Disneyland Paris

Following our bout of holiday homesickness, we packed our bags and headed for the closest slice of Americana we could find—Disneyland! With the boys kicking the back of our seats, and Meatloaf, Cher and Gloria Estefan unavoidably blaring on the radio, we drove the six hours to Disneyland Paris’ Sequoia Lodge, dropped our bags and, like the crazy Disney families we swore we’d never become, we ran for the park!

Our excitement was slightly dulled by the unanticipated bitter cold and long lines, but the kids were in their element and made it a really fun two days. We perfected the double jogger stroller weave through the crowds and managed to ride most of the big attractions. We started with Ben’s childhood favorite, It’s a Small World, and ended with mine, Pirates of the Caribbean. Not surprisingly, Eli was fascinated with a new addition, Buzz Lightyear’s Lazer Blast. And Ethan, who was pretty much stone-faced on all of the rides, really seemed to light up during the evening Fantillusion Parade where he waved and said hi to all of the characters as they passed by.

Mealtimes were really enjoyable too. The scenery of the Rainforest Café and the backdrop of the Pirates ride at the Blue Lagoon Restaurant kept the kids entertained and very well-behaved. Eli was thrilled to have his birthday cake with the pirates, although he made it very clear that next year he wants vanilla cupcakes and they better have a numbered candle on them! And while the kids enjoyed milk in flashing souvenir glasses and we enjoyed our own well-deserved cocktails, Ben and I reflected on what a special time we were having as a family.

All in all, we thought our Disney adventure was a big success and we were excited that our European travels were off to such a positive start…

And then we went on to Paris…
For all of you who have left messages saying how jealous you were that we were in Paris for New Years, let me paint you a little picture…colder, foggier, no characters to entertain the kids, two hours in line to go up the Eiffel Tower (and then no view), spilled hot chocolate at a fancy café, followed by a walk along the Champs-Elysees with both kids hysterically crying, leading to us shove the double stroller in the back of a cab and ride back to our hotel room, which was so small that Eli had to sleep in the closet, everyone in bed by 8:00pm with an alarm set for 11:15pm to head downtown to ring in the New Year, on the first year that Paris decided not to have a fireworks display, and then everything was closed on New Years Day!

Needless to say, we were a little exhausted by the end of the stay and were happy to come home to Basel. It was strange returning to German territory after three days in France. I have to say, I was quite impressed by my own recollection of high school French and my eagerness to try it—although everyone insisted on responding to me in English, so maybe I wasn’t as good as I thought!

We now look back at the trip and laugh. It was our first European vacation and we had a few things to learn. But hey, we still had a better time than the Griswolds!

Happy New Year!