The World Expo 2015 is held in Milan, Italy. It’s not overly ambitious to try to enter all of the pavilions in one day; but keep in mind that some pavilions offer a quick in-and-out experience and others, a more interactive one where you may linger a little bit longer. One option is to get the Expo’s multi-day pass. Better yet, make a game plan to visit some of the countries you’ve always wanted to learn more about, or pavilions that have striking architectural designs. The following are my favourite highlights from Expo Milan 2015.
EXPO Milan 2015 Highlights:
The Coffee Cluster
The Expo features areas called Clusters where certain countries are grouped based on their thematic food chains, such as coffee. Wander through markets, exhibitions and tastings of coffee as you explore coffee-producing countries including Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Guatemala and El Salvador.
China
My favourite part of the China pavilion is the art installation, the “Land of Hope”. Using 20,000 fiber optic straws to represent wheat, the installation captures the varied landforms across China, from the Gobi Desert to the Yellow River. This is the pavilion where we chose to have a lunch of noodles and dumplings.
Korea
The stark white, futuristic pavilion alludes to the innovative exhibit on the inside. The multimedia displays illustrates the health benefits and sustainability of Hansik (Korean food featuring fermented natural ingredients), an alternative food for the future.
Nepal
This was a popular attraction because the pavilion is located near the entrance and the colourful prayer flags seemed to wave visitors in. The circular path recreates a mandala, representing the universe and the circle of life. You will come across a clear donation box inside the pavilion for the collection of Nepal earthquake relief fund.
Netherlands
The Netherlands’ concept was Share, Grow, Live, showcased in an outdoor exhibition. Based on a carnival setting, food trucks and stalls were set up to sell fries, cheese, and hot dogs. The mini ferris wheel actually carries passengers!
Azerbaijan
The architectural design of the pavilion incorporates a lot of glass and wood over several levels. Visitors walk through multimedia screens and patches of flowers made of touch responsive fiber optics contrasted against natural greenery.
Kuwait
Kuwait’s exhibit takes visitors through a multimedia experience highlighting the challenges faced by the country in its quest for food sustainability. There are panoramic images of Kuwait’s landscapes projected on a 360 degree presentation.
Belgium
Visitors walk through a research center demonstrating ‘field trials’ for traditional and organic farming. On the upper level, there is a Belgian chocolate demo where visitors can sample Belgian chocolate.
Each country’s pavilion had something amazing to offer. If the lineup at the Japan pavilion had been any shorter than the hour and a half wait, I would’ve wanted to visit Japan.
If you can’t make it out to Expo Milan 2015, there is Expo 2020 to look forward to in Dubai!
Read my blog post on What to Expect at EXPO Milan 2015.
Were you at Expo 2015? Did you enjoy this post? Let me know in the comments below or by sharing it using the social media links!
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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