Löysin viikko sitten vanhan matkapäiväkirjani Pariisista. Olin kirjoittanut lyhyen kuvauksen matkastamme Ranskaan vuonna 2004. Kävimme tuolloin Eurodisneylandissa ja Pariisissa, mutta olin jo unohtanut koko kirjoituksen. Vanhoja matkapäiväkirjoja on mukava lueskella vuosien jälkeen ja siksi ajattelinkin julkaista aikoinaan englanniksi kirjoittamani pienen päiväohjelman. Tarinassa kuvailen oikeastaan valokuvia, joita tuli otettua viikon mittaiselta reissulta. Valokuvat eivät ole aivan huipputasoa, sillä otin ne silloisella digikameralla, jonka tarkkuus ei yltänyt aivan niihin luokkiin, joita tänään taskukameroissa tapaa.

At the Gates of Disneyland

We took morning flight on a beautiful summer day in Helsinki. After a couple hour’s flight and 45 minutes drive from the Paris international airport Charles de Gaulle. A bus connection takes tourists straight from the airport to the Euro Disneyland. We found us at the gates of Disneyland after a half an hour’s trip. The view was spectacular!

The Main Street, U.S.A.

We didn’t have to queue to enter the park, thanks to our tickets we bought in advance on the Interner, and in ten minutes we were already walking in the Main Street. It’s a typical street view in an American, well let’s say typical, small town. The magnificent castle of the Sleeping Beauty dominates the end of the street. The park is huge and full of attractions to ride and see. A monorail circulates the area taking people all places in the vast amusement park.

Exploring the Attractions

Disneyland really is full of attractions. You can expect to find rides and more for any ages, from kids to oldsters. Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Discoveryland are all worth thorough examination and experiencing. Dozens of rides will take you in the middle of pirates in the Caribbean as well as to the moon in the spirit of Jules Verne, the world famous French novelist.

A Day in Walt Disney Studios

Disneyland has actually two separate parks. In addition to the original fun fair there’s an interesting place, namely the Walt Disney Studios. It’s quite different to the Disneyland with all film making related attractions and other stuff. If you plan to visit Disneyland in France, reserve at least one whole day and visit the Walt Disney Studios, it’s worth seeing.

A Day in Disneyland

We spent half of our third day in Disneyland and took the last look for now at the marvelous and spectacular tourist attraction. Disneyland is very clean and well organized. It’s very pleasing to visit such a huge and populated park when everything is in order. I’d like to recommend Euro Disneyland to anyone having a trip to Paris. It’s only a half an hour’s train trip from downtown.

First Glimpse of Paris

After having spent three splendid days in Disneyland we headed to downtown Paris in the afternoon of our third day. While the public transportation is great we still had some difficulties finding our hotel. Of course, this was due to our inexperience of the streets of Paris. We finally found the hotel relatively easy and rushed to see what this lovely metropolis had to offer us. The first sightseeing we went to was the Notre Dame, well know cathedral on an isle in the middle of the city.

A Day in Open-Air Museum

I like Paris as a huge open-air museum. The city is full of history and interesting places to visit. One can even feel the atmosphere of historical events and with a little imagination you may quickly attune yourself to the royal court. Many historic buildings, like the Triumphal Arch, Louvre, and Eiffel Tower are worth both seeing and visiting inside. The weather on the fourth day wasn’t the best one with thick clouds every now and then.

More Places to See

The fifth day of our trip was the last whole day in Paris. The next day we’ll return back home, but before that we continued visiting the most attractive places in Paris. La Défense is one of the newest areas and also a very large business district. Here you will see modern architecture with skyscrapers and malls. The subway takes you there only in minutes. The afternoon was beautiful and the sun was shining, so we decided to walk through the Jardin Des Tuileries, lovely green park in the middle of the city. Right at the end of the park locates Louvre the art museum.