More Expo2020 exploring

We wanted to return to the Expo2020 and explore some more pavilions together. I had saved some of the big ones to do with the family, so those were the main targets, but we also did a bunch of small ones along the way. I was actually surprised when I tallied the visits up at the end of the day - as we had managed to see more than 40 pavilions! Not many left to go now, and I've seen them all..!

So today we saw for example Eswatini, where f.e they produce glassware from 100% recycled glass sourced mainly from old drink bottles; and Laos:

Niger, who presented Neolithic rock art and Tuvalu, who called out to protect their islands against sinking:

Nauru, one of the smallest countries on earth made us giggle, as they had one of the biggest stamps for our passports!

In Croatia we got to learn about the Tesla super car:

Paraguay presented the strategic potential of water, in generating renewable energy; and in Jordan we worked together to create an atmospheric sound composition:

Then it was time for Japan! Japan is so popular, you can only visit this pavilion with a Smart Queue-pass; and they only release the time slots for booking, every morning at 9 am. Guess who were right on it that morning?! I got our four slots, so we were very excited!

The whole experience is a once-only experience, thanks to these devices that pick up what you are interested in, which parts of the exhibit you look at, move towards etc. The data that is collected during your experience creates an experience personalised just for you.
For example, we all got greeted with single stems of (different) flowers, as a sign of Japanese hospitality, mine was Hitorishizuka:

The whole experience in the Japanese pavilion lasted about 45 minutes. We got introduced to the story of Japan, looked back at it's history and culture but also looked forward and got to explore Japanese innovation. My absolute favourite part was theses miniatures (called mitate) created with every day objects.

The theme for their pavilion is 'Where ideas meet', so in this 360-degree room, the technology put together real-time generated graphic art - based on our individual experiences in the pavilion. S-u-p-e-r cool!

We also visited Sierra Leone, who presented lovely art, and Fiji, one of the happiest pavilions!

I enjoy the more handicraft and artsy pavilions the most, here Guatemala and Congo:

Cyprus, who showed a (replica of a) clay sculpture from the Middle Bronze Age; and South Africa, who had focus on their fashion of different kinds:

More art and sculpture in Burundi; and in Nigeria:

Bosnia and Herzegovina showed us a glimpse of their rich heritage; and so did Myanmar:

When we reached Vietnam it was time for lunch:

We had some yummy noodles, Vietnamese spring rolls and pho on their roof terrace, super delicious and just what we all felt like, mmm!

We learned about the history of Malawi by this wall; and that Ghana is a major producer of cocoa:

Armenia presented some historical finds, a tablet with cuneiform inscription amongst other things; and Guyana a colourful outfit:

Another favourite amongst the small pavilions was Tonga! We walked through both a forest with magical (motion sensor) flowers that bloomed when we came passed, and saw a bunch of sea creatures in the part that was designed to look like the Tonga coral reefs. So pretty!

Next up followed Tunisia, with a display of traditional dress; and Liberia, which showcased wooden sculptures:

I must admit, many of the small country pavilions sort of all merge together by now. I really do try to make an effort while visiting, to find what's unique in each and every one of the pavilions, but there are a lot of exotic animal sculptures, coffee- and cocoa presentations, masks and weapons on display.
Like in Solomon Islands, and Zimbabwe:

Another one of the "big" ones that we did, was United Kingdom. The pavilion design is fantastic, made by Es Devlin (who also designed 'The Seed'), and the theme of the pavilion is inspired by an idea from the late scientist Stephen Hawking, highlighting artificial intelligence.
We were invited to consider what message we would like to send out in space, as a planet, and each contribute one word to that message. Our words were then displayed both inside, and on the front of the pavilion; and we each received a personalised short poem, including our chosen word.

Honduras became another favourite, fabulously colourful interior; and I also enjoyed the artwork in the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines pavilion:

Eating at the Expo2020 has been a great experience so far. I've tried to make an effort to always eat in the country pavilions, to try and create a feeling of actually being there, traveling.
This time we had the famous Polish twisty ice cream as a snack, well needed after being so efficient; and right before going out to the parking, Linnea and I made a stop at the Danish pavilion for one last sugar kick. Probably the most expensive 'spandauer' I have ever had (45 DKK/65 SEK!), so I made sure I enjoyed every mouthful of it!