Day 9--Paris (Disneyland)

Disneyland Paris was a dream that got our kids through COVID.

 I have worked in medicine my entire adult life, and my parents are both retired nurses. We took quarantine very seriously, and it was hard on our girls. One of their coping strategies was to make future plans. They watched hours of YouTube videos about Disneyland Paris and in the year 2020, they had a whole itinerary mapped out, including where and what they wanted to eat.  

Five years have passed, and we have been blessed to go on other big family trips since COVID, but somehow this one meant the most to me. It reminded me to be grateful for the end of COVID’s potent lethality for most people. We are lucky to have made it through that time, and to have come out the other side even closer. I often wonder if we would be able to take this five week trip abroad without the experience of having to tolerate and rely on each other for so long. 

Donnie and I had very little idea of what the park would be like. Like so many things in Paris, I was in complete awe.  This was my favorite Disney park by a LOT. The entrance is a huge garden. There were about 1/4 of the people who are at Disneyland California on any given day. The fast passes are incredible. And the food…pricey but delicious. We didn’t take a lot of pictures. It was raining and cold, and most of the rides were near replicas of the ones back home. But here are a few of our favorite shots.

I will just say this—if you like Disney at all, and you are in Paris, it is a smooth day trip you will not regret taking. I was reading online about folks who planned a day trip but chose to stay overnight because the experience is so wonderful. I could definitely see a true Disney fan making this choice!  




When our girls were little, I would watch “Fantasia” with them and make up voices for the dancing alligator and hippo. They laughed a lot and I felt like a comedic genius. 


Click here to experience the truly magical entrance:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/A9Xjq3fkztsjQavw6


This is just the Disneyland hotel. Casually gorgeous and pink!


This is their pristine, incredible entrance. Very aesthetic,
as my girls would say. 



This is their Sleeping Beauty’s castle, my friends. I was flabbergasted by its sweetness.

They have a dragon walk through underneath. It is amazing. Here it is.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0dddsLiSEgOWMVYMsjvLpBbog


This was the Alice maze my girls have been dreaming about since they were little…back in 2020 😢.


We are a huge Mary Poppins family. Whenever Donnie sees them at the parks, he always gets pictures of her and Bert for me. The penguins were truly adorable.



The view from the Queen of Hearts castle in the Alice maze.


Here’s how they represented the United States in “It’s a Small World”…yay for the southwest! 



Here was our truly delicious dinner and dessert at Walt’s restaurant. Since it was raining, tons of people cancelled, and we were able to get a reservation really quickly! 





Such a pretty atmosphere and the perfect end to a beautiful day. 






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