Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot in Walt Disney World

By Nick

If there are 3 things I love, it's food, beer and fun, and these 3 things can be found in abundance at the Biergarten Restaurant located in the Germany Pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase.

We've eaten there several times throughout the years, most recently last December. Christmas is a wonderful time to visit, as the normally lovely hall is even more picturesque decked out in holiday finery, and the band plays Carols.

Then of course there is the food! There are several stations featuring a wide variety of options.

Cold items include several salads potato, cucumber, tomato, cabbage, bean, sausage, pasta and mixed greens. Cold cuts and rolls can also be found here.

On to entrees, where you'll find several sausage styles, oven roasted potatoes, a soup of the day, schnitzel, roasted chicken, fish, red cabbage, mac and cheese, meatballs, meat loaf, Spatzle, and ham.

 

Desserts include apple strudel, Black Forest cake, cheesecake, chocolate roll, and peach-almond cake, fruit, plus much more!

Beer selections include Schofferhofer, Schofferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen, Altenmunster Octoberfest, and Warsteiner Dunkel. You can also get a flight with all 4.

 

 

Prost!

A Very Handy Mickey

By Gaylin

I have a small collection of art glass. And while I would love to bring home a lot of glass from Arribas Brothers, I usually only have carry on luggage. Once I had the glass packed and protected, I would have to leave my clothes behind. Hmm, that’s an idea!

A friend of mine got me this glass Mickey container and I love it. It has Mickey’s gloved hand on it, it is glass, and it can hold pretty things or sweet things or? It came from the glass store in the Germany pavilion at Epcot.

It’s 5 1/2″ tall and 4 inches wide.

The Walt Disney World logo is on one side of the bowl and the etched Mickey heads are around the other side. Because glass is see-through, it looks like the Mickey heads are above the logo, but they aren’t!

From the back you can see that the etched heads circle the bowl of the container.

The bottom has the classic star pattern found on so many glass or crystal containers.

And from the top, you can see the stretched out fingers of Mickey’s hand in brushed glass.

Yep, maybe next trip I will throw out some clothes in order to bring back some of that pretty Disney glass!

Epcot's Germany Pavilion

By Lisa Green

It may be because I’m half-German or maybe because of its perfect location between China and Italy…just far enough from the beginning of the World Showcase (starting with Mexico) to have worked up a powerful thirst for a good German beer!  Maybe it’s the smells and tastes of the delicious treats inside Karamelle-Kuche – arguably the best sweets shop in Epcot.  Whatever the reasons, I love the Germany Pavilion!  Every detail about this area’s tribute to all things German is just wonderful…er…wunderbar!

Just in case you need them, I’ll give you five great things about Epcot’s Germany Pavilion:

1.  The Food – Delicious options abound!  Want a snack?  Quick service meal?  Full-blown Oktoberfest-style buffet? You can get them all in Epcot’s little slice of Germany.

Karamelle-Kuche – from the makers of Werther’s candies, enter this shop and the aromas alone are amazing.  I recommend a piece of chocolate-covered salted caramel – big enough to share (maybe).

Need a quick meal?  Sommerfest is the place to be.  Enjoy a brat or Frankfurter for a simple lunch.  Feeling brave? Try the Currywurst (bun-less brat with curry ketchup) or the Leberkaese Reuben (German meatloaf in a Reuben sandwich) – not to your liking?  Well, then order the Nudel Gratin – not-your-momma’s mac-n-cheese!  Maybe just a pretzel to go with some beer!

Need a BIG meal? Biergarten will satisfy both the urge to try out a variety of German flavors (it’s a buffet!) and experience some authentic German entertainment at the same time.

2. The Buildings and Courtyard – Right in the center of the action you’ll find a statue of St. George and the Dragon.  Look around!  The architecture is modeled after 400+ year-old German landmarks. Colorful crests and symbols painted on the building’s facades add to the festive atmosphere. The whimsical clock tower where, at the top of each hour, figurines come out to visitors’ delighted surprise.

3. The Shops – I love the variety!  Be sure to check out the store with the genuine Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks!  You can also buy many other fantastic German items like beer steins, hats, books, dolls and more.

4. The Beer – The Schofferhofer Grapefruit beer has a near cult following.  Try it out on a sunny, hot afternoon and see why!  Not to your liking? Grab the darkest brew on the menu to go with that Sommerfest pretzel – that’s what I do and..well…it’s perfect and makes me feel both happy and GERMAN!

5. The Scavenger Hunt – Germany is one of the countries you’ll visit on your quest if you choose to participate in Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure.  If you’re visiting right away, you might want to try out the brand new (rumored to be only for the Flower and Garden Festival) Muppets Most Wanted-themed adventure.

Bonus feature:  The miniature village and model train are super cool – located right next to the pavilion. Don’t pass it by.

If you’ve passed by the Germany Pavilion without exploring, I hope you’ll give it a visit next time you’re in the World!  If you’re already a fan, what’s your favorite thing about Epcot’s Germany?

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast!

Holiday Storytellers Around Epcot's World Showcase

by Nick

I love Santa Claus. Always have, I am, after all, named after the Saint himself.

I also enjoy hearing and reading about the various gift givers that different cultures have.
One of my very favorite things about the Holiday Around the World at Epcot is the storytellers that several of the countries have.

My wife, friends, and I caught as many of the offerings as possible on our recent trip, and I've shared a brief look in my trip reports, but I thought it appropriate to share a more in depth look at them on this Christmas Day.

Heading around to the right of World Showcase, we'll start with Father Christmas, who can be found in the United Kingdom.

Each pavilion's storyteller has a scroll describing customs and traditions from that country, and you can find appearance times in park guides.

Father Christmas shares a few of the traditions that started in the UK, such as the sending of Christmas Cards in 1843, and the hanging of mistletoe which dates back to the Druidic ceremonies of the Winter Solstice. 

Many storytellers also pose for photos with guests.

 

Left to right: Barbie, Nick, Father Christmas, Jill, Nicole, and Josh

Moving on to France, we find Père Noël, who delivers gifts to children on Christmas Eve.

He tells of the importance of the Creche, or Nativity Scene. Traditionally, candles are lit around the Creche, or a special Yule Log is burned on the fire.
He continues telling us of le reveillon, a feast after Midnight Mass, and how children set our shoes around the Christmas tree in anticipation of a visit from le Père Noël.

Continuing on to Japan, we learn about O-Shogatsu, the Japanese New Year. lasting from January 1st through the 3rd. An important symbol of the New Year is the Daruma Doll. There are no pupils in the Darumas eyes. The tradition is to make a wish, and paint a pupil in the left eye. If the wish comes true, you paint in the right pupil.

We'll come back to The American Adventure later. Our next stop for now will be Italy.
To me, the most heart wrenching tale of a gift bringer is that of the kind-hearted witch La Befana who arrives on the eve of the Epiphany, January 5th, to grant gifts to good children.

As her story goes, the Three Wise Men visited Befana at her home and asked if she knew where to find the baby Jesus. She did not, but offered them shelter for the night. The magi invited her to join them on the journey to find the baby Jesus, but she declined. Later, La Befana had a change of heart, and tried to search out the astrologers and Jesus. That night she was not able to find them, so to this day, La Befana is searching for the little baby. -sniff- This story gets me every time I hear it.

In Germany, we meet Helga, who teaches us how to say Merry Christmas in German. She explains how many Christmas traditions such as the advent calender and Christmas trees began in Germany. She also tells us of her first nutcracker.

Norway has, in my opinion, one of the most entertaining gift givers, Julenissen, the Christmas Gnome.

But before we meet him, we meet Sigrid, who cannot see Julenissen, only we, the audience can at first.

While we learn of the traditions of Christmas in farm communities in Norway, Julenissen gets up to mischief, and plays tricks on poor Sigrid, with the help of the audience, until, in the end, he reveals himself to her.

Back to The American Adventure, where Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are represented, both of which we never did get to see this trip.

Here, you won't hear a story from Santa, but instead, get to sit on his knee, and tell him what you'd like for Christmas. He is joined by Mrs. Claus.

Did we get our photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus? Of course!
In fact, Barbie made the dress she is wearing for just this occasion!

Regardless of how you celebrate, we wish you a happy and safe holiday, and Merry Christmas!

Magical Aromas Around Walt Disney World

By Lisa Green

 

Over the years there has been quite a bit of chatter on the Internet about the different scents people experience during a visit to Disney World.  If you look hard enough, you can even find suggestions for how to bring some of those smells home (certain candles, air fresheners, bath products, etc.)…I’m going to look into some of these and get back to you.  Anyway, whether it’s your first visit to Disney World or your 10th, there are a few smells you can’t help but notice.  The really cool thing is, the next time you smell THAT smell, it’ll make you happy; immediately evoking memories of your Disney World vacation!

Main Street USA – freshly baked goodies.  No matter what time of year or what time of day – when you walk down Main Street in the Magic Kingdom, you will smell the delicious smell of baking cookies.  To me it actually smells a bit like the waffle cones they sometimes bake in ice cream stores.  However your own sniffer interprets it, you can’t deny that the Main Street-smell is fantastic!  Puts a smile on my face every single time I smell it.

Staying with the Magic Kingdom, let’s talk about the smell in Mickey’s PhilharMagic…pretty darned super!  If you’ve ever experienced this magical 3D marvel, you know what I’m talking about.  It’s the smell of the berry pie that floats right by your face as Lumiere belts out “Be Our Guest”!  Oh, how I love that smell!  It’s not the only reason to adore Mickey’s PhilharMagic, though, so if you haven’t had the pleasure, add that attraction to your must-do list.

Moving on to Epcot, more great places to engage the old schnozzola await (wait…did I really just say that?).  Space Ship Earth is a great place to start.  As you’re riding along, the smell of Rome Burning is an awesome detail in this attraction!  I tend to forget about it until it happens, then I’m thinking, “Oh, how COOL!” whenever we get to that part – probably not appropriate to the seriousness of the tragic losses Dame Judi Dench is busy describing in my ear, but there it is.

Ask anyone who’s been there about the smells of Disney World and they’ll be quick to mention Soarin’ if they’ve been on this extraordinary attraction in The Land at Epcot.  There also tends to be some lively discussions when the subject of Soarin’ smells is brought up about the exact number of different scents there are to be enjoyed in Soarin’ – this seems to be up to the individual smeller – I am 100% positive I smell both orange groves and evergreen trees at different parts of the experience…as for any other scents that may be there, I’ll let you decide for yourself. There’s one more smell at Epcot I want to mention.

Over in World Showcase.  I strongly suggest you stop in Germany’s Karamell-Kuche!  At last, something to smell AND taste!  Take the time to look around while you’re enjoying the smell of caramel and you’ll be tempted to try a taste of one of the many treats offered in this shop (owned by the makers of Wherther’s Original Caramels).

At Animal Kingdom, another 3D show offers another smelly experience.  This one isn’t quite like the others I’ve mentioned, but certainly adds to the entertainment of, “It’s Tough to be a Bug”!  Beneath the Tree of Life is the theater for this 9-minute show filled with some truly amazing details that include a very special smell.  You’ll just have to try it for yourself if you’re there.

This list is by far not complete.  There are many other aromas (good and bad) to experience at Disney World….What are some of your favorites?

This article was originally posted by Lisa on her Living a Disney Life-Empty Nesting with Pixie Dust Blog.