Vroom vroom baby...oh crap, the floor's wet, I'm fishtailing! (CARS @ Epcot Flower and Garden Festiv
Vroom vroom baby...oh crap, the floor's wet, I'm fishtailing! (CARS @ Epcot Flower and Garden Festival '11), originally uploaded by ohhector.
Walt Disney World!
Trip took place between March 27th and April 2. We drove up, found the hotel, then drove up to the Green Mountain Scenic Byway. It's a road on the west side of Lake Apopka, that is beautiful. It takes you through this gorgeous hilly area! Who knew there was so much NON-flatness in central Florida? We took 27 back to the hotel, which was interesting because a lot of the areas look very much like California (in regards to houses in the hills and how it looks).
Rain was a centerpiece of our trip. Monday we got up early, and before we even got in it started drizzling. Sign of things to come. The entire day it rained. Same with Thursday. Both days were non stop. Some bad winds too, there were a lot of uprooted trees and power lines and such. Tuesday and Wednesday started off either a bit sunny or at least not raining, but descended into the world of the wet very quickly. Friday, by comparison, was a VERY hot, not-rainy-at-all day.
The trip was great, of course! So many good moments. I loved the fact that we concentrated on the food/restaurant aspect so much more (although the first day or two this was a bit weird...it felt almost like we were killing time between restaurants, as opposed to having good eats at a park). The rain made it feel a bit weird though, almost as if we were there only a day or two, not 5. *shrug* Guess we will just have to go back!
One thing for sure that is a necessity, is for me to take a solo day (or a few solo hours here and there) if we are doing a week trip, so I can focus on photography. It's hard to when I'm with someone else. Especially Denise, because I actually enjoy her company and get lazy with the camera haha. What made it worse was the rain...you can't really shoot with a poncho on! It took me a day or two to realize that i could bring my umbrella too, and that way my body would be dry but I could also take photos.
Did I mention I loved the emphasis on food? Beirgarten was the definite surprise winner. GREAT value, great location, amazing food. Definitely a repeat. And the Sci Fi Dine In! The food wasn't GREAT...it was good but the selling point is the atmosphere. You are inside a building, made to look like an outside drive in movie lot. KICKASS.
The Flower and Garden Festival felt a bit lackluster this year. I think it was the extreme focus on characters, vs characters and animals like last year. Don't get me wrong, there were some great ones...Lady and The Tramp was my favorite. Snow White was cool, as was Tangled. But overall, I don't know....maybe it was just the constant gloom of the rain....but I just wasn't in love with it like last year. Even the butterfly garden...which was way bigger this time...felt a bit uninspired.