We spent most of the day at Epcot, then took the monorail to the transit station, where we transfered to a bus to Downtown Disney. There we spent a few short hours, mostly for dinner and a roam around (with three small children, both Epcot and Downtown Disney are not worth a day in either place).

We re-arrived at Epcot in time for the fire works which, live, are amazing. The blazing globe, in fire, is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, we returned too late to Epcot to get a close enough spot to get a good picture or two of the blazing globe and the pictures we got didn't serve it justice, so poor ones are here. Trust us on this one: you gotta see the firey globe. Not only does it flame up in the middle (like a prairie flare-up you've never seen before) but laser images of all cultures/societies are emblazoned on the continents as it rotates around it's base in the middle of the lake; all in blazing colour! Is that enough imagery to convince you this thing is lit up on fire in full colour? Absolutely amazing! Get back in time for a good seat for this one!

Things to avoid: Innoventions - The Road to Tomorrow. Boring, at all costs. You can tell by the number of people not lining up to see it. Save yourself the five minutes it takes to run through it looking for something exciting to see and spend it elsewhere.

Things we didn't see and wish we did: The GM Test Track... the line was too long and we had a busy day. It looks like fun.

Things we would spend more time at: Other than the fireworks? A distant second would be walking around the World Showcase, but that's an adult speaking; and sitting longer listening to the band, discussed below.

Picture I wish I would have taken but didn't: the front of the Morocco attraction. Full of colour, culture and beauty.

By the way, we did NOT see it all. I don't believe anybody ever could in one day. So take this experience for what it's worth:
Rating: 3 out of 5. We had young children and they're simply not interested in other cultures (neither were we at that age). With adults or adult children, a full day and then some would be required to see it all at Epcot.

Krystal (nine), Jennifer (four) and Alyssa (eleven) in front of the icon of Epcot. This 'golf ball' (as one employee of Disney called it) is as huge as it looks. On the outside you can put your 'legacy' on huge marble blocks proving you came to Epcot. We didn't.

Apparently, pink flamingos exist in other places than people's front lawns, proclaiming somebody's 40th or 50th or 18th or something like that birthday. These guys are real, although the beach they are standing on isn't. We caught this flock while we were crossing a bridge to the Odyssey Center.

View from the back of one of the boats that circles the lake (World Showcase Lagoon) of Epcot. Over the flag we see the 'golf ball'. The building on the right centre is the Mexico attraction. The boat ride is short, passing pavilions for Mexico, Norway and China and landing close to Germany.

The girls (Krystal, Jennifer and Alyssa, left to right) in front of the Italian attraction. One of the best attractions in the World Showcase (and neither of us is Italian). We stopped here, moved on, and then returned, simply to sip a cold one (a cold ANYTHING) and listen to the music in the square (see next picture). Very relaxing and we were well entertained. Don't let the boat slide past this one, if you're on it! You can see the tent where the band played in the back ground. It's the one with the red and white stripes. If you don't have kids and you aren't pressed for time, budget an hour or three here. You won't be disappointed!

One of the top three highlights of Disney World. These six people flooded the courtyard with beautiful renditions of Bach, Beethoven and other masters for the people sitting around them. Get a good chair, a good glass of wine from nearby (I had three children, I had to drive, I had a Slurpee) and whisk yourself back two or three hundred years to a European square where people would spend hot afternoons doing this. There ain't no PGA tourney that'll beat an afternoon doing this!

The drummers at the Japanese attraction. These four ladies could be heard for some distance around; they will NEVER get flab under their arms they way they pounded these things! The picture on the right is from the back of the building, looking back over the lagoon, as we headed up through the Japanese gardens.

This dragon can be found inside the Japanese Pavillion. It is robotic and can be controlled by the person in front of it with a joystick. Also within the pavillion is a number of challenging games for visitors of all ages.

The French pavillion at Epcot. Notice the inticrate maze of bushes in the foreground. Off picture to the far right and too far away to make a good photograph is a garden of a peacock. Really amazing!

Just as you walk out of the Winnie the Pooh store in the United Kingdom attraction, you see this realistic looking British Pub. Looked real, so I thought I'd capture it. Didn't visit it though. Real Canadian Beer was just steps away and, after several hours here, that was where I wanted to be!

The Victoria Gardens at the Canadian attraction. I've seen the real gardens in Victoria and the workers here did a great job. But you really MUST see the actual Bucchart Gardens in Victoria to understand what they did here. It WILL take your breath away! Still, enjoy the splendor of this place. Lots of shade and colour flowers to keep you busy for a while.

A very good rendition of falls you would pass as you drive through the Rockies in Western British Colombia. You see so many of these on the highway (especially in spring) that eventually you stop stopping and taking pictures of them. This is just the ones you would see as you fly by them at 65 mph., imagine what you're missing off of the beaten path!

The last picture from the Canadian attraction... a realistic impression of a typical CP Hotel (now called differently). These hotels can be seen throughout Canada in high traffic areas, in all provinces. If you're ever looking for the definition of 'splendor' just stay at one of these places for a night. You'll get a definition that can't be described in words.

The below pictures are attempts of getting the "IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth" display after we visited Downtown Disney and arrived too late to get close to this event. Don't do that!

In a vain attempt to capture the magnificent of the firey globe, we attempted to take these pictures from too far away. The glowing thingey in the middle is a metal five storey rendition of earth, all afire.

Okay... last attempt at "IllumiNations 2000". This one is of the fireworks. But we accidently got a picture of the globe lit up with laser. You can see down low, in the dead middle, North and South America all aglow. From this distance, you can't make out what was on it (and I've since forgotten) but it was a sight to behold!