Paris: Notre Dame and Jardins du Luxembourg

Today was actually our first full day in Paris and we didn't want to overdo it. The plan was Notre Dame and Jardins dy Luxembourg. We stared with Notred Dame, where Finley was in no mood to be photographed and took off running whenever we tried to. Once we got inside, she knew she had to be silent. She wasn't impressed with the stained glass windows or the flying buttresses or any of the statues. She loved the offering candles. At each section, she had to go over and see them more closely. I was so worried she would try and blow them out. About one third of the way in, I heard what I have feared all trip, "mommy, I have to go potty." We got out of Notre Dame as quickly as we could and went off in search of bathrooms. She was promised pink ice cream if she could hold it. Luckily, Old McDonalds came to the rescue. There was one just a few blocks away. The bathroom had a passcode you got from a receipt, but we just followed a guy in. Thank goodness!
We were already en route to Jardins du Luxembourg, so we decided to continue that way. I wanted Finley to get a sailboat to push around in the fountain and to be able to play in the private play park. We got the closest thing to pink ice cream we could find to enjoy in the park. As we approached the fountain, I didn't see a sailboat in sight. Or anywhere to get one. The most recent information I have found was from last year, so I am not sure why there were no boats today. I was very disappointed and I worried the park would be a bust. Then we found the play area. You have to pay to get in, but it was worth every penny. Finley had an absolute blast running all over the park and playing on all the equipment. Her most favorite was the zip line swings. She fell off her second time, but it didn't phase her a bit. I cannot count the number of times she went on it. Clifton and I think Grandma needs to install one on the ranch. After hours of play, we toured the park a bit, then made our way back to Notre Dame to finish our tour, with a break in between for a snack. Finley chose a chocolate eclair and decided she only liked the filling, so she ate that with a spoon.

After Notre Dame. we headed to the Left Bank to eat at our favorite restaurant here, Le Petit Pontoise. Since we had last dined there five years ago, they have taken over the restaurant next door to become Le Petit Pontoise and Le Petit Pontoise Aussi. Both were still closed when we got there at 6 pm, so we decided to walk down St. Germain and explore the neighborhood. We walked by again at 6:30 pm and ran into the owner. She said they wouldn't serve until 7 pm, but we were welcome to come inside and sit. We told her we would just walk around a bit more and return at 7 pm.

We crossed back over to Notre Dame, this time taking a bridge covered in locks. The story goes that a couple gets a lock, write their name on it and throws the key into the Seine. There were countless locks, many decorated, and there was a handy street vendor you could buy a lock from. Finley said she wanted to bring a lock next time we visit for her and Bear Friend. Awww....We found a neat little park behind Notre Dame and played there until 7 pm. We headed back for dinner where two couples complimented Finley on her behavior. It was a full time effort to entertain her the whole time (lots of talking about the upcoming picnic with Max to see The Little Mermaid and lots of reading a French book she has,) but she made it through the two hour dinner without incident. She dined on cheese ravioli and lamb, with more ice cream for dessert. Tomorrow is Sacre Couer, Arche de Triumphe and trying to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Wish us luck!

Disneyland Paris

I'll admit I was nervous about trying to cover two Disney parks in one day with an hour train ride each way. Who wouldn't be? I am used to spending a week in Disneyworld or 5 days in Disneyland. How were we going to be able to see all that we wanted to see in the short time frame we had? Well, sometimes things just click. And after a couple of hiccups, this trip was clicking.

We started off with Finley's favorite, Teacups (favorite video seen here.) After that it was onto It's a Small World. Two rides in and I was feeling confident. Finley wanted to meet Mickey, which opened at 10:30 am. We got there at opening (10 am) and after two rides it was about 10:45 am. And Mickey had a 45 minute wait. We convinced Finley that maybe we could visit him later (thank goodness) and I got nervous. The Alice in Wonderland maze was amazing. Finley actually got scared at one point because she really thought we were lost. We decided to leave Fantasyland for Discoveryland (aka Tomorrow Land) for Buzz Lightyear. The sign said 30 minutes, not bad, but it turned out to be more like 45. I was nervous again and our reservation at Auberge de Cendrillon were fast approaching. I went to Fastpass Peter Pan while Clifton and Finley rode the carousel. I got in line for our reservations at resturant opening and waited. And waited. And waited. I made it to the host stand and checked in. This isn't like Disneyworld where you have to wait. They want to seat you straight away and Clifton was not back yet. And we don't have operational cell phones. They finally made it over, apparently the carousel here is serious business and took longer than expected.

Finley got to meet Cinderella, Prince Charming, Aurora, Snow White and two mice during lunch. She hated her lunch, it was major bribery time to get her to even eat a few bites of it. I on the other hand loved my salmon tartar and the scallops with truffle risotto. I didn't love the price. At 66 Euro a pop (28 Euro for Finley who didn't eat,) let's just say this is probably the most expensive lunch we have ever shared. But it was worth it because Finley loved meeting all the princesses. And in exchange for eating a few bites, we promised her that we would get Goofy, to go with her Minnie, Mickey and Daisy dolls. We went on Peter Pan, then headed out to shop at the Emporium on our way over to Walt Disney Studios Park. The Emporium didn't have much in the way of Goofy. They only had one option and he was larger than her current set. We decided to wait and headed out.

In WDSP, we decided to check the shops on the walk in. There were only four Goofys left and we decided to go ahead and get the bigger one, I think it was the best we were going to find and it made Finley so happy. It was off to the Tower of Terror, where at first Finley measured to be an acceptable height. We got the cvoucher and all, but she was measured again and didn't make the cut. So we went to Toy Story Playland to ride the Army Parachute ride and Slinky Dog ride. Clifton rode the RC Racer while Finley and I played with Rex. She was having so much fun! It was off to the Cars ride and just as we disembarked it was time for the Cars and Stars parade. And as luck would have it, we were at the start of the route. We headed out right as the parade ended and were shocked to see Minnie at the exit. That does not happen in Disneyworld. And it was a free for all, just like a I remember as a kid.

Back in Disneyland Park, we rode Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean and played in the pirate ship and skull. There are so many interactive play areas here, Finley adored it. We checked on the time for Mickey, 20 minutes! Done. Back in Fantasyland we rode Teacups again, the Storybook Canals (walk on) and Finley's new favorite ride: Casey Jr. Train. She has ridden it in Disneyland, but they didn't let her go THREE times in a row without getting off. The operator kept motioning for us to stay on. It was awesome!

As we walked out of Fantasyland it was time for the 20th Anniversary Parade. We walked over with two minutes to show time and happened to be at the start of the parade route. This was a much bigger parade than Cars and Stars, more like what I was used to. That being said, both parks only had those two parades once each day. So we were so lucky to make them. We rode It's a Small World again since we were right there and decided to grab some dinner. After dinner it was Dumbo with a short wait...which is also a stroke of luck. We headed over to Discoveryland to ride Space Mountain (just Clifton and I,) Orbitron (aka Astro Orbiter) and Buzz Lightyear a couple more times. It was starting to sprinkle and was getting late. After 10 pm...but it was still light out. The rain finally forced our hand and we headed back to the train. I hope you can see the joy in Finley's face in all the pictures...there are a lot!

Versailles

Today was a big adventure for Miss Finley.  We took the train out to Versailles to explore the palace and gardens, with the stroller (thanks goodness!)  On Tuesdays in the summertime, the fountains are the star with a music show in the gardens.  It was quite lovely to stroll around the gardens while music played.  Finley loved exploring the mazes in the gardens and was so excited to see the all the amazing fountains.  Her favorite discovery was a branch that had fallen across one of the maze pathways.  Of all the gorgeous sites in the garden, that was her favorite...go figure.  One of the craziest things was that people are now renting golf carts to tour the gardens, which doesn't seem very French to me.
In the palace Finley loved the "bed that looked like a fort" (aka canopy) in the Dauphine's chambers.  She has requested one for her own room, too bad we recently got her a new big girl bed.  She also really like the "room where the people eat," they had one of the halls set up with a table set for dinner.  Finley was very curious as to what purpose each room served.  It was funny trying to explain the difference of a study (small and regular), library, ante-chamber, etc...  I am not even sure I know the difference.  So they were mostly rooms where friends could come over to play or read.  In Versailles Finley tasted her first ever macaroon (macaron en Francais) and she loved it.  Of course she selected the pink flavor, which meant raspberry jam inside.  She wasn't as taken with the jam, but she adored the cookie.  Next time, I think I may force her to get a chocolate one.  We headed back to Paris for dinner in town, Finley requested pasta so we found a lovely place, Chez Livio, nearby our hotel.  Finley got her pasta and even got a special lollipop treat from our server.  Tomorrow is Disneyland and Finley is ready!