Sorry, readers, that I haven’t posted anything in the past few days. I’ve been very busy with final exams and paperwork at the university, and with doing some badly neglected cleaning of my apartment. My friend Nai, from Laos, is coming to visit in late June-early July, so I’ve got to try to get my small abode spruced up.
I went to the Expo last weekend, of course, and tomorrow, June 6th, is a holiday, South Korea’s Memorial Day, so I’ll go there again. I’ve taken tons of photos, but I just haven’t had time to process them. If you’re looking for some quick reviews, here are a few.
Germany Pavilion–I haven’t been through the pavilion, but there is a separate restaurant right next to the main pavilion, and, in my opinion, it’s one of the best restaurants at the Expo, with delicious German sausages and great German beer. It’s a little pricey, but well worth a visit. Say hello to Sven, one of the waiters. The pavilion itself has long lines during many hours of the day and night, and the restaurant can get crowded, too.
Romania–This is a beautiful two-floor pavilion, with small lines, and a nice, but small, snack bar. There’s a limited selection of Romanian food, but my friends tell me that it’s delicious. There’s seating just outside the restaurant, so it’s a great area to enjoy a meal and do some people watching.
Cambodia–a very interesting pavilion with lots of cultural assets and one of the best gift shops. Full of fabrics, silk, and other goodies. Not too many long lines, but it can get a bit crowded inside. Outside, there are a couple of Cambodian cultural performances at various times during the day. Thumbs up to this one.
Spain–very beautiful inside the dark interior with lit, multicolored, candle-like glass tubes. Culturally, the pavilion features early Spanish exploration of the seas. The highlight is the tapas bar, which you can enter without going through the pavilion. It’s a short walk through, and I’ve noticed long lines at only a few times during the day, though the bar tends to get crowded. It serves food from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., and again from 6-9 p.m., but I’m pretty sure you can order drinks during the off time (4-6).
Lithuania–Think amber-LOTS of amber. That’s what this pavilion is all about, along with gems. The pavilion’s color is, what else, amber, and you can view lots of ancient amber with insects and vegetation locked inside. There is also a small snack bar that sells Lithuanian cheese, mead(!), and beer, alongside a pretty decent souvenir shop. Say hello to Justas at the bar. I haven’t seen any long lines here, but even a bit of a wait would be worth it.
Cultural Performances–There are always cultural performances going on somewhere around the site. Most recently, I’ve taken in an hour-long Angola set, featuring traditional drummers and dancers, along with more modern entertainment. Last weekend, I watched a traditional Turkish dance (think of whirling dervishes, though I’m sure they wouldn’t characterize themselves as that) with a great 9-piece band performing on traditional instruments. This was one of the best performances I’ve seen, with the long, flowing white robes on the dancers billowing out like sails as they spun in circles. Other great performances included a Cote d’Ivoire drum-and-dance grooup in the Atlantic Joint Group Pavilion, an Argentinian fusion band in a fantastic show at the Big O, and a Cambodian percussion group outside their pavilion. If the pavilions have anything special going on, they’ll have it posted on signboards outside the pavilion. There are really many things to take in. So, if some of the lines are too long, just take a look around elsewhere–I’m sure you’ll find something interesting.
Sorry about the lack of photos in this post, but I’ll try to get some of them up before I take off on vacation next week to go pick up Nai in Laos. Stay tuned, then, for more later.