Norway
"Welcome to Norway! Watch out for Trolls!"
The Norway Pavilion is so adorable! I loved all the traditional Norwegian architecture including log homes complete with grass on the roofs, a medieval stave church and a replica of a 14th century fortress fond in Oslo.
After exploring the shops and looking through the exhibits located in the stave church, it was time to redeem our fast passes for the brand new Frozen Ever After Ride! This new ride had only been open for a few months, it took the place of the Maelstrom log ride.
The queue area is so cute! We zoomed passed most of it since we had fast passes, so we didn't have time to to appreciate all the many details including wandering through Oaken's trading post, but I wasn't too mad about that, we barely had to wait in line at all and it was awesome!
We got to ride in awesome viking ships as we wandered through Arendelle's Winter in Summer festival. It's a pretty magical ride, with some fun surprises!
Getting my passport stamped and signed!
The carving on the stave church is phenomenal
China
In China, while signing your passport they ask you what your name is so they can write it in Chinese characters for you! So cool!
The China pavilion was one of my favorites, It. Is. Beautiful! You enter the pavilion through a distinct triple arched ceremonial gate patterned after the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
We headed straight for the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest to sit back, relax, and cool off a bit while we watched "Reflections of China" in the 360 degree circle-vision theater
After the show we spent a long time in the shops, they had so many fascinating things. I ended up with a gorgeous fan that was only like a couple of dollars, and some fun treats.
So many kitties!
My treats! That peach drink is one of the best things I have ever had and Laura has found a store that sells it in Utah, so now we can feel like we are at Epcot any time we want!
We spent some time relaxing and people watching while we enjoyed our treats, the China pavilion is a great place to take a break, there are lots of little serene sitting areas.
We were walking out right as a fun little show was starting so we decided to stick around and watch. The first performer was really cool, he magically changed his mask like 20 times during his dance. I still have no idea how he did it!
The next performer did acrobats with several different objects, including this giant metal cube.
The last performer did incredible balancing acts with different sizes of blue and white porcelain pots.
Next up, Germany, Italy and USA!
what a new use for blue and white porcelain! I am amazed at the intricate and colorful design in Chinese arch. It is also found in Taiwan, where we saw it before China opened up. I have always wanted a collection of those red paper lanterns. I saw a party picture once where she used about a hundred of them to decorate her large space. It was spectacular. It makes me appreciate all the places we have been able to travel to see. This captures the best of then all!
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