EPCOT

Saturday 10 July 1993. Today we are at EPCOT, Disney's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

Gill thinks it should stand for Every Person Comes Out Tired... EPCOT has two bits - a science and nature section with the landmark golf ball structure at its centre and The World Showcase, a series of themed building collections based on various countries from around the world. Judging from the bit representing England, I suspect they are all a bit of a cliche'd view of the countries. England had the Rose and Crown Pub next door to a Tudor half timbered building, next door to the Norman castle... Pretty much what you find in real life nowhere.

We sailed across the lagoon on a ferry which probably wasn't the best thing to do as we were now right in the middle of the World Showcase and couldn't go both ways at once... This is the Germany bit - a very picturesque bit of Bavaria. More picturesque actually than I remember Bavaria being...

This chap was strolling around playing a squeezebox and singing under his breath, presumably to save his voice for when some tourist turned up. Once he spotted us he did get louder and it seemed to me to be eminently sensible not to sing your heart out and give yourself a sore throat unless there was someone to admire it. In fact his hairstyle was worthy of admiration. I suspect he'd been given an electric shock shortly before someone from a duelling school swung a very sharp sword...

Some of the "countries" had a ride and some had live entertainment. China had a filmshow projected all the way round the inside of a circular pagoda building which was really good and they also had acrobats and plate spinners outside - it would have spoiled the film inside...

Japan had some drum bangers, which I found difficult to get into, the rhythms they use didn't gel with my ideas of music but that was the whole point of the World Showcase - a chance to immerse yourself briefly in a different culture, where all the staff were of the relevant indiginous ethnicity and spoke the language but also spoke English if you didn't. Many of the staff were students from the relevant country, who had taken the ultimate in holiday jobs. We spoke to Victoria in the Twinings Tea shop in England who, when prompted, turned in a very proper and refined English accent.

The souk in Morocco was a much more laid back place than the souk we visited in the real Morocco - no one attempted to drag us into their stall and no one pestered us or threw baby goats at us so we would catch them by instinct and that be taken as an invitation to take a polaroid and sell it us for twenty quid...

In the America bit a singing troupe told the story of the American national anthem and the audience all joined in to sing it and then congratulated each other on how good it had been. "Boy, what a great way to start the day," one chap said and there was no hint of irony or self-conciousness about it. They take their patriotism seriously in the US of A. The story telling and the singing was done very well and I have to think in retrospect that I envy them their opportunity to wave flags and sing their national anthem without some lunatic trying read something into it and tarnish it. But then again, there is nothing to envy in the sort of culture regarding guns that sees a far greater percentage of their population, especially children, shot dead by lunatics than any other civilised country.

Here we are in a suddenly deserted spot with Italy or France as our background and able to rest the camera on a flat surfact and put it on a self-timer to take a photo of the three of us together. Italy was themed more around Venice than Rome with a scaled down version of the Doges Palace.

Here is Mexico. Had we not taken the ferry to the middle of the World Showcase, Mexico would have been our starting point. A massive Aztec (or was it Inca?) pyramid takes pride of place and whilst it was bright daylight outside, the interior is a night scene and held a boat ride themed on The Three Caballeros cartoon.

Outside the Inca (or was it Aztec?) pyramid the entertainers were superb and large crowds gathered to watch and applaud them and have their photos taken with them.

And finally here is Gill, fancying the roast beef on offer in dear old Blighty, outside the Rose and Crown pub. I really enjoyed the World Showcase and whenever going to Florida is discussed as a possibility, it is this place I particularly think of. We'll visit EPCOT again before the holiday is over.

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