Le Magic Kingdom! We took the girls to Disneyland Paris and had a great time comparing similarities and differences between US and French versions. The overall summary was Paris is smaller and easier to navigate, but not as many rides. Some of the rides are also very different. Space Mountain in Paris is HyperSpace Mountain and a Star Wars themed ride with three upside down loops, unlike the California version which is generic space theme with zero upside downs. We all agreed that the Paris version was better! All in all it was a very long day - we were walking home from the metro at 11pm, but did get to finally see the Eiffel Tower and Louvre lit up at night! The sun doesn't set here until 10pm so we haven't seen any city lights til now.
Autotopia - same fun ride, same bad drivers.
Aladdin themed area and crepe and espresso afternoon snack.
"Barbe a papa" ie. Papa's beard, which is French for cotton candy.
From the Finding Nemo movie, the terrifyingly terrific Crush's Coaster, complete with Sydney Harbor signage!
The kids' classic favorite, the spinning tea cups. Note: you will not find a parent willing to ride this with them anymore! High risk of losing one's recently eaten crepe and espresso all over tea cup.
Girls only felt slightly guilty eating their Baby Yoda ice creams.
Two excited girls getting ready for Star Tours, also the same as California version.
Can you tell it's waaaayyyy past someone's bedtime??
The rest of the week was fairly mellow, we visited the Musee de l'Orangerie and enjoyed Monet's series of water lilly paintings. We strolled food streets in different neighborhoods and looked at some modern art at Centre Pompidou. The week finished with "Georgia Day" where Georgia got to pick the day's activities. We (naturally) ended up at a local amusement park, Jardin d'Acclimatation which had smaller rides than Disney but no lines, so the girls got to ride, run out the exit back to the entrance and ride again, ad infinitum. We managed to ride with the girls for a while, then respectfully exited to a nearby bench to sit and relax while listening to the non-stop screeching-with-joy of our children. It's hard to believe, but we only have one week left in Paris!
The fruit in Paris has been phenomenal, strawberries here were particularly delicious, and nectarines and peaches have also been big winners.
Inside the modern art museum, Centre Pompidou.
The girls' favorite part of the modern art? Riding the six floors of escalators, of course!
Afternoon stop to try a pastis (Tiffany did not like!) and the bartender mixed up a drink just for the girls. I think it was non-alcoholic but it's hard to tell with them anyway.
Delicious, branded nectarines.
The ultimate French dessert, gelato shaped into a flower, with a macaron on top.
At the local amusement park, Jardin d'Acclimatation, on a very charming, 96-year old boat ride. The park was inaugurated in 1860 and originally intended to introduce and "acclimatize" various animals for agricultural, leisure and commercial purposes.
The park still features many animals, including these goats on a trampoline. They refused to jump for us, some sort of French union restriction.
A museum and cultural event center sponsored by the Louis Vuitton Foundation is also in the park.
Roller coasters with no lines? yes please!
Flying through the air, Georgia always trying to put her hands up.
The hazards of putting your hands up on a ride without secure seatbelts is demonstrated here by Georgia almost falling out of her seat.
Not that it stopped her or Sydney.
Motorcycle ride with poor Sydney stuck in the sidecar.
A great day at Jardin d'Acclimatation!
And we celebrated Father's Day with a food tour of the Marais district of Paris and this very mixed emotions card...
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