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Poland Pavilion
looks like a lace design from afar......not sure if this is how it was intended. lovely though.Our second day at the World Expo in Shanghai was just as exciting. Two metro rides to the Expo and we're off. This time around, we found the shorter route to the gate and decided to indulge the kids with a KFC lunch. (After the Cantonese lunch yesterday, and the Bi Feng Tang take- out duck dinner last night, they must be hankering for good old-fashioned chicken drumsticks and fries! )
Kids' Comment: Don't the VIP passes work at KFC? That drew a lot of laughs, and rendered us hungrier for our chicken lunch. We crossed the street to take the Expo shuttle bus to "Europe". Some helpful tip: Be sure to get seats near the exit doors. It can get really, really cramped as the bus makes several stops to take in more passengers. By the time you are ready to get off, those warm, sweating bodies will block you making your way towards the exit. Unless of course you push your way out. Believe me, "excuse me" may not work, and bound to make you miss your stop.
We heard so much and seen enough photos of the many fabulous pavilions there and
Serbia Pavilion
Kids think this is one huge lego piece! we were so disappointed that our VIP passes didn't work in many of the pavilions! Call us spoiled, but those passes worked wonderfully yesterday in the Asian side. Here in "Europe", it worked only in Sweden , Lithuania and Denmark. 😞
The
Poland Pavilion looked like it was made out of lace. Lovely.
Serbia Pavilion is such a colorful structure , it was easy to mistake it for a lego creation. The
Switzerland Pavilion tempted us to try their chairlift at the rooftop , but the long line discouraged us. The
Spain Pavilion looked like a giant wicker basket from afar and up close ---- such creativity! Frankly, I felt jealous. The Philippines exports real good wicker furniture and other items made from the same material, that the wicker basket concept would have worked for our pavilion too. The lady at the VIP gate said we should have made reservations as they have several groups visiting, but very kindly suggested we go back at 8 pm to take a chance. Of course, we forgot to go back.
Kids' Comment: That pavilion looks like a wicker trash basket. Much like what we have back home.
We would have wanted to try the gelato at the
Italian Pavilion or maybe some crepes at the
France Pavilion but again , our VIP passes didn't work. Most of the European Pavilions require at least one-day notice or a reservation even for VIP passholders. By this time, the kids have mastered their lines : "We are terribly sorry, but you need to make reservations to gain access. " Blah blah. We could have fallen in line, but we would have wasted many hours doing that. So we trooped towards
Lithuania a country completely alien to the kids. Inside, photos of Lithuanian tourist sites were reflected on giant screens. I have earlier read about it, but now am convinced that Lithuania is one lovely country. The Lithuanians must also take basketball quite seriously, for them to set up a lifesize poster of Yao Ming, and a small basketball court , inside the pavilion.
Kids' Comment: Is Yao Ming Lithuanian? In
Denmark Pavilion, we got lucky. Yes , the VIP passes work here. There was this roundabout passing the Little Mermaid right in the center of a pool, and
a bicycle lane as we climbed up. At the rooftop, kids and adults enjoyed jumping inside this circle to prompt the water fountain to work, completely enclosing everyone in the circle. From the rooftop, one gets a good view of the nearby pavilions :
Lithuania, Poland in the background, Croatia, Latvia, Germany, Estonia and Sweden Pavilions.
Kids' Comment: Do all mermaids come from Denmark? At the
Sweden Pavilion, we passed a small play area at the ground floor before taking the escalator to the 2nd floor where we found many exhibits of Swedish products. Looking up, we found furniture -- complete living room sets and dining sets -- arranged upside down. On our way out, we decided to walk towards Starbucks just across the
Romania Pavilion which looked like a half-open green egg. We easily grew tired this time and didn't bother to check if we could gain entry to the pavilion. So many more we missed. Like the pavilions of
Greece, Turkey, Finland, Hungary, Ukraine, Norway, Russia, Belgium, Monaco, Germany, UK, Ireland, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech, Portugal. But what's the use of dragging our feet to cover as much?
Denmark
little mermaid right here in the concrete roundabout........ Though we walked quite a distance, we thought we covered just enough for a "leisurely, and fun day". There is still tomorrow. Our last day at the Expo. 😊
Kids' Comment: Where is the next World Expo? (oh, oh....) More to tell.......check out
A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the World Expo @Shanghai .
MY Comment: So far , so good. Will I last till tomorrow? UPDATE: Did a 2nd shot at the World Expo in July, and covered more pavilions esp in the European Zone. Uploaded many "inside" photos from pavilions of Greece, Turkey, Austria, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Iceland, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, UK, Finland, Switzerland, Serbia. Go check out my other blog : The Inside Story: Some Unfinished Business @World Expo in Shanghai for the highlights of my Expo adventure. Yes, I did draw up my own list of favorites. Here's an excerpt from
The Inside Story: Some Unfinished Business @World Expo in Shanghai :
In the European Zone, I was so happy to finally get inside the pavilions of Germany, France, UK, Ireland, Iceland, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Serbia and Austria. Belgium (and the European Union) Pavilion had a wall made entirely of ice. That, plus all the chocolates, wine and diamonds maybe hard to forget ;-) In the Czech Republic Pavilion, we were given free music CDs and movies. Inside, there was a small corner dedicated to Czech cartoons, and another to Czech art (cubism), and yet another to that famous Charles Bridge and clock tower in Prague. I have been to Prague, and those 2 landmarks are what I remember most about Prague. The Pavilion brought me back to these landmark sites. We also had fun in the Finland Pavilion where we tried out some of the gadgets, had our photos taken, and had a big surprise finding some of our photos in "bubbles" floating like an apparition on the interior walls.
Talking about "class", France Pavilion's fishnet lattice covers up an entirely different world inside as we were welcomed by a square complete with a water fountain and plant-covered walls. This "space" , much like a courtyard inside the pavilion, is such a welcome respite from the sweltering heat outside the pavilion. The theme "Sensual City" is very evident as one glimpses ideal urban living with the recreational space and art pieces found inside France Pavilion. And these are art pieces
Not a Porcupine, it's the UK Pavilion
All of 62,000 seeds inside the seeds cathedral in the UK pavilion. What a great concept! Investing in the future, by caring for the present. from no less than the Musee d' Orsay. In the Germany Pavilion, we again shook off some of our "aggression" (this is China, so be prepared to be pushed around and lose your "personal space") as we screamed at the top of our lungs to get this "energy ball" moving. In Iceland, we were hoping to feel really cool as the pavilion is designed like a giant ice cube, but have to say the airconditioning couldn't cope with the outside heat. Not to be outdone, the Italy Pavilion showcased the Italian achievements in the fields of fashion, food and technology. Beautiful , tastefully designed pavilion, if you ask me. So with the Switzerland Pavilion where we viewed the Swiss alps, meadows, complete with the scent of herbs inside the cool interiors. To top it all, we even had a chairlift ride at the rooftop!
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EuroTraveler
Jeff Titelius
What a fascinating journey!
Hey Lili. Great articles on the Expo. I can't believe you're actually there!! I am so jealous. I wrote an article in my Examiner column when the Expo opened but would have loved to include some of your insights and helpful tips....and the comments about food of course. Too bad about the Euro pavilions. At least you have plenty of time to go back with reservations in hand. Take care my friend. Looking forward to your next article. Jeff