Sounds cool, right?
Disneyland in Europe! We are so
chic…
Ugh. It is still
Disneyland. Las Vegas for children: over
the top extravagance, over the top costs and over the top… well… moooooo. This is NOT my kinda travel. Let me get this straight from the
beginning: this blog is not about this
kind of travel. Buuuuut we had to go to
Europe (I know, I know… boohoo) for Peter’s yearly family get together and,
well, we thought… why not! The girls
will love it, right?
Well, I’m not sure overwhelming happiness is what I would
use to describe the whole time, but certainly part of the time. It was good for about 2-3 hours each
day. Skipping, smiles, laughter,
excitement, joy, love, wonder, mystical aura.
Then the over stimulation, waiting, too much junk food, waiting, walking
for miles, waiting and then some more waiting…. Mooooo…. Set in. I think one day of Disney was good for
me. Three was toooooo long. All the parents we saw (French, Spanish, Italian,
German, Slovic, Indian) are in a constantly changing circle of bliss (child is
so happy), frustration (child is not listening) or exhaustion (child is in melt
down).
I had a few blissful moments of just sitting, watching and
observing – aka stroller naps. I loved
watching the parents faces as they walked out of a ride with their cuties. They immediately were smiling, turning to
their children and waiting for that look.
The look of joy, of magic, radiating from their whole body. Oh ya, this is why we are here. Being a parent is hard, frustrating,
exhausting, boring, and often swallows you whole. As much as Disneyland is marketing,
consumerism, flashy extravagance and over indulgence… it is also about seeing the twinkle in their eyes. When MJ and Phia smiling, laughing and are
bursting with energy. So am I.
Peter said Disneyland is like childbirth. After awhile all you remember from the trip
is that mystical aura of happiness and wonder and you forget the rest. The pain, the suffering, the exhaustion, the impatience,
the melt downs… I guess it really is the Magic Kingdom.
Peter and I are absolutely thrilled to be LEAVING this place
tomorrow and heading to Peter’s family in Zürich, Switzerland. We will be boarding a TGV train late in the
day (hmmm… maybe a quickie to the Eiffel Tower on the way)… and will be
spending tomorrow evening in Winterthur – a suburb of Zurich.
More soon,
~Lisa
june 26
~Lisa
june 26
Dancing on the walk to the park entrance on Day One. Seriously excited.
Daddy dncing too...
First position, followed by plie and pirouetee in the front of Aurora's castle.
Disney Swim.
Baquette anyone?
Dude, Dad, come on! Hurry up.
I hear ya sister.
Feeling done ... with an hour in the wait for Aurora still to go...
Wow... this is her real life castle Mommy!
OMG! The real Aurora.
This is just seriously cute.
Oh, this makes me chuckle! On our trip to Disney Nicholas easily enjoyed it less than we did. He was eager to return to the hotel each day to play with his toys. But even a few weeks after our return out of nowhere a couple times he has said that he wants to go back and it was the funnest place - oh, blessed amnesia! LOL We will be returning, but will focus more on taking in the atmosphere and not trying to ride a few more rides. Agreed - it is for sure not my idea of a great vacation, but it was a great time and Disney does the magical stuff well. ;)
ReplyDeleteI love the pics. Especially the very first one of the dancing on the way to the park. And the one of MJ in the pool...her hair is so long when it's wet!! I love your writing, how honest and straight forward you are it's refreshing. Love you guys and hope the rest of your trip is magical as well :)
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