Okay, it has been too long! Life just seems to have taken over the past few weeks and all the funny little tidbits of life seem overwhelmed with the pressures that come to bear.
Some of the pressures and little bits of stress are, however, self-inflicted. Some we can surely not be blamed for. We were off to France a week ago for a holiday. Things were booked. I had booked the ferries and the hotels. We were heading down to Carcassonne and the Languedoc area of France and meeting up with some friends. However, the epic cross-France trip with a toddler was sensibly broken up with a stop at Disneyland Paris.
All things Disney are expensive, but it seemed like a treat for Anna in compensation for 13 hours in the car. When I say expensive, I mean it--even by British standards. It is a cool £40 per adult to get into the park. Only then does the fleece really begin. They harp on about happiness and dreams, but all are acquired at a cost. Even sustinence is not cheap. Our two boxes of chicken nuggets with fries and drink? £25. We opted out of staying at one of the Disney hotels, though we had originally intended to just do it. They were, however, only willing to sell us a two night accomodation and two day passes as a packages. As we were arriving in the evening the first day and then off the day after Disney, we only wanted the one day of park passes with two nights accomodation. They wouldn't budge on their package offer and we stayed 5 miles down the road, saving a mere £200.
But really, on a one off, one-day trip with Anna, the cost was worth it. It was chilly, but the characters were still out and the rides were running. Anna started the day by pouring an entire mug of hot chocolate down her coat. So much is soaked right through. Luckily, we had layered up and it never made it through layer 2 or 3, so it only looks like we're irresponsible parents for having a grubby child in the photos. Things got better from there.
Tigger and "Mickey the Mouse" were most popular with Anna. When we got on the It's a Small World ride, her eyes turned to saucers. It turns out the combination of a boat floating along with little mechanical children portraying national stereotypes and a "Small World" sound track of children singing the same chorus endlessly is like a drug for a 2 year old. The colours were fantastic and, importantly, it was warm. We went on it 5 times. Canadians play ice hockey, dress like mounties, live in igloos and sing with moose in case you're wondering.
We also tried the merry-go-round, climbing parks, the tea-cups (yikes, I feel ill), a boat playground and the train around the park. I think--with the possible exception of Small World--the parades were the most inspiring for Anna. Singing, dancing Disney characters captured her attention fully. It was a most enjoyable day.
Indeed, France is entirely enjoyable with a toddler. Everywhere had seats for little ones. Road-side stops had little toilets or potties for toddlers. There were dinner portions for kids that were healthy and well-sized. It was generally amazing. There were even real play areas--that were clean--for kids to entertain themselves if you wanted to take extra time to stretch, while on a long journey. I was really impressed. Nothing like a stop at the Husky House in Golden or the Little Chef on the M11 for some perspective on that!
The whole trip was generally stress-free, to be fair, but we never once had internet access or any exposure to the news. That meant the morning after we did the very, very long one day trip from Carcassonne to Calais (with the expected getting lost in Paris trick) we had no idea there was trouble on the channel. We blissfully got on the ferry at 8am, looking forward to a quick crossing and home by lunch. Our one hour ferry crossing took 8 hours. We got to Dover on rough seas, but the port was closed. So, we waited--bobbing like a toy in a bathtub--for 7 hours for the port to open. It was entirely unpleasant. It meant another long day of travel. Here's some BBC photos from our choice of day on the sea.
Also a bit stressful: the lovely people renting our house are leaving at the end of July. We're very likely going to rent through an agency this time around. However, if you know of someone you trust and love and would vouch for who would like to rent in the lovely Garrison Woods area of Calgary, maybe we should talk!
