Florida 2015: Epcot Center - Feb 28 and Mar 4-5

Russ got to participate in an amazing activity at Epcot Center – he got to go snorkeling with the fish at the aquarium! Eight people on the tour got a behind the scenes tour of the aquarium and how the sea creatures are taken care of, then they were let loose to swim with the fishes for about 45 minutes. Everything was provided except for a swimsuit and towel. They were given scuba gear, including an air tank and had their BCDs inflated so they couldn’t sink. So no challenges at all, just float around and breathe and enjoy God’s creations. Russ followed a large turtle for a while and enjoyed having rather large fish get close (apparently they hold no fear of humans.) And there were lots of fish that he would have to go large distances to see in the wilds. Wonderful experience!!

The day Russ went snorkeling, we went to Epcot early and visited a few attractions – basically the ones in the Sea exhibit building, where the aquarium is. While he was on his tour, I was going to go around and enjoy the topiaries that had been put out for the annual Garden Show. Instead, I scrambled to find shelter from a steady rain for 3.5 hours. Got thoroughly soaked and was glad to go back to the trailer and dry off.

The other two days were cold and cloudy but dry. The crowds were older – not so much for the really young children and their parents to do at Epcot as at other theme parks.

The technology portion of Epcot was interesting – my favorite ride was Soaring. Even though we sat on the end of a row near the bottom of the screen where there was a lot of parallax on some of the scenes, I definitely felt like I was flying over the country. The smells weren’t as strong as I had heard they were from others (I think because we were sitting on the edge), but I did smell the ocean air and the pines and that was cool!

We did a “Great Piggy Bank Adventure” game sponsored by T. Rowe Price that teaches young children about the value of saving and investing money. It involved taking a piggy savings bank and running it around to different stations, including; a Pachinko game to earn the money where you got to influence whether your money went right or left (spend or save), an investment game where you could decide how much return you wanted on your investment but risk (in the guise of a sly fox) would come along and steal your money and a waiting game which lifts your piggy up by clouds so that you earn more the longer you let it sit. I thought it was fun and engaging and got some sophisticated ideas across in a simple fashion. They have a website with the game (piggybank.disney.go.com) – I think it would be great for parents and teachers to use (and maybe even some adults.)

We took a behind the scenes tour of their greenhouses which was quite interesting and is inspiring me to retry some vertical gardening. My previous attempt failed when the strawberry containers collapsed on themselves. Got me thinking about my spring garden too.

But my favorite part of Epcot was the World Showcase. It was nice to get a short (albeit biased) introduction to a bunch of countries in a relatively short distance. The stores were especially nice because they included popular products from the countries (Russ bought some Jackman maple syrup from the Canadian store.) Not too many rides, but we saw several CircleVision 360 movies. I have always enjoyed those. And this time of year, we were treated to lots and lots of topiaries celebrating the Flower and Garden Festival. One night, we had dinner at the Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canadian Pavilion. Excellent food and ambiance. A great way to end our day.

Bonus to have the Flower and Garden Festival going on.

The iconic Spaceship Earth.

Bruce was making a snack of Russ until I pulled him out.

Lots of education on the Lion fish - they are a real problem in the Florida oceans.

Several manatees were in a tank. This is the first close-up of one we have seen.

This turtle was 5 or 6 feet long. So mellow.

A neat way to shape a squash.

This planter slowly twirled to offer even light and temperature to the plans. The nutrients were dripped down from above and flowed down the pipes. No soil was being used.

Hidden Mickeys are everywhere in the theme parks.

These are huge melons that have very strong vines so that they can be grown without support.

Regular watermelons need netting for support.

Fish are also farmed behind the scenes. These are Tilapia, I think. There is research being done on the symbiotic relationship between fish (and their tanks) and plant nutrients. The water is filtered and used for plants since they use the nutrients that the fish produce. I have to say, though, that I thought the fish were very crowded in the tank. I wouldn't think that would be acceptable for chickens/cows/pigs. I know there is research that indicates farmed fish are prone to fungus and diseases they don't get in the wild and the assumption is that they are too crowded.

Beautiful gardens were everywhere.

This water fountain actually falls up hill!

Pretty good percussion unit on garden equipment.

The dino ride was funny - it was focused on fossil fuels and was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres.

Topiaries from Fantasia.

In another week, the topiaries will be at their peak color.

The Japanese Pavilion. Walking to the back buildings, you passed by koi ponds and beautiful bonsai.

The Moroccan Pavilion. Inside it was set up as a bazaar. This is the only pavilion at Epcot that was designed and sponsored by a government. Every other pavilion is sponsored by corporations.

Many countries, including Morocco, had street performers who engaged the guests in their performances. Fun to watch.

France focused on Beauty and the Beast.

Italy had gondola rides out into the lake. As with all the pavilions, Italy showcased replicas of several famous buildings.

And of course, the American Pavilion had a western theme as well as a patriotic show.

The Germany Pavilion had a very cute clock that went through a different routine every 15 minutes.

The German train model was adorable. Several trains were moving around this little village and over to the other side of the sidewalk.

Very detailed buildings and landscaping. I bet it was fun for the builders.

I really like the seven dwarves!

The Canadian Pavilion had a miniature Butchart Gardens. Unfortunately, the real one is now closed.

England's Pavilion was very quaint with small English gardens and a maze.

Peter Pan's topiary was actually up on the roof.

I wish I could have seen Pooh at his prime!

This model of a Stave church had exhibits showing how Norwegian folk stories influenced the Disney movie, Frozen.

The stores had several statuettes of trolls and folk story heroes.

You enter the China Pavilion through this gate. I really liked the Circle-Vision 360 movie they had on the history and countryside of China. And they had an exhibit of the clay warriors that were found several years ago.