I didn't want to deal with huge crowds leaving Epcot after Illuminations so we drove to the Yacht Club and parked there. We walked along the lake to the Epcot entrance at the International Gateway. It was a beautiful balmy night and the view of the Boardwalk across the lake, all lit up in its neon splendor and reflecting in the still water, was spectacular.

It took us about 10 minutes to walk to the International Gateway entrance at Epcot. We arrived a little before 8:00. With a little time to kill I thought it would be fun to visit the Land pavilion, since we had missed that particular pavilion entirely on our last visit. I especially thought Nat would like The Circle of Life film because it stars characters from The Lion King.

The Land pavilion, like many Epcot Futureworld pavilions, is organized in such a way as to make it natural to experience its attractions in a certain order. As you walk in, the Circle of Life is the first attraction you come to on the right. The show was about to start so we went in and sat down. It's a cute film that uses Simba, Poomba and Timon to tell a story with a conservationist theme. After the film was over Nat got very upset because she thought it was going to be a live show and was disappointed that it was "only a movie". I promised that from then on I would make sure she knew when something was a live show as opposed to "just a movie".

Next came Living with the Land (LwtL), the pavilion's premier attraction. LwtL is a boat ride though Disney's experimental agriculture facility. You board boats much like those used in It's a Small World. After floating past some displays, you enter the main facility and get an opportunity to view experimental growing techniques in use. It's actually much more interesting than it sounds. In fact, Nat wanted to ride again when we were done. Instead, I convinced her to see the pavilion's third attraction, Food Rocks. We had a few minutes before the next show so we decided to get some ice cream. I misjudged the time, however, and we ended up getting to the attraction after the doors were closed. The kindly Cast Member in charge of Food Rocks took pity on us, however, and led us in through the rear entrance. This was especially good because the show we saw was the last for the day.

Food Rocks is a cute but forgettable show with various food items singing the praises of nutrition. Some of the names of the "rock stars" are quite funny (Neil Moussaka) and the voices used are good impressions of the stars they impersonate (they may even be the real voices, I'm not sure). One thing for sure; though it's far from a headliner, Food Rocks is far superior to the awful Kitchen Kabaret which it replaced.

We left the Land pavilion and made our way back to the World Showcase for Illuminations. By the time we got there the show had started. We made our way through the crowd and found a decent viewing spot right on the water between the England and France pavilions. There were trees blocking our view of any aerial fireworks, but most of Illuminations takes place near the water so it wasn't a great loss. This was my third viewing of Illuminations. It is truly a terrific show and one without which no trip to WDW would be complete.

After Illuminations we had to make our way through the crowds back to the International Gateway. As the vast majority of the people were headed for the main gate in the other direction, I felt a bit like we were salmon swimming upstream. Nonetheless, we were at our car in short order and we didn't have to deal with the huge crowds or the tram. If you're staying on site and are only going to Epcotort visit, this is the way to go. Nat was actually still full of pep and wanted to go swimming. I told her that I doubted the pool was still open (it was, as it turned out), and besides, we needed to get to bed. I found it hard to believe that at 5:00 that very morning we were in New Jersey getting ready to fly down to Florida. I felt a world away. The only regret I had was that Andie and Charlotte weren't with us to share the day. But then, the whole idea of this trip was for Nat and I to have some time together, just the two of us, and we certainly were getting that.

Nat was deep asleep by 10:00, I followed suit soon thereafter.