Our Trip To Florida Part Two

Dear diary...the Magic Kingdom had left me with a feeling of much enthusiasm and anticipation of what we would see next, especially when we visited Frontier Land, me being a big fan of the Wild West. We arrived in Liberty Square where a replica of the Hall Of Presidents sits. On the front of the building there are the numerals 1787, which highlights the year of the Constitution Convention, where the declaration of Independence was signed. I can't remember everything about the place, but I do remember walking in through the main door and into a theater, it was inspiring to see all the Presidents stood on a huge stage, again I thought the replicas were perfectly matched to the real Presidents and their voices came over very precisely and clearly.

All the outside of the buildings were again clean and look freshly painted, with a view of the top of the Magic Kingdom in the background.  Everywhere you walked there was something new to see. There was an excellent place called the Frontier Trading Post, where you could purchase gifts of the American West, though I refrained from spending any money as it was quite expensive with the smell of leather and the many stetson hats. Leaving the shop, there was also a replica of the Pennsylvania Liberty Bell in the Square; a lot of people had their photos taken beside the bell, hubby and son included. We wanted to take a trip on the old river boat, but the wait was too long so we declined and moved on.

We were lucky enough to be at the Theme Parks for July 4^th American Independence Day, I'd never seen a place more busier than the Magic Kingdom, it was heaving. Having been told about a brilliant ride called Body Wars, which is a trip through the human's insides, I remember the anticipation and wonder of what it would be like, but we weren't prepared for the queue, having to wait for over two hours in the heat was unbelievably exhausting. The ride itself was quite good, but there's no way I'd wait that long again for any ride in those temperatures.

Having spent the good part of the morning at Magic Kingdom, we wanted to visit Epcot and spend the rest of the day there exploring the different countries. It's a large expanse of park with a huge lake in the middle. My two favorite countries to visit were Morocco with its authentic tiled walls and colorful array of pots and plates with handmade designs painted on them, I still have a plate I bought to this day which sadly sits safely in a drawer incase of breakages. There were also some beautiful pieces of jewelry that had me quickly parting with some of my money. I bought some bracelets and a neck-less that had handmade beads attached, also some beautiful clothes adorned the stalls in yellows – greens – reds, browns and blues, I have to admit the real Morocco was a place I'd always wanted to visit but never had the chance, though I don't think I would have the inclination to go now.

My other favorite country was Italy, it was so romantic with its courtyard where you could sit and relax with the beautiful hanging baskets of flowers that adorned the walls. We decided to eat in Italy, so made our way to the restaurant which was very posh, we were led to a table that was nice and cozy, the waiters couldn't do enough for us. As we began eating our food, musicians began to play and sing with such enthusiasm leaving us very entertained, they even came over to our table and serenaded us...how cool was that?

Very soon the meal was over and we were thinking about the evening. We ventured out into the heat once more and wandered around the many different countries that were on offer. There was Mexico with its brightly colored array of stalls, where workers made items to be sold to the tourists – France even had an Eiffel Tower like the one in Paris and was as romantic as Italy – Germany was quaint, with buildings that took you back in time, to what appeared to me to be something out of Hans Christian Anderson. There was even an England, with a pub called The Rose and Crown which was amusing to us, as we frequented the same named pub back in Hyworth England.

By now it was starting to get dark as crowds began to converge by the lake. The main aim was to find a spot to stand, where you had a good vantage of the water and wait patiently, it would be an hour before the show began, but if you moved from the spot someone else was ready to jump in your place.

Finally! As the chatter from people went quiet, the atmosphere was charged and became electric. Classical music began to play, the lake lit up with thousands of colored lights, if my memory serves me right, there were fountains of water which sprung into the air, dazzling the audience with an overwhelming feeling of wonder.

It was then the moment when one by one the different countries were lit up to display a spectacular show leaving us inspired for more, each country trying to outdo the others. 'How could things get any better?' I asked myself, as I noticed the Eiffel Tower gleam bright in the night sky. The music and lights were so stirring they bought tears to my eyes, while others smiled and clapped, I hoped nobody could see my emotions, as I'm easily moved with my sensitive nature.

But then we stood in awe as the eruption of fireworks began, the music and lights became more intense. It was as if we were standing in the middle of the display itself. Our sky was ablaze with millions of crackling, starry fireworks that glittered golden and colorful, it felt as if they were twinkling all around and above our heads. By now I had my hankie out and couldn't contain my exhilaration, as the hairs stood up on my arms and I whooped with excitement.

The end came all too soon as the music of the 1812 Overture played and the last of the lights and fireworks came to a blazing climax, leaving me feeling way too exhilarated to sleep, but by now it was very late and the park would be closing soon. As we made our way back to the car, we were left with moments of that day that will stay with me forever. As the Americans would say; this was the best vacation ever on July 4^th 1990.