Tuesday, April 27, 2010

It's The United Kingdom Here In The Colonies

When you enter the United Kingdom pavilion in Epcot, you will see that the design is somewhat of a 'mish-mash' of styles.  They have tried to cram a lot into a small area.  There are buildings done in the country thatch-roof style and some building styles (Palladian exteriors, pre-Geogian plaster style) from the large cities that are lumped together on one curved road.  Hey...this is Disney World and they will do what they want, even if it may not make total architectural sense.

(click on photos for a larger view)

It is still a cute and quaint looking place to look around in.  Unfortunately, there is no film or attraction to keep you here for very long.  Pity.  We have found on these last 2 visits that they have some sidewalk entertainers come out a few times a day to lure you in to staying longer.  Mostly you will find shops in this U.K.  The Toy Soldier has Paddington Bear items, books, costumes and plush toys.  There is also a store that sells good quality ($$$) football apparel (soccer), balls and books.  There is also the usual perfume and toiletries for sale plus a ton of imports from Ireland that feature woolen goods.


They have a nice pub/restaurant here called the Rose and Crown.  We have eaten here a couple of times, but not during this visit.  It is styled like a traditional English pub and in addition to a dining room there is a large bar.  It also has an outdoor seating area.  The menu features things like fish-and-chips, glazed pork loin, shepherd's pie and bangers and mash.  The food is good but we can easily skip this restaurant and not be unhappy.  To the side of this pub is a walk-up window where you can purchase just fish-and-chips and beverages.  They seem to do a brisk business.



Behind the shops is a traditional English country garden and you can stroll through and take some pictures.  Back in the garden area you can find Mary Poppins or Alice In Wonderland greeting guests and posing for photos.  There is usually a line of at least 25 to 30 families.  We waited last June with the Grands so we did not need to meet these ladies this time. 

In the far back area of United Kingdom is another town square with a bandstand.  Several times a day you can stop, watch and listen to the group, British Invasion.  They sing all the old tunes from the 60's and early 70's of the British bands, mainly featuring the Beatles music.  After they performed, I snapped a quick photo of them.

Hope you enjoyed this quick tour of the United Kingdom.   Until next time.....so long for now!


  

4 comments:

Rick said...

Margie, you must be taking a supersonic jet as you flit from country to country! I'm having a hard time keeping up with you! If the Epcot villages are anywhere near as good as your pictures of them, they must be fantastic!!

The English have never been known for their culinary skills, so I'm not surprised you skipped eating there!

Cindy said...

Wow..We have never toured Epcot..the kids always wanted their time spent in Magic Kingdom or MGM land..there were a few things we did up front at Epcot..but we never got to go thru the countries.
Now we will. You have made this very appealing. Thanks for all the pictures and the details.

Hugs..Cindy and Walker

Sam&Donna Weibel said...

Wow, The Beatles, I watched them in black and white on the Ed sullivan show. Does that give away my age I was an early teen at the time, I even listened to Beatles music on the low frequency direction finding radio in our helicopters, which could be dialed to the AM band, ever hear American Rock & Roll sung in Japenese, sounded like ducks quacking to me. Your toue and pictures are second to none. Have fun and be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

Carol K said...

It's been fun traveling around the world with you! Just think, in the midst of all that travel, you still get to sleep in your own bed each night.