Greece Lands at Disneyland and Magic Heads to Santa Ana

The Mighty Greek God Apollo chose to appear brightly and full of warmth for Disneyland's OPA Celebration. Brandi, Rey, and myself found ourselves at the "it's a small world" promenade as Grecian melodies filled the blue sky! A weekend of Greek appreciation was being enjoyed by all. What was the number one priority on our list (for Brandi and myself)? We just had to see Hercules, the son of Zeus!

Talk about some muscular thighs!! Brandi and I couldn't stop looking. It's a shame Eric couldn't make this part of the day. Of course with Rey being Brandi's boyfriend he had to state that his arms were much bigger than Hercules. 

The wait to see Hercules wasn't all that long, maybe 20 minutes. The great music permeating the festival helped us pass the time. There were even local Greek schools and churches dancing throughout the day. One random lady kept overtaking the dance space as she grooved out with the Greek flag. The three of us agreed it felt like a little corner at Epcot's World Showcase. 

Then of course came my moment with the strong Hercules. Rey agreed that he had quite the strong handshake! I was like "Whoa there sir!" 

I asked him, "What should we do?"

He looked puzzled and replied, "Well we are going to have our photo taken!" He thought a moment and added,"Oh! You meant as a pose!! Lets flash the hero stance!" So here we are in our Hero stance. 

Before we left the park for Circus Vargas, we caught the new show. Mickey and the Magical Map just opened this weekend and seems to be a hit. Rey was "all over that show" like a kid in an ice cream shop! Brandi and him loved the "talking" heads. This new technology of the heads blinking and singing along are great. 

We then connected with Eric via the infamous iPhone and we headed to Santa Ana for Circus Vargas. Circus Vargas has been touring California over 30 years. My family use to watch this circus when I was a kid growing up in Oxnard, California. They've recently ditched all the animals and even more recently changed their production style, thanks to Kevin Venardos. Kevin added his production influence and is also the show's singing ringmaster. 

There was a huge crowd for the holiday weekend. Although the type of seat we bought, first come/first choice, the four of us sat stage center. The tent seats viewers in the round, but sitting on the side isn't something I prefer. 

This year's production, Magikaria, was full of some cool illusions. I say "illusions" as a homage to G.O.B.  from the show Arrested Development. 

 It's a shame the crowd was the worst thing in that tent. So much talking was going on during that show. Eric just wanted to shout out "Quiet!!!" When we go to a Cirque du Soleil, unless the crowd is cheering, one can hear a pin drop. But I digress because we didn't let the chatter ruin the show. We still enjoyed the trapeze fliers, juggler, clowns, and magician. 

The show wrapped up with a flight through the tent. Yes you guessed it from the photo, a human cannonball. 

Here we see the acrobat as he soars through the air! This was a great crowd pleaser. After this act I was a little disappointed in the fact the crowd was getting up and leaving as the cast came out for bows. How rude! Eric made his applause known. 

Circus Vargas passes through Orange County ever year. Will we see their new show next year? If Goldstar has another $10.00 deal it's a possibility. After all, the American circus is a great way to celebrate Memorial Weekend.