Well it took me a few months to make it actually inside the Colosseum. Rome was starting to get crowded with tourists, so it was better to get inside before even more people started to come. The ticket you buy to get in gets you in to the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. So it's a pretty good deal.
We started off at the Colosseum, and it was amazing!!! I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I mean you kind of already know what it looks like inside, and there really isn't that much left of it. But it's so massive! And for as long as it has been around, it's crazy how much of it is still standing.
You walk in on the ground level and can walk most of the way around. Everything is so tall! It's crazy being inside such a historical monument. Just imagining what went on inside thousands of years ago and actually standing there is a crazy feeling.
There are several levels of it, and unfortunately you could only go on two levels. And the stairs were really steep since they are the original ones. I really wanted to go to the very top, but I didn't see anyone up there. And then I saw a group up there! But it was a tour. And there was also a group on the level below the ground, which is where I wanted to go too! I found out that only special tours can go on those levels, but apparently they're really expensive. I was so bummed, but at least I was in the Colosseum! I can't really complain about that.
After the Colosseum we went to the Palatine Hill, which is one of Rome's seven hills. It was so pretty! And a lot bigger than I thought. There were more ruins, but it was more nature-y. So many pretty trees and flowers.
A nice view of the Colosseum
The Palatine is connect to the Roman Forum, which consisted of more ruins. That one was smaller than I thought. I've seen the Forum just passing by it and I thought there was more once you went inside. But there really wasn't much. But it was mostly ruins. It's crazy to imagine what it once was though. It was probably a booming city with people walking around in togas and leather sandals.
Even though Rome is filled with ruins, these places were amazing to see. This city has changed so much and is full of history, that you can't not appreciate it.
Well tourist season is slowly beginning, so I decided that I need to see some tourist-y things I have yet to see before the crowds get bigger.
The Saturday after Abruzzo I went to the Vatican Museum. It was pretty crowded since it was a Saturday, but I had to go inside. While walking there so many people approach you doing unofficial tours and they're so sketchy and also annoying. So I just avoid them, but still hate them.
We got in just fine and it wasn't too bad of a crowd, but it wasn't empty. Everyone I know who had already gone in the museum said they spent about 6 hours inside. I had no idea how that would happen, so I didn't know what to expect. But after getting a map and seeing the inside, it is quite massive!
If you didn't know from my previous posts, I'm really not a museum person. But this one was a little different and it was gorgeous! You just kind of follow through hallways that takes you around the museum and it ends in the Sistine Chapel.
It was a nice sunny day and you walk through courtyards which were really nice.
You go through a lot of rooms with sculptures and paintings, and one had really beautiful tapestries. You also go through the Papal apartments where older Popes used to live.
Unfortunately there weren't a lot of signs to tell you what you were looking at, unless you bought an audio guide. So I just had to eavesdrop on a few English tours that I passed. There is a lot of work from Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Unfortunately that's all that I can tell you. But like I said, it was all gorgeous!
What I thought was interesting was that they had other exhibits in the museum, not related to the Vatican, so I was a little surprised by that. That had an Egyptian exhibit which was kind of random.
After you go through everything you FINALLY reach the Sistine Chapel. There was so much anticipation since they save it for the end. And it was a lot of walking.
I walked in and thought to myself "oh , the Sistine Chapel". Like it was no big deal. I was a little disappointed, because it wasn't as impressive as I thought. That's a terrible comment to say, but it's true! You had to be silent and you couldn't take any pictures, so everyone was just standing in there. It was a lot smaller than I thought. In Angels and Demons they make it seem huge. But I've come to learn that movies are false when it comes to Rome. It was gorgeous inside! But it just didn't exceed my expectations.
I was daring and snuck a pic of the ceiling.
But it was crazy to think how the month before the Papal Conclave took place inside of the Sistine. Just imagining all of the cardinals being locked in there trying to elect the new Pope is insane. It's those kind of moments that it hits me how significant these places are. It all still seems like a dream.
Overall the museum was really pretty, and I did enjoy it. We spent a little less than 3 hours inside, so I'm not sure how others spent 6 hours. I'm glad I got to see it before I leave!
We had a school trip to the region of Abruzzo, which is about 2 hours outside of Rome. We had to pay for it, but it was so worth it! Definitely one of my favorite experiences.We took a bus, which was a nice long ride. We went to a small town called Villavallelonga. One of the professors led the trip.
Part of the town
In the town we went to this small house where these Italian women prepared breakfast for us. They made Pizza Fritta, which is like a fried pizza. It was basically just fried dough covered in sugar. It was flat and the taste was similar to a sugar donut, but way better.
Pizza Fritta
We took a walk around and were led by two ecologists (I think that's what they were) who showed us plants that grew in that specific place. What I didn't know was how close to the mountains this place was, so it was freezing cold, rainy, and I was not fully prepared. It was warm in Rome that day so I thought it would be the same. But anyway...
The view
We came back to the house to prepare a huge batch of dough. We made the dough to be used for pizza, pasta, and bread. All made by the same dough. The dough was basically flour and water, probably some thing else, but they put a type of potato puree type inside of it to make it softer and increase the amount of dough. We all got to help knead it, which was fun and quite messy.
Me and my messy hands.
We left the dough to rise and drove down to the Abruzzo National Park, which was 5 minutes away from the house. There's a certain type of bear only found their called the Marsican Brown Bear. The professor told us this, and with her accent I thought she said Mexican Brown Bear, so I was a little confused. But I really wanted to see this bear! The way this trip was described it seemed like we would be in the wilderness and seeing some exotic animals, including this bear. Obviously I didn't want to see it up close, I would prefer I cute little cub.
Start of the trail
Parco Abruzzo
So we start on the trail, and we're surrounded by nature, and it was really pretty. Also very cold and still rainy, which put a little damper on this long walk. And it was a very, very long walk. Probably at least 2 hours. I was on the look out for some bears, and as we turned the corner we saw...cows. There a whole line of them just chillin in the middle of this trail. Apparently they're not dangerous because we just walked right by them.
We kept walking and saw more and more cows. Nothing else. So I was a little sad we didn't see any bears. But walking through the park was gorgeous! It was so green and so many mountains. It kind of reminded me of the Sound of Music. When walking back we went through the fields and I just wanted to run and be like "the hills are alive.." okay I'll stop there. I tried to take a Sound of Music pose but everyone was staring at me.
The hills!
So we went all the way back to where we entered while having to avoid an obscene amount of cow pies, but we did see some bones lying around.
We drove back to the house to prepare for lunch. The dough was nice and risen, so some people got to roll it out and cut out the pasta. I sat and waited to eat for this part. While we waited some of us went to see the ancient brick oven that they use to cook the food and pizzas in. I was actually a little far from the house. We had to walk down a ways since the town is kind of layered on a hill. And it was in its own room with a door. It took less than 5 minutes to walk there, but I was surprised that they took all the food there to cook and bring it back.
Brick Oven
The Italian ladies prepared all of the food, and it was sooooo delicious! They cooked the fresh pasta in this soup/sauce thing, which was the first thing we ate. After that they brought out sausage and potatoes which were also delicious.
After that deliciousness I helped make the pizzas!! I got to stretch and roll the dough and put the sauce and cheese. They ladies were telling me what to do, but I couldn't really understand what they were saying, so I just piled on more cheese. I also helped to kneed more dough in to bread loaves.
Pizza ingredients
Then it was time for dessert of course! They made this pie-shaped cake thing that was made with ricotta cheese, but with a lot of sugar obviously. It kind of tasted like cheesecake, but more breaded. Whatever it was it was tasty!!! They also made these two bread things with one shaped like a girl and another was shaped like a chicken. They typically make them for children on Easter since they are sweet. And sweet they were!! So stinking good. It was a mix between bread and a cookie texture.
Desserts!
If all of that food wasn't enough it was time to cook the pizza and bread loaves. We all went down to the oven to see the pizzas and bread get cooked. They put a bunch inside the oven and they were done so quickly!! It only took a few minutes. Crazy! I had the one I made which was just cheese, but they also made one with slices of potato on it, which was surprisingly good. And we had the fresh bread, because you can never have too many carbs, right? But they all tasted amazing!! I mean when else am I going to make and eat fresh pizza and bread while in Italy?! It was awesome.
I was basically in a food coma the whole ride back to Rome, but it was definitely all worth it. It was a good cultural experience and one of my favorite trips. Still wish I saw a bear though.
So if you didn't know, I'm taking a Film & Mafia class. It's interesting, except watching mafia movies that take place in Italy, while you're in Italy, just has gotten me a little paranoid.
For our class visit we took a field trip to the Cinecittà Film Studios here in Rome. In English it translates as Film City. It was nothing compared to Universal Studios or anything, but it was a cool trip.
It's pretty small, and there were maybe 5 or 6 actual studio stages. We didn't get to go inside any of them, but we went to the backlot movie sets. The first "street" we walked through was supposed to be New York. One side was and old New York, and the other side was a modern New York.
Old New York
Modern New York
As we kept walking the buildings would change to those supposed to be in Paris, Rome, and even Los Angeles. Apparently HBO had a television show called Rome, which they filmed at Cinecittà. That was a big set with a bunch of fake buildings, including the Pantheon. But the show only lasted one season.
It was crazy because everything looked so real! We were allowed to touch the sets and it was so fake! Everything was hollow, and most things were made of some type of foam, but it seriously looked like solid marble. Even the bricks that looked so real fooled you.
Fake bricks
They also filmed Gangs of New York there. So I basically walked in Leonardo DiCaprio's footsteps. It's a popular place, but I just wonder what makes them decide what to film at this studio in Italy compared to LA. Buildings that were right next to each other would be completely different places. On one side would be Florence, and Verona on the other.
Florence
Federico Fellini who was a famous Italian director filmed all of his movies in Cinecittà, and we saw the stage that he filmed in. Then there was a museum dedicated to him that had props, costumes, and a video telling his story.
Another building was more of an exhibit, but it went through the whole film making process. There were different rooms for different things in pre-production or post-production like sound editing, costumes, dialogue, and props. I've always been intrigued by the film making process, not that I could ever direct or anything, but I don't know why it's just so fascinating to me. And it amazes me how much work goes in to one movie.
It's kind of cool how even though movies are produced in different countries the whole process is the same. It's almost like a universal language. Ok I won't get too deep in to this. But I'm really glad I got to go to the studios! Now I need to go to the big ones in Hollywood that for some reason I've never been to.
I know this post is long after Easter, but I figured it’s
important enough to still write about it.
For Easter Sunday we decided to go to the Easter mass at the
Vatican. I mean, how many times will you be in Rome on Easter Sunday? My flight
from Paris didn’t get in until late Saturday night, and I didn’t get back to my
apartment until almost 1 am. The mass began around 10 am, and we planned to get
there around 8 am, meaning I got a very limited amount of sleep.
So I wake up Sunday morning after 8 am. Apparently the time
changed, and I had no clue. I didn’t even think Italy did daylight savings. And
I don’t know why it’s weeks after the US either since we’re in the same
hemisphere.
So after that panic of waking up late I had to get ready
quite quickly. Luckily the Vatican is walking distance so we got there around
9:30 am or so. There were so many people! There might have been more people
than when I was there for the election, but it wasn’t as chaotic. And St.
Peter’s was decorated with flowers at the altar.
We got a decent spot, still in the square but a little
farther back. And it was a beautiful sunny day! It was a very traditional
service, and basically all in Italian, so for the most part I had no idea what
they were saying. Some parts they had translators, but usually only for the
Bible verses. It was your typical over 2-hour mass. And when you’re standing
the whole time, it seems much longer. And when the children behind you keep
hitting you and their parents not doing anything about it; that makes it even
longer. I don’t know why you would take your young children. Little Mario did
not make me happy. Especially when he was playing video games during the silent
prayers. Let’s just say, if it wasn’t Easter and if I didn’t have a conscious,
little Mario would have been kicked back. Very hard.
Okay sorry to ruin the spirit of Easter, but that was how my
morning went. But it was a beautiful service, if only I could understand it.
And it was nice to see the Pope again. We should just be friends now. Once the
service was over he rode around the square in the Pope-mobile! I was really
excited. There was a path aligned throughout the crowd, and we were right by
one of the barricades! He stood on top of this jeep thing and went all around
the crowd. I was surprised because he wasn’t even in a bulletproof case or
anything with protection. He was just there. I definitely give him props. He
seems so cool.
The jeep actually was driving kind of fast, and I could his
head speeding through the crowds. They were also projecting everything on the
screens. He got closer and closer, and everyone was anticipating when he would
turn our corner. I could see him coming, and I wanted to take a picture and a
video, since we were so close! I got both my camera and my phone ready, but it
just did not happen. When he passed he faced our side for like 3 seconds so I
couldn’t get a picture of his face, and then my video started after he passed.
So that was a bummer. But I was like 5 feet away from Papa Francesco! It was
awesome! It was definitely worth the wait, and even enduring little Mario.
The best picture I could get.
The Pope was even kissing babies as the passed through as
people would literally lift their babies up to him. He even blessed a disabled
boy, and it almost moved me to tears. After
he rode around he gave a blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s. It lasted
about 20 minutes or less. And then it was all over. Everyone was in Easter
spirits, so it was nice.
Leaving the Vatican wasn’t as crazy as I expected, and we
got out without any problems. Not compared to when I left during the election. We
ate at a local restaurant as the crowd died down, and I got spaghetti for the
first time since I’ve been in Rome. I don’t know why it took me so long. But it
was really good! I really want some meatballs, but I really don’t think that’s
a thing here. I basically did nothing
the rest of the day because I was still jet-lagged.
Spaghetti
The Monday after Easter is a holiday known as Pasquetta,
where Easter Sunday is Pasqua. Typically families go and have a picnic and
still celebrate. It was a really nice day, but I needed a rest from the whole
crazy week of Spring Break, so I’m glad we had that holiday. The only thing I
did was go to the grocery store, because I had no food. Chocolate eggs are a
popular thing around Easter time, and they sell them everywhere. They can be
small, to almost big 20 pound eggs! I’ve seen some huge ones! And if they’re
handmade they’re decorated all nice. But they can get really pricey. I saw one
egg for almost 80 euro, which is over 100 dollars. I bought a medium-sized one
for 2 euro at the grocery store. It even had a surprise inside, which was a
little toy gun. But it was tasty! And it took me about 3 days to finish.
Of course through all the eggs I couldn’t forget the real
reason for Easter. Jesus of course! I’m so blessed to be experiencing so much.
I know I keep saying this, but I really am so thankful for all of these things
happening in my life.
Disneyland Paris. How can I put such a magical day into
words? Just that, it was magical.
If you know me, you know that I love anything Disney. And
that Disneyland is practically my second home since I live so close. And
Chapman might as well just be Disneyland University. So Disneyland Paris was
just like going home (okay maybe that’s taking it a bit too far). There are
people worse than me I swear.
Before I left for Italy, I half-jokingly kept saying I was
going to go to Disneyland Paris, not knowing how the heck I would get there. My
goal is to visit every Disneyland in the world. So now I have 3 out of 5 checked off
my list.
One of the first weeks I was here, my new abroad friends
and I were discussing where we wanted to travel to. I thought to myself, hey
let’s just throw out the idea, and I said Disneyland Paris. The fates aligned
and one of my new friends liked my idea. With the convenience of Spring Break,
there we were, finding ourselves going to Disneyland Paris, and I literally
could not be more excited.
First of all there are 2 parks: Disneyland and Walt Disney
Studios. There is also the Disney Village, which is their Downtown Disney,
right outside of both parks. They were celebrating their 20th
Anniversary so online they had discounted tickets for both parks. The price of
that ticket to both parks was cheaper than one ticket to one park at Disneyland
California. It could not have worked out more perfectly.
This was one of those days you go to Disneyland right when
it opens and leave when it closes. Unfortunately they had terrible hours for a
Friday. They were only open from 10 am to 8 pm. I’m so used to midnight
closings at Disneyland. But that wasn’t going to ruin my day; we just had to do
as much as we could. Sadly that meant we couldn’t get to everything, but I got
all of the major/important things that I wanted to do. Plus it was a little
crowded so the lines were a little longer than I would like.
Our Paris hotel was pretty far outside of the city, but so
is Disneyland! We were only 2 train stops away. So convenient. The train
stop literally drops you off at the entrance. Right as I saw the word Disney I just wanted to cry of happiness.
We started off at Disneyland, because that was the most
important. The entrance was already nice, and different from Disneyland in
California (which a lot of things were). The hotel went over the entrance,
which then were some really nice gates.
Hotel above the entrance
Waiting to get in
The tickets we bought online were in Italian since we bought
them in Italy, so when we entered the lady told us “Buon giorno!” We were
Italians for the day.
Right as I walked in I was basically in Heaven. I was back
on Main Street! For the most part it was similar to Disneyland. There was a
City Hall and the Emporium on the same corner. The street was aligned with the
same kind of shops including a bakery and an ice cream parlor. Behind all of
the stores there was a long hallway that connected them.
And as you walk down Main Street, the castle is right there
staring you in the face. It was so perfect. It was probably the most magical
castle I’ve ever seen (and I’ve been to real castles now). I hate to say it,
but it might beat the original castle at Disneyland, which they are both
Sleeping Beauty’s castle, so it really doesn’t make much sense. But it’s just
so gorgeous!!! It’s adorned with gold and the towers are quite whimsical. Even
the little field around it, complete with a waterfall, nothing could beat it.
The pictures of the Paris castle on Pinterest don’t even compare.
The castle!
Complete with waterfall
We were there around 9:30 am, half an hour before they
opened, so I got a big chocolate muffin and went on the hunt for Mickey Ears. They
had all of the same ears and souvenirs for the most part. Some things said
Paris on them. And of course they had a Ratatouille chef hat, something you would
only find in Paris. A little disappointed by the limited choices, we decided to
wait to see if we could find anything better.
It was time for the park to open, and the plan was to start
at Space Mountain. Their Tomorrowland is called Discoveryland, and it included
Space Mountain, Star Tours, the Buzz Lightyear ride, Captain EO, and Autopia.
Discoveryland
The ride was called Space Mountain 2: Mission 2, and for
reasons I didn’t figure out until after riding it. It seemed like a space
mission for sure. The shape of the building is the same as Disneyland, but the
inside it completely different. But one thing I must say is that Disneyland
Paris is so detailed, and everything is themed so well. So is the original
Disneyland, but this one just takes it to the next level. The line of the ride
was themed in space obviously. When getting on there were bars that go over
your head, like those on an upside down roller coaster, which made me a little
nervous. And of course we got the first row, so now it was going to be crazy since
I had no idea what to expect.
Space Mountain
About to board
You start off easy, and then you get to the bottom of this
hill and it stops you. And BAM! You’re shot into space! The whole dome was
dark, and there were planets around you. And this ride was cah-razy! There were
loops and corkscrews that you couldn’t even see coming since you were in the
dark. There was one part that looked like you were going into a planet, but the
magic of Disney fooled you. It was seriously so insane! It could almost be a
ride at Six Flags. When it was over I had to shake off the post-coaster feeling.
It was quite a ride to start off with.
That was the only Discoveryland ride we got to go on since
we needed time for so many more things. But there was a big Wall-E and Eva that
was so cute, so I obviously needed a picture. And I took many pictures. I’m
sure you’ve already seen them on Facebook.
Wall-E and Eva
And I got really excited that there was a Pizza Planet
We made our way to Fantasyland. We had to go in the proper
way through the castle. I still will never get over how fabulous that castle
is. When you walk in it gets even more magical. It’s almost dome-like on the
inside, but surrounded by magical tree shapes.
Inside the castle
Then there’s a staircase that
leads you to a balcony that wraps around the dome shape looking down on the
castle entrance. On the balcony there are parts that tell the story of Sleeping
Beauty, such as the spinning wheel. There’s a big stain glass window that has
the 3 fairies on it. Then you can walk outside to another balcony that
overlooks Fantasyland.
From the inside balcony
View from the outside balcony
For the most part Fantasyland has all of the same rides. And
I had to take a picture lifting the Sword in the Stone of course.
Still on the search for Mickey Ears, every place had the
same ones, so we opted for the Sorcerer Mickey ears. There was a pair that was
special for Disneyland Paris, but it had a Mickey holding onto it, which was
kind of weird. But I can still wear these when I go home.
The only ride we went on in Fantasyland was Peter Pan’s
Flight, which is one of my faves at Disneyland. It was exactly the same, except
the stars were only lights on the wall, and not coming out like the ones at
Disneyland. And the characters spoke in French, which I kind of forgot that we
were in France, so that caught me off guard.
It was actually kind of cool, because everyone who worked
there spoke French, but they also spoke English. So it must be a requirement to
work at Disneyland Paris. At least they accommodate for tourists like me. The
ride instructions were in French, but then translated to English. Thank
goodness. As much as I wish I could speak French, it’s just not going to
happen.
In Fantasyland there was a place called Alice’s Curious
Labyrinth, which was supposed to be the maze in Alice in Wonderland. I wanted
to go in so badly, but the line was too darn long. So we decided to come back
for it.
But we did make the Mad Tea Party
We made kept making our way around the park and came across
Pirates of the Caribbean, so we obviously had to go on. First of all the
workers’ costumes were the best. They were in full on fancy pirate getup with
big hats with a feather and everything. Just the way Orlando Bloom had dressed
in the movie.
The line was basically a ride in itself going through what
seemed to look like a ship. But it was quite a ways to get to the actual ride.
It was dark, and it seemed like you were outside in the night, just like the
original Pirates ride.
It’s still the same boat concept, and the beginning is all
slow and swampy. And there’s a restaurant in this one too! Instead of the Blue
Bayou, this one is called the Blue Lagoon.
The ride starts by going up first, instead of a drop. It’s
all kind of backwards from the California one. There are a bunch of skeletons
and such in the beginning, and then towards the end there is the skeleton with
gold, and then you go through the ship battle and the town of pirates. And all
the pirates spoke French. The Yoho song was still in English though. Even the
part of “No, no, no Carlos!” was in French, and she might have said “No
Pierre!” I’m actually not sure if she said that, I’m just being stereotypical,
but she definitely didn’t say Carlos. For the most part it was pretty much the
same ride with a different layout, but it didn’t really follow a story. And no
Johnny Depp in this one. And besides the fact it was all in French, and the
pirates looked a little different.
And walking around we came upon the Genie’s magic lamp from
Aladdin! I was pretty excited. It really looked like we were in Agraba. The
stores looked like little markets, and behind the lamp there were fake apples
and such. There was an indoor thing you walk in with window displays of the
story of Aladdin. Disneyland Paris is really good at making these things come
to life.
In Agraba
And Genie's lamp!
We continued our way through Adventureland to Indiana Jones.
The one in California is so high tech with crazy special effects, so I expected
the same from this ride. Definitely not what I expected. It was called Indiana
Jones and the Temple of Peril (instead of Temple of Doom).
It was basically
only a little roller coaster that went around a temple. I expected to go inside
somewhere, but it was all outside. You get in these little cart-looking things
which make up the coaster. There were a lot of turns, a few drops, and one
loop. It was actually kind of crazy and jerky, and then the loop just hits you.
It wasn’t my favorite ride, but it was completely different than the one in
California.
Basically the whole ride
getting on
Then we went to Thunder Mountain in Frontierland, which was
quite the western town. And it is called Thunder Mesa instead of Thunder Mountain. But the ride was
closed! It was broken down for some reason, and there was no way I was leaving
Disneyland Paris without going on Thunder Mountain. So we’d have to come back.
Instead we went to Haunted Mansion, which was actually called Phantom Manor.
And it looked like a legit house! But haunted of course. It’s the same concept;
you go in the long elevator with the stretching pictures. But the scary voice
over was in French, so to me it really didn’t seem scary. Then you go through
another hallway to get into your “Doom-buggy”. Then it just got a little
creepy.
Phantom Manor
The whole concept of the ride followed a creepy bride. And
in the first part there’s a bride in front of you blowing in the wind, but you
can’t see her face. It follows the same rooms like the Madame Leota in her
crystal ball and my favorite room with all of the ghosts dancing. But then you
get to the cemetery part and it was like you were going through a cemetery
town. There were scary skeletons everywhere. One of them moved like it was
tipping his hat to you, but it was his whole head. I found it a little
disturbing. It was no ordinary cemetery. And then at the end you see the bride
who is now a skeleton. I really didn’t understand the whole thing. And there
were no hitchhiking ghosts, nor did they show up in the mirror at the end. It
was quite an interesting ride, thus proving the fact that I still never really
like Haunted Mansion.
We ate lunch at the Hakuna Matata Café. I mean, how could
you not eat at a place with that title? I had a kebab sandwich and it was
delicious!! Definitely something different from what I’ve usually been eating.
There were really no French food places. They were all burgers, fries, hot
dogs, and most of the same stuff you would find at Disneyland California. And
they eat their fries with Mayonnaise, which is completely different. And they
did not have churros, and I was really sad. They did have crepes, but I didn’t
get one.
Hakuna Matata Cafe
We were halfway through the day so it was time to head
across to Walt Disney Studios. It was kind of a random park. Like they threw
all things that wouldn’t fit into Disneyland in this park.
The theme was
supposed to be similar to Universal Studios with a movie-making theme. The
entrance was like a big studio you walk through, and then you’re supposedly in
Hollywood. It’s similar to the MGM Studios park at Disney World, if you have
ever been. But it was pretty small.
Studio Entrance
Inside the studio entrance
"Hollywood"
First we went on Rockin Roller Coaster, which is an indoor
roller coaster featuring Aerosmith. You enter this recording studio, and
Aerosmith is recording in there (well on a screen). It was different from the
one in Florida. In Florida their concept is that you’re late for the concert,
so you have to get there really fast on this limo, which is the roller coaster.
Then it’s inside with bright street signs like you’re in LA flashing by you.
Well the Paris concept is that Aerosmith is testing some new technology or
something. You get on the ride and it’s basically just an indoor roller coaster
with more loops and corkscrews. There were no flashing signs or anything to
make you think you’re somewhere else. I was a little disappointed, but it was
still fun.
Rockin Roller Coaster
There was a Toy Story Land randomly, which I thought was
pretty cool. It’s similar to Bug’s Land at California Adventure, just themed
for Toy Story. The rides were probably more for the yougins. They had a toy
soldier parachute ride and a Slinky Dog spinning ride.
The best was the RC
Racer, which is what we went on. RC is the remote controlled car from Toy
Story. It’s a big RC Racer and the track is a big U-shape. And then you ride
back and forth until the car reaches the top and you’re completely vertical. It
was fun! And definitely something original.
RC Racer
We went on Tower of Terror, which was exactly the same as
the one in California, and is my favorite ride! Even the drop sequence was the
same, so I already had it memorized.
Tower of Terror
Lastly we went on Crush’s Coaster, which is Finding Nemo themed.
And it was probably one of the coolest rides! Ever.
When you get inside it
looks kind of like a fishing port. Then you get in these big turtle shells,
which is what the coaster is. I expected like a slow ride showing the story of
Nemo. But no! It was a fast little coaster! It was supposed to be like you were
riding the EAC with Crush. It went really fast, then you get in this bigger
room and there are all these drops and turns, and at the same time your little
turtle coaster shell is spinning. It was so much more fun than I expected.
Riding the turtle shell
We were pretty much done with all of the exciting stuff at
Walt Disney Studios, and things started to close since they closed earlier. So
we headed back over to Disneyland to try to get back on Thunder Mountain.
When we got there the line was so long! And without any
fastpasses, so we had to wait. And let me say, some of these Europeans have no
sense of personal space. When we were in line there was a family behind me, I’m
not exactly sure where they were from, but they weren’t French. But they were
all up on me while we were standing in line. I did not like it. Every time I
tried to move away, they would just get closer. That was definitely one
cultural difference I did not enjoy.
And while we’re on the topic of cultural differences, let me
just say that these people are also very pushy. There is no sense of taking
turns. It’s basically a free for all. For example, we tried to get a picture
with a character. Usually at Disneyland there is a line you wait in, taking turns.
Not here. People just made a close semi-circle crowding around the characters,
and you have to push your way to get one picture. We decided to avoid that
disaster, so unfortunately we didn’t even get a picture with Mickey.
Anyways, back to Thunder Mountain. Once we finally got in,
it was the same type of ride. The whole ride is on an island in the middle of the river, so
you go through a dark tunnel underwater to get to the outside part of the ride.
It was very similar to the Disneyland one, just the track of it was set up
differently. There was a goat, bats, and you go through the same rock slide
thing. I’m glad we got to on it.
The island of Thunder Mesa
We only had about 2 hours left before the park closed, so we
tried to get to the little things we missed, like Alice’s maze. So we jetted
our way back to Fantasyland. When we got there we couldn’t get in because they
were closing early to set up for the firework show. I was so devastated. Just
more reason to come back. But there was an island thing with Skull Rock and the
ship from Peter Pan, so we got to go in that which was pretty cool. It was
seriously Neverland come to life.
Neverland
We were basically done for the day since we didn’t get the
chance to get to some of the little things. So we went souvenir shopping and
waited until the fireworks started. Their souvenirs were expensive as all
things Disney are. But I had to buy a sweatshirt, because how could I not? I
needed something to remember this magical day. Plus I really needed a zip up
since I didn’t even bring one here.
It was time for the fireworks and we were by the castle front
and center. I saw commercials for it and I was super excited! It’s called
Disney Dreams, and for good reason. The whole thing is projected on the castle.
The concept is Peter Pan themed (for some reason in Europe Peter Pan is a
popular theme). Peter Pan’s shadow causes trouble and spills all of the magic
out of the second star to the right. Then it goes through almost all of the
Disney movies, where Peter’s shadow continues to follow. The language bounced
between English and French. Nothing was ever translated, but one character
would speak English, and the other would speak French. The Hunchback of Notre
Dame part was all in French, and it was cool because the song Quasimodo sings
was is French, and everyone was singing along.
But it was awesome!!! Literally the best show I’ve ever
seen. Words can’t even describe it. It definitely beats Fanstamic and World of
Color at Disneyland. And that’s saying a lot. I might have almost cried because
it was so amazing. My emotions were all over the place, especially when it got
to the Tangled part. So good.
I tried to upload some video I took but this thing won't let me. But here's the video on youtube to give you an idea what it looks like. But it definitely does not compare to watching it in person.
It was the perfect end to a perfect day and I did not want
to leave. We just kind of slowly made our way out. I just wanted to live in
there. But sadly all good things must come to an end. After taking some more
castle pictures we really did have to exit.
I tried to take a jumping picture. But this portrayed my happiness well.
To make it last a little longer we walked down the Disney
Village, which wasn’t very big. Just a bunch of shops and restaurants. They had
a World of Disney store, but also a Disney Store. I really didn’t understand.
Those were basically the only stores. And all of the restaurants were American
places, including a Planet Hollywood. It really did feel like I was back in the
US for a second.
I was really sad to leave. I wish that day could have been a
lot longer. It was just so perfect and magical. Disneyland Paris really
exceeded my high expectations. I feel so lucky to have been able to visit, and
I’ll never forget it.
