So on sunday afternoon me and my girlfriend returned from a 12 day adventure of love, Paris and Disney - the most magical stay you could imagine. In this report I will share our trip, our experiences and most of all my photos from this wonderful holiday :-)
First off let's introduce us. It's me, Nicolai aged 23 and my girlfriend for almost 9 months now, Mie aged 17:
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For me this trip marked my 15th visit to Disneyland Paris whereas my gf had never been before. The trip had been planned since January, but just like with all Disney fairytales it wasn't easy getting there. Back in May our original stay was cancelled due to a lack of participants on the bus journey. We were left without any major ongoing offers and the question of how to get there without going too much out of our initially planned budget.
For some time we thought about simply canceling the trip since my gf would be going with her dad and his family anyway. However, we could both feel that we had to go - we had been far too excited for too long to just give it up. Luckily Mie was the reason for an amazing change in my life back in February when she "forced" me to fly. Some of you might know that I have suffered from fear of flying for all my life and never have been on a plane before. Well, back in february she decided enough was enough and she convinced me to fly for the first time - just a small domestic trip. With her beside me and my trust in her, I got through the flight with no major nerves or any problems afterwards.
This would now save our summer trip as it helped us solve the transport issue. In the meantime her dad had offered us to stay with them. They would pay her stay as always planned and I just had to pay a small amount for three nights at the Davy Crockett Ranch with full board meals! Great!
However, we still wanted some time on our own, so we ended up with this magnificent plan:
10th of July: Flight from Aalborg, Denmark to Paris.
10th-13th of July: Stay in the Residence du Pre hotel in central Paris
13th-15th of July: Stay in Hotel Santa Fe ourselves
15th-18th of July: Stay in Davy Crockett Ranch with her family
18th-20th of July: Stay in the Radisson Blu Hotel near Charles de Gaulle with her family.
20th-21st of July: Train from Paris to Aalborg, Denmark
In total this gave us 6 days in Disney surrounded by two lovely stays in Paris. On paper the recipe for a magical holiday. And now that we are back, I can say that it indeed was a magical holiday!
It all started exactly 14 days ago on the 10th of July. Even though my only second flight and first bigger flight was just around the corner I felt no nerves. I knew I could do it with no worries with Mie by my side and I concentrated fully on the amazing days we had ahead of us. We had lunch at my parents' place before they drove us to the airport along with my gf's mum. This was actually the first time they really met and we couldn't have wished for a better send off as they just hit it off instantly. Of course I forgot to leave my phone and wallet for the security check, so I got a little - but insignificant - scare when the scanner suddenly beeped as I walked through. It was not enough to bring back any of the fear though. We continued to board the plane and we must have looked somewhat royal as we stopped on the stairs to wave to our parents who was standing, waving at us. We got seated and off we went for the first of two flights - this one to Copenhagen.
The flight went with no problems and I was already really proud of myself for not feeling my previous fear in any way. In Copenhagen Airport we had 2.5 hours before our final flight to Paris Orly. We strolled around the shopping area looking through various shops and ended up in the O'Learys Sports Bar to grab some dinner before heading off to Paris at 7 pm. I had a wonderful Fish'n'Chips while my gf had an enourmous portion of Nachos - even with my help she couldn't finish it (understandably). Satisfied and full we went for our plane - as we boarded it it was incredibly hot inside the cabin, however it quickly got better after take off. Once again I was completely calm and for the first time I could really enjoy the wonderful view from high above: (this photo is from the flight to Copenhagen though)
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It was a beautiful, sunny flight to the french capital and we enjoyed a nice, clear view of Paris as we flew around the city before landing in the Orly airport, where a classic french "welcome" awaited...
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... As we had collected our luggage we headed for the train. I had found the exact route from home and eventhough it was stated now that the train was closed we saw several trains leaving and arriving, so I queued up to get tickets.
However, I could quickly feel that something confused everyone. The salesman behind the counter would only sell tickets for the Orly Bus as the train was closed - once again eventhough trains were still leaving and arriving with passengers. Well, never mind, we got our tickets for the Orly Bus and entered the hot bus going to the Denfert Rocherau RER station from where we should take the RER B to Chatelet and then the metro from there to Poissonière in order to find our hotel Residence du Pre. It was a long and rather expensive journey but just around 11 we arrived at our lovely hotel in a beautiful and cosy montmatre-like neighborhood right in between the Sacre Cæur, Gare du Nord and Opera.
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After taking the elevator (which would fit to people with NO luggage - tops) to the fifth floor and then walking the last stairs to sixth floor we entered our very parisian hotel room. Nice and cosy and nothing more. The classic view of rooftops with lots of plants and chimneys. We wanted to quickly check out the neighborhood and maybe find a cocktail for my gf, but eventhough I would consider the hotel to be located quite central, most things were closed and we quickly headed back home for a nights sleep before our first day in Paris. A day which would see us seeing some classic landmarks as the Louvre and Moulin Rouge as well as a full afternoon of exploring the Champs Élyssées.
A rather photo less first part of the report, but I promise to make up for it. A little sneak peek at some of the photos to come during the next many updates:
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Sounds good so far :)
You both look so happy! It is brilliant that you have conquered your fear of flying :)
Cant wait to read more!
Hi forza_united, I have just checked out your website, NKA Photo, and am blown away at the design of the site. I myself am having an eye at photography and wondered, how did you make that site? Don't worry I won't copy your site I am just curious how you made the site.
Ah, Paris and Disneyland, the best combination ever :mrgreen:
You two really look happy!
Can't wait for more. Mean to show just some little sneak peeks :P
Neat photos!
I've been so excited for this trip report! Can't wait to read more :)
I always love reading your reports cant wait for more :)
Thanks all - I expect the first real update to come tomorrow :-)
Quote from: "DisneyManiac"Hi forza_united, I have just checked out your website, NKA Photo, and am blown away at the design of the site. I myself am having an eye at photography and wondered, how did you make that site? Don't worry I won't copy your site I am just curious how you made the site.
Thank you very much! Actually it is a bought template, which I have later customized and set up in Rapidweaver on my iMac. I am very happy with the design myself and if I remember correctly this is the designer: http://michaeldaviddesign.com/ (http://michaeldaviddesign.com/%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow)
Quote from: "forza_united"Thanks all - I expect the first real update to come tomorrow :-)
Quote from: "DisneyManiac"Hi forza_united, I have just checked out your website, NKA Photo, and am blown away at the design of the site. I myself am having an eye at photography and wondered, how did you make that site? Don't worry I won't copy your site I am just curious how you made the site.
Thank you very much! Actually it is a bought template, which I have later customized and set up in Rapidweaver on my iMac. I am very happy with the design myself and if I remember correctly this is the designer: http://michaeldaviddesign.com/ (http://michaeldaviddesign.com/%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow)
Oh I see, I don't have an iMac so at the moment isn't much of a use, but I'll keep it in mind for the future. ;)
No problems :D
Quote from: "DisneyManiac"Quote from: "forza_united"Thanks all - I expect the first real update to come tomorrow :-)
Quote from: "DisneyManiac"Hi forza_united, I have just checked out your website, NKA Photo, and am blown away at the design of the site. I myself am having an eye at photography and wondered, how did you make that site? Don't worry I won't copy your site I am just curious how you made the site.
Thank you very much! Actually it is a bought template, which I have later customized and set up in Rapidweaver on my iMac. I am very happy with the design myself and if I remember correctly this is the designer: http://michaeldaviddesign.com/ (http://michaeldaviddesign.com/%22%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow)
Oh I see, I don't have an iMac so at the moment isn't much of a use, but I'll keep it in mind for the future. ;)
No problems :D
His designs might be compatible with other similar software on Windows - I don't know though.
Day 2 - Modern Paris
It was time! We woke up to the first of many days in or near the french capital! The city of all cities: the one and only Paris :-)
We kicked off the day with breakfast in our hotel - I went all in and took two yoghurts, two croissants with nutella, two baguettes with jam and two Pain au Chocolat. A good, long-lasting breakfast of a reasonable quality!
After this we collected the camera and our other stuff in the room - we packed lots of sun lotion as we could see that it was going to be a hot and sunny day (the first of many). Having left the hotel we started off by buying our two day Paris Visite travel card which gave us unlimited access to the RER, Metro and bus lines during our two days in Paris. A good luxury to have even though it almost was a shame to hide in the underground in such good weather. First stop on our packed afternoon of "Modern Paris" and shopping was the Louvre as we needed to visit a very special store nearby. As it was my girlfriends first time in Paris ever the Louvre of course is one of the must-sees! Eventhough we didn't visit the museum itself the Pyramids and Caroussel du Louvre is well worth a visit on their own.
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Towards the Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368943199/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
No matter how many times I visit this place with my camera I could stay there for hours walking around, finding new angles and compositions for the pyramids. The weather was quite cloudy as we were there and actually that offered some new challenges and possibilities with reflections and contrast.
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The Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371718792/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371715518/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368936699/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371709692/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368928065/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368926599/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368923545/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Towards the Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368920377/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Towards the Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371694996/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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After exploring the Pyramids for quite some time it was about time to go to the store which my girlfriend really wanted to visit. You see for months before our trip she had been saving up for a certain cosmetics purse from Mulberry and their only official store in Paris is located near the Louvre and Jardin des Tuileries. We had also been looking at an all new purse which I might could have given her in addition to the cosmetics purse.
We got to the shop and it was without a doubt the most exclusive shopping experience I have had - at least where we actually bought something (Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Christian Lubotain is quite exclusive too :lol:) We quickly found the cosmetics purse and my girlfriend had no doubt - she wanted to buy it. The purse I could have given her though was not quite as she had wanted it to be, so we "only" took the cosmetics purse. We were the only ones in the store and we were treated like "gods" and it was a really nice experience - especially for my girlfriend. I was so happy for her!
Despite the exclusive interior and service of the store, it was located on a quite ordinary street. However, it had that very parisian atmostphere:
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Jardin des Tuileries (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371686320/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Untitled (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371683066/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bike in Paris (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371673818/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Very happy we returned to the Louvre and the Caroussel du Louvre. Now it was my turn to fulfill a big wish as I returned to the brilliant and beautiful photo gallery Yellow Korner, which is located in the big shopping center below the Louvre.
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Shadowed Lamps (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371656098/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
In the gallery I got a wonderful gift by girlfriend as she got me a new photo in the same series as the one I bought last year as well as frames for both of them. (I will post photos of them in the end of the report). We were very fascinated by a lot of the photos but especially a beautiful black and white portrait of a lion! Most of their photos are printed on glass, which just makes them even more clear and sharp. One day I would love one of their big photos or even better one of my own printed in that way!
Well now we both had had a big wish come true, so before continueing towards the Champs Élyssées we once again explored the pyramids - this time from the bottom :)
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The Pyramid (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371692370/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Spectral Colours (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371690970/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
It was still a bit too early for lunch and none of us were really that hungry. So we dropped the lunch in Jardin des Tuileries that I had planned and hoped for. Instead we strolled slowly through this wonderful park, which is such a wonderful place in the middle of Paris. You'll always find a breeze and peace within this grass filled oasis right in the middle of the pulsating city life. I quite understand why you see many locals sitting here - it must be a great place to come and escape just for a short amount of time. Or simply to enjoy your lunch. I know I would go there quite a lot if I ever get to live in Paris :-)
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Drinks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371706836/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Towards the Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368877107/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Jardin des Tuileries (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368876115/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Jardin des Tuileries (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368872295/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Enjoying the Sun (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368869823/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Can you spot the insanely cute detail in this photo??
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Dog Walking In Paris (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9368867295/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
The first two dogs are walking each other. The right one was actually walking the other one having its leach in its mouth! SO CUTE
As we came close to the Place du Concorde we could begin to see the preparations for the 14th of July. Actually the complete Place was closed as they were setting up a big stand facing towards the Arc de Triomphe and all the way down the Champs Élyssées they were setting up additional stands and closing parts of the street.
Walking through the last bit of green shadows before the shopping craziness we grabbed a quick lunch and a simple one too! Two crepes with nutella. It might not be that healthy but d*mn is it good! We found a place with two stands facing each other - both of them had crepes of course but one at 3 euros and the other one at 3.50 euros. Needless to say we took the cheapest and the others must have been very good in order to beat these :-) So yummy!!
My girlfriend was just about to ask me "So, where are all these shops you have been talking about?" as we emerged from under the trees and there they were! Abercrombie & Fitch, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Disney, Sephora - you name it! She forced me to visit Abercrombie & Fitch - a store which I have only seen from the outside the last couple of years as it has had some insane queues for a store! This time however, there was no queue so we headed inside. Anyone been in there? At the same time it is one of the best shopping experiences I have had as well as one of the craziest. Greeted by a topless man posing for photographs you can almost say that this is the fashion version of Disneyland!
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Nothing is not thought about and every little detail is maintained by the 5-10 cleaners constantly correcting the clothes, washing the floors or dusting off the shelves. Several workers are just there to greet people with smiles that make the Disney smile look really quite small. Most of the workers seem to just be there to look hot. They do not have much clothes but I must say it is of high quality. I ended up buying two polo shirts and they fit perfectly and are very comfortable!
Of course you do not enter/leave the store directly into the street - you have to walk through their garden protected by 5 security guards asking people not to stand for too long or touching the bushes.
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The rest of the afternoon we just walked around the Champs Élyssées popping into most of the stores. Suddenly we faced some time issues as it was 6 and we still wanted to visit the Christian Lubotain store near Palais Royal and Galeries Lafayette before ending our evening in Montmartre near Moulin Rouge.
We jumped into the metro heading for Palais Royal to find the Christian Lubotain store. Here you'll find all the smaller, yet more exclusive designers. Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors and of course Lubotain to name a few!
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We finally found the Lubotain store and my girlfriend was in stiletto heaven although we couldn't afford to buy anything in there of course, it was still one of the experiences she talked about at home, so I was happy to be able to fulfill it by finding the well hidden store!
Quite stressed now we rushed to Galeries Lafayette and quickly looked through it before we decided to just wait for the next day and just enjoy the view from the terrasse at this time :)
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Opera (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9371641076/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We were getting hungry, but we needed to go back to the hotel with our shopping bags as well as my camera before heading for Montmartre to find something to eat. Quite effective we got changed and quickly left the hotel again. However, the metro wasn't helpful as the station near Moulin Rouge was closed so we had to walk quite a distance on one of the less charming streets of Paris.
We finally found our way to Moulin Rouge surrounded by people, tourists, locals, young people, old people - here you'll find anyone! However, what we wanted to find more than anything at this time was some food! We spotted a place called Buffalo Grills and as my GF loves spareribs this seemed to be the right place. AND it was! She got some delicious spareribs, while I unfortunately couldn't get the chicken and ended up with a salmon fillet which was grilled very dry! But it was still food and ate quite a few of Mie's fries. This, the view and the dessert saved it for me ;-)
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When we were finished the line for the 11 show at Moulin Rouge was insane! We decided that next time we wanted to see the show thinking it couldn't be too "bad" considering the crowd and quite a few children in line too. We ended our night in a small karaoke bar, where my girlfriend enjoyed a couple of cocktails while I enjoyed my alcohol free Mojito ;-)
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What we hadn't foreseen was that the metro was closed as we had finished at the bar. Luckily our hotel weren't that far away, so we got a refreshing end to the day with yet another walk only struggling to find our way a couple of times :lol: We made it to the hotel at around 2 in the night, so it was time to head straight to bed as another day in the heart of Paris awaited only 6 hours later :-)
Once again I would like to thank you all for reading along and leaving such wonderful comments! Thank you :-)
Loving your report :) You have fitted in so much already!
Hi Nicolai & Mie,
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip report, so happy to hear you are both having fun in Paris; looking forward to reading the next chapter. :D
oh, and thank you Nicolai for sharing your wonderful photos. :minnie:
Oh WOW!!! Fantastic photos of one of my favourite cities. The Opera House is one of my favourite buildings, inside and out. I could sit and just look at it all day. When I finished reading this, my first thought was "I wonder if I could fit a little visit to Paris in when we go to Disneyland".
You look like you are having a great time, and lucky Mie - all those shops!!
Looking forward to more! :D
Lovely lovely photo's! I am really enjoying your Parisian adventures!
Amazing how much you can fit into 1 day!! Paris is a wonderful city, and through your eyes and pictures its even better!
Wonderful report with stunning photos, can't wait to discover more!
Quote from: "tubbsy"Loving your report :) You have fitted in so much already!
Thank you - next packed update will arrive tonight, so stay tuned :-)
Quote from: "mickeyspal"Hi Nicolai & Mie,
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip report, so happy to hear you are both having fun in Paris; looking forward to reading the next chapter. :D
oh, and thank you Nicolai for sharing your wonderful photos. :minnie:
Thank you so much :-) There are many, many photos to come - I shot 1500 in total :-)
Quote from: "minnieme"Oh WOW!!! Fantastic photos of one of my favourite cities. The Opera House is one of my favourite buildings, inside and out. I could sit and just look at it all day. When I finished reading this, my first thought was "I wonder if I could fit a little visit to Paris in when we go to Disneyland".
You look like you are having a great time, and lucky Mie - all those shops!!
Looking forward to more! :D
Yeah - for me it's almost a must to visit Paris - at least just for an afternoon. It's such a wonderful city! And I can say that there is still two Paris updates to come - one of them coming later tonight :-)
Quote from: "Angel_Ariel"Lovely lovely photo's! I am really enjoying your Parisian adventures!
Thank you very much Angel_Ariel :-)
Quote from: "never2old"Amazing how much you can fit into 1 day!! Paris is a wonderful city, and through your eyes and pictures its even better!
Wonderful report with stunning photos, can't wait to discover more!
Thank you N2O - you know me, there is always loads packed into one day :-)
Day 3 - Paris Essentiels
Our second day in Paris starting with the warm, bright rays of sun shining through the curtains drawing the silhouette of the classic Parisian rooftops surrounding our very warm hotel room.
After eating a breakfast as big as the day before it was time for some of my "Paris Essentiels" - mainly we wanted to see Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower and Sacre Cæur. It turned out only one of these would be seen on this day - with the others replaced with other, smaller Paris sights.
Our first target was Notre Dame, so we took the Metro to Chatelet to be able to walk the last way. As we emerged from the metro station instead of walking straight to Notre Dame we went towards Hotel de Ville. A place I had actually never seen and for several reasons it turned out to be a good choice! First of the building itself is very beautiful:
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Hotel de Ville (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403096570/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As we arrived there we noticed a big sculpture of roses and a lot attention and people gathering around this. It turned out to be some event to support equality for homosexuals. We got our photo taken with the sculpture and shared our support to the representatives.
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While walking around the area near Hotel de Ville I popped in to a store in which I shopped quite a bit.
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As you can see, I was very happy to shop in...
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The Body Shop!! My GF had been walking around in her kawasaki shoes all the first day and her feet/legs were aching! So we bought some very good cooling foot spray and relaxing leg gel. It helped us out throughout the rest of the holiday - a great purchase!
Now, it's time for some photos. The area around Hotel de Ville (also hosting an agriculture exhibition) is better shared through these photos than through my words:
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Hotel de Ville (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403092840/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Hotel de Ville (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403090368/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Hotel de Ville (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403087152/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Hotel de Ville (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403083794/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Hotel de Ville (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403080514/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After spending some time here it was time to head towards Notre Dame over the Seine through the little streets leading up to the majestic church. I must say that no matter what bridge you cross the Seine it produces some beautiful sights. I could easily spend a complete day exploring all the different sights around the bridges of Paris. But our schedule was tight, so that must wait for a later visit :-)
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The Seine (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403078406/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As lovely as the bridges is the area before Notre Dame when you arrive from this side. So many little shops, cafés, bars and so much life - a truly parisian area. And surely this must have been a sign of what awaited us the next day ;-)
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We arrived at the Notre Dame and the first thing I noticed was a big blue and white structure, which I would later find out marked the 850 years anniversary of the church. They had build a massive stand on which people were sitting while enjoying the sun, maybe an ice cream and of course the perfect view of this amazing and gorgeus piece of architecture. Mies feet still hurt a little bit, so while she took a break on the stand I went for some photography. Once again I'll let the photos share the beauty of Notre Dame:
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Notre Dame (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400314911/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Notre Dame (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403075310/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Smartphone Tourism (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403073568/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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850 Years of Notre Dame (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400309759/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We continued our journey through classic Paris crossing the seine once again towards the Saint Michel. This was an area, which I don't remember visiting earlier, but I really liked the Latin Quarter. Once again you cross a corner in Paris and is presented with a new, great experience. Away from the big boulevards and big sights, you are suddenly in small streets filled with restaurants. This really reminded me about Florence and Rome. The next time you are in Paris you should really consider going here :-)
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Latin Quarter, Paris (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400307187/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Saint Michel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400305383/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Saint Michel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403062992/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We needed to go back to the Notre Dame as we had noticed a little place we had to visit now that it was time for something sweet. Bertie's Cupcakery located in one of the small streets surrounding Notre Dame. We got two amazing cupcakes (7€ total - not bad); one with Oreo and one with lemon/strawberry. Oh my sweet cupcake, were they tasty!!!
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After enjoying these delicious treets we took the metro to the Jardin des Tuileries/Concorde to fulfill one of the dreams we had had ever since noticing it the first day. To go up the Champs-Élysées in a rickshaw/pedicab. After negotiating with some of them we found a reasonable price (10€ to go from Concorde to the middle of Champs-Élysées! This was a stunning and unique experience :-) You have never seen Paris like this and it was so relaxing, so beautiful and so peaceful. You have to do this - this is THE way to experience Paris!!
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Rickshawing down Champs-Élysées (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400298919/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After this it was time for some lunch, although we weren't that hungry. So we decided to go for the same lunch as thursday - a nutella crepes. We even went back to the same place to get it :lol:
After once again spending some time on Champs-Élysées we were once again tempted by a pedicab as we neared the Arc de Triomphe. We wanted to go to Galeries Lafayette as my GF wanted to look for something she had forgotten on our rather stressed visit on thursday. So we decided to go from the Arc de Triomphe to Opera and this would turn out to be the most value-for-money of all our pedicab tours as we only paid 20€ (actually we had agreed 18 but "unfortunately" for him he didn't have 2€ for change ;-)). This took more than 30 minutes and took us down the Champs-Élysées through the embassy area further on into the designers area with all the most exclusive stores finally ending up near at the majestic Opera house. I greatly regret not taking any photos during this ride, but I have some video which will be shared later on.
After Galeries Lafayette we returned to the hotel to relax for an hour or so - actually we went to get a massage for my girlfriend. Let's say we found a cheap place and my girlfriend got a "massage" - however, both of us were very happy that I didn't get one too ;-) I hope you catch my drift :P
After the hotel break we decided to return to Champs-Élysées. We had planned all along to have dinner there this evening and I also wanted to take some photos after sunset of the traffic, the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. Before this, however, we went into Sephora as I wanted to spoil my girlfriend a bit. So I gave her some Chanel make-up to put into her purchased cosmetics bag from the day before. Unfortunately some of the things she wanted was sold out, but we got a couple of things for her to start the new collection (for make-up knowers she is switching from MAC :p)
We discussed a bit whether we wanted to eat her (we couldn't seem to find a place that suited us or just go back to the place we had dinner the night before).. And then (luckily) we came to Cafe George V! We could both find something to eat and the prices weren't that bad! We sat down and I think we both agree that this is one of the best dinners we have enjoyed together during our time together! We sat outside on the Champs-Élysées, lovely atmosphere and great food :-) The only thing spoiling the perfect night was finding out about the tragic train accident near Paris as my GFs family asked us if we were okay, so we had to just write them and my family to tell that luckily we were all okay :-)
And then just look at this food:
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I had a delicious chicken with home made french fries :-)
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Mie had a yummy seafood salad, which was quote "the best salad she had ever had" :-)
For dessert I got the best Creme Brulee I have ever had, while Mie had a lime sorbet with vodka and a Long Island Ice Tea, which I must say tasted very nice and not of alcohol at all despite featuring no less than 7 types of alcohol. If I was allowed to drink alcohol I would have had one too :-)
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Taking our time to enjoy the meal (only 90,50 €) I was left with not much time to take my wanted photos, and I am sad to admit that it can be seen on the results. Judge by yourself:
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Champs-Élysées (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400293041/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Arc de Triomphe (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400284529/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Champs-Élysées (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9400267699/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
After this we decided to - SURPRISE! - take a pedicab to the Louvre. We loved our driver and respected him! It was midnight, he had no motor on the bike (unlike the others) and yet he drove us all the way to the Louvre with great spirits and energy. We actually wanted to tip him besides the 25€ we paid him, but we hadn't got any coins :(
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The final photo of the night, before we headed home, to bed prepared to go to Disney on saturday. This I am VERY satisfied with:
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Louvre (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9403019946/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Your photos are so beautiful Nicolai, I've really enjoyed reading these first few days and can't wait to read about your time in Disney!
Oh wow Nicolai! Your day sounds brilliant and your photos are AMAZING!
I am very much an amateur (using a Nikon bridge) but I am hoping to get some fairly good photos next week. :)
Quote from: "tubbsy"Oh wow Nicolai! Your day sounds brilliant and your photos are AMAZING!
I am very much an amateur (using a Nikon bridge) but I am hoping to get some fairly good photos next week. :)
Thank you very much, Tubbsy! :thumbs:
I am sure you will come back with loads of great photos. The most important thing about holiday photos - especially with your family - is to catch the atmosphere and the lovely times. I look forward to seeing them :-)
Quote from: "ecila"Your photos are so beautiful Nicolai, I've really enjoyed reading these first few days and can't wait to read about your time in Disney!
Thank you - 6 days of Disney coming up including loads of photos of the 14th of July Fireworks and Disney Dreams, with NO people in front of me or in the photos at all :-)
Extremely fantastic report, so glad you had a most wonderful time!!!
Needless to say that pictures are awesome :thumbs:
Looking forward to the rest ...
Wow, thanks for sharing this fantastic photos of Paris! :D
=D> =D> =D>
Oh, the report itself is great,too, of course! ;)
Quote from: "carelessness @ DLRP"Extremely fantastic report, so glad you had a most wonderful time!!!
Needless to say that pictures are awesome :thumbs:
Looking forward to the rest ...
Thank you very much - indeed we did. But the best is indeed still to come - 6 days of Disney magic and a final sunny day in Paris :-)
Quote from: "BlackPearl"Wow, thanks for sharing this fantastic photos of Paris! :D
=D> =D> =D>
Oh, the report itself is great,too, of course! ;)
Haha thanks - I have a few Paris photos that haven't been shared here, but I expect to share some more unseen photos on my website or Facebook page at a later time :-) Feel free to follow!
Ah, more stunning pictures of Paris. Notre Dame is another favourite - beautiful.
Really great report so far Nicolai, Looking forward to the next day.
Looking forward to more :) especially disney
Sorry for the delay and lack of a new update - my week has just been incredibly busy!
However, I promise at least one DISNEY update this week :-)
Ohhhh, come on the week has just begun!!! ;) (just kidding) Great report so far! Looking forward to the next installment!
Have a nice, hopefully not to busy, week!
Aurora1
So far so good. Looking forward to the actual Dlp report!!! :)
I have some issues at home I need to address, so I haven't forgot you. As a matter of fact I plan on posting not only Day 4 but also Day 5 during tomorrow :-)
As a sorry for the wait I shall leave you with 6 previews from Day 5 which had both Bastille Day Fireworks and Disney Dreams!! A very magical combination from our perfect view:
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Seee you tomorrow ;-)
Holy cow! These pictures are faboulus!!! =D> :D/
Where were you standing?
Day 4 - Welcome Home!
NB! First of all I will let you know that all photos despite 2 in this update is from my trips last summer. On this day I did not bring my camera in order to be able to enjoy the first Disney Day with Mie without being interrupted by taking photos and all. But of course I won't make a full day update without photos for you :)
So the day kicked off as usual - up early, nice sunny parisian view from the room and a big breakfast for me. This was the day, Disney was calling, I was hours from returning "home" - hours from showing my girlfriend this place for the first time. Because I love the place so much and her so much, it was equally shared emotions of excitement and fear of how she would like it. I'm sure all of you who have taken someone for their first trip know this feeling?
Well before we would take the RER train to Marne-la-vallée Chessy we had some final things on our Paris to-do. We wanted to get back to Abercrombie & Fitch as I wanted to buy another polo and my girlfriend had decided to buy the dress she had seen there the first time. We bought a book of 10 metro tickets and then it was time to be time effective!
We quickly found ourselves on Champs-Élysées and inside the overwhelming walls of A&F. I knew exactly what Polo I was going for and I quickly found it - unfortunately the dress Mie had wanted was sold out in her size. Such a shame considering they had two days before :(
Well we continued to Nike Store and Galeries Lafayette in order to look for some new shoes or sandals for Mie as her feet were still killing her. Unfortunately both visits were with no luck and we went back to the hotel to collect our luggage followed by the long but wonderful RER travel from central Paris to the home of the magic. I could feel that we were both nervous and excited!
As we arrived and emerged from the train station my GF had a lot of questions for me about what was what and so on. However, before answering all this we jumped on the shuttle bus to our hotel: Santa Fe. We got there around 2 I think and we were the only people at check-in so we quickly got our room which was located just a short stroll away from the reception. Great at this time with all our bags :-)
Leaving our luggage and making us ready the anticipation was killing me. I just wanted to get "home"! :lol: As we went for the bus we were greeted by no other than the Mr. Mouse himself! As if he was there to welcome me on my 15th stay and make sure my girlfriend popped straight into the Disney mode. From that moment on I knew this would be good as she was so happy:
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We took the bus back to the parks and now it was time! Time to enter the magic and show my girlfriend this - for her - mysterious place that her boyfriend loves extremely much! Even before we entered the Disneyland Park I bought my first gift for my girlfriend - she knew I had been talking about her wearing Minnie ears and when she saw them she was sure. She had to have a couple :-)
Entering the park, wearing her ears we had not gotten longer than under Main Street station as she said: "Aww, I love this place!". I could relax and just enjoy being back here for 6(!) days - the longest stay ever for me :-) Having only had breakfast we quickly headed for some lunch, which would be served in the middle of the jungle in the old Explorer's Club now taken over by Col. Hathi. The pizzas are always of reasonable good quality compared to some of the other fast food choices and gave us the necessary energy to start exploring the park!
The sun was shining and the heat was burning. When that is the case there is no place in Disneyland Park I love more than Adventure Isle and is it was on the way to my must-be-the-first-ride Pirates it was obvious to just walk around enjoying each others company in the beautiful, exotic surroundings:
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Adventure Isle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7857115320/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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The Stream Between the Leaves (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782913474/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Through the Waterfall (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782918756/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Lamp Under the Bridge (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808919108/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Skull Rock (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7875103454/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Then it was time for our first ride; a return to the pirate infested waters of the Caribbean. The queue was quite big - 40 minutes I think - and I always love to see this ride so popular considering it - luckily - has no Jack Sparrow or anything. My GF haven't seen the films so she didn't miss him either - however, she was quite scared and didn't really like darkest parts of the ride. She enjoyed the story part though and I just enjoyed being back. It was in quite good condition although the swinging pirate unfortunately was missing during our complete stay.
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Caribbean Sunset (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7808943214/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Pirates of the Caribbean (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782946034/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Having escaped the heated battles between the Royal Army and the pirates we continued towards Fantasyland - just kind of walking around, enjoying the atmosphere and giving Mie an idea of what the park had to offer :)
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Pink Summer (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853300106/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We decided to head for the Studios as Mie was especially excited about Tower of Terror. Strolling through the castle we enjoyed trying on some on-sale Christmas hats before finding ourselves in front of an offer we simply couldn't refuse! Lovely Ben & Jerries Ice Cream from the Gibson Girl! Uhmmmmm - so good and so delicious in the sun :-)
We dropped into City Hall as we had been talking about having dinner at the Blue Lagoon - we wanted to hear if we could get a table the next day, but considering it was the Bastille Day we weren't that optimistic. However, it was no problem and we got a reservation for 7.15 on sunday the 14th :-) This would be my first visit to the Blue Lagoon so I was quite excited considering it is located within my favourite ride!
We wanted to see and try so much already that we hurried on into the Studios preparing ourselves to travel directly to the Twilight Zone!
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The Hollywood Tower Hotel (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790990560/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As it was too late for fastpasses and we really wanted to try it we just got in the queue ending up with 45 minutes in the hot sun in the outdoor queue area.
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Tower Details (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7853416740/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Entering the hotel my girlfriend quickly spotted how much in character most of the cast members are in this ride. She loved it and to be honest who wouldn't? It just helps making the ride start already before "the actual ride" kicks off!
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As we got seated in the elevator my adrenaline was once again pumping although it was my 30th time or so! It just does it every single time :lol: My GF was trying to get as much information out of me as possible but I tried to tell as less as possible as I clearly remember how amazing, frightening and extremely funny my first time was when I didn't have a clue about what happened and when. (Almost) needless to say she LOVED it and already declared it to be her favourite ride!
It quickly got some competition as we went on Rock'n'Rollercoaster. It's really not my favourite as I cannot sit very comfortable in the train due to my height and I don't like the acceleration. However, I did for her and she loved this one too. She knew for sure that her dad would too so she actually wrote to him straight after getting off, that she had found an attraction that they simply had to try together, when he got there!
The studios closed and continueing our tightly scheduled first day we headed straight back to Disneyland Park where we would just catch the parade as we entered the park. However, none of us really concentrated on the parade. As we got there we were right in the middle under the station. They have this spot open for people to cross the street. As the parade neared they closed this of course. The Cast Member doing this pointed out an old man in a wheelchair wanting to get him in the front. However, none of the nearby families respected this and as soon as he moved the ropes they just ran in front of the poor man leaving him in a spot where he couldn't see anything. We both felt so sorry for him and most of all I wanted to tell all the others off! :twisted:
My girlfriend enjoyed the parade and wrote her step mum to tell how beautiful it all was and how excited she was for her to small cousins to arrive. It was happiness all over!
Finding our way through the many, MANY people leaving the parks after the parade we found ourselves in Frontierland. We had fastpass tickets for Big Thunder so we boarded the wildest ride in the wilderness! We both loved it and laughed our lungs out :-)
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7782864340/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790319422/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Big Thunder Mountain (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790282566/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
Feeling hungry once again we went to Lucky Nugget Saloon for food. I could get their lovely Fish'n'Chips and my GF could get spare ribs.
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The Lucky Nugget Saloon (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7852391556/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
We queued up for 30 minutes at least and couldn't get soda as something was wrong with their machines. We finally got seated and as we got our food it was with mixed feelings. My fish was delicious as always - however, the ribs were almost nothing but fat. The amount of actual meat was very little unfortunately :(
Last year was actually the first time ever I was in there, so I never got to experience it when there was actual shows on the stage. This evening though we would get a little taste of how it was as we had the delightful surprise of live music on the stage:
[youtube:3c5ackwi]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IKReNjyyIQ[/youtube:3c5ackwi]
To some extent this made up for the disappointing ribs and nice and full we got out spotting an abandoned manor in its once so majestic location with the perfect view of Thunder Mesa. My GF isn't really fond of haunted houses, but having promised her it didn't contain live actors and really is more beautiful than scary we got on. Just as with Pirates she didn't like the darkest parts but otherwise she found it both beautiful and impressive. However, she didn't really catch the story and I think that is a big problem with the lack of english speak in at least one of the stretch rooms. Come on, the speak with Vincent Price is amazing, so why don't bring him back?? :D
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Phantom Manor on the River (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7790304250/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Phantom Manor (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/7621918590/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
No skeletons in the end.. Otherwise the ride was in top condition ready for the summer season! We had a little time left before having to find a spot for Dreams so we headed for Indy as it would be closed some of the days during our stay. My girlfriend remembered the track design from the old Tivoli in Aalborg - and they are very similar if not exact copies! Once again it was a bumpy ride, but in the end I must say that it is still great fun if you go there when the queue is short :)
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Before ending the night with the magical Disney Dreams we went on Pont Suspendu taking some photos of Mie :-)
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We ended the day with the beautiful Disney Dreams which has just become even better with the addition of Lion King and Brave. Lion King is a major hit with the audiences - literally everybody was either singing, dancing or both along! It was a party - Brave was much more exciting and impressive compared to the Mary Poppins scene. However, I missed King Louis and Baloo :-)
On our way to the bus and hotel we quickly got into World of Disney, but it was clear that we were quite tired! So we just got back to the hotel and into bed - after all a new complete day of magic awaited with breakfast at 7 am next day. As it was Bastille Day we were prepared for crazy lines and extremely packed parks! We would be in for a surprise....
Lovely report! Eagerly awaiting the next installment :D
Sounds like you both had a great time! :-)
Did you notice that on Saturday and Sunday, Melanie's veil was off her face in Phantom Manor (the first time you see her just as the ride begins) but on Monday it was back over her face!!
Day 5 - Bastille Day in Paris
First morning in Hotel Santa Fe - we had been told La Cantina breakfast was completely booked from 7-10, so we should just go there when we wanted! As it was the Bastille Day we wanted to get there as early as possible so that we could catch most of the EMH expecting the day to be extremely busy and the parks to be packed. I remember being there on an earlier Bastille Day where we managed to go on 3 rides the entire day, so I had prepared my girlfriend for a busy, yet slow day with loads of queues and everything.
We were in La Cantina around 7.30 and after a classic Disney breakfast we found ourselves on the way to the parks with the shuttle bus. We just missed it, so we had to wait some time. As we arrived in the Disneyland Park it wasn't that late or busy for that matter, so we headed towards Discoveryland and a laser spin with Buzz, who luckily was back in action having been roped off during both my stays last summer. We competed a bit, but it never really got going - actually I don't even remember my score (shame on me). As we exited we wanted to try Space Mountain, but it was closed due to some technical problems.
We decided to head for the studios to get in the Crush queue early and save the big wait, I knew would be probably be even bigger on this day.
When we arrived at Town Square, however, the Horse Drawn Vehicle was out. I LOVE it as it is pure Disneyland magic to me and my girlfriend LOVES horses, so of course we had to take it back to the castle. Nothing has ever been as relaxing as travelling down Main Street in this vehicle, and Main Street has never looked more beautiful than in this vehicle. A wonderful start to the day indeed! Even a very annoying dutch man yelling at people in the street "that they didn't have any money", "welcome to youtube" and "in Holland we eat horsies" couldn't ruin the moment! :lol:
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Disneyland Horse (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476268303/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
... and the fact that you dropped off to this beautiful sight just makes it even more beautiful and amazing!
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476266253/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
But we would still be customers with Main Street Ttransportation and Co., because going back to Town Square we got our very own tour in the Limousine going down Main Street in the opposite direction. This really was an amazing Main Street morning!!!
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One-Way Transportation to Town Square (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479053362/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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It had now become a little later and as we came to the Studios they had already opened the gates, so I knew we would be in for a bigger Crush queue than wanted. However, we didn't know how many mornings we would be able to go there during the Davy Crockett stay later, so we decided to queue up anyway. We ended up queueing for around 1 hour, but luckily the ride is very funny! However it is still very recommendable to get at the Studios Gate around 9.20 in order to save a big wait for Crush :-)
After this we went to Tower of Terror to take a fastpass for later (it was actually already for around 3!!) - we continued on into Toy Story Playland. This is still quite lovely in the bright summer months even though the capacity issues are also that much bigger during these months! We got in queue for the Parachute Drop - my GF wanted to try it and I - of course - wanted to check out the Ratatouille construction site from above ;) We queued up for around an hour and even though the interior of the last bit of queue is quite nice, it is a LONG time to queue up for this attraction I must say! It's not that good :)
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Toy Story Playland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479051498/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
However, the view is nice and from the top you actually get the illusion of this land being a garden - there is NO tilt shift effect on this photo, but you still get the impression :)
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Toy Story Playland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479049540/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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I must say the view towards Ratatouille made me really excited - this area and attraction looks to be huge and I cannot wait for more information to emerge!
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Toy Story Playland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479046540/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Toy Story Playland (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479043444/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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We were getting a bit hungry and thinking about our dinner at Blue Lagoon we didn't want to have lunch that late, so we jumped over to the Disneyland Park! Blue Lagoon would be something new for me in the evening and for lunch we ended up with something new too. My GF wasn't really fond of all the fast food when it was so hot, so we looked for a buffet and ended up in Agrabah Café - it was too early for the big queues and it was really nice to sit in the shadow.
I only remember the area briefly from it wasn't a café so it was really nice to check it out again - it is very beautiful! Even though the buffet was nice, the food was great and it was lovely to sit there, I must say it is sad that it no longer is the bazar area it used to be. Considering how beautiful it is, it would be an amazing experience to walk through the bazar once again now that I would really appreciate it.
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Agrabah Café (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479040826/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Agrabah Café (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479038260/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Agrabah Café (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479036136/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Agrabah Café (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479033762/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Agrabah Café (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476242431/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Agrabah Café (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476240195/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
As said the food was really nice and we both got a lot to eat. And I must agree with my girlfriend - it was nice to get some "real" food when it was so hot!
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Taking good time to enjoy the meal and the atmosphere well aware that we had plenty of time left, so we didn't have to stress on this day, we planned that this would be the night I would bring my tripod to take photos of Disney Dreams. As a bonus I would get the Bastille Day Fireworks too by choosing this day, although my girlfriend didn't have her family to be with during the looooong wait. We decided to go to City Hall and try to move our Blue Lagoon reservation from 7 to 6 in order for me to able to get a good spot around 8 - 3 hours before showtime!
Heading towards Studios again to use our TOT Fastpasses we stopped to watch the Party Train near the castle...
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479026514/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479024690/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Central Plaza Flowerbed (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479022980/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479021240/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
My girlfriend wanted to have her photo taken with Pluto so we followed him to his spot. However, she didn't really feel comfortable going in front of all the kids constantly being pushed in front by their parents, so we ended up with no photos having waited for 20 minutes. A situation that made me understand why we rarely see characters roaming around the park anymore. With no queue system it is completely chaos for the poor character and its best friend :(
Well we popped into Harringtons, which had opened at 1 and here I got a lovely present from my girlfriend as she bought me the limited edition 14th of July 2013 pin! We also admired the glass artists and thought about buying something at a later time to remember the holiday by...
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Harringtons (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479019676/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
I was lovely, wasn't I? :lol:
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Getting to Tower of Terror and taking the drop into the Twilight Zone with a really good cast member by the lift we were ready to get back to the hotel. Just to change clothes (this would be our "good" dinner in Disney), pick up the tripod and just relax for a little bit! The first thing I did on the hotel was to change our Blue Lagoon reservation which was no problem luckily!
You want more? Okay, I'll include the evening in this update too ;-) But be aware it will be PHOTO HEAVY from now on :-)
We got to the Blue Lagoon - eventhough it was only 6 I was shocked to see no queue at all and a quite empty restaurant. Considering it was Bastille Day I would have thought all restaurants to be packed, but then again the parks hadn't been that busy during the day either. We got a table in the far back of the restaurant - I would have wanted a table closer to the Pirates scenery but then again we were still seated by the water and it was a really nice atmosphere. Especially when Pirates is your FAVOURITE ride of all :)
We both got the "Treasures of the Sea" menu, however my girlfriend got the starter changed to a certain starter from another menu that she had set her eyes on! So she got the Pirate Trilogy while I got the caribbean salad, which was really nice! However, my GF didn't like any of the three dishes in her starter. She hadn't seen the octopus salad and she actually got a bit sick by the sight of the octopus with everything ;)
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Our nice and understanding, yet nervous waiter could see that something was wrong and she asked if we wanted to change anything. My girlfriend had ordered the Captains Choice of Fish as her main course, so we asked if the waiter knew what fish it was, as my girlfriend feared it would be the swordfish as in the starter. Our waiter wasn't that good at english and she told us that the fish was called "Captains Choice of"... That we didn't really believe so in order for my girlfriend to have something at least we changed it to the Chicken Columbo which I also got. It was really delicious!!
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For dessert we both got the Creme Brulee, which was really tasty and it was so much fun to have it served literally in flames at your table. A little boy next to us just stared at our table with mouth and eyes wide open! It didn't help when my girlfriend got her cocktail which was with lights and smoke ;-)
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So in the end it was a really nice dinner and we enjoyed it very much, although the octopus was about to ruin everything :lol: As we got out we could just manage one ride before getting ready for dreams - what more fitting than Pirates itself? 5 minutes queue and it was the perfect match!
After this we went to Central Plaza and I got a quite good spot near the front right flower bed - the two best spots were already taken, but I ended up with a lot of brilliant photos. As a matter of fact one the spots was taken by the same official Disney photographer as I stood right next to last summer. Of course he was out to take photos of the Bastille Day Fireworks - but then again what is the chances of me standing right next to him two years in a row? Surely it must be a sign for my future haha :lol: (I wish)
The place slowly got more and more packed - around 9.30 they turned on the fountains and gave a little show:
[youtube:3ccoor8p]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qntpxU9K1Vs[/youtube:3ccoor8p]
As you can see a lot of people were already siiting in the flower beds and I could see that not me, but also Marc the photographer and the other guy with his tripod was getting a bit nervous. They emptied the opposite flower beds, but unfortunately they never emptied ours :( However, this year it was no problem as people remained sitting throughout both fireworks and Disney Dreams leaving my camera with a CLEAR view of the castle and the fountains. Awesome and probably the only good thing about the lack of Fantillusion - I figured this must have been the main reason for why people remained sitting!
Well at 11 the Bastille Day Fireworks started followed by Disney Dreams - both were of course very impressive and I see no reason as to continue talking about it. Bring on the photos:
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Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478857718/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479015162/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476223409/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9479011162/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476221223/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Red Castle (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476219357/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476217985/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476186401/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478972034/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Bastille Day Fireworks (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478968694/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
A beautiful fireworks display with a nice soundtrack - it pleased the french guests indeed! A beautiful, yet noisy, lead-in to the more sophisticated DISNEY DREAMS:
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476177755/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476176231/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476175747/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478963698/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476174061/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476172773/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476171335/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476169191/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478956734/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476167389/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476165727/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478951620/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478949458/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9478948562/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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Disney Dreams (//http://www.flickr.com/photos/nka-photo/9476158587/) by NKA-Photo (//http://www.flickr.com/people/nka-photo/), on Flickr
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An amazing Bastille Day had come to an end! We didn't get to go on that many rides - but we were aware of that and mostly it was due to the fact that we took time to enjoy the atmosphere and of course spent 4 hours to get the photos above :)
I love your trip report so far, I'm so glad you both had such a lovely time. I was nervous when I first took my partner as he had never been before but he's now a complete Disney convert and we can't wait to experience Christmas season this year.
I love the photos of the Bastille Day fireworks and Disney Dreams! You have an amazing eye for detail with your photos, this is also evident in the photos of the flowers and scenery you've taken. I can't wait for the next instalment!
Nicolai, your photos are just AMAZING! :D I love reading your report and watching your beautiful photos. I tried to take photos of Dreams last summer, but apparently I don't have any talent with a camera because none of the photos worked out. :?
I can't wait to read and see more af your and Mie's trip. :D And I can't wait till it's our turn to go in 4 weeks. :D/
I agree with the rest here: it's a great report! And I especially like the picture from Main Street.
Lovely pictures and great report, as always!
You should go to DLP a lot more often, I really cannot get enough of your trip reports!! And of course your pictures... Beautiful.
Please hurry with day 6!!!
Quote from: "gemma2806"I love your trip report so far, I'm so glad you both had such a lovely time. I was nervous when I first took my partner as he had never been before but he's now a complete Disney convert and we can't wait to experience Christmas season this year.
I love the photos of the Bastille Day fireworks and Disney Dreams! You have an amazing eye for detail with your photos, this is also evident in the photos of the flowers and scenery you've taken. I can't wait for the next instalment!
Thank you so much - we had a lovely time... And for some reasons I'm not going to go into detail with just yet, I think this trip will from now on be even more precious in me memory.
Quote from: "Sal"Nicolai, your photos are just AMAZING! :D I love reading your report and watching your beautiful photos. I tried to take photos of Dreams last summer, but apparently I don't have any talent with a camera because none of the photos worked out. :?
I can't wait to read and see more af your and Mie's trip. :D And I can't wait till it's our turn to go in 4 weeks. :D/
Disney Dreams can be quite difficult taking photos of - a tripod is the best solution, but even then you can be having a hard time. Last year I had people standing in front of me and kicking the tripod :)
Oh, and great to have a fellow dane here. Ha' en god tur om 4 uger :-)
Quote from: "norhel"I agree with the rest here: it's a great report! And I especially like the picture from Main Street.
Thank you - what exact picture are you thinking about?
Quote from: "mickeymouse"Lovely pictures and great report, as always!
Thanks mickeymouse!
Quote from: "never2old"You should go to DLP a lot more often, I really cannot get enough of your trip reports!! And of course your pictures... Beautiful.
Please hurry with day 6!!!
Are you offering to pay a few trips for me, because then I'll be happy to go :lol: Haha, no I would love to go more often, but I'll continue to strive for at least once a year. I love writing these reports, so I am of course very happy to hear when people also enjoy reading them :)
I love your pics from the fireworks! Really amazing!!!
But i would also love to read more about the parks. Your last report was more detailed. But i guess that's a time issue. Did you like the refurb of Hotel Santa Fe? Did you take some pics?
Quote from: "forza_united"Quote from: "norhel"I agree with the rest here: it's a great report! And I especially like the picture from Main Street.
Thank you - what exact picture are you thinking about?
I see that I infact forgot to add an S in pictures :)
But I should also add that the rest of your pictures is very nice :-D
Oh Nicolai! =D> Bravo! Beautiful photo's! :thumbs: Oh I love them! Can't wait to see more! I am so looking forward to my trip next week now! :mickey2:
Wow Nicolai. I love your Dreams pictures!!!! I really like reading your tripreport. I'm going to disneyland in 4 weeks (minus 1 day ;)). Have been 15 times before, but havent been for 8 years now. Cant wait to go back . And also to see dreams!! I saw Fantasmic in Disney studio's in florida and that was zo amazing. I hope Dreams will even beat that!
Thanks for all your lovely comments! They are highly appreciated! :-)
However, I have to give a somewhat sad update to this trip report. As of monday Mie and I aren't together anymore. It was mainly my decision, but it's still a tough time for me too as I still like her very much and look back at our 9 months together with joy and love. Until we get everything sorted and everything calms down again, I think it would be inconsiderate and too emotional to continue this report.
I will of course as a very minimum make sure all photos are posted at some time and maybe I will finish the report too. But I cannot promise that. Be assured photos will come though :-)
So sorry to read about your break up! Take care and take your time to get over this!
Was just reading the last installment and was gonna write I`m looking forward to more. I`m sorry to hear of the breakup! Take care of yourself!
Aurora1
So sorry to hear that Nicolai :( Take care & I hope your heart heals quickly. Break up's suck. Thinking of you x
I think everyone will join me in thanking you for your great contributions so far and wishing you all the best at this time. Charlie
Quote from: "lindavdende"So sorry to read about your break up! Take care and take your time to get over this!
Quote from: "Aurora1"Was just reading the last installment and was gonna write I`m looking forward to more. I`m sorry to hear of the breakup! Take care of yourself!
Aurora1
Quote from: "Angel_Ariel"So sorry to hear that Nicolai :( Take care & I hope your heart heals quickly. Break up's suck. Thinking of you x
Quote from: "mickeymouse"I think everyone will join me in thanking you for your great contributions so far and wishing you all the best at this time. Charlie
First of all: THANK you very much for the lovely and nice comments. I am doing fine - as I said it was my decision. So while it - of course - is difficult for me too, I should be okay. Right now I am just focusing on ending things properly and in the best possible way for Mie. The last thing I want to do is hurt her and that is one of the reasons I am putting the report on hold for now.
But once again thank you all so, so much! Disney fans really are the nicest people on earth :D
Oh no I'm so sorry!! :(
I hope that with time you can both look back at all the good times you had together and remember those fondly, no matter how things ended.
We're all thinking of you!!
Nicolai, I am so sorry to read of your break up with Mie.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading of your trip together, and looking at your amazing photos.
I wish you well for the future. :minnie:
I'm sorry to hear that you and Mie split up. Even though it was your decision, it must be a tough time for you. :(
I've enjoyed reading your report and seeing your amazing photos. :) I love all tr's but it special when it's a fellow dane. :) Og 1000 tak, jeg glæder mig helt vildt til vores tur. :D
I'll bring my tripod this time and try if I can get it right. :)
Your photos are amazing Nicolai.
So sorry to hear your news though x We're all here for you!
Sorry to hear about your break up. Just wanted to tell you your photos are breath-takingly beautiful, you are a very talented photographer!