On March 24, Cathie and I went to the Epcot Center. Cathie had been before but it was my first time. I really liked the Epcot Center.
A couple of hidden ducks.
It was a cloudy and rainy day at the Epcot Center.
I loved the topiary at the Epcot Center.
"To infinity and beyond."
There were a lot of fun topiary images.
Mater is my favorite from Cars.
Adorable Cathie!!!
Who doesn't love a little monster to your day!!
It was interesting to walk around to the different countries that are represented in the Epcot Center.
We went to the German restaurant for lunch.
It was good food but a bit to salty for my taste buds.
We did get to listen to some fun German folk music while we ate lunch.
German desserts.
I forgot to take pictures of the actual meal food and only remembered after I was done and got desserts.
"Ricola"
Cathie is so much fun she went out and danced with the
little kids and was teaching them some folk steps.
Playing bells. It was fun watching and listening to them play the bells. One of the guys on purpose knocked the other guys bell off the table so to create more competition. They were good entertainers.
"Howdy Partner"
"Oh bother, all out of honey"
"T-I-'Double-/G/'-Er, which spells 'Tigger'".
"Tiggers are wonderful things. Their tops are made out of rubber, their bottoms are made out of springs."
My favorite is
"Bouncing That's what Tiggers do best! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo"
A family of little ducks.
These performers in the China part of Epcot Center were pretty amazing.
At the center of the Qin Shi Huang tomb is an underground palace, the emperor's final resting place. With the help of modern technology, archaeologists have located the burial chamber, but have not unearthed it for fear that any excavation would damage the sanctuary.
Ancient writings report that the palace is a replica of the emperor's earthly residence and is illuminated by oil lamps meant to shine for all eternity. The texts also state that the entire Chinese empire was reproduced on a miniature scale - complete with rivers and lakes, and with jewels representing sun, moon and stars - so that the emperor could see his kingdom for eternity.
Sancai-Glazed Lokapala
This lokapala (or "heavenly king") served as a tomb guardian. The unglazed head is molded with a foreign face. The color is achieved through sancai, a Chinese word meaning "three glazes." This name refers to the three different oxides used to create colors, such as iron for yellow and brown tones, copper for green tones, and cobalt for blue. Sancai decoration reached its peak during the Tang Dynasty.
Erik the Red -Explorer 950-1003
In 982 A.D. Norwegian-born Viking Erik Thorvaldsson. Known as "Erik the Red" (a name derived from his red hair), spent three years exploring the coast of Greenland, a land that no European had ever visited.
When he returned to Iceland, he told wonderful stories about this new land that he called "Greenland" (even though most of the island was covered in ice!). Erik established the first European settlements on Greenland.
As a Viking, Erik the Red subscribed to pagan beliefs and worshipped Norse gods. As Christianity expanded in Scandinavia, the era of the Vikings ended; even though the viking spirit of exploration continued. The proof? Erik's son, Leif Eriksson, went on to discover North American around 1000 A.D.
Rognvald: Raider Late 800s-926
In 919 a massive army of Norwegian Vikings led by Rognvald attacked and conquered the city of Nantes (now a part of France). Rognvald then pushed onward until all of Brittany was under his control. Some of the local population fled to safety. Those who remained were murdered or enslaved.
Rognvald then joined forces with the Danish Vikings and raided deep into central France, leaving a path of death and destruction. It wasn't until 925 that a combined Frankish army was finally able to turn them back. Rognvald agreed not to resume his raids in exchange for a sizeable payment of silver.
Although Rognvald died soon after returning to his capital in Nantes, his colony survived another 10 years as one of the greatest Viking centers for piracy and raiding in Northern Europe.
This was such a beautiful view as the sun was setting.
The Mesoamerican ball game was developed over 3,500 years ago and is the first known team sport in history. The ball game was present in most pre-Columbian cultures and the ball court was a central feature of most cities. To the Mesoamericans, the ball game was much more than just entertainment. In fact, the lives of the players and spectators could depend on the outcome of the game. Although the ball game was played only on special occasions, it had very important religious and symbolic functions that affected the daily life all citizens.
The ritual attire of this ballplayer was inspired by classic Maya representations of players in elaborate regalia such as those depicted on the carved stelae from Chinkultic, a Mayan archaeological site in Chiapas, Mexico. The ballplayers entered the ball court dressed in their finest headdresses, jewelry and animal skins. To actually play the ball game, however, they wore functional gear designed to protect them from the heavy ball made from the rubber tree.
They sure did have bright flowers all over.
We stuck around for the night show and it was also pretty cool. There was fire and water involved in the show at the Epcot Center. I got a few pictures but it was hard to capture the images at night.
Cathie sporting the mad-hatter hat.
I liked the Epcot Center more than I did Magic Kingdom. We didn't get to do everything we wanted at Epcot so if I return to Disney I will only need to go back to Epcot.
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