothes. It can be chilly here in the Mitten State!
 
I'm sorry you were disappointed with your first snack choices :( I love the Peter Pan topiaries! When I went they didn't have Tink and Peter in the same area; It definitely makes more sense having them both in the UK now!
 
I am enjoying all the beautiful pictures of FG, it is such a beautiful time to visit. We enjoyed the Violet Lemonade last year when we tried it, we did get the little flower in ours! The only food I have tried at FG has been Fruishi and I enjoyed it. I will be waiting to hear if you had some and what you thought of it.
 


This feels like the week that will not end. That is all.

Today I said to one of my co-teachers "I don't remember Monday or Tuesday" and it's 100% true because THEY WERE SIX YEARS AGO I swear!

I ended up eating the hotdog but scraping off most of the toppings and I didn't eat any of the bun after the first bite (which was when I learned there was no way to eat this appropriately without a fork!).

That's sad! I didn't get to try any of the booths this year because babies so I'm gonna live vicariously through your TR :)
 
I stumbled across your trip report because I've been thinking about doing a solo trip myself, but I wanted to congratulate you and your team on making it to OM Worlds! One of my kids has competed off and on for years, and went to worlds with his team another time when it was also at Michigan State. Maybe 6 years ago? He also went the next year when it was in Maryland. Michigan State is only about an hour from where we live, so he rounded up a team this year (he's in high school now and hasn't competed in about 3 years), and they came in 3rd at state. Oh well! It's exciting, and also a huge pain, as I'm sure you've learned! And I didn't even coach! OM is very popular where we live, and I do really value what it is. But the season gets a little long...

On a practical Mom note, I saw on the news last night that it's expected to be unusually cold next week into Memorial weekend, so remind your kids to bring extra clothes. It can be chilly here in the Mitten State!

Thank you so much! I love meeting other OM parents :-)
I've been coaching for four years and even though it is frustrating, I love it! You're right - the season is VERY long. Our teacher sponsor and I were talking yesterday about how we wish the competitions started a little sooner, because at this point in the year we are all so done!

We are keeping an eye on the weather...I'm actually relieved to see the cooler temps, because we found out the dorms aren't air conditioned :scared:

And as for doing a solo trip, I think you should! It turned out to be a much better experience than I initially expected!!

I'm sorry you were disappointed with your first snack choices :( I love the Peter Pan topiaries! When I went they didn't have Tink and Peter in the same area; It definitely makes more sense having them both in the UK now!

It's ok! I'd discover some winners later in the trip :-)
I love the Peter Pan topiaries, too, especially Peter up on the roof!

I am enjoying all the beautiful pictures of FG, it is such a beautiful time to visit. We enjoyed the Violet Lemonade last year when we tried it, we did get the little flower in ours! The only food I have tried at FG has been Fruishi and I enjoyed it. I will be waiting to hear if you had some and what you thought of it.

It really is a beautiful time to visit. They really do an amazing job designing the gardens and landscapes.

I didn't necessarily dislike the violet lemonade...it got better the longer I drank it, but I feel like maybe mine had too much syrup in it? I don't know, it just wasn't quite what I expected. Maybe it was just the lack of flower that upset me, LOL!!

I do have fruishi once I get to Japan!

Today I said to one of my co-teachers "I don't remember Monday or Tuesday" and it's 100% true because THEY WERE SIX YEARS AGO I swear!

That's sad! I didn't get to try any of the booths this year because babies so I'm gonna live vicariously through your TR :)

That is a perfect description!! I feel like they were six years ago, too. I keep being afraid that I'm wrong and today isn't actually Friday :faint::faint:

The booths were hit and miss for me, but I will happily show off all the things I ended up getting ::yes::::yes::
 
Just loving your report so far. Hoping you get some better eats. I know we only had a few things in March but I'm hoping to add a few more to my list next weekend!
 


I've been coaching for four years and even though it is frustrating, I love it! You're right - the season is VERY long. Our teacher sponsor and I were talking yesterday about how we wish the competitions started a little sooner, because at this point in the year we are all so done!

Maybe you've heard this before, but we jokingly refer to advancing to OM Worlds "Winning the Groundhog Competition - 6 more weeks of OM"! It is a big deal, and very cool to meet teams from all over the world. Enjoy!
 
I grabbed the little Flower and Garden booklet so I could keep track of everything, but never ended up using it!

I lost mine :sad:

It was pretty, and it was fine. It tasted like those cheap popsicles, otter pops or fla-vor-ice, the blue ones. It was all I could think about when drinking it. I was disappointed that it wasn't served with a little flower on top.

I liked them a lot, but I was disappointed to see sometimes it was served with a flower but the most the time it wasn't (we got them more than once).
 
I am enjoying your trip report. It reminds me of my own trip this exact same time in May of 2015 when I was to meet my mom, each of us coming from a different state, and we were to spend 4 days together at WDW. She did not feel well and so cancelled and I ended up with a solo trip, also staying at AKL. AKL is a great place if you are on a solo trip. So much to do just in the resort itself! I do regret not eating at Boma. Next time.
 
The flowers and topiaries are so beautiful but in March I was more focused on the food booths ;)
The violet lemonade is pretty even if the taste was lacking. Can't wait to see what other foods your sampled.
 
I'm fashionably late to the party but all caught up. Loving all your beautiful pictures (and selfies:P). Can't wait for more!
 
Oh man, that stinks so bad that your first F&G snack and drink were just "eh" :( I haven't tried either but the spicy hot dog was on my list, just didn't get to it in March or on this trip (I'm writing this from my room at AKV and yes, I'm bragging lol). I sure hope your food choices got better from there!
I love Peter Pan up on top of the building in the UK, one of my favorite topiaries. While I like Tink this year I miss the crocodile, he was there the last couple years. But changing up the topiaries is a good thing :thumbsup2
 
Hello everyone!! I'm behind in quoting, I'm behind in basically everything unrelated to Odyssey of the Mind right now...texting, emails, reading other reports, ugh. I'm the worst!!

We leave tomorrow for Michigan and I cannot wait for things to get back to normal next week!!

I will try to get an update posted in just a little while :-):-)



Just loving your report so far. Hoping you get some better eats. I know we only had a few things in March but I'm hoping to add a few more to my list next weekend!

Thank you!! I do find some better food over the course of the week, thank goodness!

Here's to some delicious things coming your way soon!

Maybe you've heard this before, but we jokingly refer to advancing to OM Worlds "Winning the Groundhog Competition - 6 more weeks of OM"! It is a big deal, and very cool to meet teams from all over the world. Enjoy!

LOL, that phrase is definitely fitting! We leave tomorrow!!

I lost mine :sad:

I liked them a lot, but I was disappointed to see sometimes it was served with a flower but the most the time it wasn't (we got them more than once).

Mine is somewhere in a Disney bag...I haven't gone through much of my stuff yet...oops.

I should have gone back and gotten another at some point, maybe I'd have gotten a flower at some point. I noticed it's about 50/50 on instagram whether or not the pictures have them!

I am enjoying your trip report. It reminds me of my own trip this exact same time in May of 2015 when I was to meet my mom, each of us coming from a different state, and we were to spend 4 days together at WDW. She did not feel well and so cancelled and I ended up with a solo trip, also staying at AKL. AKL is a great place if you are on a solo trip. So much to do just in the resort itself! I do regret not eating at Boma. Next time.

How funny our trips ended up being so similar! I hope it brings back some fun memories!! I loved the atmosphere at AKL so much!
I really liked my Boma breakfast, but I regret not having dinner there - definitely next time!

The flowers and topiaries are so beautiful but in March I was more focused on the food booths ;)
The violet lemonade is pretty even if the taste was lacking. Can't wait to see what other foods your sampled.

I loved the color of the violet lemonade, it really is so pretty!
I ended up being the opposite...more focus on flowers than food, I have a few regrets about that. I do feel a little bit like I missed out on food, but on the other hand, I wasn't all that hungry during the week.

I'm fashionably late to the party but all caught up. Loving all your beautiful pictures (and selfies:P). Can't wait for more!

I'm glad you're here!!

I feel like a slow, slow turtle getting these updates out, but hopefully after next week I'll have more time to post and get this thing rolling along a little more quickly.

Oh man, that stinks so bad that your first F&G snack and drink were just "eh" :( I haven't tried either but the spicy hot dog was on my list, just didn't get to it in March or on this trip (I'm writing this from my room at AKV and yes, I'm bragging lol). I sure hope your food choices got better from there!
I love Peter Pan up on top of the building in the UK, one of my favorite topiaries. While I like Tink this year I miss the crocodile, he was there the last couple years. But changing up the topiaries is a good thing :thumbsup2

I ended up having a lot of other good things, but it takes awhile! Spoiler alert - it doesn't get better until the next day, but it improves drastically, and thank goodness for that!

Woohoo! I hope AKL is treating you well!!

I was disappointed not to see Tick Tock Croc, I have to admit. But I loved all the little fairy houses in the landscaping around Tink, I thought it was such a cute touch.
 
Ok! I sorted through a few more pictures so I think I can get through the rest of this Epcot section, woohoo!!

Chapter Two Part Five

I had a few more things to check out in the UK. I really wanted to go through the tea garden, so that's where I headed next. I thought it was so cute. I just thought it was so clever to plant the tea types in the teacups. I'm easily amused, LOL!!


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It smelled so nice over there. I loved the jasmine covered archway in particular:


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It was still a few minutes before 11am, so I didn't do any shopping there.

I had seen London, now it was time to see France! It was getting hot, and my original plan was to get an ice cream macaron from Artisans de Glace. I had a few minutes to kill time, so I filled it with...more pictures, what else??


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Awkward Selfie...the third wheel:


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Oh my gosh. Are they not absolutely incredible?? I could not get over how beautiful Belle and the Beast were.

Artisan de Glace still had their door locked :confused3 so instead of the ice cream macaron to cool off, I decided to watch Impressions de France. It is one of my favorite things in the World Showcase. This guy did not share my opinion, he looks so bored:


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Afterward, I got a few last looks at France:


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I cruised through Morocco and took in the details. I also stopped in the exhibit area. I don't think I have ever encountered another person in there, and this day was no different. I was really appreciating the air conditioning because it was getting SO HOT.


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Had to snap a photo of the eyeliner...I tend to wear a lot of eyeliner so I though it was fitting to pay tribute, haha!!


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Can I have these doors for my house, please?? I'm sure no one would notice they were missing, right??


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I had made it about halfway around the world...another half lies ahead!
 
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Chapter Two Part Six

After Morocco, I made what was probably my quickest trip ever through Japan.

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What are they doing in Mitsukoshi? I didn't like the way it looked with the first room closed and under construction, the room where the Pokemon stuff usually is. The way they had it set up made it look kind of cheap and crappy. Oh well, it was still beautiful outside!

It was time for another must do treat...Fruishi!

I loved these bonsai trees near the kiosk:

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I got my fruishi and walked back over near the check in for Teppan Edo, and sat in the shade on the wide stone ledges

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These were kind of weirdly bland and sweet at the same time, but it worked! I liked them! I do have a question, though...are they supposed to be warm?? Mine were warm, I guess from just sitting out inside the kiosk on the counter? I thought it was odd. Time to move along!

I said a quick hello to Woody:

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and kept going.

The fruishi was fine, but it was still boiling hot outside and I noticed a Joffrey's with a specialty drink, so I thought, why not?


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Most of the vodka sloshed out all over my hand when the girl gave it to me, so I don't know if this actually has much of a kick to it or not. She did ask if I wanted a single or double shot, and I just picked the single.

Verdict on this??

Skip it.

There are so many better things in the World Showcase to try. It was too sweet. However, it was also frozen and cold, and welcome on the hot day. I sat on a bench by myself near the edge of Italy and enjoyed the view:


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I drank about half of the slushy thing before tossing it and continuing my way around the World Showcase.

Italy, you're gorgeous:


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Awkward selfie...OMG, Lady is super judging me:


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I love her anyway.


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Germany was up next, home of my beloved Snow White. Her topiary, along with those of the dwarfs, proved to be VERY popular among the other guests, so I had to dodge around other people also taking pictures.

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There was another fun photopass opportunity that I could not skip! You could hang out with miss Snow and turn yourself into a dwarf. What?? Of course I was in for that!!



I did it again on my next Epcot day and it came out much cuter, but I'm sharing everything I did, awkward or not, LOL!!

This was the first time ever that I did not stop in Germany for something caramel related at Karamell Kuche! But between the fruishi and frozen sugar bomb thing, even thinking about food was making me sick to my stomach. Instead, I just kept making my way toward the front of the park while catching some highlights of the World Showcase along the way.

I found the Lion King topiaries, which had quite a crowd around them. There was a large, loud group of teenagers in front of them, trying (and mostly failing) to lift each other up a la Rafiki with Simba. They were very annoying. Then, after they left, another group decided that they wanted to do the same thing. Oh Lord, give me the strength to be a good person...

I waited patiently for my turn...but by now we all know there's no such thing as anyone having a turn for pictures right? More people jumped in, so I just took some shots at weird angles to try to cut the people out.


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On my way out of the area, I did find my new favorite planter ever:

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Roar.

I have one last Epcot post before moving on to something different. I'm going to try to get it up today, but no promises.

Have an awesome Monday!!
 
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love all the topiaries!

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My dog Rose is a papillon and let me tell you she gives me this look all the time!

Oh Lord, give me the strength to be a good person...

I need this embroidered on a pillow
 
I just thought it was so clever to plant the tea types in the teacups.
I am not a gardening sort of person at all, but IMO those tea cup planters are Brilliant!!! I love the little tea tags too!!

Lady is super judging me:
:rotfl2:

And those topiaries are blowing my mind: ALL the Beauty and Beast ones, and Lady and Tramp, and the Dwarves!!! Wow! I am sooo impressed!!! Thanks for sharing these fantastic images.:thanks:
 
Thanks for sharing! I love Epcot and F&G is pretty much my favourite thing ever so I really enjoyed these updates. I felt like I was right there soaking it all in!
Looking forward to hearing about the next adventures you have in store!
 

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