Thursday, May 10th: Disney Springs, continued 
Once we had finished up seeing and doing all the things we wanted to within the Marketplace, we decided to head over to the West Side for a visit to the Coke Store
. It was after one o’clock in the afternoon at this point, and this was the “crowd” at the time:
Along the way, we popped into a few shops that we had passed by on previous visits but never actually went inside. The first was Amorette’s Pattiserie:
The photos I had seen online of their sweet creations looked
amazing, and I was eager to see if their freshly baked treats looked as impressive in person.
While the cakes, eclairs and other sweets were all beautifully decorated, they were definitely smaller than what Steve, in particular, was expecting to see (perhaps I may have hyped it up a bit too much in my descriptions to him?
).
It was pretty empty inside the shop while we were there, so it was nice that we could browse their selection and take some photos without holding up other guests. While everything was cute and almost looked so perfect it almost seemed a shame to eat (all that work and attention to detail just to end up in mashed into bits in someone’s stomach!
), nothing really stuck out at us, either. We were still quite full from our big breakfast (and had just enjoyed the chocolate samples at Ghirardelli) so that likely had a lot to do with our lack of interest. I asked Steve if he wanted anything to enjoy now or something we could have them box and take with us, but he wasn’t interested in either option. We left without purchasing and continued onward.
The next place we chose to take a peek inside was the Ganachery. In our house, chocolate is its very own food group, so this place should be a definite winner.
It was quite cute inside, albeit VERY small. We were the only people in the shop (except for the staff) so it was fine, but this store would become VERY full, very fast on a high-crowd day
.
The staff were busy working behind a large glass partition, so we stopped for a while to watch them work their magic and create the chocolatey delights that were sold in the store.
As we watched, one of the staff members brought us over a couple of samples each to try: one was pistachio (which was great), but the other was poison-on-the-tongue awful. I can’t remember what the second flavor was (I was too traumatized by the taste!!) but it left me wishing I could rinse out my mouth with a high pressure hose. The aftertaste was horrible
. Definitely not a fan.
A few of the things the products on the shelf were pretty darn cute (like these Mickey Pants chocolate bars on stick)....
... but the second sample made us both less than eager to make a pricey purchase there. We browsed a bit before heading back out into the sunshine, but didn’t buy.
After our few delays along the way. we finally made it to our intended destination: the Coke Store. The afternoon was very sunny and growing hotter by the minute, so the prospect of something cold to drink was mighty appealing to both of us!
We headed up to the rooftop bar, and perused their menu. The last time we had visited, we enjoyed the “Tour of the World” sampler tray which included 16 different Coke products from various countries around the globe. This time, we opted to try something different, and while I’m not a huge fan of pop and ice cream together, I took one for the team and agreed to share a float sampler tray with my Steve. That, my friend, is just what a good wife does sometimes
.
I took in some of the wonderful views from the rooftop patio while Steve waited at the counter for the staff to prepare our tray.
The sampler tray included 8 small floats, and it drew quite a bit of attention from the other guests on the patio.
We had a few folks come over to ask about the cost and peek at the tray before we disassembled it. It really was quite a neat looking display.
Each float was labelled underneath the cup, so we both picked our favorites and started with those first. While I’m not a huge float fan, it was hot enough and I was thirsty enough that I thoroughly enjoyed that first cup!!
We both taste-tested each one, and there wasn’t a single one we didn’t like. Steve’s favorite was the orange cream while top marks from me went to the Barq’s root beer. We were wishing that Jake was with us, because he’s a HUGE Pibb lover (a favorite southern treat when he visits Florida, as its not available in Canada) *and* shares his dad’s love of ice cream floats. This is something that would have been right up his alley!
I’d like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. I’d like to buy the world a Coke, and keep it company. That’s the Real Thing.
I believe the cost for the tray was somewhere around $11 with tax. A fantastic deal, in our opinion. A fun, shareable, affordable treat in a unique setting....what more can you ask for?
More of our Coke Store visit to come!
. You'll just be coming home as we are readying to leave on our next adventure! I am confident you will all have a wonderful time at Aquatica.....it's an incredible waterpark, and our visits there almost always ends up being one of our favorite days of our trip.
. You've got a busy itinerary planned!
.
. What good memories your family has made!
. How fun would a Mom & Daughter selfie be!! There's still time, my friend!! Find a gift shop in MK and DON'T HOLD BACK! 
. That, combined with a frosty beverage, is a rather nifty way to beat the Florida heat! 
.
. It is memorable good, or memorable bad? 
.
.
