Clara meets Mickey

In an effort to catch up I’m not going to write about my trip to Ireland.  It was cool – very green.  But if you’d like to hear about it… I captured the highlights in my blog for musicianwages.

Moving right along…

Our house can sometimes be a revolving door for guests.  The holiday season was proof of this (we are finally back down to just the three of us again). For Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to have Carrie’s mom and two of her nephews, Max and Jackson. Having two tween boys in the house was very exciting for Clara – she was smitten.

For turkey day, I did some wheeling and dealing at work and managed to get a couple days off (I don’t get american holidays off over here).  Carrie, aka the tour guide, did the rest.

We all packed into our beat up mini van on Wednesday night and headed into the sunset – to meet Mickey.

Disneyland is located outside Paris – about 2 and a half hours away. Carrie found some an amazing condo about 2 miles from the park.  Our suite was large and cozy with everybody getting their own space. The girls and I in one room, Grandma in another,  and the boys downstairs on the sofa bed. It was perfect… except there was no heat (in case you’re wondering, France in Nov. is COLD). Thankfully the hot water still worked and we all warmed (separately) in the shower the next morning.  Carrie and I went to the office to complain, while the rest of the bunch ate breakfast back in the icehouse.

Off to the park.

Disneyland looked remarkably similar to it’s sister park in CA.  Main street was identical, all the storefronts were in English, even if the main language was french. Plus every half hour it SNOWS! I thought the snow tasted very much like dish soap. But I guess when you  crank out snow on demand,  you have to skimp on flavor.

The magic castle was a bit different, more water running through it.  According to Marianne and the boys, each castle is from a different movie – sleeping beauty, etc. If this is true I think the Disney Paris Castle looks a bit like the castle from “Tangled” which looks a bit like Mont St. Michel. And yes, I am fully prepared to turn in my Man-Card for knowing what the Tangled Castle looks like.

Excited by the total lack of lines (Thanksgiving is not big in France) we all rush towards the 1st ride we see – Snow White.  Posted on the wall by entrance is a sign that reads: “Caution.  This ride contains images of a  Scary Witch that may be frightening to young children.”  I make the colossal mistake  of reading this out loud.

Clara (sobbing) – Nooooooo! I don’t want to see the scary witch! Noooo Daddy, No!

Carrie and I take Clara to the Carrousel  in an attempt to get her mind off the scary witch.  But it’s too late.  The witch is everywhere.  She breaks down in terrified tears as we try to pick out a horse.  I end up handing her over the railing to grandma,  while Carrie and I, unable to exit, ride our horses round and round.

The tears (and refusal to try any rides) continue for over an hour and I was getting worried.   Thinking Clara’s love of pirates will pay off, we all pile into the Peter Pan ride. This is my second mistake of the day.

The ride is dark. Very dark.

Clara screaming – “I want to get offfffffffff!!!”

While my toddler was not bonding with Mickey the way I had hoped,  I was at least getting my roller coastering on with Max and Jackson. Just for the record, Euro Disney’s Space Mountain is vastly superior to the stateside version.

Things started to turn around for Clara on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Her love of Toy Story did pay off.  To commemorate the turning point of the the day Grandma bought her a loud, glowing lazer gun. Clara then proceeded to blast everyone she passed, gangsta style. The carnage continued into the boat of “It’s a Small World”.  But once we entered the ride, everything stopped.

My chatty little girl was utterly speechless. Her jaw dropped as all the dolls danced and sung “Jingle Bells”.  I have never seen her so mesmerized before.  She didn’t know where to look.  Every conceivable direction there was something new and magical to see. The rest of us in the boat were busy pointing things out,  as her little head craned in all directions trying to process the sheer wonder before her. It was a moment I will never forget.

That evening we had a thanksgiving feast. Turkey and all.  Carrie made everything ahead of time and we just heated it up in the condo.  Which, by the way,  was now boiling. The guy came by and got our heat cranking. And throughout the night the temperature just kept climbing.

We later learned that the thermostat and the furnace are in no way related. Adjusting one has no bearing on the other. They’re just in the same room for aesthetic purposes. Or maybe it’s entertainment for the staff?

I guess the thought of me getting up 15 times during the night, repeatedly mashing sweaty fingers into the down arrow on the temperature gauge, until finally giving up and opening the window, must make for a good laugh over coffee and croissants.

Mickey is rolling over in his grave.

Mama, Max, Mont St. Tangled, Clara and Jackson. Notice the few lingering soapflakes in Max's hair.

"Are you talkin' to me? I don't see nobody else here..."

A Minnie Mouse hat and a lolly can brighten anyone's day. Carrie also got a cool Minnie hat, but I was forbidden from posting any pics of her in it.

Sometimes meeting your heroes can be a little unsettling.

The following day Marianne, the boys and I headed into Paris, while Carrie stayed in the condo and force fed Clara prune juice.

The outside...

...The inside. The boys and I decided to take the 5,000+ stairs for a change of pace. I later found out I had pneumonia during this excursion.

Napoleon's tomb. We also found a much smaller tomb in the next room for his dog, Be-bop.

Carrie gave the boys a crash course in scarf wearing. As you can see they're looking quite European.

The Christmas blogs coming soon!

… and in case you were wondering,  the prune juice was a roaring success!