BY STEPHANIE SHUSTER
When I ’ m not running
around EPCOT ’ s World Showcase pretending that I ’ m jet-setting across the globe in mere moments , I ’ m traveling ( or planning future trips ) to other faraway destinations . One of my all-time favorite spots to go is Paris — or really anywhere in France .
You could say I have a bit of the travel bug , and it all started in Europe . After university , my then-boyfriend ( nowhusband ) Danny and I took a few months to backpack Western Europe . So romantic , if a bit cliche . Our journey took us to several spots in France , and we made some of our best memories in Alsace , Provence , and Paris . Since then ,
we ’ ve been back to Paris and are planning more than one upcoming trip to visit different regions around the country . But in the meantime , EPCOT ’ s France Pavilion keeps this francophile feeling heureux ( that ’ s French for happy !).
MORE THAN DECOR Combining French architecture styles from Norman to Baroque , the French Pavilion is particularly eye-catching . Wrought iron decorates tasteful secondfloor balconies under mansard roofs , and fountains dance between a sprawling park and the entrance to an alleyway that reminds us of a city that grew from humble beginnings to a modern metropolis . Don ’ t be fooled : While your park map says “ France ,” this pavilion is Parisian through and through .
ABOVE : We adore these fountains in the France Pavilion . PREVIOUS PAGE : The sky erupts with fireworks over EPCOT ' s France Pavilion . PHOTOS BY CLIFF WANG