Join me and my family on our travels around the world! But that's not all, read my movie reviews, book reviews, life updates and more! Instagram: @ashleystraveldiaries & @funsizedeater, Twitter: @ashley_k_ng, & Youtube: Ashley Kaitlyn
My name is Ashley and I am a 22-year-old lifestyle youtuber and college student who attends the University of Oregon! I started this blog because I have been doing “Ashley’s Travel Diaries”, documenting our adventures all around the world, through email with my friends and family ever since I was younger. Now that I am in college and am a Journalism (and film!) major, I figured that it was time to make my blog more “professional” to set an example for myself in future endeavors.
Now do not be fooled by the travel blog/diary name, yes, this blog will primarily be used to document my travels with my family all around this beautiful world, but that is not all I am planning to do with it! I will also do detailed movie reviews of films that I saw, book reviews of books I am reading or re-reading again, life updates of my life in college and in general, and whatever else I feel like! So, I hope you guys enjoy this blog and stay tuned for our travels and adventures to LA in July and our BIG family vacation to Europe (Italy, Paris, and London) also in July! Now for some of my favorites and other random info:
Favorite Color: Pink! (Always has been and always will be)
Favorite Animal: Rabbit
Favorite Food: Pasta!
Favorite Place I’ve Traveled to: Italy (we first went in 2016)
Hi all! I am sorry I have not been updating you all on my life or blogging since we went to Disneyland. Truth is, I actually have been super busy with my Junior year of college, which is coming to an end in June (that is so crazy to think about by the way) and I, personally, have not been traveling since Disneyland, except to go back home. But my family has been as my brother is a Junior in high school so they have been touring colleges. I obviously cannot write about their experiences as I am usually not with them.
Anyways, this brings me to this blog post. This term I am taking a course called “Understanding Disney” and yes, that is actually the name for it. We recently wrote an analysis paper where we had to analyze a Disney film, character or product. I, of course, chose Captain Marvel (2019) which was released almost a year ago this month. I told myself that if I had gotten a good grade on the assignment, I would post the essay on my blog because it is on two things I am passionate about, Captain Marvel and feminism. I received a 93% so therefore, I hope you all enjoy!
On March 8th, 2019, Marvel Studios released the hit film, Captain Marvel, their first superhero origin story about a female heroine. The film would go on to be a smashing success, making over one billion dollars in total box office sales. Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel as she is formally called, has since become a symbol for the extremely popular movement, feminism as well as an icon for female empowerment. Feminism is defined as the advocacy of women’s rights based on the equality of the sexes. There have been multiple portrayals of female heroines in comic books and films, especially in recent years. Therefore, women in comic books are not anything new or unfamiliar, but Marvel’s portrayal of the character that has existed in the comics for years is what made the heroine successful. Marvel Studios chose to portray Carol Danvers as an independent woman, a powerful superheroine who does not abide by anyone’s rules and they also do not give her a love interest like all other heroes have.
In the film, Captain Marvel is portrayed by Brie Larson, who has always been very vocal about gender equality and human rights. The announcement of her casting, angered people from the start, especially the men, but for women, she acted as the voice to what all women wanted, recognition. Throughout the history of Marvel comics, as well as Marvel’s films, all of the women in them were forced to identify with male characters, usually as the love interests. Captain Marvel (2019) changed the game and showed people of all gender how all women should be portrayed, strong and capable of almost anything. For the first time, women can see themselves within a character like how men saw themselves in Indiana Jones or Captain America. In the flashback sequences that occurred throughout the film, she is shown as constantly falling or failing at the task at hand and then getting back up and trying again and again until she succeeds. She was also told constantly by men that she was not allowed to do the same thing as the boys or that she would never be something simply because a man could do it better. She was not going to give up until she succeeded, which resonated with many women because they finally felt like they were being heard.
Her origin story, especially the flashback moments where she is shown to be failing but then getting back up over and over again, displayed moments of raw power. She shows everyone that just because she can do everything a man can do, does not mean she does it as a man does. She does it in her nuanced way. President of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige, has also stated multiple times on multiple different occasions that she is the most powerful hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, much to men’s dismays. The team behind the camera was also mostly women as well; one of the directors, the screenwriters, the costume designer, and the composer are all women. The team of women behind the scenes helped create a film that could resonate with women and girls and make them feel like they were finally being inspired. It also features riot grrrl anthems and other bangers from bands that either had a female member or were made up of entirely women. The team at Marvel Studios wanted this film to be a feminist film since its announcement. Brie Larson was announced to be playing the role of Captain Marvel during the final moments of Marvel’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016. Captain Marvel (2019) made history by being a film that was led by a female and then again when it would go on to make over one billion dollars worldwide in box office sales.
Throughout the history of the world, women are seen as being weak and of lesser to men. They are either used as sexual ploys to grab men’s attention or as the “help” as maids or servants to a male boss. In Streiff and Dundes’ essay, “Frozen in Time: How Disney Gender-Stereotypes Its Most Powerful Princess,” they discuss feminism through the movie Frozen (2013), but I think what they wrote can be used to analyze Captain Marvel (2019) as well. When it comes to having a love interest, in the movie Frozen (2013), Elsa does not have one, and neither does Carol, “There is undoubtedly merit in having an attractive, strong female character who is happy without a romantic relationship…However, Elsa’s power appears to both substitute for romance and deter male suitors who risk emasculation in having a love interest who is powerful.” (Streiff & Dundes). This can be said for Carol Danvers’s powers as well. The person who trains Carol to hold back her abilities or powers is Yon-Rogg, played by Jude Law, who the audience will later find out to be the “villain” of the film. The audience and the characters do not experience the full extent of what Captain Marvel can do until the third act of the film when she breaks out of captivity that Yon-Rogg had her in via the line, “I’ve been fighting with one arm tied behind my back, but what happens when I’m finally set free.” Carol Danvers was trained to hold her powers back to get control of her emotions which she is shown to be doing throughout the film and in the training sessions at the start of the film. Although, the training scene in which Vers (short for Carol Danvers) and Yon-Rogg are fighting, one can assume that she is being told to suppress her impulses such that he still has the upper hand.
In terms of her body shape, as for any Marvel film, Brie Larson had to train significantly for the role, so her body is more built compared to the sexy bodies of the women in most other films. They were trying not to make Carol Danvers a subject of the male gaze as, throughout the film, she is shown as having costumes that fully cover her, from her Air Force jumpsuit to both the Kree and her super suit, and the clothes she changes out of when she arrives on Earth and is working with Nick Fury. Her figure and her strength display how Captain Marvel is like the other heroes and should be treated with as much respect as other heroes, but the only difference is that she is a woman and is thus, treated like a woman, especially online. Many men were vocal about their hatred of the character and the film from the very beginning, claiming that they are tired of “identity politics” or “making a female-led film after ten years of men.” Marvel felt like it was the time to introduce a female heroine that young girls could be inspired by, as it had been ten years with male-led superhero films. It had been ten years where girls and women alike did not feel like they were being seen as strong and capable. Captain Marvel represents strength and power to all girls all around the world.
In short, through the film’s displays of raw female empowerment and lines that were written to showcase Carol Danvers’s strength and confidence, it is no wonder why Captain Marvel (2019) is a hit. The film inspired millions, but it also inspired me. I came out of Captain Marvel (2019) feeling like I could accomplish anything I set my mind to because I saw Carol do just that on screen. I have been a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) fan since the first Captain America and, therefore, have seen around half of the 24 films within the universe, so I know how the heroes are and have been portrayed. In my opinion, there is nothing like Carol Danvers and there is not a movie like Captain Marvel (2019) within the MCU. This film felt different to me upon the first viewing because I felt like I was being heard as a young woman. The previous 22 or so films all starred male heroes or had mostly male characters (i.e. The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy) so I could never identify with them as much as I can identify with Captain Marvel. Marvel Studios’ goal with Captain Marvel (2019) was to make females feel empowered, strong and capable, and I believe they did just that.
Works Cited, as I do not own any of the information included in the essay:
Madeline Streiff and Lauren Dundes, “Frozen in Time: How Disney Gender-Stereotypes Its Most Powerful Princess,” Social Sciences, 2017, 6, 38, pp. 1-10.
Hello everybody! I am back with another Disney blog post. Today I am going to be giving you an overview of our day in California Adventure, which we had not been to since BEFORE Cars Land even OPENED! It is not because California Adventure is a terrible park to go to, we just prefer other parks like Universal Studios Hollywood over it. But, I loved the recent change of Paradise Pier to Pixar Pier that happened last year! Continue reading below to find out what we did and remember, it has been almost two weeks so the details are definitely fuzzy.
Saturday, August 31st, 2019
This morning started off with another early morning by waking up at around 8 am today, getting ready and heading down to the lobby for another FREE breakfast. I was proudly sporting the Captain America shirt I had gotten in Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure today because Marvel IS a Disney property. I literally do not know why I had reserved that shirt for Universal Studios park days. This time for breakfast, I veered away from the carbs that is the waffle and stuck with the protein such as the sausages and potatoes with two cups of apple juice.
After breakfast, we once again headed out to the Toy Story parking lot bus stop next door and took the bus to the parks. Since it was a Saturday and Labor Day weekend, I could already tell that the parks were going to be busier today. Upon entry, the Disney Cast Members were handing out Marvel 80 Years buttons because it also happened to be the 80th Anniversary of Marvel Comics! That was seriously unplanned and there could NOT have been better timing to go as the Main Eight (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Donald and Daisy) were also dressed up in Marvel cosplay for the summer to celebrate! Unfortunately, if you are planning to go, this ended on September 2nd :(.
Once inside, I made a pit stop to the restroom while my dad and brother headed to Cars Land to get the fastpasses for Radiator Springs Racers. Since all of our legs were so sore from going hard at Disneyland the previous day, we had planned to go with the flow and take it easy today. The first ride we had decided to go to was Soarin’ Over California. We had just missed the cut off for the Soarin’ Around the World overlay as that was scheduled to start on September 2nd. I have a slight fear of heights so I instantly got butterflies in my stomach once the ride started and found myself needing to lean all the way back in the seat and look all the way over to the left to see feet for affirmation. I wished we were here for the Around the World overlay as I found the California one kind of boring because that where we live! We “flew” over San Francisco, Napa, Death Valley, Redwoods, and of course, Disneyland itself during fireworks.Afterwords, we made our way to the Pier but stopped to get fastpasses for World of Color first and saw Chip and Dale (not in Marvel costumes) walking into the Redwood Challenge Trail as we were passing through Grizzly Peak.
Once at the Pier, we went to the Incredicoaster, which was once California Screamin’. This was all of our first times riding it because I have ALWAYS been a wimp when it came to coasters and used to HATE any one that went upside down! This changed when I rode Rock N’ Rollercoaster in Hollywood Studios at DisneyWorld in Florida. My eyes may have been closed the entire time that time but now I knew that I did not have a reason to be afraid! I was always afraid of the idea of getting stuck in the loop if the ride broke down. My mom is not a fan of coasters but we made her go on it once to try it. I LOVED it! The launch at the beginning does not look fast but it feels fast and I particularly loved the Incredibles incorporations throughout the ride! My mom, however, did not really enjoy it and we know this because right after we got off, the three of us went to go again and she opted to go and watch us at the launch point.
Isn’t it mandatory to get a picture with this view?
After our two rides on the Incredicoaster, we all explored on the pier some more and my dad proposed the idea of going on the Pixar Pal-A-Round (the ferris wheel) but on the SWINGING one. My mom is very afraid of heights so she, once again, opted out and found a seat on the bench beside the ride while we waited in line for the ride. We were in a cart with another couple and started on our loop. I found myself keeping my eyes on the floor and having a deathly grip on the window cage and the chair since those were the only places I could grab. As for the swinging, it actually did not swing that much until we got to the middle and the cart actually slid all the way down. You do two full loops on this ride as the first loop was for people getting in the cart. I honestly would probably never do the swinging ones again and when I go on it, I would do the Non-Swinging like I originally wanted. I also got to meet Sully from Monsters Inc afterwards cause we were sitting in the same area! He is soooo fluffy!
Me and SullyHe is definitely not scary AT ALL! But don’t tell him I said that!
After the Pixar Pal-A-Around, we headed to Cars Land for our Fastpass window and to our surprise, the ride broke down once we got there! While we waited for the ride to hopefully open back up during our window, we explored Cars Land. I was in awe of the accuracy of Radiator Springs and particularly enjoyed seeing all the classics from the first film such as Cozy Cone Motel, Luigi’s Tire Shop, and Flo’s V8 Cafe. I also like seeing Lightning McQueen and Cruz Ramirez (from Cars 3, which is the only film of the three we have not seen) driving in for their meet and greets at the motel. Since the ride was still broken down, we decided to have an earlier lunch (than yesterday) and wait in line at Flo’s Cafe. I got the “Mack” and Cheese (after Lightning’s transport truck for races) off the Kid’s menu which came with water, carrots, and a fruit cup, because I was tired of the amount of “fast food” we had recently.
Welcome to Cozy Cone! (There’s Lightning McQueen)Flo’s!
Once we finished our lunches, the ride was actually open again (and within our window) so we went over and got to ride it for the first time! This ride is SO MUCH FUN! It starts off slow and Sheriff “hosts” (his voice is the main audio voice throughout the ride). You ride through Route 66 and through Radiator Springs where you see characters such as Mack, Mater, Mater’s tractors, Fillmore, Sarge, Sally, Lightning, Luigi, Guido, and Sheriff as the Hudson Hornet! Once you get into Luigi’s store, he tells Guido to change the tires into nice racing tires then you go through the store and to the starting line where you race other cars. This is where the speed is amped up! We lost our first race but the ride was still so fun! Right after we got off, we hopped onto the single riders line to go AGAIN! (Also, it was already at a 90 minute wait time but the single riders line took like 5 minutes so when it doubt, single rider, if your over 14 that is.) I rode with my mom and we won this time!
We looked thrilled lol. Don’t mind our faces! The ride was so fun!
After Racers, we went back to the pier and rode Incredicoaster once again. Then, we also had previously gotten fastpasses for Toy Story Midway Mania and headed to that. My brother and dad, or as they dubbed themselves, “the Pros” paired themselves up together (they are competitive with each other) so I rode with my mom. I much prefer this gaming ride to Astro Blasters because it is SO MUCH EASIER to tell which one is yours due to the different coloring of the guns and paint on your target! I lost this round, but did have better accuracy. I was also winning until the end. Always aim for the high points such as the 1000 or 2000 combos that often pop up at each screen!
Passed by the Inside Out ride and had to take a photo with Disgust. I’m definitely Joy. (My Dad is Anger)
We continued down the pier and decided to go on Mickey’s Silly Symphony Swings next. By the way, it is actually the shortest ride ever at like about 5 minutes, but it was fun while it lasted! We then headed over to Hollywood Land to ride Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout and take a class at Animation Academy. I am always on the lookout for more Marvel gear so we made a pit stop at Off the Page to see if we can find something. There was nothing but we did find the entrance to the area where Animation Academy is. Also in this area is where can meet Anna, Elsa, and sometimes Olaf, listen to Crush the turtle talk, and take a rest break in an air-conditioned room. After we looked around, we went back outside to ride Guardians. However, we had a little setback as the app said 25 minutes but the sign had been updated to a 45 minute wait, which is definitely not a bad wait, but when your legs are killing you, you simply cannot wait in line for that long, so we went and grabbed a fastpass instead. At this point in time, I took the opportunity to go back into the room and take a drawing class at Animation Academy. Nobody in my family likes art, so I ended up taking this class on my own while they waited on the benches outside. I had fun exploring my creative side and drawing the fashion diva that is Edna Mode from the Incredibles! (Although I wished I had stayed for the next class becuase they were drawing Baby Groot, my favorite Guardian at my favorite age!)
After the class, I was still on the lookout for Marvel gear (as I always am) and figured that the store by Guardians was the best place to find some and I was right! I specifically wanted the Baby Groot that can sit on your shoulder like the Porgs (that were sold out) can, so we went and got one of those, but I was also looking for either a Pop! Funko or a Marvel Loungefly backpack. (which I admittedly actually saw but did not speak up to get, the silver lining though is that I did get a Box Lunch Exclusive one after the trip and it is SO CUTE)
We then explored some more and went further in, where I found Mickey and Minnie doing Meet and Greets in their Marvel cosplay and wanted to meet the main mice! Mickey was Captain America and Minnie was Spider-Gwen from Into the Spider-Verse! They were SO CUTE IM STILL DYING OVER IT!! Unfortunately, they left when I was second in the line and were not going to be back for another 30 minutes so I never got to get my photo with them :(. While I was line, my brother and mom went to ride on the Monsters Inc ride next door while my dad waited literally on the railing outside. We then went back to the Pier for our Incredicoaster fast pass and rode it a THIRD time. I just wanted to say that they take the photo at the wrong time because the ride slows a lot at the point where the camera is so the reactions are not genuine. They should really take it earlier but that may be just me.
(Credit: @disneyland on Instagram) Not my photo but I just HAD to show you the cuteness! Mickey as Cap is a duo I never knew I NEEDED
We then took a slushie break and I got blue raspberry and my dad and brother shared a wild cherry and lemonade layered one. The slushie was really yummy and refreshing and a much needed treat on this day. This was also a time for my brother to watch the Oregon v. Auburn football game, which Oregon lost in. After, we headed to Goofy’s Sky School which is actually a pretty terrifying ride when you remember that you are so close to the edge and that the vehicle could fall off and onto the floor at any given point. It is still fun regardless but quite jerky.
Now this is where things get a little crazy, we decided to go on Grizzly River Run. It was around 5-6pm at this point so it had cooled down significantly and was not as hot as it was just a few hours before. My mom, as usual, did not want to get wet so she opted out once again and went to go sit on the bench and wait. The wait time was 45 minutes so we got in line, I admittedly spent most of the time on the floor. I happened to get lucky on this ride because I barely got wet at all. My brother and dad were sitting by the stairs and got soaked when the geyser hit at the end. They were fine UP UNTIL that point, which is really funny when you think about it. We then met up with my mom and went to go sit in the sun out by the bridge to the pier for a while.
We all headed back to Pixar Pier (our favorite place) to go ride Incredicoaster for what would be our last time that day and then headed back to Midway Mania. We never got to go back to Guardians because of the location. We had a fastpass for the Incredicoaster that was around the time of the fastpass for Guardians and that ride is at the edge of the park so it made the journey there a hike. Since Bug’s Land was closed for the making of Avenger’s Campus, that shortcut to the area also could not be used so you have to go all the way around as well which is an actual pain.
Me on the floor of the Midway Mania queue with Baby Groot sticking out of my bag. (I would wear him but we didn’t have scissors to cut off the tag)
The wait time for Midway Mania said it was 45 minutes but it was actually only 20-25 minutes so that was a score. This time, I won against my mom! I just focused on trying to hit as many 1000 and 2000 combos as possible! If you focus on the high points, you will have a great shot at winning! Just do not lose focus! After the ride, we headed over to Radiator Springs Racers, taking a shortcut through Pacific Wharf (which we did not even realize was there until we looked further). This time the wait time was significantly longer so we singled it again but waited 15 minutes this time, which is better than the like 2 hour wait time in the normal line. This time my dad and brother were in two separate cars but my mom got to ride in the same car as me (the cars seat 6 by the way). We happened to win but only by default as there was noone on the other side to race with us, which was a little strange.
Route 66 looking real pretty on this fine evening!Cars Land is so pretty in the evening!
After our last Racers, we headed over to the yellow viewing and waited about 30 minutes for World of Color to start. At about 10 minutes, the cast members came by to tell everyone to stand up, which was actually killer for me. We actually saw World of Color last time we were there and I am pretty sure that they have not changed the show at all since then, even when it was closed down and reopened again. I, admittedly, got excited during the Toy Story 2 part because I thought it was something from a Marvel film, it was not. I liked the show but I thought that it should be updated with recent films and Marvel films so hopefully that will happen one day.
Our view while waiting for World of Color
After World of Color, we had a trek back out to the exit and it was a trek because I was so sore and in actual physical pain, and hungry as well as I had opted to eat dinner outside of the parks to “save a little money”. Once we exited, we decided to find a place to eat at Downtown Disney, which I have never been to. We stopped at the massive and very crowded World of Disney store to try and find that Captain Marvel backpack I saw in the Guardians store. We found SOME backpacks but they were all Guardians related. The Baby Groot face one was cute and tempting and I also found Professor Hulk and Nebula Pop! Funkos in their quantum suits but we all agreed that you could probably find them cheaper somewhere else. (It was only $15 though so not to bad if you all are interested!) We then decided upon a place to eat, I wanted pasta so we went to Napoli Ristorante and Bar but it was a 30 minute wait and at 10 pm and we were starving so we opted on the pizzeria, Napolini, next door. My mom and dad shared a pizza whereas my brother and I each had our own Meat Lover’s ones.
Halloween themed sign was already up! The Halloween Bash didn’t start until the week after, but decorations were slowly starting to pop up throughout the parks. Halloween season is officially here now! (Sept. 6th to Oct. 31st)
After dinner, we headed back out to the bus and to our hotel where we able to have an earlier night in. Good night!
Sunday, September 1st, 2019
Today, was the day we were going home, but we had to make a pit-stop first. In the morning, I got to wake up at 9am, get ready, and my parents brought me my breakfast to go so I ate it at the dinner table in our room. We went and checked out and said goodbye for now to Anaheim and Disneyland. Who knows it may be another two years until we come back! (Hopefully when we do, Avengers Campus will be open!!) We then headed to the University of Southern California or USC to college tour the school (for my brother). The school is so nice and is still my dream school! Though I am extremely happy in Oregon and do not regret my decision to go there! We stopped by the student store and my brother bought a lanyard and a long sleeve shirt. (You know, just in case!)
Threw my O by the Trojan just to make Oregon’s presence KNOWN on this campus. Go Ducks for life!
We then drove over to the USC Village for lunch at Kobunga, a Korean restaurant. I had the Beef Bulgogi with white rice and honey carrots and corn as my sides. Honey carrots is interesting by the way and I do not think I enjoyed them very much. They also have a Wahlburgers there too, in case you wanted to know. The USC Village is extremely convenient for the students who live there because they have a Target and Trader Joe’s in there! I wish I could just go downstairs to buy my groceries instead of a block away.
After lunch, it was time to head to the airport and we were cutting it really close cause when we got there we only had 15 minutes to go through security and to our gate. Luckily the Long Beach Airport is tiny so we managed to accomplish that even with my slow and sore walking and some slow people in the security line. We did have to wait longer for medical reasons but we were eventually able to board our flight and fly home. On this flight, I sat next to strangers and fell asleep because I was tired from waking up early and from all the walking! Disney is so fun but man is it a lot of cardio! Goodbye Disneyland! Hope to be back one day soon! (It is my dream to go during the Christmas season! I need to see all that magic during my favorite holiday!!)
A nice sunny day for our flight back! Thanks Anaheim for the FUN!This snapchat photo was taken after I got home, but I just wanted to let you know that I wore the heck out of this for the next three days.
Hope you guys enjoyed these blogs! I love Disneyland so much and wish I could go ALL THE TIME! But because of school, location, and money, that simply is not possible but one day I will get my annual pass! Thanks for reading! Bye! 🙂
Hello everybody! I took a break from blogging for a while because while in Europe, I had posted every day and had exhausted my limits. Well I am back now and ready to tell you guys about my weekend in Disneyland! Now, fair warning, it has been a week so I am definitely a little fuzzy on the specifics.
Last weekend, August 30th & 31st, we got to spend some time in the most magical place on Earth, Disneyland and California Adventure! I have been wanting to go since the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in May of this year as I am a fan of the recent trilogy and grew up watching the old ones as well so I really wanted to visit the new land. Also, it had been two years since our last visit in 2017 so it was definitely time to go back! This is Part 1 or the Disneyland part of the blog. Stay tuned for Part 2 or the California Adventure part!
Thursday, August 29th, 2019
Our journey to Anaheim started on Thursday when we took a plane from the San Jose airport to the Long Beach one. This flight was very short, around 50 minutes, so I spent most of the time watching my mom play Bubbles (a game on her phone). The flight also was not very full so there was nobody sitting in the middle seat between my mom and I. Upon arrival in the Long Beach airport, we headed out to pick up our rental car and then drove about 30 mins down to Anaheim and to our hotel, the Homewood Suites at Anaheim.
We checked into our hotel, headed up to our room and then decided on where we should go for dinner. It was late because our plane was delayed so our choices were slightly limited but we eventually decided on Outback Steakhouse. I got the 6oz Filet Mignon with fries and broccoli and we started the meal with a Bloomin’ Onion, basically like an onion ring but a whole sliced onion that’s fried. After dinner we were all full so we headed back to our hotel and got ready for bed and our FULL day in the parks.
Friday, August 30th, 2019
The morning started off with waking up at like 7:30am, getting dressed and ready, and then going downstairs for the free breakfast. My brother, by the way, had a minimum day at school so we decided to just take him out and not go. Disneyland was not opening until 9am today and did not have “extra magic hours” so we had plenty of time. For breakfast, I had half a waffle, sausages and potatoes, as well as some apple juice. After breakfast, we headed to the Toy Story parking lot just next door to take the bus to the park. It is also a mile walk to the parks as well but it pays to save your legs when you know they are going to be dead at the end of the day.
We arrived at Disneyland at around 9:15am and immediately headed to Space Mountain, our “tradition” if you will. It is best to go to the popular rides in the morning upon opening as it would be the least crowded, especially on a weekday! We had not ridden *HyperSpace Mountain (cause it was Star Wars themed) in a while because it was closed for refurbishments/Halloween overlay the last time we visited. The wait time was only 15 minutes so we rode it once AND got a fastpass to ride it AGAIN just an hour later. After Space Mountain, we decided to head down to Star Tours, but the ride was not open yet so we did Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters instead. According to the photo taken, I had scored 0 points, which I believe because none of the targets turned green when I was aiming at them, but the score on the game said 4500 just from hitting the button so frequently.
Very blurry photo but my mom and I on Astro Blasters
Afterwards, Star Tours was still closed so we headed to the Matterhorn (which now has fastpasses!!) since it was nearby and rode that. The Matterhorn hurts your butt since it is very bumpy and very fast so we only rode it once. The Abominable Snowman had gotten a terrifying makeover though so it is now MORE scary! (I used to be very afraid of it as kid) We headed back into Tomorrowland for our Space Mountain fastpass time and at this point, Star Tours was open so we got to ride. There is SUPPOSEDLY over 300 combinations you can get on the ride but we usually end up getting ones we had already seen, which is what happened this time. We ended up getting the planet of Naboo and the underwater world of Otoh Gunga as well as another planet that I can not remember. Once we had finished with Star Tours, it was officially the window for Space Mountain so we had gotten to ride it a THIRD time. Space Mountain is the entire family’s favorite ride so we definitely did not mind at all!
After Space Mountain we had decided to head to Frontierland and Big Thunder Mountain, but decided to do Star Tours again before we headed out. This time we got, what is probably my favorite combination, the planet of Jakku from The Force Awakens and Crait from The Last Jedi! It was complete with appearances by Finn, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren, and a transmission from my FAVE, BB-8! We then left Tomorrowland for a little while and headed to Frontierland. We rode Big Thunder Mountain and had gotten a Fastpass to ride it a few hours later. Afterwards, I wanted to ride Winnie the Pooh because he is my favorite character and the ride has great air conditioning, which was definitely needed as it was in the high 80’s at this point. This ride is also meant for the little kids amongst all the ‘big kid’ rides, but it is good to have a change of pace every once in a while.
Waiting to get on Big Thunder! (The ears came off while on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain because they were going to fall off on them and I wasn’t about to lose the $20 I spent for them)
I wanted to meet Pooh so after we rode his ride, we walked to Critter Country and got in line to meet him! The line is a one stop so you would get in line and meet Tigger and Eeyore as well! (The cast members play the characters so well so MAJOR props to them, all their personalities were spot on!) Tigger liked my sparkly ears, Eeyore was sad like he always is, but super cute, and I got to tell Pooh that he was favorite and he blushed, blew me a kiss and gave me an extra hug! Ugh I love that ridiculously cute bear so much.
Me hugging TiggerHe really liked my sparkly ears. I liked how they matched my outfit because I chose the silver ones which go with everything!The cutest sad donkey ever! (I wished I could make him happy :()When I told my brother that I wanted to see the Critter Country characters, he did not want to see them. But this kid just HAD to get a selfie with each of them! I love this sweet bear!I mean just LOOK at his FACE!Family photo with the main bear. I love everyone in this photo.
We had gotten a fastpass for Splash Mountain at some point so we zipped by the line and got to cool off by going on this water ride. My brother sat in the front so he got the most wet when the water would flow over the boat at every drop.
One of my favorite Splash photos! My dad was recording the drop and we all were having some much FUN!
We finally ventured into Galaxy’s Edge via the Critter Country entrance afterwards and it was everything I dreamed of! There are three entrances into Galaxy’s Edge, one at Critter Country, one at Fantasyland, and one at Frontierland. The Critter Country entrance is the furthest walk in but you get to pass the sight of the future Rise of the Resistance ride and get to enter by the restrooms, water fountain, and shops! We also passed by Chewie! We headed to Smuggler’s Run, the only ride open in the land until January, and waited in line for 45 minutes. On this ride, you are actually “piloting” the Milennium Falcon so you are assigned roles to be. My dad and I were the Pilots and my mom and brother were the Gunners. The “vehicle” holds 6 people so there were also two others who were the Engineers. We suffered about 70% of damages and did not do too well but that did not mean that the ride was not fun! We then walked around and I found the Milk stand and got to get a Blue milk, which was SO GOOD and tasted tropical and like Skittles! Though, I do not think it is worth the $8 price tag, but it is a must get for sure! There is also green milk, which I did not get but have heard mixed reviews about. In this land the characters roam freely so we saw the Stormtroopers a few times and Kylo Ren with them at one point! (But be careful not to be interrogated by them!)
Come with me to the LIGHT SIDE! (I would say Dark but I’m definitely too nice and was wearing a blue outfit)Trying the blue milk! (That’s the milk stand behind me!)My dad wanted a photo with the stormtroopers. He walked up to this one and waved and the very talkative stormtrooper said nothing and just pointed to me (as I was taking the photo) after a few seconds. They are so funny!The photo. The Stormtrooper costumes are very shiny and so cool! The costume department did a great job on these!
After exploring the land a little bit, we headed back to Big Thunder for the fastpass and rode it. Then we went to Plaza Inn on Main Street USA for our usual Disney Fried Chicken (late) lunch! I was not very hungry from drinking the blue milk so I shared a plate with my mom. The Plaza Inn is also by one of the many restrooms and an entrance to the tunnels where the characters go so we got to see many Fantasyland characters walk by such as Aurora, Peter Pan, and one of the mice from Cinderella.
Now this is where the details start to get a little more fuzzy so bear with here. I believe we went back into Tomorrowland to ride Star Tours and Space Mountain again. On Star Tours we ended up getting the same new movie combination as the 2nd time but I enjoy that combo so I definitely did not care at all. Then, we were curious as to what the Star Wars Launch Bay was so we ventured into there and found out it is where you can meet Chewie, Darth Vader, and sometimes Kylo Ren and Rey as well. They also have a little screening area for their documentary on all the Star Wars things (films, land, games, and VR), props from the movies, and an area where you can play the XBox lego game! You are actually not allowed to sit on the floor in there but they have benches against the wall and in the screening area for you to sit if your feet are killing you like mine were. We all chilled in the air conditioned room for a little while.
My brother and I playing the LEGO Star Wars game on the X-Box in the Launch Bay. I really wish they had chairs you could sit on while playing because I was in PAIN
I then wanted to save my legs a bit so I opted to take the Disneyland Railroad back to New Orleans Square (which is also the stop for Galaxy’s Edge, Critter Country, Frontierland, and Adventureland). The railroad goes through a long tunnel so they put in a model of the Grand Canyon and dinosaurs to make the ride through the section more interesting. We stopped by the Main Street Station and got off at the New Orleans Square Station. We headed to Pirates of the Caribbean and got to ride that and got a fastpass for and rode Indiana Jones, which was broken down up until that point. After Indy we went to the new Tropical Hideaway for Dole Whips, my (new as of 2017) MUST GET treat every time we go! I got the Raspberry-Pineapple swirl and my mom and brother shared the Orange-Pineapple swirl. It was delicious and needed in the heat! (You can also mobile order them now!)
After Dole Whips, we went to the Golden Horseshoe so I could meet up with a fellow duck who was doing Disney’s College Program this semester and we got to chat about school and about the parks and program. (Bella, if you are reading this, HI! Hope you are having fun!) I think afterwards we went back to Big Thunder and rode it a third time and then went back to Galaxy’s Edge to ride Smuggler’s Run again. We went to the Single Rider line this time because the wait time was about 60 minutes and there is not a fastpass. The single rider line took half the time and my dad, brother, and I all ended up together! My mom switched with someone and she ended up being with us as well. This time, my dad and I were the Gunners and my brother and mom were the Engineers. Two strangers were the pilots. We were more successful this time with only 40% of damages and Hondo said something MORE positive this go around. After that, I wanted to find the porgs that can sit on your shoulder because we saw a lot of cast members and people in the parks had them but found out they were sold out park wide :(. We also saw the Droid Depot where you can make droids that can move with a remote and have their own personalities for $99.99 plus tax as well as Savi’s Workshop where you can build your own lightsaber for $199.99 plus tax. You are not allowed to into the actual room at Savi’s unless you are building the lightsaber.
They had a recreation of the famous table in the waiting area for Smuggler’s Run! You actually felt like you were ON the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!
We then walked back to Tomorrowland, rode Star Tours (got the same new movie combination a THIRD time) and saw a screening of The Path of the Jedi at the theater next to Space Mountain. This screening was basically a montage of Luke Skywalker’s moments in the films and how he became the jedi he is. It was put together before The Last Jedi because they discussed where the series was left off before that point. My brother also went to grab the last of the fastpasses for Space Mountain. I wanted to see the Main Street Electrical Parade but decided to go do Star Tours with my family again, which we got the planet of Kashyyk, another planet, and a Yoda transmission which I do not think we have ever had before. After, my dad took me to see a little of the parade as it passed by Tomorrowland.
The castle at night! It was recently repainted so now it is more vibrantly pink with purple roofs!
Our new must do at the parks is Big Thunder during the fireworks so we walked back over to get in line to try and get on the ride while the fireworks were going on (which is a 15 minute window). We managed to get on and ride during the tail end of the show and got to see Batuu (Galaxy’s Edge) all lit up at night and viewed the finale as we walked out of the queue. It was late at this point (around 10pm) and most of the restaurants were closed for the night so we had difficulty finding a place to eat. We settled on Galactic Grill in Tomorrowland and I shared half a cheeseburger with my dad and the Galactic Slush (a lemon slushie with a light up ice cube). The Dance Party was going on at the stage by the restaurant so it was very lound and I got to see Chip, Dale, a penguin from Mary Poppins, and the Queen of Hearts and White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland! We also listened to many Disney Channel hit songs like “This is What Dreams are Made Of” from the Lizzie McGuire movie and “We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical. I did not go onto the stage to party but you can best believe I was dancing in the wings!
After dinner, it was around 11pm at this point so we closed the night out with Space Mountain and made our way out of Tomorrowland and down Main Street. We went shopping for our usual snacks, though we did not get Mickey-shaped gummies or lollipops this time and left with two bags of the cheddar popcorn, my favorite! We headed back down and out to the Toy Story Parking shuttles. I told the cast member that we would like to sit because my legs were DEAD and i was IN PAIN and ended up taking the bus behind the one that was there. We walked back to our hotel and got ready for bed as soon as we got back because we had another park day tomorrow at California Adventure. Good Night!
We rode Space Mountain a bunch of times so we have a bunch of these photos but this is my favorite 😉 Throwing my O wherever I go!
Thanks everyone for reading part 1 of this Disneyland blog! I love Disneyland soooo much and wish I could visit ALL the time! It truly is the most magical place on Earth! Thanks to my parents for taking us there and for letting me see characters because they are definitely a ride family and I am an experience person! I want to see all the characters and shows and do the rides and eat the food! (I can only afford so much though) I hope to get an Annual Pass in the future so i can go ALL the time! Stay tuned for part 2 of this blog, which will be coming soon. It is on our California Adventure day, which we have not been back to since BEFORE CarsLand even OPENED! BYE!
Hello everybody and welcome to the last installment in my Europe 2019 blog posts! Thanks for joining my family and I on this ride. I hope you enjoyed the blogs! We got home from London yesterday and I spent the rest of the day sleeping as a way to adjust to the time change. Our last day in Europe was definitely not planned and we did not know what exactly we wanted to do but managed to find something, you can read about it below as well as about our travels home! Also, sorry this blog is later than usual, I was trying to write the blog, but kept falling asleep!
Tuesday, August 6th, 2019 & Wednesday, August 7th, 2019
Today, we started off by getting to sleep in a little and waking up at 10 am. It was our last day in London and we did not have anything planned, or even the slightest idea of what we wanted to do. So we went down to the lounge, had a later breakfast and then just chilled in our hotel room for a few hours. We eventually decided to go and check out the British Museum as they have real pieces of the Parthenon from Athens, Greece.
Before going there, we had to check out of our hotel and gave all our bags to them to watch while we were gone. Then, we walked to the subway for one last ride to the British Museum. From the subway, we ended up walking a very short walk to the museum (though it did not feel short because my calves were so sore from all the walking) passing by a Shake Shack (Yup! They have them in the UK too!) along the way. At the museum, we walked though the Greece: Parthenon and Asian exhibits and a little of the Egyptian one as well to get to Greece. We saw pieces of the Parthenon, Chinese jade carvings, and the Rosetta stone to name a few! It was cool to see that history.
Exterior of the British Museum (kind of looks like the Parthenon)The head of Selene’s (the goddess of the moon) horse taken from the East pediment. Apollo (god of the sun) and his horse were on the West pediment to balance it out.Taken from the metope! Each panel shown followed a storyline. This is just one of MANY they have!Unsure of what this is but thought it was cool lolAsian exhibit. Carved dragon tiles! Dragons are very important in Chinese culture. They are seen as lucky and good and are said to control rainfall. (Summon rain during a drought)
After the museum, we went back to the Shake Shack we walked past for lunch. I had a cheeseburger with only lettuce and fries. I have not had Shake Shack in literally years and had forgotten what it tasted like. I think I like it better than In N’ Out because there is no mystery Thousand Island sauce, it is only all natural ingredients, down to the last crinkle cut fry. It was very good! I wish they had one of these back home (that was not so crowded)!
After lunch, I wanted to ride the famous double decker bus back to our hotel. But first, we walked to the famous Trafalgar Square to check out the area and to a bridge to see the view. This was our first time seeing Big Ben and to our surprise, it was covered in scaffolding! Turns out, they are doing major repairs to the bell and it will not be open again until 2021! It has been covered since 2017. We walked to the closest bus station, by Charing Cross Station, and got a double decker bus to Waterloo and then walked back from there.
National Gallery in Trafalgar Square!View from the Bridge. If you look amongst the cranes, you will see Big Ben covered in the scaffolding.Alex and my mom and the London Eye in the background. (Also the Thames River is so brown, it’s actually quite gross)
Once at our hotel, we went into the snack lounge since we no longer had access to our room, snacked a little bit, and then just spent the next few hours chilling in there until I felt like I wanted doughnuts from Doughnut Time. We walked a short way to Blackfriars Station and since the doughnut shop was closing in like 15 minutes, there were only two types of doughnuts left, so we decided to just not get any. We walked back by taking a little bit of a longer route, passing by Shakespeare’s Globe.
Back at our hotel, we got our luggage and my dad called an Uber to take to our hotel by the airport. It was a 40-50 minute drive. At the hotel, we checked in and since we, well mainly me, were hungry we ate at our hotel since there is not any food in the area. I had a seafood spaghetti with mussels, squid, and shrimp. I also realized that I kind of like mussels, despite not really eating them, there were A LOT in the bowl. Then we went to bed. Good night!
The next morning, we woke up and started our journey through probably the biggest airport I’ve ever been in. There was tunnel connecting our hotel and Terminal 4 that we had to walk through to get to the train, from the train we had to go through a whole strain of tunnels and escalators before we finally got to the check in point and security. After that, our gate was in TERMINAL B which is on the OTHER SIDE of the airport. I swear we walked 1.5 miles in that airport alone. We stopped in a World Duty Free store to pick up some Cadbury goods, chocolate, wafers, and chocolate fingers! I also got a British rubber duck to continue my “world travels” collection. (All my dad’s idea) Then we trekked down to our gate within terminal B.
Making our way to the plane! Goodbye Europe! Thanks for the memories!
At the gate we boarded our plane and spent the next 10 hours watching movies and sleeping. I watched Captain America: Civil War, my version of a “classic”, Aquaman, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and about half of Us. I, as you know, love Captain America, enjoyed Into the Spider-Verse and Aquaman (I had seen it before), and found myself being very confused by Us.
We drove home where I spent a majority of the afternoon/evening sleeping. Good night and thanks for joining us! Stay tuned for more travel blogs and adventures with Disneyland at the end of this month! Bye!
Well, this is it guys. Today was our official last day abroad and in London. It has been a fun vacation and I am super happy to have gotten these opportunities but I am also very happy to be going home tomorrow. (Back to being lazy!) Keep reading below to hear about our adventures exploring the old amongst the new.
Monday, August 5th, 2019
Today, we woke up at around 8 am and got breakfast downstairs. I mixed it up slightly for breakfast since there were not any sausages left and got cold cuts and an extra chocolate croissant. After breakfast, we walked to the Tower of London. It was a little more than a mile walk, which I hate doing, so it was a bit of a struggle for me but I managed and most importantly, SURVIVED. We also got to go through the Borough Food Market which was interesting and had so many different types of food from jams to seafood to spices!
We also got to walk across the London Bridge! (shown here)Views from the London Bridge
Once at the Tower of London, we went straight to the building where the Crown Jewels are held. The Crown Jewels are very valuable royal ceremonial objects that were either worn during a King or Queen’s coronation or used during the banquet. No photography was allowed inside the building but I was AMAZED at the way the crowns sparkled with the thousands of gems on them. The light reflects off the crowns (and every other item) such that they glimmer and shine upon your first glance. It was truly a sight to behold. We also went to the White Tower and took photos of the Tower Bridge which is probably the most famous bridge in the city.
The historic building where the Crown Jewels are being held. It was so interesting to see this building surrounding by high rises and modern buildings!There were guards guarding the Crown Jewels area too! I was finally able to get an unclose photoTower Bridge! Also known as (SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME SPOILER WARNING) the bridge where Mysterio died in but not before revealing Peter’s secret to the world!This is now one of my favorite photos! My dad took a photo of me taking a selfie of my mom and I by the bridge!The photo behind the photo! Lol not a great selfie but I still love my mom! (Also the Thames River is ridiculously brown and dirty. It is actually really gross)
Afterwards, we left and walked to the Nando’s nearby for lunch. We ordered the same thing as the first night and it was just as good. On the way to Nando’s we also passed by the infamous Walkie Talkie building (It was voted the ugliest building in Europe) but could not go up until after 6pm as it was maintenance day.
So, instead we walked to the subway station and took the subway to Harrod’s, a VERY high-end and expensive department store. I mean they sold Wagyu beef cuts in the dining hall! We walked around there because my mom wanted to check it out but did not end up getting anything as it was so expensive.
After Harrod’s, we were already tired so instead of going back to the Walkie-Talkie building to go up (since it was after 6pm), we just went to the subway and headed back to our hotel.
We ended chilling in the lounge for snack time and in our room until dinner time. For dinner, we decided to stay local and go to a Japanese restaurant, Wagamama, a block away (even though I despreately wanted Italian). I got the beef brisket donburi which was actually pretty tasty and was happy, as long as I was fed. For dessert, we got the pink passionfruit and guava sorbet (they ran out of cake) which was delicious!
The donburi
After dinner, we made the quick walk back to our hotel and got ready for bed. Good night everyone!
Signature posin’
Thank you SO MUCH for reading these blogs! I hope you enjoyed getting to be a part of our family vacation. I had so much fun on this trip and even though i complained (a lot, sorry Dad!) I still enjoyed seeing things and learning about the history of them. There will NOT be a blog tomorrow night as we will be on an airplane at that time so my final two days will be combined and uploaded the day after! See you then!
Well everyone, as of this blog post, we have officially reached 2 weeks out of the country. My family and I have also reached our point of exhaustion. We all just want to go home to our beds and be lazy again until school starts (for my brother, I am on the quarter system so I have another MONTH!) Even with this in mind, we all still found the energy to explore London yesterday and today. It is a really weird combination of both old and new and I am really weirdly into it. Keep reading to find out how we experienced living royally!
Sunday, August 4th, 2019
This morning, we woke up at around 7 or 8 and went downstairs to our lounge for a breakfast of sausages, croissants, and fruit. Then, we walked to the subway to take it to St. James’s Park station and then walked to Buckingham Palace, the home of Queen Elizabeth the II and Prince Philip.
Our tickets included the Queen’s Gallery, Royal Mews, and access into a few of the staterooms within the palace. (Do not worry! The Queen does not live there during peak tourist season, which is two months out of the year) The first place we went to was the Queen’s Gallery which was housing an exhibition full of a lot of Leonardo Da Vinci’s original drawings and sketches! It was so amazing to hear about how much of a genius and how ahead of his time he was! (via audio guide) He knew and could draw with such detail accurate depictions of the human body and knew complex geographical features about 200 years before every one else developed the technology! Another highlight was seeing his sketches for his world famous “The Last Supper”. I found it interesting how he took the delicate time to plan out where Jesus and his apostles would be at the table before going to paint it.
Here is one of Leonardo’s medical sketches. He would actually take apart human bodies and study them when it came to time to sketch them. This is of the human skull.
Next, we went to the Royal Mews which is where the horses, state coaches, limos, and cars are kept. The horses are also on vacation, running in the fields, for two months during tourist season! It was interesting to see the different types of state coaches used and two of the horses that are used to pull the carriages. (Their names are Riga and Rui) Each state coach served a different use and purpose such as the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the State Opening of the Parliament, and her coronation. My personal favorite was the extravagant Gold State Coach which is used for every coronation since George IV.
Riga, one of the Royal horses. 🙂 The species is a Cleveland Bay.State Landau. This is a convertible so that means it can actually fold down to have an open top.Queen Alexandra’s Stage CoachThe Glass coach (w/ glass windows)One of the cars usedDiamond Jubilee Stage Coach. Most recent of all the coaches.The Gold Stage Coach! Such extravagant decorations on this 8-horse drawn coach!
After the Royal Mews, we got to go into Buckingham Palace which is just as extravagant and grandiose as you would think it would be! This summer, the exhibition within the palace was on Queen Victoria, the person who is responsible for making the palace what it is today. (Fun fact: It has 774 rooms in total!) No photos were allowed inside however. We got to see different drawing rooms, the gallery hall full of paintings, the grand staircase, Queen Victoria’s dining room, and the Grand ballroom, amongst others. It is really humbling to know that you are one of the palace’s millions of visitors each year that get to go into the home of the Queen.
The iconic face of the palace
After Buckingham Palace, we walked through the long yard and found the ice cream shop towards the exit. It is said to be made from the milk of the royal cows. My dad and I got Mint chip, Alex got vanilla, and my mom got mango. The ice cream was really tasty and just what we needed after walking through the hot palace. (I do not think there was AC because they needed to preserve all the valuables and if there was, it was not very good)
After Buckingham Palace, we walked to where Westminster Abbey was but was unable to visit the entire area because of a bike race going on. Instead, we just decided to hop back on the subway and just went back to our hotel for snack time in the lounge as we were all tired and hungry from skipping lunch. I enjoyed popcorn and other small plates offered as well as juice. Afterwards, we went back to our room and hung out for awhile until dinner. (Naps were taken)
Westminster Abbey
Dinner consisted of walking to Fishcotheque, one of the best restaurants and fish and chip places in the city. My dad, mom, and I all got a medium cod whereas Alex got a large cod. The fish and chips were great! It was not as fried or double battered as America and was not as greasy either, but still very tasty! The fries were thick too.
Fishcotheque fish and chips!
Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel, stopping at another local grocery store (did not get anything this time) and got ready for bed. Good night everybody!
I also found a red telephone booth on the way to Westminster. HAD to get a photo because did you really go to England if you didn’t?
Thanks for reading everyone! It was cool to see and to get to be in the presence of royalty! I also loved that the Royal Mews had a couple horses cause I was not expecting to see any and got kick out of that. Stay tuned to tomorrow where we explore an old fortress, prison, and dungeon amongst the new high rises in the area!
Hi everyone! Welcome back to another installment of “Ashley’s Travel Diaries: Europe 2019”! Today, I am writing about our journey to London. I am not going lie, London has been pretty underwhelming so far but I think that is because I have yet to see the places London is known for (up close)! (Big Ben, London Eye, Tower of London, etc.) Read below to find out more about our first day in the British city!
Saturday, August 3rd, 2019
Today started off by awaking at around 9:15 am, by my brother, in order to finish packing our stuff and get ready to leave Paris. Before we left, we had to wait for my mom as she was at the Louis Vuitton store buying a bag that she had wanted for a while. Once she got back, we checked out of our hotel and asked them to call us a taxi to the train station, Gare Du Nord, since we had all of our luggage and that would make it hard to go through the subway safely.
The taxi took us to the train station where we went through ticket checks, passport control, and security before waiting on the platform for about an hour (without wifi, which is basically torture for me since we do not have international cell service) before we finally boarded the train.
Didn’t even know this photo was being taken lol. Caught people watching!Our Eurostar train! We were in the very last car!
The train ride to London from Paris is about 2 hrs and 30 mins in length and includes going through a 31 mile long underground tunnel through the Atlantic ocean. Also the Premium car (where we were) was served lunch. The lunch was salmon (vegetable quiche if you were a vegetarian), bread, and a brownie with walnuts in it. The lunch was good, especially when you remember that it was train food.
Lunch on board
Upon arrival at the Harry Potter-looking St. Pancras station, we discovered something new, a travelator! A travelator is basically just a moving walkway that is less steep than an escalator but it is still on an incline. We scheduled an Uber to pick us up and it was a 20-30 minute car ride to our hotel because of the traffic.
St. Pancras Hôtel and train station seriously looks like it belongs in a Harry Potter Film!
Once we got to our hotel, we checked in and rested for all of ten minutes before going down to the lounge for the free snacks they had for several hours in the day. We then relaxed in our room and then took the tube (subway) to Piccadilly Circus, basically London’s smaller version of New York’s Times Square.
Riding the tube
We walked around Piccadilly Circus admiring London’s West End (their version of our Broadway) and the difference in culture between the two cities. In the West End, they have shows that we have in the states such as Les Miserables, Matilda the Musical, and Wicked! We stopped in a candy shop, where everything, especially US imported things, were very expensive and went to Hard Rock Cafe so my dad can get his pin. After we made our short trip around the area, we went back into the tube to make our way back to our hotel.
This was basically the only screen they had. Times Square has a whole bunch of screens which make the city glow!It’s interesting how the building curves with the road in this pic!
For dinner, we decided to eat at the famous Chicken chain Nando’s, an Afro-Portugese restaurant known for its Peri-peri chicken. The chicken was really really good and this is the only place that we have been to that served bottomless sodas! (That made my dad happy, he needs his daily sugar/Coke intake). After dinner we walked back to our hotel and stopped at the Sainsbury’s next door for candy and allergy medication. I got a Cadbury chocolate bar (Mint Oreo flavored) and my brother got a bag of Skittles.
Our Nando’s Chicken wing platter. Medium spice sauce. Sides are Chips (French fries) and Corn on the cob!
Once we arrived back at out hotel, we all prepared for bed by doing our various things and turned in for the night. Good night!
Hope you guys enjoyed this blog! There is only a few left 😦 I will forever be grateful for getting these opportunities to travel to all of these amazing places. Stay tuned to tomorrow’s installment to see us “living the royal life” at Buckingham Palace, the home of the Queen!
Hello from LONDON, ENGLAND everyone! I have always wanted to be a Brit and now I can be! Our last day in France was very long and involved a 3-hr trip outside Paris! The places we went to were really cool though! You can read all about it below!
Friday, August 2nd, 2019
We started today off by waking up EXTREMELY early (like 6:15 am!) because we needed to be at the bus stop for our out-of-city adventure by 7:15 am. We took the subway to the stop, which was not too far from the Louvre and hopped on the bus, which was one in a row of 8, at the stop. We were going to the area of the Loire Valley, where the two Chateaus we were visiting, Chateau de Chenonceau and Chateau de Chambord are.
The bus ride to the areas was about 3 hrs long and since it was very early in the morning, consisted of sleeping. We stop at a gas station about an hour in where we got a croissant and juice for our breakfast, before getting back on the road for another two hours. (I slept almost the entire time)
The first Chateau, Chateau de Chenonceau, was a castle perfectly fit for a tiny princess like me. The French were not very tall people back then, so the beds are incredibly small and about as long as I am tall. The castle had around 4 or 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, two extragavant garden areas (for different wives), and an area that included a military hospital. This Chateau was lived in by many different people, including Catherine de Medici after her husband, King Henry II’s death. It was also built on the river which makes the castle seem like it has a moat. We ate lunch at this chateau before leaving. I had vegetable soup and fruit salad as I needed a change of pace from the daily meals with french fries I was having. (I love fries but sometimes you can have too much until you feel sick)
“Quaint” little Chateau de ChenonceauWhat I mean when I say “my size”! The beds are not too long and were raised to keep bugs and pests out.Almost all of the floor has been worn away but this rabbit tile I found was practically untouched!Welcome to my new crib 😉
The last chateau we saw that day, Chateau de Chambord, was another hour drive away. It inspired the castle from Beauty and the Beast (both animated and live action versions) and is 500 years old, this year! This chateau truly did earn its name of a “castle” it was much more grandiose than the other one and had a double helix spiral staircase that takes you all the way up and down to its four floors. It is decorated with geometric shapes and served as King Francois I’s hunting lodge and was inspired with Leonardo’s DaVinci’s spirit. The garden and grounds are so big that you could rent a golf cart to drive around the whole thing and there were shops by the entrance. Since it was a hunting lodge, there was a trophy room with the skulls and antlers of bucks and taxidermied animals such as rabbits and guinea fowl in one room. The terrace areas allowed you to see the extensive decorations on all the towers and views of the entire landscape.
The grandiose Chateau de Chambord!One of the views from the 3rd floor terraceThe geometrical patterns on the towers
At the end of our tour, we had a wine tasting in the trophy room where we sampled two white wines and one red wine. I found out on this trip that I am not really an alcohol person and found the wines to be just okay. After we visited Chambord, we walked back to the entrance where the pop-up shops were and purchased a handmade mini rabbit candle (we all have a thing for rabbits). We also stopped for ice cream (I had mint chip for the first time in a while. It was extremely minty) and my dad got a lemon granite, of course.
We then went back to the bus and got ready for a 3 hour drive back to Paris, which consisted of more sleeping, playing games on my phone, and connecting to the wifi so I could check my social media. We arrived back at the tourist agency at around 8 pm and made our way to dinner.
For dinner, I wanted to go back to Le Relais de l’Entrecote because it was the best meal I ever had and I wanted to have it one last time. It was just as good, if not, BETTER, than when we first arrived! For dessert, we ended up getting a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. The cake was so soft and ooey and warm; it was basically perfect. I highly reccommend this restaurant! Everything they have is amazing!
So good!!!
After dinner, I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower up close one last time, as we were leaving the next day and I had not seen at night up close. So, we took the subway station to Trocadero and made a 10-15 minute pit stop as we all admired the beauty of Paris and the Eiffel Tower at night. We then made our way back to our hotel and got ready for bed. I already miss that beautiful city and monument. Thank you Paris, I hope to be back one day!
Eiffel Tower at night! It’s still just as beautiful!
Thank you all for reading our last Paris blog post. I am still so sad to have left that magnificient city and to be going home VERY soon but am forever grateful for the memories I am creating and adventures I get to have with my family. The world outside of my house is absolutely spectacular ❤
Hello everyone! We are coming towards the end of our European Grand Tour and towards the end of our stay at my new favorite travel destination 😦 There’s just nothing like Paris, nothing like it at all. We just got back from our last hurrah in this unreal city, but today, you are hearing about our church/chapel/basilica explorations. Keep reading to find out more!
Friday, August 1st, 2019
Today, plans were changed because we originally were supposed to go Versailles to explore the palace but because metro lines and train lines were shut down, it made getting there very complicated and very long so we decided against it. Instead, we explored a few different places of Catholic practice in Paris that were easily accessible by metro.
We started the morning off by heading towards the subway and finding a local pastry shop down the street for breakfast. We all got regular croissants which were very tasty. After our quick breakfast, we kept walking the street to the metro station and took the metro to Sainte-Chapelle.
Sainte-Chapelle is a unique chapel in that it is adorned with 1113 stained glass windows and holds important relics such as Jesus’s own crown of thorns. The inside of the church is impressive with its stained glass windows depicting the books of the bible and on the outside, has the books of First Testament carved into the marble. I was able to recognize Noah’s Ark, Adam & Eve eating the apple, Eve being born from Adam’s rib, and Jesus healing the leper.
Just one of the tall stained glass windows. I can only imagine the care and precision it took to put them together.Every window had stained glass!Detailed carvings within the marble!
After Sainte-Chapelle, we walked over to Notre Dame as they were relatively close to each other. Unfortunately, because of the fire that burned down Notre Dame’s spire earlier this year, we were unable to even go inside the cathedral at all because of the construction to repair the building. We were able to see the exterior of the cathedral though and it’s most famous part, the front view, though obstructed by the barriers.
So fascinating even when you can not view the entire thing! I can only imagine what the interior looks like.
After Notre-Dame, we made our way back to the metro station and decided visit the famous Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart in English), a Catholic basilica on the top of Paris’s highest hill. Since the basilica was in a very hilly area, a funicular was used to get to the top of the hill, where the basilica actually was. The views of the city from the hill were just as impressive as at the top of the Eiffel Tower. The basilica itself has a gorgeous interior to match its exquisite exterior and I even made an offering to the Lord and lit the candle. No photos were allowed inside, but my mom (and other tourists) managed to snap a few pics. We also bought chocolate filled cookies and a crewneck sweatshirt that says “Paris” in the corner, walking back down to the station.
Sacre Coeur Basilica. It is impressive and a sacred place every visitor accepts.People were placing locks on the fence by the basilica. (I guess since love lock bridge isn’t really a thing anymore…)
Afterwards, we decided to visit Galeries Lafayette, a French department store chain, to have a look around and because my mom really wanted a certain Louis Vuitton bag that she has been looking for for YEARS. While at the Galerie, we decided to have lunch at the cafeteria there. I had a cheeseburger (it had been too long without American food), my dad had the roasted chicken (which he was not a fan of), my brother had chicken wings, and my mom, a hamburger patty. The food was relatively okay overall, but overpriced (I mean their granites were like 4 Euros!).
After looking in the galerie, my mom wanted to visit the store Mango to buy clothes for her (though, I did get a black t-shirt with daisies on it out of it) while my dad went to the Hard Rock Cafe for his collector’s pin from Paris. (He has a lot of them!) Then, we went back to the metro and off to our hotel.
My dad and I rested up while my mom and brother hit Gucci where he got the famous Gucci slides. We were tasked with figuring out dinner. After a bit of struggle, we found a Japanese restaurant near us called Zenzan. I had my usual, Chicken Katsu, and it was quite good, better than a Japanese restaurant we have by my house back home. (I forgot to snag a picture of this, but it is actually the same as any other katsu meal)
After dinner, we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe, where we were going to do the stair climb to the top. I was fortunate enough to get to ride the elevator because of my very visible scar and limp, so I bypassed the 284 steps, which I was happy about. The view from the arc is incredible, especially when you remember that 12 different streets spiral out from there, so the traffic around the area is INSANE. You can see the lights of the Champs-Elysees and the lit buildings of the Army Museum, Eiffel Tower, and more. We happened to get up and outside to the top at just the right time because shortly after we arrived, the Eiffel Tower’s “light show” started! It is always such an impressive sight to behold.
The Arc at sundown (with the Eiffel Tower directly in line)Interior of the arc. Each of the words are the names of the 500-600 soldiers who fought alongside Napoleon in battle. If their name was underlined, that means they perished during the battle.Literally can’t get a selfie without this happening XDThe Eiffel Tower at night from the Arc (zoomed in)Champs-Elysees view from the top!
It was getting late and the arc was going to be closing soon so we were not up there for very long before coming back down (me by elevator, my parents and brother by stairs). Once we were down, we walked the short distance back to our hotel and turned in for the night. Bonne Nuit!
Thanks so much for reading everyone and for your patience as I write these blogs. It takes me about an 1 hr 30 mins to 2 hrs because of the detail I put into it. I am usually tired and frustrated upon its upload, so it makes me happy to know that you guys love it!
Hello again everybody! We are coming up on our last few days in the beautiful city of Paris and I am so sad to be leaving but can not wait to come back one day! Our last and final location on our grand European tour also happens to be a bucket list location so I am very excited to go there but I am definitely going to miss Paris! It is now my new favorite travel destination! Yesterday, we explored a couple museums, read below to find out more!
Wednesday, July 31st, 2019
We started this morning by having to wake up early because we were going to the one of the most famous museums in the world, the Louvre, to see one of the most famous paintings in the world, the Mona Lisa (Leonardo Da Vinci) and access in with the museum pass is only really guaranteed in the morning. It can so crowded at times that even if you already have tickets or the pass, you still will not get in so your best bet for access is when they first open, at 9 am. We took the metro to the Louvre and waited about 10-15 mins or more to get into the building.
Once inside, we immediately followed the crowd and signs to the Mona Lisa. We were allowed access for less than 20 seconds, just long enough to take one photo and leave. The Mona Lisa was actually relocated to a different room as the normal room she is in was being renovated. After we took our photos, we decided to look around the museum for bit, following the “popular paintings” guide on our map. The Palais du Louvre, connected to the Louvre, is so large that I really was not kidding when I said that it will take a week to go through. We went through exhibit by exhibit and floor by floor to get to each of the art pieces we were most interested in seeing. We also took a break and stopped at the cafe to eat a breakfast of croissants, chocolate croissants and lemonade. Not only did we see the Mona Lisa, we also saw the Venus de Milo, and other various works from Egypt, Italy, and Greece.
Inside of the Louvre, before the entrance! An inverted pyramid!The Mona Lisa! I was the only person to get a non-pixelated photo 😉The view of the Louvre from the cafe balcony.Venus de Milo
After the Louvre, we found out there was a famous macaron place, Laduree in the mall surrounding the museum. Laduree is known for be macaron specialists and I had yet to have a macaron while in Paris so we went and found the pop-up shop and I picked out on for me to try. I got mint and my brother decided upon chocolate. The macarons were amazing and probably the best I have ever had! The sandwich cookie was perfectly flaky and collapsed as you touched it and the mint flavor was subtle but definitely evident as you tasted it.
We then went back to the metro to take it to the Rodin Museum and the Army Museum (which are across the street from each other). We went to the Rodin Museum to see the Thinker and The Gate’s of Hell (Auguste Rodin), which was in Dante’s Inferno, and to the Army Museum to see Napolean’s tomb.
The Gates of Hell
At the Rodin Museum, they had two versions of the Thinker, one very large version outside, and a smaller one inside. The museum was a lot smaller by comparison to the Louvre and had a garden area with other sculptures inside and around it. The interior of the museum had tens of other sculptures, each crafted with great precision.
The large Thinker! (This photo is very slanted, sorry folks!)Rodin Museum buildingGarden view of the Rodin Museum
At the Army Museum, we entered the dome, where in the center of it is Napoleon’s grand and gilded tomb. His tomb is massive, especially when you remember that he was a very short man. Other tombs were in the museum as well, but we were not familiar with any of the other names. The area surronding the tomb is adorned with grandiose sculptures carved into the marble circle directly under the dome. We did not look at the extensive rest of the museum as it was big so we stopped by the museum cafe to grab our lunch. I had a crepe with nutella and my dad and brother had another baguette sandwich. I thought the crepe was yummy but felt it could have used something more, like fruit, for example.
Dome containing Napoleon’s tombNapoleon’s tombCrepe!
After lunch, we then took the metro station back to our hotel and rested up as we all had very sore and achy feet and were supposed to climb the 284 steps of the Arc de Triomphe later that night (this ends up being postponed until the next night). My parents and brother rested for about 45 minutes before they decided to walk down the Champs-Elysees, a street famous for shopping, while I decided to stay in our hotel because I was not up for walking about 2 miles down the entire street.
When my family got back, it ended up being pretty late so we decided to stay in this area by our hotel for dinner. We ate a Chez Gabrielle, a fine dining restaurant, and I had a Cod fillet with mashed potatoes and cheese sauce. It was delicious, but not enough for a satisfying and fulfilling meal so we went to the McDonald’s by our hotel and got a M&M McFlurry for our dessert. After we had gotten our dessert, it was already 10:15pm which meant it was too late to go up to the Arc (last admission being 45 minutes before closing) tonight. We just turned in for the night instead.
My dinner: Cod fillet with potatoes and cheese sauce. Tastes just as good as it looks!
Thanks everybody for reading! I am so tired today and have an INCREDIBLY early morning tomorrow so I am sorry if this seems rushed, I was falling asleep while typing it so new photos will be added in the evening tomorrow (afternoon for US friends). Stay tuned for tomorrow’s church themed post!
Ashley's Travel Diaries 