Ninjas in Paris

Now, to say I was tired on my way to Paris was an understatement, but I was determined to make my last trip count! Initially, I was a little sad that Paris was going to be my last trip – for a lot of reasons – but now, even days after recovering upon my arrival back to Scotland, I don’t think I have it in me to go anywhere else. I need a break! I absolutely LOVE traveling, and I am not scared to talk to different people to find my way – but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t exhausting. Even in Scotland, where everyone speaks English, it gets really hard to continue to be that foreign person after a while. My quick trip to Paris was super laid back, yet still so exciting (Hi Kelly!), so it was perfect.

Kelly and I got to Paris in the late afternoon, and were staying in the beautiful Montmartre (Moulin Rouge, Sacre-Coeur, Amelie) district. We knew that we didn’t have too much time there, so we dedicated our first afternoon/night to braving the lines of the Eiffel Tower. With delicious crepe in hand, just seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time is indescribable. I know I also said this about Big Ben in London, but now even more so. The Eiffel Tower is the single most recognizable structure in the world. THE WORLD. And to be standing there looking at it, under, and on its massive self is crazy. Now, because there is a lot of construction going on at the moment there are two lines open: the first, with virtually no line at all, for a walk up to the second floor only. The second line, hours long, is to go to the tippity-top. Kelly and I both agreed that when you go to the Eiffel Tower, YOU GO TO THE TOP. Well, after two hours of standing in line, THEY CLOSED THE TOP. Such bullshit. We were SO SO SO pissed. Ugh. It still miffs me a little. Granted I am happy to have been able to go at all, and we were on it while it was sparkling on the hour, which was really amazing. I guess I’m just going to have to go back to Paris now…oh, how horrible! (:

Pretty tired of tours, museums, city-wandering, and because the French hate Americans, Kelly and I dedicated our little excursion to Paris to something a little more American-vacation. We spent a full THIRTEEN hours at the absolutely amazing DISNEYLAND PARIS. Extremely easy to get to from the city, we were in immediate heaven. For anyone who has ever been to Disney, and it doesn’t matter how old you are, you know that there is just a weird feeling of stree-free magic the second you walk in. Disneyland Paris did NOT disappoint – it is where dreams come true (in Europe). Although I have never been to Disneyland California, I guess they bare a lot of resemblance. For instance, the castle in the middle belongs to Sleeping Beauty, Aurora – not Cinderella. Man, Walt Disney, what would the world be without you?! A lot of things were in both French and English, or the first half one language, and the second half the other. While there were people there from all over Europe it was so weird to think that this would be the only Disneyland they would ever see – Orlando just seems like such a staple of childhood.

DP was made up of two parks: the first is just called Disneyland, which is basically the Magic Kingdom. The second park is Walt Disney Studios, which is MGM. It seemed as though a lot of the best rides were plucked out of the other parks and put here. Being in France there were also a lot of obvious French highlights – ie: I don’t think in any other Disney park is Gaston from Beauty and the Beast featured as a main villain. The majority of the rides/attractions we went on were: The Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Indiana Jones Coaster, Pirates of the Caribbean, Adventure Isle, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, It’s A Small World, Pinocchio, Snow White, Alice’s Curious Labrynth, Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, Star Tours, Space Mountain II, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Animagique, Crush’s Coaster (NEMO!), RC Racer in TOY STORY LAND, The Tower of Terror, and Aerosmith’s Rockin’ Roller Coaster.

I seriously made the most ridiculous faces on all of the photos from roller coasters. I wish I had taken more pictures of them.

The whole day could not have been better!!! Main Street USA was worth the ticket alone – I, of course, wanted to buy everything but restrained myself! At the end of the night our tired feet decided to stay for their 20^th birthday show, DISNEY DREAMS. WOW. It was not what I expected at all. I hope there is a video online or something because I don’t have the words to even explain what was happening. There were of course a lot of fireworks, water works, pyrotechnics, etc – but what really amazed me was the technology. The majority of the 30 minute-plus show consisted of some kind of enormous projection continuously transforming the castle by song and different Disney film (like I said, it was so much more amazing than what I just typed, but I really don’t even know what was happening!). Sigh. I love Disney. I want to go back….right now.

After our thirteen hour plus rendezvous to Disney, Kelly and I returned to rest up for our final day in Paris. It was pretty nice out, so with croissants and crepes in tow we went on a four hour walking tour around the city. Our SCOTTISH (hahahaha, of course – go figure!) tour guide Billy was so easy to listen to and follow. I may be biased because I love Scotland so much, but I still think he was great! In that four hours we heard and saw a ton of what every tourist should, while walking along the Seine: the Latin section, the Notre Dame, the Lourve, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomph, Ramesses II - Cleopatra Needle, just everything Napoleon related in general, all of the bridges, palaces, museums, etc – and of course views of the Eiffel Tower everywhere.

A perfect last trip, I loved Paris. I wish the French were a little nice, but hey, what can you do? I would love to go back and spend more time there (déjà vu, I say that a lot, don’t I?), but upon leaving, I was SO ready to go home to Edinburgh, celebrate my birthday, and hop in my bed!

This Year's Love - David Gray

Do You Realize - The Flaming Lips

Queen of California - John Mayer