CHAPTER 21
The grand culmination to our six week circumnavigation of France was necessarily the Happiest Place in Europe: Euro Disney. We had been talking it up to the boys for some time, but not having subjected their impressionable minds to that many Disney shows, they were somewhat ambivalent to the spectacle that was about to unfold. Walking through the front gate of the Magic Kingdom on an early sunny morning, it only took about one minute for Hadley to realize he was being treated to something distinctly special. Ollie got it too, but in more of the wide-eyed, eleven-month-old, completely oblivious joy sort of way that could have as easily been induced by seeing a puppy on the street. I, for one, was pleasingly surprised at how many rides they let us take the boys on, including a rather rambunctious roller coaster, who’s safety bar barely felt snug on me, let alone a 16 lb 11 month old.
The coup-de-gras, of course, was meeting Mickey, who Hadley nervously hugged, but even so you could tell he was obviously star-struck. Ollie was a little more distressed by the giant mouse trying to gobble him up, but I think that is understandable. The boys held their own throughout the long, hot, excitement packed day, but it was our fault for trying to milk our time in the park too long, which led to an unfortunate nuclear meltdown. We thankfully got back to the hotel in one piece, without being apprehended by the French version of Child Services- you would have thought we were kidnapping the boys based on all the wailing and gnashing of teeth- but lesson learned I guess. A rotisserie chicken with baguette on paper towels, while sitting on the hotel room floor was our final meal in France. The flight home went unexpectedly well, and Hadley’s delighted acceptance of the abrupt transition to his new toddler bed would have made any parent smile.
Post script: Traveling is never “easy”, if you are doing it in the real, individual and unsupported sense of the word. And traveling with kids only exasperates the myriad of difficulties. But I would argue that it is still worth it. On so many levels. Our six weeks in France was unspectacular in a Marco Polo kind of way, but the bonds we strengthened in our family, and the experiences we provided our children, will hopefully plant a seed of curiosity and set a tone of exploration for their lives to be built on. I can’t say that every moment was a pearl of joy, but in aggregate, the experience was momentous, and we fully intend to continue that momentum to the extent of our abilities.
You might have noticed that the last few blog posts have come fast and furious… This is not because I recently found a bunch of spare time to fiddle around on the computer, but rather, I am about to lose any spare time I might have enjoyed previously, with the addition of a new member to our happy crew- which should take place in the next day or so. I am pretty thrilled that I finally got this trip to France wrapped up and posted on the website prior to the new baby’s arrival, which was my long-held goal, but I am also slightly embarrassed and disheartened that it took the most part of a year- this doesn’t bode well for my future performance in documenting our adventures. But, hopefully the stories and photos are timeless to a certain degree, and will be a good read regardless of how punctual they are. If you can accept that, and you enjoyed reading about our latest travels through France, year old or not, please stay tuned and keep following us at the lifeofsaturdays.com
Cheers- Dave, Kacey, Hadley and Oliver
Prev Chapter
