Fun trivia; English citizens use Shakespeare busts in their gardens the same way we Americans use scarecrows.
Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:
Each year Anne and I take one (1) road trip to a different part of the United States and see attractions, wonders, and events we didn’t have back home. One thing we rarely do is fly. We’d much rather drive than be flown unless we absolutely have to…or are given some pretty sweet incentives to do so. Fast-forward to December 2022 and a most unexpected opportunity: The Powers That Be at Anne’s rather large place of employment recognized her and several other employees nationwide for outstanding achievements in the field of excellence. Their grand prize was a Disney World vacation! We could at last announce to friends and family, “THE GOLDENS ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!”
For Anne it was officially, legally a business trip. Much of the time, she’d have to work. Not ME, baby…
Most of my EPCOT experience was spent dawdling in the World Showcase, a combination outdoor international shopping mall and museum complex, subdivided into eleven nation simulations across four of the seven continents. Guests can learn about their cultures, sample their cuisine, buy their merchandise, and decide for themselves which bits are authentic carryovers and which are fun stereotypes. All the artifacts, curios, and souvenirs were doubtlessly vetted by multiple committees, but opinions will nonetheless vary among subscribers to the “Death of the Curator” interpretive theory.
Some areas showed up more in my photos than others. Exhibit A: England, as well as its next-door EPCOT neighbor Canada.
The Rose & Crown Pub, one of EPCOT’s high-end restaurants, exemplifies British architecture after a good power-washing.
English phone booths for time travel, or for Clark Kent’s use whenever he drops by.
A Hamlet quote sign in the same garden as the Shakespeare bust in our lead photo.
Crops include Earl Grey tea, which Patrick Stewart does not in fact like.
Cameo by Spike the Bee from various ’40s/’50s Donald Duck shorts, amid flowers that probably bloomed long after my visit.
An outdoor tea cart, essential equipment for any British campsite.
Shops sell Minnie Mouse tea service. I’m not sure if they’re microwaveable.
Monty Python was once peak counterculture; now it’s all over their boarding school uniforms.
Dragon eggs, unrelated to either the Grand Floridian’s Easter egg exhibit or the world of Harry Potter, which is in some other Florida park.
SWORDS!
To the immediate south of Disney’s England is Disney’s Canada, which at first glance resembles an amazing mini-golf course.
Much of what I saw there was quite, shall we say, indigenous-forward.
In this solo adventure I had no companions to stick their heads through the holes and pretend they were Canadian gods.
Deconstructed totem pole.
Subjects from all walks of Canadian life agree: freshly whittled bears are fun.
To be continued!
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[Link enclosed here to handy checklist for other chapters and for our complete major trip history to date. Follow us on Facebook or via email sign-up for new-entry alerts. For further signs of life between entries, wave hi to me on . Thanks for reading!]
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Wow! Yet another great entry! My thanks for writing it and sharing it w/the world!
I can confirm that the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow got it exactly right. That sure is Canada! And, indeed, I do agree! Freshly whittled bears are fun!
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I appreciate the certification of Canadian authenticity! I was surprised anyone would have the audacity to approximate north-of-the-border life without maple syrup, Rush T-shirts, or souvenir shops shaped like downtown Vancouver!
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