30th Birthday Disney Trip: Part 1

Wednesday, February 27th

Travel day started early. It was cold and lightly snowing when we reached the airport, thankfully our flight took off on time. It was a full flight but uneventful till we reached Florida. Apparently there were cross winds which caused the pilot to have to adjust our landing making it a bit rougher than my stomach cared for. We still landed on time and we collected our luggage and took Magical Express to Pop Century.

EPCOT is in the middle of getting ready for the Flower & Garden Festival so there were topiaries set up all over the park. We saw a few and it made me more excited that we'll be returning in a few weeks and will get to see Flower & Garden in its full glory.

Chauncey had been talking to some of our friends who are local and some of them met us during our trip to hang out and celebrate my birthday with me. I was super hungry by the time we reached EPCOT so we stopped in China so I could have dinner.

Orange chicken and steamed rice from Lotus Blossom Cafe

While we were ordering our friends Virginia and her husband Harry showed up. They had already eaten over in France but hung out while I inhaled my food. We then went over to Italy and met our friend Amanda. We all went into the Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar and had a few glasses of wine while we talked and caught up.

The wine cellar is a nice hidden gem in EPCOT, they have an extensive wine list with most you can buy by the glass or the bottle. Plus they have appetizers and deserts you can order as well. It's small and probably gets pretty crowded during the busier seasons but it doesn't require a reservation. So if you are looking for a light meal I would highly recommend it.

The waiter let me keep the cork

After drinks, Virginia and Harry left but Amanda hung around and we went to Japan so Chauncey could get some sushi. We also wandered through the Mitsukoshi Department Store.

Pokemon attack!

Due to lower crowds, we managed to find a great spot for Illuminations by the bridge between France and the UK pavilions just 10 minutes before the fireworks.

After Illuminations, Amanda was nice enough to give us a ride back to Pop so we wouldn't have to wait for the bus.

Phineas and Ferb topiaries

Overall it was a short day but still fun. The following days would be longer and include even more food and friends!