Michael's Birthday

We had a nice day at home. Daniel went to work. We went to dinner at one of Michael's favorite restaurants, Oasis Bay. After that, we went to see Indiana Jones the Dial of Destiny. Then we came home and had cake and Michael opened his presents.

Happy Birthday, my love!

Europe Trip Part 16: Going Home

July 4, Tuesday

As grateful as I was to go on this trip, I'm so exhausted and I haven't been getting enough sleep and I'm so grateful to be going home today. It's kind of weird to travel home on the Fourth of July. They even had US flags displayed at the airport at the American Airlines counters, and there was one as we walked into the line for the bag drop and it was upside down so that was weird. Anyway, we did pretty well this morning. I got up at 6:45 AM. Our goal was to have everything down in the lobby by 10:15 AM because our taxis were coming at 10:30 AM. I was dressed and ready for the day and almost completely packed by 9 AM so that was good. The kids met us in the hallway outside our room and we had a quick prayer and went to breakfast. The bakery had more stuff today and a lot more people. Bakery counters aren't set up to make an order for six people, but I don't know how else we would've done it. We finished our breakfast and went up to our rooms and finished packing. Michael was very concerned about the weight of our luggage and made sure to weigh all the checked bags. The only one that was overweight was his and he distributed some to mine and that worked out fine. All of our suitcases were in the lobby and ready to go by about 10:20 AM. I checked out and had to pay for the pathetic breakfast we had the other day. The hotel, the EXE Paris Centre, was fine and the people were nice and it was super convenient to have them store our luggage on our way to Normandy and go there on the way back from Normandy because the train station was just steps away from the hotel. However, it was so tiny and there was no place to put anything. There was no closet, just a little rack to hang your clothes and it had a safe hidden underneath it and a cabinet. It did have a desk but there was no shelf space in the bathroom. At least, we got hot showers. The other thing I didn't like about that hotel is that because it was so close to the train station, you could hear the trains arriving and departing, almost constantly. So even though it was convenient to be close, it also made it so we could hear all the train noise. Oh well. The first taxi driver was right on time at 10:30 AM. I really think we probably could've got all the luggage into the bigger van that came a few minutes later, but it was too late to figure that out. The first guy had put all seven of our carry-ons in his trunk before the van even arrived. It would've saved us money but we just had to go. We were at the airport in half an hour. That was lucky because the passport line at the airport was ridiculous. We were able to get our luggage tagged and get checked in fairly quickly and drop off our bags. Security was also pretty quick. Our boarding passes said precheck but that didn't help us because there was no pre-check line. Once again, all the boys got pre-check but Emily didn't. We've decided that it must be because they are minors and that Emily should apply for TSA pre-check. We headed to our gate which was B-12. There was a man stopping people from walking to the gate and saying to get in the line on the left. We didn't understand what he was saying and we thought maybe he meant that the line on the left was actually people getting onto a flight and so we were totally confused. But then he said in order to go to the B gates you had to get to the line on the left. We looked over at it and thought that was odd and walked over to get in the line, but the line kept going and going and going. It was ridiculously long and we were so confused. Why would you have to stand in line to go to your gate? Well, it turns out that passport control is right before you enter the B gates where we needed to go and we had to stand in that crazy long line. The line did keep moving, but we were in it for an hour. The line was so long that it went past all the shops and restaurants and then finally came to a Disneyland-type line where you weave through and it just took forever. They had people who were going to miss their flight so they would hold up the sign for certain flight numbers and let those people cut the line and go ahead as it got closer to the flights. I was frustrated because we wanted to use the restrooms and get some food for lunch. I'm pretty sure it was 12:05 PM when we got in the line and 1:05 PM when we finally got through it. They just checked our passports and stamped them and let us go through. Some weird lady behind us cut at the last second and it was very bizarre. As we were standing at the window to have our passports checked she started coming up with us like she was part of our family. It was just weird. Then of course there was a line for the bathroom. We went past a Pret a Manger so we were able to get some food there to take to the plane. We barely had any time to eat it. By the time we got to our gate, it was almost time to start the boarding process because they put us on a bus and drove us over to the jetway. After getting the food, we had to take stairs down to the gate. They changed the gate from B-12 to B-11. Then they put us on the buses. Then when we got off, we had to carry our suitcases up more stairs and go on the jetway. We were pretty relieved to get on the plane. It was a long morning and we still had a lot of traveling to do. This was the flight where we couldn't get seats across the aisle from each other so Andrew, Daniel, and Michael sat in one row in the middle section and Emily, Jonny, and I sat behind. It was a pretty nice flight. I wish I had known that they were going to feed us a full lunch, a snack for dinner, and even ice cream on the flight. However, they didn't start serving until about 4 PM so I guess I'm glad we all got something to eat. I'm really proud of Jonny for the way he's been eating the food that they've been serving us. I think he's finally learning to eat what he's given and not be so picky. When we landed in Philadelphia, we were right on time and we went to the customs line. I wish I had time to put our information into the Mobile Passport Control app and it would've been quicker but the line wasn't bad at all. We used the machines and took the printouts to the customs agent and headed to pick up our baggage. Our luggage came out pretty quickly. For some reason, we had to go all the way back through security again. When we came out, we were at terminal C and there were no signs. We weren't sure where to go and Michael talked to a guy who said that terminal A was for international travel. Another person said that terminal C security was only for TSA precheck so we had to exit the building and walk down to terminal B. It was so weird that we had to totally redo that process. The line for security at terminal D was better, thankfully. By the time we got to our gate it was almost time to board so we went to a little snack shop and paid a fortune for overpriced food. On the plane, it was me, Jonny, and Michael on the left and Andrew, Daniel, and Emily on the right. The only bummer was that we sat on the tarmac for quite a while because it had been raining and we had to wait for somebody to push the plane. So, we were delayed by about an hour. The flight was pretty uneventful so that was good. Michael says the plane passed over Kansas City and they were able to see fireworks from the plane. He said it was as if the whole city was lighting fireworks at once.

We landed about an hour late but it didn't take too long at the airport. I volunteered to take my carry-on and go to the car and drive it to the terminal to pick them up. They were ready to go long before I got there. It was quite a crowd going to East Economy so I'm glad we did it that way. It was difficult to get all the suitcases in but Michael and the boys got it figured out pretty quickly and we went on our way home. Emily mentioned that we've basically been up for 24 hours. Even though there was rain tonight in Philadelphia, that's the only time we ever had to deal with the rain so I was thinking what a blessing that was because none of our excursions or sightseeing plans ever got ruined by the rain. That's a beautiful tender mercy for us. There have been so many on this trip. So many things that I worried about turned out to be just fine. Just today, I worried that we would miss our connection in Philadelphia and that all worked out fine, even with having to go through security again. I worried that something would be wrong with the house when we got there but everything was fine. I'm just so relieved that there were no major problems. 

It was the trip of a lifetime and we are so grateful we got to go!

 

Europe Trip Part 15: Disneyland Paris

July 3, Monday

I'm very grateful that we're spending the day at Disneyland today instead of in Paris. With all the armed guards we've been seeing, I feel like it's better to not be in town right now. Yesterday, when we got off the train, there were army officers walking around carrying huge machine guns. One of them almost ran into Michael. I had my doubts about having our last day in Paris be at Disneyland, but I couldn't get happy about changing it and now I know why. I'm also really glad that we scheduled Versailles for Sunday because then we were away from Paris for most of the day. I'm so grateful for the little ways that the Lord inspires me to do things and I always know it was him telling me because things worked out perfectly.

Anyway, I got up this morning at 5:20 AM so that we could be ready to go to breakfast at 7 AM. We went to Midore restaurant bakery on the corner. They didn't have a big selection, certainly not as much as they had at lunchtime and not as much as they had at Colisee Gourmet, but we all found something we could eat. Mostly I ate junk: an almond croissant and a raspberry macaron. The almond croissant was one of my favorite things I ate on this trip! We went back to the hotel and gathered our things and finish getting ready and met at 7:45 AM. I was having a little bit of anxiety because I was stressed about being gone for the entire day and making sure I had everything I needed today. I think it was maybe 8 AM by the time we left the hotel. We walked over to the Auber train station and caught the RER A train to Disneyland Paris.

At first, we couldn't find seats together but then some people left so we were all able to sit together on the train. The train ride was about 50 minutes and we arrived shortly after 9 AM. We had to stop for a picture, of course. 

I think it was about 9:10 AM by the time we headed to Disney Studios. Unfortunately, rope drop wasn't possible because those with special passes or who are staying at the hotel had an extra magic hour so they didn't let us in until right at 9:30 AM. It was weird because there was nobody there at the ticket counter; it's just a scanner. I was confused because I had two different QR codes, one for the ticket and one for the premiere access. I was concerned and I wanted to make sure that the kids would have access to their own codes and be able to use it to get on the premiere access rides. There was no one there to ask. I finally saw somebody and I waved her over and she told me to show her on my phone and so I did and she told me I just need to scan it at the scanner and then it would already have the premier access attached to it. So, I did that without thinking and then realized I had scanned Jonny's ticket so I had to scramble and get him to walk through. The lady told me to do it and I got flustered. Anyway, everyone was able to scan their paper ticket and get through. Somehow Michael wasn't able to. I don't know if the lady reset it or what but it worked out.

Entrance into Disney Studios 

The kids wanted to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror first. I really hate that ride, but I wanted to be with them so I went on it. I was surprised that Jonny was willing to go on it. We used our premier access but it wasn't the best idea if we wanted to ride it again because the regular wait was only 20 minutes. The freefall drops are really hard for me, but it was pretty fun. I went to the photo screens afterwards and I took a picture so I would know the code but there's nowhere to do it on the app. I went to the photo counter and it turns out that the photo package is totally different than it is at Disneyland. It is not included with Premier access, which is pretty ridiculous. 

After the Tower of Terror, we headed straight over to Web Slingers. That was fun! Jonny's score was 183,600 and he beat us all. Emily had only 1000 less than that and Daniel and Michael tied. I think I had the lowest. 

After Web Slingers, we went over to Flight Force. I had no idea what to expect. I was feeling bad that I hadn’t had time to research Disneyland Paris, but it all worked out. I knew Flight Force was a roller coaster and that's pretty much all I knew. Boy, was that one a shock! It was in the dark like Space Mountain, and we did some flips and 360° turns. I definitely was not prepared for that. 

By then, it was 11:05 AM. We knew that Bistro Chez Remy would open at 11:30 AM so we headed over there to see if we could get on the walk-up list.

This is the Ratatouille area 

There were some people sitting at the tables outside the restaurant and the restaurant was closed and locked and there was no one to ask. We sat there for a few minutes and then I decided I needed to go stand by the door to claim my place in line. It worked out perfectly. Another couple came up next to me and also wanted to go in and they kind of just stood there in front of the door like they were first but I wasn't going to have any of that. Emily came up to join me and a pretty big line formed behind us. As soon as they opened the door, I said hello and followed her straight in there. I asked if there was any way we could get on their list. She started checking and then seemed like she might be able to get us in for lunch. I can't remember if she said it or I said it, but I said we will take any time but if you have something now that would be perfect. She was able to get us a table right then. She asked us to sit down for a minute and they would seat us so that worked out perfectly. The restaurant was amazing! The details are so creative. The seat backs look like little bottle caps. I took lots of pictures and video. 

We all ordered the same thing, a duck starter and steak with fries and ratatouille for our main entrée. We had tap water to drink. We've been asking for tap water a lot and that works out much better than paying a fortune for bottled water. They brought us our appetizers right away but it took quite a while to get our food. 

Even the bathrooms had great details!  Don't worry, no one else was in the bathroom when I took this picture.

Pathway to the bathrooms

We were all done and we had also ordered a cake for Michael's birthday. He had seen it on the menu and requested it and I thought that sounded like a great idea so we got it for him. Unfortunately, the whole process was taking a long time so I asked if they were going to bring the cake and she said they were. Our waiter was new and so I asked the lady who was helping him. Anyway, as we sat there waiting even longer wondering what to do, they came out of the kitchen singing Happy Birthday to Michael. He was a little embarrassed but we thought it was awesome. 

The cake was really cool and we split it up and everybody had some and then we paid the check and left. By then, it was already after 1 PM. That was a really cool experience. I had tried to make that reservation last month but I didn't time it right and all the spots were gone. I'm so glad it worked out! Daniel was really happy. Ratatouille is his favorite movie and going to that restaurant was what he most wanted to do.

After that, we headed next-door to the Ratatouille Adventure ride. That was actually a really cool ride. It was kind of similar to Mickey's Runaway Railway, but much cooler and the movie screens made it feel like you were in the movie and seeing everything from the perspective of the rats. 

Once we got off that ride, we headed over to Crush’s Coaster. I had no idea what to expect on that one. It looked kind of like a kiddie ride but it really wasn't. It was definitely a roller coaster, but the seats that you sat in were unique and they would spin around as well as go on the track. It kind of felt like you were riding the waves a little bit. It was so fun!

We passed Toy Story Land on the way to Crush's Coaster 

Cars Land

Crush's Coaster queue

Crush's Coaster Ride

This is how the shell moves on the ride

Goofy!

After that, we headed over to Disneyland. I had to take a bunch of pictures because the Disneyland entrance is through the bottom of the Disneyland Hotel and it was gorgeous! 

We got into the park and the kids wanted to walk down this pathway that was a side pathway to get to Discoveryland, which is basically Tomorrowland. Andrew wanted to ride Space Mountain so that's where we were headed. However, halfway through that pathway I told everybody I wanted to walk down Main Street. That's what I always do when I walk into Disneyland. So, I walked on Main Street and I asked at one of the shops if they sell English toffee there and she said no but she gave me a long explanation of other sweet shops I can try. Oh well. 

We went over to Space Mountain. This premier access that we've been using has been fabulous. We used it on all five rides that we did at Disney Studios. It's like a fast pass but even better because you don't have to schedule it, you just get in a separate line. I was so glad we used it for Space Mountain because the queue was outside in the sun. Space Mountain was totally different than what were used to. It had a harness that comes over your head just like the Incredicoaster. Crush’s Coaster and Flight Force had that, as well. Anyway, I really hated that Space Mountain ride. It flipped us a couple times, but I don't know how, and part of it is outside so that was interesting. That was three intense roller coasters so far. We don't have nearly that many in California. 

Space Mountain queue

After that, Andrew really wanted to ride Autopia. I rode with Jonny and he did the driving. It was much shorter, I think, than the one in California. Michael and Andrew rode by themselves and Emily and Daniel rode together. 

After that we headed over to Fantasyland and went on Peter Pan. We used our premier pass, so that was nice. It was pretty similar to the one in California but not exactly the same. 

Next, we were going to go to Big Thunder Mountain, but then we discovered that the Indiana Jones ride was right there so we went on that. That one is nothing like the regular one at Disneyland or Disney World. It was a roller coaster and I did not like it at all. It was another one that flips you around and has the harness that goes over your head. 

After that, we took a water break and then headed over to Big Thunder Mountain. That one was awesome! It was more like what we're used to. The cool thing about that one is it actually takes you underwater through a tunnel to a little island and then back. 

After that, we headed over to Phantom Manor, which is Haunted Mansion. Michael's been excited about riding that. We saw the Shooting Gallery on the way and decided to go over to the ride and do the Shooting Gallery later. The ride said it had a 13 minute wait, which in my experience means there's no wait, but it was more like a 20 minute wait, I think. That way we could go back later and use our premier access pass if Michael wanted to ride it again. You only get to use premier access once for each ride. We already used it up for Disney Studios. Phantom Manor was pretty cool. The queue was kind of boring and the rides had similarities but it was quite different. I think Michael liked it. We took a couple pictures outside. 

By then, it was time to head back over to Disney Studios to go to dinner at PYM’s Kitchen. That's the reservation I had for lunch, but when we got in at Bistro Chez Remy, I adjusted it to 4:45 PM. That's the latest I could get it. Later, I was able to shift it to 5:45 PM so that's when we had to get over there. It was a little before 5:30 PM by the time we were done at Phantom Manor. We headed out of Disneyland and back over to Disney Studios. We got to PYM’s Kitchen and they seated us right away. The lady who seated us had a little spiel to give us about this being a lab and how we can experiment and all of that. It was pretty expensive but it was a very cool experience. It was €45 per person and you get one drink included. I really liked the food, especially the shrimp and the salmon. They brought us a big pretzel and hung it on a hanger at the table. They had a really cool hamburger that was giant size and then they cut it into slices. Emily even tried a hamburger! The desserts were pretty good, as well. We all were stuffed because it's all you can eat. The kids wanted to go on Flight Force again and the wait time was only 10 minutes. They wanted to wait with us until we paid the bill, but I told them all they should go on ahead and ride it. Michael even went with them and I said I'd stay behind and pay the bill. It was nice to kind of just sit and relax and work on my journal and have a little rest. It's been nice being here and having bathrooms easily accessible. There's also drinking fountains, which you never find in Europe. There are so many similarities here but it's definitely very different than California. They rode Flight Force and it only took about 10 or 15 minutes and they were back. They came to get me at the restaurant and we had a bathroom break and we were outside figuring out what to do next. We wanted to go to the Shooting Gallery and Phantom Manor because we knew Michael wanted to ride it again. 

We walked back over to Disneyland. Michael, Emily, and Andrew all took turns doing the Shooting Gallery.

It actually cost three euros and you had to have three 1 € coins and we didn’t so I went and got some change. I also asked about the picture plan and figured out how to get the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad picture on my card. Next, we headed over to Fantasyland to go on the canal boats. There was no wait. Those were really cute. I was kind of like the it's a small world ride because it's different than the one at Disneyland and there's no person on the boat talking to you, you just ride around and look at all the little houses.

This is where you get onto the canal boats. It reminded me of getting on Grizzly River Run at California Adventure because the round platform turns slowly as you step into the boats. 

On the way over to the canal boats, we passed the Alice in Wonderland maze and Michael mentioned it but all the kids had passed it by and I didn't think they would care too much about it. After the canal boats, we mentioned it and they all seemed to get kind of excited about that. I didn’t think they would care about it so I was surprised. It said it closed at 9:00 PM but we went over there anyway. By then it was after 9 PM and it turned out it was open until 9:30 PM so everybody was happy about that. Everyone found their way through the maze and went up into the little play castle thing. It was really cute. 

We had decided that we would go into the maze and then Emily would look up the times for the rides at Disney Studios. Jonny really wanted to go back over there with Emily, so we split up and Daniel came with us. Michael and Andrew went on Space Mountain and the rest of us hiked back over to Disney Studios. The Hollywood Tower of Terror wait was only 15 minutes so I was going to carry backpacks for Daniel, Emily, and Jonny and let them go on the ride, but they quickly found out that the wait was actually 30 minutes so we went on Web Slingers again instead. By then it was 10 PM and the park was closed and there was no other chance of getting on another ride so we walked back over to Disneyland again. Michael and Andrew had just finished Space Mountain so we met them at Star Tours. The line was so short we didn't even have an opportunity to use premier access. After that, Andrew and Jonny went to Autopia and the rest of us started to head out of the park. I wanted to go to the photo shop and see if they had any English toffee in the candy shop. I bought one digital photo and couldn’t find any toffee. We all ended up meeting back up in that little main street gazebo area and that's about when the fireworks ended so there was a huge crowd. We all left and walked to the train station and bought tickets and got on the train. We got on the train at 11:25 PM, just a few minutes before it was scheduled to leave. Emily, Jonny, and Daniel all found seats and so did I but Michael and Andrew had to stand the whole time. We had a little bit of an issue getting through the turnstiles because the tickets weren’t working, but thankfully a worker came and we explained the situation we were able to leave. It took us a minute to figure out the best way to get out but Michael got out the walking directions and got us back to the hotel.

Here is a cool sign we saw on the walk from the train station back to the hotel.

It's 12:45 AM and we just got back to the hotel a few minutes ago. What a great day!