Friday 27 May 2016

A look at Disney Springs

Monday 25 April 2016. After our visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom we head over to Disney Springs to meet up with Eddie, Gill and Grace for a meal.

We are there well before our arranged time to catch up with the EGGs. This shot looks back towards The Landing area from West Side (see map below).

Disney Springs is a large complex containing merchandise shopping, fast food outlets and restaurants, some with cabaret or other entertainment. Merchandise from the shops can be delivered to your Disney resort if you find you have bought more than you can carry!

Miss Franny finds herself amongst familiar friends. They are cheerful looking, but can be quite hard... I had a look in an art shop with some fabulous paintings of scenes from Disney films, views of the theme parks and some beautiful scale models of the buildings along Main Street U.S.A., a little like Miss Franny's Lilliput Lane cottages. I would have loved to buy a painting or two but at $1,000 for the ones I was fancying, they were a little outside my comfort level!

We sat for a while facing Lake Buena Vista. The other day we had taken a bus from EPCOT to the Saratoga Springs Resort and another from there to Disney Springs. Well this view directly across the lake is of Saratoga Springs Resort... We could have walked it.

We saw plenty of these little gecko lizards during our holiday. They would scurry away from your approach on the pathways at our own resort and occasionally you would see them near to flower beds in the parks. This chap was sunning himself on the rocks at the edge of the lake and didn't budge when I came closer to take a picture.

At The Landing you could take a chauffeur-driven ride in a 1960s amphibious car. The Amphicar was designed and built in West Germany between 1961 and 1965 and they were sold in the USA up until 1967 when dealers were told "No, there aren't any more..." They cut more of a dash on the road than in the water really and once having been in the water you had to get out your grease gun and grease the car in thirteen different places, including one which required removal of the back seat.

I'd forgotten all about grease guns until I looked up these cars on Wikipedia. At one time they were an essential part of a motorist's kit. Cars required grease to be pumped into certain joints at regular intervals. Even more regularly than servicing, which in the 1960s was around every 3,000 miles! I wonder how many people under the age of 50 would even know what a grease gun looks like these days? (Hint: nothing like a gun.) And I always remember half-used pots of grease seemed to attract and capture a number of earwigs...

We have a meal at the Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe. I can't really remember a thing about it, but Miss Franny informs me I had salmon...

Fran takes Grace on a little train ride. This was only two dollars with the adult riding free and Miss Franny thought it would go round the track once or twice and that would be it.

It went round at least eight times and by then Nana's usually exemplary behaviour had deteriorated a little and was rubbing off on Grace...

There was also a little carousel to go on. Miss Franny was looking at Grace's safety strap in confusion. Grace sighed and said "Just put it round me, Nana, then fasten the end on this bit here..."

There's a massive bang - the volcano on top of the Rainforest Cafe has gone berserk...

Disney World Holiday Index

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