Back to Epcot

This afternoon we parked at Disney's BoardWalk and took one of the boats over to Epcot.

The boats make sort of a circuit around the Disney properties and are a neat way to get from one to the other.

We were able to look out on the lake and see some of the 14 barges that were getting set up for tonight's firework show --

There were even more topiaries to see. This one is Snow White and her Prince Charming --

And Cinderella and hers -- (Why is Cinderella such a lousy soccer player? Because she's always losing her shoe and running away from the ball and her coach is a real pumpkin... Told to us by the boat captain on the way back.)

Beauty and the Beast --

Loved this one of the Teapot and Chip --

We watched a great comedy act outside the French Bistro (and saw very nice movie about France) --

The it was time for dinner. Leslie made this dinner reservation at the Moroccan pavilion especially for Forrest --

Not that she thought he might enjoy the entertainment --

I'd say he was pretty attentive...

Not sure what the fellow on the left was playing. It looked like it might have been related to a dulcimer...

I'm not sure if Bill was trying to get a better look at the belly-dancer, or just wanted to get in the picture?

This is the beef shish kabob Forry and I shared --

And the lamb shank that Bill and Leslie had --

We had Turkish coffee with dessert. It was quite strong and made with orange blossom water --

 Dessert was a plate with almond, walnut and pistachio baklavas along with a dab of a date jam --

By then the dancer was back for another show (note the little girl on the left watching) --

She brought all of the little girls down to do a dance with her --

This is just one of the beautifully tiled buildings in the Morocco section of Epcot --

Some more topiaries --

 

 

We went to see the show at the US pavilion (which was very dated and disappointing) then found ourselves a place to watch the grand finale fireworks show --

We stopped in a VERY long line for ice cream at the Beaches and Cream shop, then took the boat ride back to the parking lot. Except we got on the boat going the wrong way and had a scenic tour in the dark of many of the Disney properties until we finally got to where we needed to be...

Another Day

We seem to have settled in a bit here at Mouse Mountain RV Park. The area we are in is mostly filled with fairly permanent residents. The lots we are in are very spacious -- especially compared to the last few parks we have been in. The people next to us have their door and all of their outdoor furniture on the other side of their trailer. Although the little storage unit at the back of the big cement pad is in their space, they are not using any of that area. As a result, we seem to be sprawling over with our bikes and lawn chairs.

The only problem is it has been TOO hot to be outside! The thermometer was reading 94 degrees again today! We had been fairly comfortable with the windows all open and the fans running, but after we went for a bike ride this afternoon to take out the garbage (way at the front of the park), we were so hot we finally capitulated and turned on the air conditioning. 

On the way to the dumpster, I met the FedEx lady. She had the "goodie box" that Brother Pat had sent. The frozen summer sausage was still cold, so we immediately popped it back into the freezer. There was a wonderful fat bag of shelled hazelnuts in the box along with some dry beans and jelly. What a nice care package!

Toward evening, our friends Bill and Leslie stopped by (they had lasted at Disney World until 4 AM this morning...!) and offered to take us out to dinner. We went over to the Boardwalk, a Disney hotel, and a Greek restaurant called Kouzzina. This is the pita bread Leslie ordered as an appetizer for the table. There were six different kinds of toppings -- I think I liked the eggplant one the best, or was it the cucumber/yogurt one?

Then we had salads. This is an endive, dried cranberry and goat cheese one that Forry and I shared --

This was the feta cheese, cucumber, tomato one that Bill and Leslie shared. She says the dressing was scrumptious --

This isn't near as pretty as the plate actually was -- the colors don't show up very well. Forry and I shared this seared pork loin with succotash and polenta. Even sharing it, we brought some home for tomorrow''s lunch! (You can see the empty salad bowl to the left -- we sure didn't leave any...)

The food was incredibly good and the dessert menu looked luscious, but we had absolutely no room. We walked around the Boardwalk for a while watching the itinerant performers (jugglers, sword swallowers, etc.) along the way, before we headed back to the RV park.