TR: Paris – City Sights 11/23-11/25

This is the final part of the TR. Changing gears big time, we’re going to a narrative of the three proper days of sightseeing outside the Disney parks that we got in. I made sure to jam it absolutely full of stuff though. And yes, AMUSEMENT CONTENT. So enjoy.

11/23/09:

After acquiring our multizone passes at the Disneyland train station for €41 apiece, we headed straight to La Defense. Those on the ECO trip may remember this as the rough area where two of the Ibis hotels were located, and the Grande Arch is an imposing edifice. Along with it is a large shopping area, movie theater, a carousel (new for the holiday season, I believe), and a still being constructed Christmas village. We considered the run up to the top of the Arch, but decided the cost wasn’t worth it to us on such an overcast and misty day. There was some solid picture taking though in the area. From there, we made the short run to the Les Sablons station and walked to Jardin D’Acclimation.

TR: Paris – Disney Studios Paris (November 2009)

I lied. The next part ended up being longer, I think. Well, this will be short. It has to be. I’ve been to the Studios before, after all. It was, for some time, at the bottom of my list of parks in the world, alongside the unspeakably awful Six Flags Elitch Gardens. Things have changed though for the best. More rides have entered the picture, and more are on the way in the form of a new Toy Story miniland that was under construction while we were there.

Still opening the park is Studio 1, an immense structure housing lots of counter service food, tables to eat at, and some shopping. It was decorated for Christmas and looked good. It might be my favorite part of the original park, aside from original attraction Cinemagique.

TR: Disneyland Paris (November 2009)

For the next part of the TR, Disneyland Paris. Our goal for this trip with the Disney parks was to remember them. I mean, really remember them. Burn them into our minds so that we don’t forget and don’t ever have to do 4 days at them again. We both did day trips to them in our previous shots over: My wife went with her mother and late father in 2003 during the winter and never went to the Studios. I went in 2002 after the ECO trip with Derek Shaw and Marlon Scott, and while I did both parks, I only concentrated on the big dark rides and the coasters. I need not tell you then that we missed a lot.

The park is right in the middle of the Disney sizes compared to the US: Its bigger than Magic Kingdom or DCA, its smaller than Epcot. One thing that instantly distinguishes the entire Disney facility from the others world wide: the coasters here have inversions. Two of the three at Disneyland Paris do, as does a third at the Studios. Only one coaster at WDW inverts. That isn’t necessarily a good thing, however. Inversions mean big restraints. Big restraints sometimes mean discomfort.

TR: Paris – Intro + Basic Info (Pt. 1)

3 weeks after Cedar Point closing day came our actual close to the season. Planned back in March during a very dark period of the year around the death of Meredith’s father from cancer, the year’s finale was fervently prepared for with language CDs and video games and books right up to the point where we booked our trip to Scandinavia. At that point, we basically forgot about the France trip, did little planning, stopped doing our vocab, and focused on the immediate. That continued right up to the last week or so of the trip. Its tough to imagine that one could forget about a trip to France; we did.

Post ECO stuff: Jardin D’Acclimatation(7/28), Louvre Fair (7/28), Disney(7/29)

I decided to just do parks for various reasons. Whatever. My call, not yours.

Jardin D’Acclimatation (7/28)-

I was here instead of in Germany because of 8 million things (when does the Metro open? how far is it to the airport? why can’t I get a hold of the rental agency? the internet isn’t working? what the fuck do you mean you can’t give me Jim Raimar’s room number?). Otherwise, there would have been WAY more park action then there was. Apologies to Jim for never making it. Instead, I went to Jardin with Derek Shaw, Matt Crowther, Betsy Abrahms, and Lisa Scheinin.

Jardin D’Acclimatation is a funky ass combination children’s playground, garden, and amusement park in central Paris. It features some flat rides, bumper cars, a train, and 3 coasters listed on RCDB. Not one of them is “normal”.