Disney Day 1: Animal Kingdom & Epcot

I have a lot of Disney posts on here, don't I? We are really taking advantage of living just one hour away from the parks and they're so big that it seems like we've only seen a fraction of what there is to offer. We decided to explore more of Animal Kingdom and Epcot with Stan and Betty this past Thursday.

Abby was excited to go, as always!

We went on the Kilimanjaro Safari this time and loved it!

Robert says it looks like the giraffe just pooped but it's actually a termite mound, which we learned all about from our informative tour guide.

Abby: "Flamingos! Mommy's faaaaavorite!"

After the safari we walked around for a bit. Abby loves these fish.

We ate some yummy lo mein and stir fry for lunch at Yak & Yeti.

Then headed into the aviary.

I loved these detailed bird houses nestled into the trees.

There was a surprisingly short line to see Minnie & Mickey. Success! Hugs for Mickey...

...and Minnie.

I love this one.

Then it was nap time at the hotel before going to Epcot.

Epcot holds the International Flower and Garden Festival a few months every spring and it was beautiful! While Abby was still napping, Robert, Stan and Betty rode Soarin' and then Abby and I got to the park around 6:00. That didn't leave us much time since the park closed at 9:00.

Here are Anna & Elsa from Frozen. Robert cleverly pointed out the white flowers surrounding Elsa and the bright colors around Anna. Actually, that seems completely obvious now...!

Hello, Canada! Robert and I took a long road trip to Quebec City with Stan and Betty about 10 years ago, so it was fun seeing this fake Chateau Frontenac with them. The gardens below were inspired by The Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia where Robert and I honeymooned.

Now we're entering into England. Do you see Peter Pan perched atop of the Tower of London?

Beautiful France. The Eiffel Tower is washed out in the sunlight in the background. We'll have to pick up pain au chocolat on our next visit because we rushed right through Paris in order to get to dinner in Morocco.

Dinner awaits!

Robert had heard that Restaurant Marrakesh is really great so that's where we ended up. I ordered a goat cheese with balsamic vinegar appetizer that we all agreed was was incredible. Everyone enjoyed their lamb and couscous dishes.

What happened next is a story I predict will be retold many times. You know my little Abby who is hesitant to ride the carousel at the zoo and at Disney? Little Abby who wouldn't ride the teacups the last time we went go Magic Kingdom? Well, our server told us that a belly dancer was coming out soon and she asked Abby if she would like to dance with her. Abby nodded her head and said she would and we all smiled at her and I thought, "Riiiight. Sure you will, little girl." So when the dancer came out, what happened next completely caught me by surprise.

Abby walked right into the middle of the restaurant and danced with her!

I mean, she had some serious moves!

She mirrored every little motion.

I think the dancer was as surprised as we were.

Oh Abby, you make me laugh. You are brave in your own way and I'm sorry I doubted you! After dinner we went outside to watch the fireworks but Abby didn't like all of the loud noise so we left pretty quickly. Tomorrow: Magic Kingdom!