At first, I had no plans of going to Paris, or anywhere for that matter. I was just planning to stay in Barcelona and chill for the weekend, but somehow my bestest friends (cic paid me to write this) in the whole universe Cicely and Tyler convinced me to go… Also I haven’t seen either of them for a long time and since my trip to Paris (two summers ago), I couldn’t wait to get back to the Parisian lifestyle. Love them baguettes, cheese, croissants, pâté, macarons, and wine.

And even though I’ve already been to Disneyland in Paris and once was enough (the park was not as great as LA), Tyler tricked me (he lied about buying me a ticket -_-) and I got sucked into going again. But nonetheless, thanks to them, I had a great time at the park and thanks to Tyler and Meag for hosting me at their lovely apartment. Paris was definitely a good idea, especially for a weekend getaway. I just love the culture, beauty, and elegance of the city and since I knew more French than Spanish, life in Paris was easy.

I took a super early flight at 6am, so I had to leave the house around 3am to take the night bus to the airport. And once again, I took RyanAir, which I was dreading because the airport it arrives in Paris is in Beauvais (RyanAir only flies there) and that is about an hour bus ride to the city. It’s a waste of time and the bus cost 16 euros (outrageous!). The downfall of cheap RyanAir flights is that it takes you to the worst airport, ever!

I got to the Beauvais airport around 8:50am and after a sleepless night and commute, I finally got to Tyler’s apartment around 11am. We were running on a tight schedule, because Cicely was leaving the next day (only had a day’s time with Cic after weeks), we left right after to take a train to Parc Disney. I wasn’t feeling my best since I was super tired and the cloudy weather definitely didn’t help my mood. On the other hand, Tyler and Cicely were so hyped, and I didn’t want to be a party pooper, so I got a red bull and pound it back like no tomorrow—I was good to go!

The park was around 45-60mins away from the city by train, but luckily, the train (RER A) runs pretty often and no transfers necessary. I guess it was good that the weather was cloudy, because there weren’t as many people as then last time I’ve been. I highly recommended buying tickets ahead of time online (so much cheaper) because the tickets at the booth costed 79 euros for a day pass to two parks. In order to get through both parks and get on as many rides as possible, we strategized on a plan to first explore Walt Disney Studios park and then Disneyland park. We also decided to only go on the rides that are good/thrilling, and if we had more time, we would try other rides. And it wouldn’t be a trip to Disneyland without getting some Mickey and Minnie ears—we looked adorable! Also because Halloween was just around the corner, the parks were fully decorated to match the festivities!

First ride we went on was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (happens to be one of my favourites) and Cicely couldn’t have been more scared when we were lining up. The line wasn’t too bad (we waited around for 15-20mins) and the ride was just how I remembered it, except for the fact that a crazy dude wouldn’t stop taking pictures, even during the ride. So our ride was stopped early! Boo! Our next ride was Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith and it was kinda disappointing since it was pitch black with super loud rock music playing. Crush’s Coaster was really fun, although, I don’t exactly remember what happened except that it was fast and on water. There weren’t as many thrilling rides in the studio and most of the attraction were sit-down movie shows, so we made our way to Disneyland. Lucky us, it started to rain at that point and we ran like maniacs to the other park. Regardless, we were soaking wet by the time we made it there.

I forget in what order, but we went on Indiana Jones, Phantom Manor, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice’s Curious Labyrinth, Mad Hatter’s Tea Cups, Les Voyages de Pinocchio, Peter Pan’s Flight, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. My favourite would have to be Space Mountain because the ride was sheer speed. It was so fast and the visual effects were awesome. Although, it was very bumpy and at one point, I felt like I was gonna be shot off the ride, it was by far my fave! I went on it twice! Another highlight was Peter Pan’s Flight and even though it wasn’t a thrilling ride or anything, the visual was terrific and I got to relive the story in a minute or two. I also recommend going on the Tea Cups to embrace your inner child and practice your hand-eye coordination on the Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast. I challenge you to try and beat my score! Tyler and Cicely had nothing on me. 😉

And because of the rain, we didn’t have to wait very long for many of the rides. We also weren’t sure if the rain would interfere with the parade that was scheduled. Luckily the show went on and I caught everything on camera! My favourite would have to be Mickey and friends of course. Just when it couldn’t get any better, the finale to end it all… FIREWORKS! I can’t remember what happened during the fireworks at Disneyland in Cali except seeing Tinker bell flying around at the end. Nonetheless, the one in Paris was pretty awesome, and in my video, I kept saying “wow” every now and then. Watch a snippet here on my Instagram!

Too bad half the time, the projection was in French and I wasn’t standing in the centre, so it didn’t look as great. The night ended with us going to a nearby cafe for late supper. I had some sort of grilled duck and layered potatoes. The taste was superb as the duck was grilled to medium rare and had the right amount of fat and lean meat. The potatoes were soft, but not mashed and cooked just right. The sauce had this peppery flavour which only enhanced the taste of the duck and potatoes to heavenly standards. I want seconds just thinking about it. Paired it with a glass of vino blanc and that’s what I call a perfect dinner.

The next morning, we woke up starving for sushi. So we met up with some of Tyler’s school friends for all you can eat, and boy did we order a lot. I was blinded by how hungry I was, so Cicley and I just ordered six of everything. The owner had their doubts and eventually, we stopped more food from coming. There was so much food, Cicely had to run to the washroom to dispose a handful sushi (mostly rice, they gave us bowls of rice along with sashimi! How cheap!). It was not our proud moment, but it felt so good to finish everything and prove it to the owners. I am pretty sure, Tyler’s friends are scared of how much I can eat. Later that afternoon, Cicely left us to flight to South of France for the weekend—but I’ll see her the week after because we are going to Palma de Mallorca for some sun and beaches!! Woot woot!

Besides going to Disneyland, I had another mission. Go check out the Paris outlet and try all these Parisian Patisseries that my good foodie friend Cherrie recommended! The outlet was called La Vallée Village and although it had brands such as Burberry, Céline, Dolce & Gabbana, Givenchy, Fred Perry, Paul Smith, and many more, it was a bit of a let down. The prices weren’t as discounted and the stuff was very outdated. The only thing I bought was a black leather belt with a gold buckle from KENZO. What can I say, I love gold. And I finally visited Ladurée for their infamous luxurious macarons. I highly recommend the rose flavour, it was one of a kind and I’ve never tasted any macarons as delicious as these ones. It is a bit pricey compared to regular patisseries, but trust me, Ladurée is worth every penny. Not to mention, it came in a very luxurious box (I kept it of course!). Another great patisseries is Sadaharu Aoki which is a bit like Parisian/Japanese fusion. My top recommendations are their green tea pastries like macarons, cakes, and chocolates.

I was also suppose to visit this market (Marche Saxe Breteuil) near the Eiffel Tower, however, I got there too late and it closed. According to Cherrie, they have amazing seafood for an incredible price and fresh fruits, veggies, and meats. I was gonna get a dozen oysters there (after seeing some of her pictures), but instead I found another fresh oyster stand near where Tyler lives. It was relatively cheap too (I think it was around 11 euros/dozen)! I am very picky when it comes to raw oysters and I have a strong preference for the tiny ones only, and the ones I bought was perfect in taste and size.

I also did some (not a whole lot since I’ve already been to Paris) touristy things like walk around Champs-Élysées, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, and etc. I stood in the middle of Champs-Élysées and snapped the exact picture of the Arc de Triomphe as I did two years ago. It brought a lot of memories back, crazy times with great friends. The last thing I wanted in Paris was to visit the KENZO store and finally get my hands on their New Era hats. And surprise surprise, they didn’t have the design I’ve been eyeing on for weeks. So instead, I made a spontaneous purchase of the Tiger Head sweatshirt. I see it all the time, but I could never reason myself to spend so much on a sweatshirt, even if its branded. But I pulled a #yolo and spoiled myself and now, I couldn’t be happier (love it sooo much)!

Near the end of my trip, Tyler had a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner at his place and he invited all his buds from Science Po. I had the pleasure of meeting them lovely people and we all became friends instantly. They were all super friendly and easy to talk to, I wish they were going to school with me!! For dinner, Tyler and I attempted to bake a whole chicken with mixed veggies. It wasn’t the best dish, but it was definitely edible and besides, there was so much food that a whole chicken lost its appeal in comparison to all the fine dishes that other people had brought. Ku Young made Korean chicken wings and they were the bomb.com!—a little spicy, just the way I like it. Rosie made a pumpkin pie and we devoured it in less than a minute. And there was definitely more dishes, but I can’t seem to remember anymore since wine was also on the menu. No doubt, I had so much wine on this trip.

To end the trip, on the last night, we all went to the Eiffel Tower which I never got to see before and I regretted ever since. We sat in the park and toasted to wine and chips (classy pair right?). It was a beautiful weekend, lots of memories were made and Paris will always have a place in my heart. 🙂 I can’t wait to go back in December, but this time with my parents and brother. Special thanks to Meag and Tyler for hosting me at their lovely Parisian apartment and I’m so glad I got to see my fellow Sauderites and not to mention, I had a wonderful time meeting all of Tyler’s school friends (I’m gonna steal them away!).

Anywhos, that’s what I did, how about you? I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and hopefully it is just as eventful (if not more) as mine. Now I have a question for you all, what is your favourite ride in Disneyland?

Cheers,
Kevin