A little Disney magic

A little Disney magic goes a long way. Just as we anticipated, planning a trip to Disney instantly lifted our moods and brightened everyone’s spirits.

On Saturday morning, we took the metro and then the train out to Disneyland Paris, booking a room at Disney’s Sequoia Lodge. The journey took about an hour and a half, and we arrived around nine in the morning. We dropped off our bags and headed straight for the park.

Disneyland Paris is a bit smaller overall, with just two parks. One of them, Walt Disney Studios, feels noticeably more compact compared to the other Disney properties we’ve visited.

We started out on a Cars-themed ride that spun us around and delivered a good dose of laughter. From there, we tried several other attractions, including Ratatouille, which is an impressive trackless ride based on the movie.

Next, we made our way over to the main Disneyland Park, which in my opinion has the best Main Street entrance of any Disney park—even better than Disneyland in California or Disney World in Florida.

There’s too much to list about everything we did, but even though the park was relatively crowded by Disneyland Paris standards, we had a fantastic time and managed to experience quite a few rides.

We grabbed lunch in the park and opted for hamburgers. I couldn’t resist trying the new Yoda burger.

It was hot—around 90°F (or low 30s Celsius)—but with handheld fans and plenty of water, we managed just fine.

Pro tip: if the lines for water get too long, you can always refill your bottles in the bathroom, as long as the faucet has a bottle sign above it!

That evening, we made our way back to the hotel to enjoy the Hunters Grill buffet. It was pretty unique, with an impressive spread of wild game—I think I tried nine or ten different types of meat for dinner.

Afterwards, we were all pretty exhausted and went up to the room to rest for a few hours. The next day, in order to keep the magic going, we hit the pool until about 10:30 ., then raced back to shower and check out by 11. Of course, no trip would be complete without a stop at McDonald’s in the Disney Village before catching the train back to Paris.

It was a much-needed reprieve from the chaos of moving. The rest of Sunday, we took it easy and prepared for the week ahead.

Now, back to reality… kind of. Because the forecast called for 100°F heat on Tuesday and Wednesday, I decided it would be best if Hailey and the kids went back to Disney to have something easy and fun to do during the day, even if it meant being outdoors. I booked them another hotel, allegedly with AC and easy access to the parks —more on that later!

Monday was a relatively normal day. I went to work while Hailey took the kids around Paris. We ate at home and would say it was pretty chill day overall (although quite hot outside!)

Tuesday brought more adventure. Hailey took the kids back to Disney while I attended a two-day workshop. After a full day in the park under that intense heat, they were tired, hot, and ready for bed.

Disclaimer: I’d strongly recommend avoiding the offsite hotels, despite their lower prices. The shuttles were crowded, the lines were long, and when you finally arrive, you’re greeted by a sweltering lobby. Granted, this was during an unusually hot week, and Paris isn’t really built to handle that kind of heat—but it’s something to be aware of if you’re visiting in the summer.

I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say an adventure ensued involving metro trains and buses. Ultimately, I made my way out to help the kids get settled and experience the “wonderful” B&B Hotel myself. Overall, I think the Hailey and the kids made the right choice by going to the parks, despite the heat. But the hotel left a lot to be desired!

Fortunately, the next day the weather was cooler than forecasted, and the kids were able to enjoy the park before coming back Wednesday afternoon.

Thankfully, our portable air conditioner is working like a champ and has kept at least one room nice and cool during this heat wave.

For me, Wednesday was a long day—I felt pretty drained after two full days of a PowerPoint workshop—so we treated ourselves to our first pastries from the local boulangerie. They did not disappoint.

Today (Thursday), the morning was much nicer, offering a very welcome break from the heat. I even decided to walk to work.

As we continue settling into life in Paris, I’m reminded that things here move at a different pace. Life is slower. Tasks take longer. It’s a big contrast to the go-go-go mentality we’re used to in America.

It will take some adjusting, especially since we’ve become accustomed to conveniences like Amazon Prime delivering the same day and, despite what you hear in the news, a government that’s surprisingly efficient compared to some other countries I’ve lived in long-term—including India and now France.

Some positives: we love walking everywhere, and even though we’ve had our share of McDonald’s and pizza, the food overall just feels healthier. Even after just two weeks, I feel better. Maybe it’s a placebo effect, maybe not—but I do think there’s something to be said for higher-quality food.

Despite the frustrations, I appreciate the slower lifestyle here. While I haven’t fully experienced it yet, it’s clear that Parisians really value time off. As vacation season approaches, it’s common for people to take two to four weeks off—and the culture and companies genuinely respect that. In fact, by next year I’ll have up to 40 vacation days, compared to the 22 I had in the U.S. (which was already double what a lot of people get with just two weeks). That will be a big area of improvement for me… SLOWING down.

All in all, things are settling in. We were just approved for our apartment and are finalizing the move-in date, which feels like a huge milestone—especially since finding the first apartment was so frustrating and took over a month to reach this point. Just cannot come soon enough.

We are a little sad to be missing the Fourth of July and American Independence Day, but we plan to celebrate in our own way—with hamburgers, watermelon, and ice cream to finish the night!