Disneyland

The long awaited day had arrived - we were off to Disneyland. However first - find the correct train!! We were getting good at this - didn't like paying $100 for the return train ticket though (in addition to the tickets). Oh well - it was Disneyland Paris after all.

Hollywood on holiday

Jack Sparrow & Jordyn

Eager to enter the park we were keen to get on all the rides - although we were distracted when we met some famous people along the way.

Wicked Queen from Snow White

Dr Facilier from the frog prince

Captain Hook

Goofy

Maleficient from Sleeping Beauty

Pluto

Minnie Mouse

We got to see the main parade and Jordyn got a lovely cuddle from Piglet and a high five from Tigger.

Peter tried to get himself a job at Luigi's, but they are a bit quiet at the moment and didn't need him.

We got to see both parks - Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios. It was good to see both but it really would have been better to take two days, even at this quiet time of year.

The longest waiting for rides were on the rides for the smaller kids - Addison (and we) had to wait 20 minutes for the Dumbo Ride and then again 40 minutes for the Parachute ride.

Trying to be patient

The BEST ride ever (according to Nick & Jordyn)

Monmartre & the Catacombes

On Wednesday we met up with a lovely lovely called Martine Silber who is a guide with Paris Greeters.

We caught the metro to Montmartre and walked the streets seeing the neighbourhood with commentary by Martine - providing us with history and local knowledge (she lived here when she was young). The tour was catered with the kids in mind and the children were shown many examples of street art.                     

Montparnasse tower in the background

 

French crepes for all

We caught the metro again and headed across town to The Catacombes. Despite an hour waiting in heavy rain - it was worth it. 

We all found them amazing! There are 65 kms of tunnels with 6-7 million bodies there. The kids weren't scared at all - just amazed.

As the daylight finished we caught the metro to the Trocadero and walked to the Eiffel tower. We had pre-booked a 'Behind the scenes' tour of the tower. We go to see the engine room where the elevators are powered - Peter was hoping they have been serviced well! 

It was so thrilling to catch the lift up after seeing how the lift was powered. As we got into the lift the rain stopped and at the 2nd level we were greeted with clear skies. Great for photos.

Some of our best photos were on the way home.

More Art Appreciation

Ruin appreciation - Nick style

First thing today we went to see the Crypt below Notre Dame to see the foundations of Paris.

Train Station clocks (Mitchell kids in the middle)

Musee d Orsay

Then we went to Musee d'Orsay to see the impressionist paintings. Peter was blown away by their painting style, and the kids were impressed with the building (an old train station) and the art works.

     

Relaxing at the d'Orsay

Art appreciation Peter style

  

On the river bank we came across a shipping container that was also a food vendor. It was surrounded by areas constructed for children - hopscotch, table games and many other things. Peter enjoyed it very much - the best coffee in Paris apparently!

From the d'Orsay we headed to Musee Rodin to see the sculptures. Being off season many of the museums are being renovated - so the gardens were only partially open, but we were still able to go inside. We just couldn't see inside the museum. Nick was desperate to see 'The Thinker'.

Peek a boo !

Some sculptures do look better from the front

  The sculptures were amazing and the children enjoyed being able to have a play in the grounds. In many of the Paris parks it is forbidden to walk (or play( on the grass, so the Rodin museum was popular with the Mitchell kids as it had grass and a sand pit. For us - it was a chance to have a rest.

We caught the metro to Montparnasse Tower which is the tallest building in Paris. No waiting in line again - the benefits of travelling when it is not peak season. With sunset at 7pm we headed up with heaps of time to spare. Unfortunately, this meant it became a little boring for the kids.

Sunset in Paris

Following that stunning experience, we went on the Bateaux Mouches (boat cruise) on the seine. It was freezing - so the kids went in doors. The view was still great. Every hour on the hour the Eiffel Tower has twinkling - but it is hard to get the gorgeous effect of the lights in a photo.

 A lovely day although a late night.

Walking Paris

I had forgotten how hard the cobblestones are to walk on in Paris - only took about 10 metres to realise what a bad idea they were. Pretty, but hard on the feet. We had a walk to the Le Halles area to collect some prepaid tickets - unfortunately one of the best kids playgrounds in Paris is closed for renovation.

Our first sightseeing was the Louvre - still as big as I remembered. We only got to see a small art of it, but it was what the kids wanted to see and all my feet could handle.

Basement entry to the Louvre - the quick way !

Just a few people wanting to see Mona

Our prepaid tickets allowed us to avoid the first line - to buy the tickets. Then we just had to go through the security screening - no way to avoid that ! Pretty quick - the line for the ladies toilets was took longer.










No courtesy in this crowd - even the kids couldn't get to the front to see the Mona Lisa.

Addi-tude in the Louvre

After the Louvre we walked along the Tuilleries to the Musee L Orangerie. Although we had skip the line tickets - so did another 50 people so we had a wait of about 20 minutes. It was worth it - Monet's waterlillys are still stunning. The children thought so too.

We are always amazed at the size of the paintings. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photos of the paintings - luckily for us Peter likes to break the rules.

Another beautiful walk home to our home beside Notre Dame.

The River Seine & Notre Dame