Epic Europe Trip 2014 Day 19: A Magical Conclusion
Waking up this morning might have been the toughest thing we've done all trip. By waking up we were giving credence to the fact that today is not only our last day in Paris but our last day on this Epic Europe Adventure. Before any tears were shed we had one full day in Paris left and we planned to use every second of it. We set the alarm for 6:30 this morning and were down at breakfast by 8AM and out the door a little after 9AM. We jumped on the Metro and began our journey to Disneyland Paris.
Jenn and I love Disneyland. It has been the source of some of the best memories of our relationship over the last eleven years. When we booked our return to Paris this year we knew one stop was a must, Disneyland Paris. We did a bunch of research and a lot of people recommended taking the metro straight to Disneyland Paris which worked out great. We had to transfer one stop and then boarded a train for a little under an hour to take us to the steps leading into Disneyland Paris.
When we got to the park entrance you would have thought this was our first time at Disneyland. We might as well have been skipping to the entrance we were so excited. Even if it was freezing (somewhere in the mid-40's) we weren't going to let the cold weather stop us. We made our way through the turnstiles and into Disneyland Paris. Our first goal was to get a fast pass and so we decided on Space Mountain as our first target. We grabbed a fast pass for a little after 11AM and so we went over to the Haunted Mansion as our first ride of the day. We walked right onto the ride which is similar but not the same as the one in Disneyland. We really enjoyed it.
From there we made our way back to Space Mountain to use our fast pass. One thing we learned pretty earlier on was that Disneyland Paris is much less concerned with how quickly you get through lines. Unlike Disneyland which seems like a well oiled machine, Disneyland Paris is just not as efficient. We ended up waiting a while even with our fast pass but luckily the ride was worth the wait. Unlike Space Mountain back at Disneyland, this one had a loop or two and a couple cork screws not to mention had you launch off into space starting outside which was neat.
After Space Mountain we saw that the crowds were starting to get bigger in Disneyland so we left it to go to the other park at Disneyland Paris which is Walt Disney Studios. This is there equivalent to a California Adventure and is actually themed to be like Hollywood. It was sort of bizarre living an hour from Hollywood to see a park try to replicate somewhere near where you live. We made our way through the park to the very back corner to ride Rock 'n' Roller Coaster which features Aerosmith music. It was a pretty long wait and we were a bit concerned that this might be a motion simulator ride. Luckily it wasn't and we were able to jump on a pretty great roller coaster that had music blasting from start to finish.
At this point the adrenaline that was pumping us all morning was beginning to wear off so we needed to refuel. We picked up some burgers and fries at the main entrance of Walt Disney Studios. The place was packed but we were fortunate enough to find a table and wait out the line to get some food in us. After three weeks of amazing rich food it was nice to have a little junk food.
After lunch we made our way to the last ride we really wanted to check out at Walt Disney Studios which was Crush's Coaster based off one of Jenn's favorite movies Finding Nemo. This was one of the longest lines we waited in the entire day but it was so worth it. It was a smaller roller-coaster that had two people sitting forward and two sitting backward. Jenn and I were the unfortunate two that had to sit backwards and it rides you through this roller-coaster that's supposed to remind you of the East Australian Current similar to the movie. It was a really neat ride and one that I've never experienced anything like before.
Filled with food and excitement coming off Crush's Coaster we made the hike back over the Disneyland Paris to take on two more rides Pirates of the Caribbean followed by Indiana Jones. Both lines were not short by any means but we braved them both. Pirates of the Caribbean was almost identical to the one in Disneyland. However Indiana Jones was completely different. Instead of riding in a jeep we jumped on board a wooden roller-coaster which was the perfect way to end the days festivities.
As we made our way out of Disneyland Paris we couldn't help but stop and take in the beauty of Disneyland Paris at night. The castle glowed, the streets were filled with fake snow (although it felt cold enough for real snow) and Christmas decorations. And of course we had to stop at a gift shop. The gift shops just so happened to be fully decked out for Christmas, Jenn might have gone a little overboard on her Christmas ornament purchases. I think we bought enough ornaments on this trip to fill an entire tree.
From there it was time to jump back on the Metro. A lot of people had the same idea so we had to wait in a pretty massive line to get our tickets and once we did we were off back to our hotel. When we arrived at our Metro stop there is an Italian restaurant right as you exit the Metro that we stopped and had dinner at. Jenn had a neapolitan pasta and I had a margarita pizza. They weren't by any means the best thing we had all trip but given how tired and hungry we were at the time it hit the spot.
After dinner we got back to our room, packed up as much as we could, recorded a recap of our Paris adventure, and then literally passed out. I couldn't have thought of a better way to conclude our time not only in Paris but on the Epic Europe Trip then by enjoying the happiest place on earth with the woman I love.
