Paris Is My Mount Rushmore

I checked something off my bucket list on this weekend trip. I traveled to Paris and saw the Eiffel Tower. Yes, it was really cool but it was not mind-blowing like I thought it was going to be.

I made fun of my dad when we saw Mount Rushmore in 2021. All you do is go, take a picture, and leave.

This is my Mount Rushmore.

I flew on the first Air France flight out of Valencia on Thursday morning (I know what you’re thinking, but I gave them another chance after the lost luggage). I got to the airport a little

before 5:30 am and waited for my 6:50 flight to board. It was only a two-hour flight so by 9 am I was standing in the Charles de Gaulle airport.

I did not stay in Paris. There is currently a lot of turmoil in the city and the hotel prices are insane. Instead, I decided to visit my old friend Mickey Mouse. Disneyland Paris is only a 45-minute train ride from the main city and the price for a hotel and park tickets was comparable to staying in the city. Choosing to stay at Disney meant I got to spend the time I wasn’t touring the city exploring the theme parks.

I had all afternoon on Thursday to eat and explore the parks.

I went to Disneyland Park first because it's the bigger of the two parks. It has the classic rides you expect from Disney like Small World and Thunder Mountain but it also has some unique rides.

My first ride of the trip was Phantom Manor; the Disneyland Paris version of the Haunted Mansion. The ride follows a different story but features some of the elements of the original ride. The Haunted Mansion is my favorite ride and I couldn’t ride this version the first time I visited the theme park so making it my first ride was a must.

Hyperspace Mountain is another must-do at Disneyland Paris. It is basically Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Space Mountain combined with a Star Wars theme.

The park also features an Indiana Jones roller coaster but this one is a little too jerky for me. I rode it once and once was enough.

The Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland is way better than the one in Orlando. It features two drops and is significantly longer. The same can be said for Thunder Mountain.

After hitting most of the rides in the park, it was time to go to the Walt Disney Studios park. This park is very similar to Hollywood Studios in Florida. It features an area dedicated to Pixar, a Tower of Terror, and the best part, Avengers Campus.

When I saw the Web Slingers ride, I knew I would love it. Spider-Man is my favorite superhero and this ride is the exact same setup as one of my favorites at Disney World: Toy Story Mania. I didn’t get to ride the first time I waited in line because the ride shut down but they gave me a fast pass to come back later. I didn’t end up going until Friday afternoon but I did buy lots of merch after they took us out of the line. There are so many amazing details in the queue for the ride that I didn’t mind getting to see the queue more than once.

Friday was my day in the city. After grabbing a snack on the way to the train, I got comfy for my 45-minute ride. I did get fined on this trip because my ticket didn’t get stamped right at the station. A security officer came around checking tickets and she didn’t like the way mine looked because it was missing the stamp. There wasn’t a lot I could do to argue the point so I just paid the fine and went about my day.

The train from Disney to the city goes straight to the Arc de Triomphe. I saw the roundabout and ever since I have referred to it as The Big Roundabout. Champs-Elysees is right there next to it so I had to go look at all the fancy stores. There was an event happening at the Nike store and I thought there might have been a professional soccer player there but I never actually saw them, just the people lined up outside waiting for someone.

I hopped back on the train after a little walking so that I could head to the Tower. It was only a few stops away so it took about 20 minutes. When you walk out of the train station you can see the tower but it's a little bit of a walk to get there. In the July heat, it was a brutal walk.

You can get really close to the Eiffel Tower but to get under and inside you have to pay extra. I was hot and tired so I just took some pictures and left. I am glad I saw it because it would be embarrassing to say I went to Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower but it was definitely a one-and-done.

I didn’t see any of the other big tourist spots in Paris because of the rioting. It seemed easier and safer to just do a few attractions. Maybe one day I will go back and see all the places I missed. I took the train back to Disney and stopped at Rainforest Cafe for dinner because who doesn’t go to Disney and eat at a Rainforest?

The first stop after dinner was the Studios park so I could ride Web Slingers. It currently sits up there in my top five Disney rides.

After Web Slingers, it was time to hit some favorite rides again. Ratatouille had no wait so it was a must-do. It’s super fun to ride this one knowing that we now have one in Orlando. It's the exact same ride, it's just in French.

At Disneyland Park, Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Hyperspace Mountain were musts. Hyperspace was the last ride of the night and it felt very American to be running to ride one last time before closing. Almost everyone in the park was sitting in front of the castle waiting for the light show and a select few of us were running like our lives depended on it.

After another sleep in the Cars-themed hotel room, it was time to visit the parks one last time.

The morning started at Studios since it's the smaller park. Tower of Terror and Web Slingers were the rides of choice. The single rider line for Crush’s Coaster was also visited. Disney World needs to get one of these coasters!

After parking hopping to Disneyland Park, lunch was the first stop. The food in this park is so good. I got a Mickey Shaped pizza and it was some of the best theme park food I’ve ever had (can’t beat the Magic Kingdom corn dog though).

The last two rides were Thunder Mountain and Small World. One for thrills and the other for chills. Both are such classic Disney rides that it felt right to end with them.

It was a late flight back to Valencia so I had to be at the airport around 6 pm.

I traveled with a friend who is not only in my classes but is a member of the Marching Chiefs (she plays clarinet). She also had to pay a little fine during our trip because her luggage was overweight. We had no idea that Air France had a carry on weight limit, but we quickly learned. The worst part about it all was that when we got to the gate the airline checked my bag for free because the flight was full. I got lucky while she had to pay an additional 60 euros to check her bag.

The flight home was delayed so it was after midnight before I was back in Valencia. It was all worth it though. I am trying to fit as much as I can into the few weekends I have. Even though Paris was not everything I wanted it to be, I can say I’ve been and that’s enough for me.