The House of Mouse

We never intended to have regularly scheduled trips to Disney theme parks but somehow since Charlotte was born we have managed the following:

• August 2018: Disney World - Florida
• December 2021: Disneyland - California
• February 2024: Disneyland - Paris

And not that we keep track of these things, but here is each family member's Disney Park experience so far:

• Amanda: 6 (2x Disney World, 2x Disneyland, 2x Disneyland Paris)
• Adam: 4 (2x Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris)
• Charlotte: 3 (Disney World, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris)
• Olivia: 2 (Disneyland & Disneyland Paris)

However, if you break this down by frequency, Olivia and Charlotte are clearly 1 and 2 in the family. Disney is really going to have to increase the number of parks in the next 10-15 years if the girls hope to keep up their current pace!

Anyway, after a very nice city break in Paris we decided to spend 2 days and 3 nights at Disneyland Paris so that the girls can keep up the current trend of visiting a Disney location every 2-3 years. Also, I really like amusement parks like Disney and Six Flags so I was really excited to see what the rides they had and getting to watch the girls enjoy some Disney magic!

Our first day was spent in the Magic Kingdom and we were all princessed up and ready for fun!

So we quickly found the Disney castle and then made our way to the first ride of the day, and Amanda's favorite, Dumbo!

We then got our dizzy on with the Tea Cups!

Next up was "It's a Small World" followed by "Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast" and "Autopia"

Then it was time for a big decision. You see earlier in the trip, Charlotte asked Amanda and I what our favorite parts of Disney parks are and while Amanda enjoys the shows, parades and fireworks I'm all in on the rides. And when she found out that my favorite Disney ride was Space Mountain and that she was big enough to ride it she had convinced herself that she would ride it with me. One of the things that I love about my oldest daughter is her willingness to try new things. However, it is often tempered by the fact that she's not particularly...tough. 

While we were walking around the park talking about all the rides I tried to impress upon her the speed and force of the turns she would experience on the ride. And while I was careful to not discourage her from coming with me I equally wanted to make sure she had fair warning of what she would be getting into. Then as we finished up at "Autopia" I asked one last time if she wanted to come with me and she said that she did. It wasn't the gung-ho "Yes" she gave me earlier in the day so I knew she understood that this would be completely different than anything she had ever done before. I gave her one last chance to opt out and she looked me square and the eye and said "I want to try it". So we hopped in line and got ready to ride.

By the time we got through the line and were getting on the ride nervous anticipation was coursing through her. And when the arm bars came down to lock us in place her face was starting to go pale. But it wasn't until after the first burst of speed as we pulled away from the loading dock and around a corner to the "launching pad" that the magnitude of what she was about to do sank in. In the 30 seconds we sat at on the pad waiting to get shot into the ride she looked over at me with damp eyes and whispered "I don't think I wanna do this anymore". But at this point it was too late so I held her hand, told her it would be alright and that she could scream as much as she wanted for the next two minutes to help get through it. And after 2 minutes of the fastest roller coaster in the park my incredibly brave little girl who was now fully crying also looked up at me and asked, "Did I just go upside down?" "Yes my precious child, yes you did and you were the bravest 6 year old on that coaster!" The rest of the day we toned down the ride intensity with a few rounds of the merry-go-round and then the three girls went off to ride Peter Pan while I took a turn on "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril"

We joined up back at the Merry-go-round for a family photo before heading back to our hotel.

But not before acquiring a pair of richly deserved light-up fairy wings.

Day two of Disneyland Paris was a total whirlwind! We got to the park about 20 minutes before the gates opened to Walt Disney Studios Park and we were far enough back that by the time we had worked our way to "Crushes Coaster" (supposedly the ride with the longest wait times in the park) the line was already at the 55 min point. So we decided to change course and keep the family moving so off to the "World of Pixar" where we could all enjoy the "Parachute Drop" and Slinkies coaster.

The weather turned overnight and it was now very cold and threatening rain!

Next stop was "Cars Road Trip" and along the way we came across a company of army men and spied some mysterious construction activities taking place just on the other side of the fence. I wonder if there are any Arendellians on that construction crew?

Shortly after we finished the road trip through Cars the skies started to open up on us so we retreated inside for an early lunch. The weather did clear out some of the crowds around Crushes Coaster so after lunch we found ourselves spinning on a half shell hurtling down the EAC. Charlotte loved it so much she went twice! Apparently riding the Space Mountain the day before made her realize that everything else is pretty tame by comparison.

As it was still raining we made our way to Ratatouille where we joined Remy as he was chased around the kitchen trying to avoid getting caught by Skinner the Chef at Gusteau's.

By this time there was no more holding back by the weather and the rain was coming down in torrents so Amanda very adroitly found two shows for us to watch where we could stay warm and dry the rest of the afternoon. Of course, the first show came with a 40 minute wait and since we've already established that I love roller coasters I made my way to the Disney Studios version of Space Mountain called "Avengers Assemble: Flight Force". Charlotte opted to stay out of the rain for this one which meant I got to go in the single riders line which had a reduced wait time of 10 minutes. But it wasn't even that long as I had time to enjoy it twice before I needed to jog back through the rain to the theater.

The first show was about Disney Movie Music and came with a loosely contrived plot that I was probably supposed to try and follow along but honestly there were streamers, bubbles, balloons and videos coming from every direction that my cold, wet brain couldn't focus. The next show however was about Frozen and the girls made sure we all paid attention to it.

For those who are curious, Elsa sang in French, Kristoff in English and Anna & Olaf went back & forth. It was just a tad confusing.

Even though the show had ended, the rain unfortunately had not and with Olivia in this position...

... Amanda decided that she and O would head back to the room and allow Charlotte and I to run around the park unencumbered 'til we'd had enough or the park closed.

Charlotte and I managed to hang on in the rain for another two hours during which time we enjoyed "Ratatouille" three more times and "Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventures" twice. We had a fantastic time together and it was great seeing how much fun she still had on the rides. And after a long and brutally wet walk to the rental she and her sister vegged out with some wings to end the day.

Now it's time to plan our next Disney excursion. Anyone live near Tokyo or Hong Kong & interested in having us come visit for a spell?

The city of lights

Swiss schools have a week in February for “Ski Break" (similar to Spring Break, but in ski season so everyone can go skiing instead of to the beach). As we had a ski vacation at Christmas and Adam & Charlotte had skied every weekend since, I did not feel we needed more time on the slopes.

Side note from Adam: Disagree.

Anyhow, I convinced everyone that we would take a trip to Paris instead.

Adam & I have been a few times before. We’ve seen the highlights, but I wanted the girls to experience it and Charlotte took an art elective at school this year and had been talking about the Mona Lisa for awhile so we thought maybe she could see it in person.

We took the TGV train from Zurich to Paris on Friday afternoon. At one point I looked up and the screen in front of me said we were going 299km/hr (185mph). Meanwhile, my family played Go Fish! and Adam had a video conference call for work. I hope someday my kids realize how cool this was.

Upon arriving in Paris, we located our Airbnb and discovered a gem down the street…

Its been a hot minute since any of us have had fast food or Mexican, so dinner plans were quickly made.

Saturday morning was looking like the best weather day so we tried to pack in as much outdoor activity as we could. We started with La tour Eiffel.

We didn’t pre-book tickets which EVERY guide book I read said is now a must do as they have very few ‘day of’ tickets that they sell anymore. So we took a chance and got there early and hoped that we could go to the top.

Thankfully all our finger & toe crossing worked!

Up the elevator we went!

We got a little less sure we liked it the higher we went.

But by the time we got to the top we were having a good time.

And by the time we got back to ground level, we had declared it the coolest elevator ride ever.

We walked from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe. Trying to explain Napoleon and celebration of victories during the French Revolution was a bit more of a history lesson than I was prepared to give a 3 & 6 year old, so we went with they were ‘celebrating winning’. That seemed to satisfy everyone as to why there was a large structure in the middle of a roundabout.

To appease tiny humans who had walked a lot, there was also the required ice cream stop.

Everyone slept well at the end of the night!

The next day started with breakfast in our apartment. Apparently when in Paris you get your morning milk from a wine glass … we're so fancy!

Off we went to Musee d‘Orsay, one of Adam’s favorite art museums known for a large Van Gogh collection. When we were there in 2011, there was a strict no photos policy. This must have been relaxed sometime in the last 13 years as everyone was clicking away so we joined in.

It has to be one of the prettiest interiors of an art gallery out there

Studying the streets of Paris in mural form

If only Degas could see the dancer he inspired

We then headed over to Sainte Chapelle. We had not visited it in any of our earlier trips to Paris. It was the royal chapel for the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. Somehow it survived the French Revolution and though it was heavily restored in the 19th century, it has one of the most extensive 13th century stained glass collections in the world.

The upper chapel is where most of the magic and glitter glass can be found. It is reached only by super narrow spiral stairways in the towers from lower level. The most striking features are the walls, which appear to be almost entirely made of stained glass; a total of 7,200 sq ft of glass, not counting the rose window at the west end. This was a clever illusion created by the master builder; each vertical support of the windows is composed of seven slender columns, which disguise their full thickness. In addition, the walls and windows are braced on the exterior by two belts of iron chain, one at the mid-level of the bays and the other at the top of the lancets; these are hidden behind the bars holding the stained glass. Additional metal supports are hidden under the eaves of the roof to brace the windows against the wind or other stress. Furthermore, the windows of the nave are slightly higher than the windows in the apse, making the chapel appear longer than it actually is.

We may not be able to take any more culture...

We rounded out the day by walking around Notre Dame. The restoration work from the 2019 fire is still ongoing (maybe finished by December of this year???), so we could only see the outside. Its grandeur still impresses me each time I see it.

There were various signs around the structure describing the reconstruction efforts.

• 1,050 sq ft of new stone required for the reconstruction of the walls + 441,000 sq ft of existing stone cleaned and restored
• 2000 oak trees to reconstruct the wooden framework
• 32,300 sq ft of stained glass cleaned or restored
• 40,000 scaffolding pieces used, weighing 200 tons
• 150 firms and art workshops involved in the restoration with over 1,000 artisans

Maybe we’ll get one more trip in to see it once it’s complete.

Our final morning we saved for the Louvre. But first, breakfast…

Once inside, we figured we didn’t have time to leisurely stroll and look at art, so we hit the highlights… Venus de Milo, Winged Victory, Marriage at Cana, and Napoleon’s Coronation & anything by Adam’s favorite artist, Rubens

Medieval Tournament by the Moat of a Castle

Landscape with the Ruins of Mount Palatino in Rome (Italy)

Landscape with a Watering Place

Landscape Bird Catcher

We of course trudged through the swath of people to see Charlotte’s friend Mona

With that we realized we definitely hit our limit on culture.

Little did they know, but we still had one last Paris adventure to achieve. But that’s a story for tomorrow.