We left our young ones behind in Disneyland and we are adventuring on our own for the rest of the trip. We will miss them and all of the help they provided in making arrangements, teaching us new digital tricks, and making sure we were where we were supposed to be at the right time, with the right transport ticket. It will be amazing if we survive the rest of the trip.
It was a grand time in Disneyland Paris. The crowds were endless, trying to find a walking route could be challenging, and the queues were constant but I have to say they sure know how to move people in and out of places—and so quickly. It is impressive from an event planning perspective. The weather was very brisk when we first arrived but by the last day it surged to a balmy +24C. The kids (all generations) had a great time, only slightly overwhelmed by the competing choices of which ride or attraction to take in next.
Grandpa turned out to be a real adventurer joining the grandson and granddaughter on many of the rides. Favourites included Star Tours (yes Grandma liked that one too), It’s a Small World (which our youngest granddaughter loved) and Grandpa even ventured on his own into the dirigible type hot air balloon ride boasting panoramic views of Disneyland. The granddaughter emphatically declared that her mother was NOT allowed to go on that ride.
On our last day there the little one encouraged all of us to go on the Story Boat ride that she and her mom had taken earlier in the day. Once seated in the boat, she turned around to look at us all and said, “You are all going to LOVE this ride!” And we did. The grandson was very adventurous and has no fear and his dad obliged him by going on all the rides, as did his mom who joined him on many rides including the Hollywood Hotel “Tower of Terror.” We ended our time together at the Disney Cast of Characters parade which was spectacular, and the always musically entertaining Lion King show.
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| Here comes Mickey. |
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| For you, Eric! |
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| Sorry, Balloon photos are all out of order. |
This morning David and I started the day off in Paris, having hailed a taxi to take us to the train station. Our capable driver politely “beep beeped” his way through the morning rush hour. We sure are glad we weren’t driving in Paris. When we got to the Paris station to take the Eurostar back to London we were surprisingly entertained by an unintentionally hilarious Eurostar attendant who addressed the thousand people in line with his constant pleas for anyone taking the 9:03 train to London to please go in a certain queue. For his last call for the train he implored, shouting politely at the top of his voice, “I say this with my deepest and complete sincerity, that I hope you will all back me up and come to my defence if anyone has arrived late for this train and is in the wrong line.” With a British accent, by a Parisien, he had the whole line chuckling. Heh, heh, …
It’s interesting that on the London side of this departure there were so many employees guiding the queues for the roughly 1600 people who would take the train, whereas on the Paris side, there were only two employees. Very kind and not intending to be humorous but they were. Always interesting to see how two different countries handle their entry processes.
We had two good train rides today, the one from Paris to London, and then on to York in northern England. I need to take better care in booking the seats as for some reason we ended up (on both trains) without a window. This is pretty rare on a train. But we were close to our luggage!!
York is grand. I didn’t really know what to expect but in the sunshine when we arrived everything looks fairytale-like. The walled city, the blossoming trees, and the River Ouse all work together to make it look so charming. I was blessed with a restaurant manager who visited our room tonight to chat about dinner possibilities from their menu. She could not possibly have been any kinder and understanding. The food and the service were exquisite matched by beautiful surroundings. We are excited to take in the rest of the city’s sights over the next few days. Evidently there are around 365 pubs and restaurants in York at any given time. Don’t think we will get to them all…
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