We just came home after spending a few days in Orlando, our favorite weekend haunt. An out-of-town cousin visited, so we had the chance to play tourist. The first evening, we met our kids for dinner at Spice Steakhouse by Lake Eola. I had a fillet of beef which was very tender. Thornton Park has a number of interesting restaurants, including Hues and the Eola Wine Co. (I think that’s the name) and some other places. On Sundays, there’s a farmers market downtown, and also near Central Avenue are several nightclubs.

We spent the next day at Epcot in Walt Disney World. As soon as we entered the park, we went on the Spaceship Earth ride, newly renovated. I was glad to see that most of the historical dioramas were still present. Although I missed Walter Cronkite’s narration, I liked the British accent of the new female narrator. I would have liked a bit more history though. Her sketches explaining each scene seemed too brief. Some older displays were missing with nothing taking their place, like the big submarine movie running on a screen by the telegram site.

The ride takes you through the history of communication, from prehistoric drawings on cave walls up until the 1950s or so. Here’s where the scene really changed. I had liked the old displays with an American teenager communicating via computer to a girl in Japan. Then there was a glittering view of global communication with lines streaking across the globe, supposedly representing the Internet that now connects us around the world. Instead we continue with a history lesson on the revised ride, with one display showing how early computers took up an entire room. From here the experience becomes interactive, and it’s quite clever. I left the ride with a chuckle, glad that the view of Earth from outer space still remains a highlight.

We headed over to The Land Pavilion next for a pleasant boat ride through hydroponic gardens where you see amazingly huge growths of fruits and vegetables. I’m always astounded by this demonstration. It seems as though we should be able to grow produce in this manner on rooftops and patios, so why isn’t this technology more widely available for common use?

World Showcase was open by now, so we strolled toward the different lands represented at Epcot, stopping inside China to see the circle vision film, viewing the American Experience show which leaves you with a happy, patriotic feeling, and shopping for chocolate inside Germany. We had lunch at the Marrakesh Restaurant in Morocco, watching the belly dancer while we munched on delicacies from the Middle East. I had lemon chicken, while my cousin had lamb with couscous. We did the ride in Mexico before leaving my cousin and her son to continue on their own while we went back to our condo to rest.

The next day, we went to the Animal Kingdom, my second favorite park at Walt Disney World. We headed straight toward Africa for the safari ride and boarded an elongated jeep for a bumpy ride into the savanna where we saw lions and tigers and rhinos and more. I loved the lush tropical greenery as we strode down winding paths in a rainforest environment, viewing wildlife exhibits along the way. Disney does everything so well. In the Asian section, you feel as though you’ve come upon crumbling temple ruins in an Indiana Jones adventure. Here the Mount Everest mountain towers above everything else with its snow-capped peaks. We saw the spectacular Lion King Festival production but saved the Nemo musical for another time.

There’s just too much to cover in one visit.

On Christmas Day, we saw the sequel to National Treasure and enjoyed the movie very much. I actually liked it better than the first one. We all had dinner in the Teppanyaki room at Kobe Japanese steakhouse.

The following afternoon found us eating lunch on Park Avenue in Winter Park, an upscale village within the Orlando suburbs. After strolling by a selection of quaint boutiques and well-known shops like Restoration Hardware, The Pottery Barn, and Williams Sonoma, we drove to magnificent Leu Gardens for our nature fix, walking the shady trails and admiring the foliage.

Thus ended our sojourn to Orlando. The roads and theme parks were very crowded at this time of year, but we had fantastic weather and so who could ask for more?

I received Killer Knots for Christmas and I can't put it down! :) Thanks for your fabulous books! Have a great New Years.

Thank you, Lisa. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Happy Voyages into 2008!
Nancy

Glad you enjoyed Orlando, Nancy. Sounds like you had a full weekend! We love Park Avenue, too.

We're lucky we had good weather to enjoy the parks. I hear it's going down into the thirties there later this week. Brr! Maybe you'll see snow! Back in 1976, when we were out of the country on our honeymoon, it actually snowed in Miami.