Au Revoir (french); Tot ziens (flemish); Sayonara and Aloha L.A! ______________________________


Hi everyone!

As most of you know, Ray has accepted a 2-year assignment with Toyota's European Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. For those of you who do not know, Belgium is located next to France, Germany and the Netherlands. The home of NATO and the European Union, it is considered the "gateway to Europe" with its easy access to many European countries. (Hint, hint--good excuse to come and visit!)

Ray started his new position in February, 2008. The girls and I arrived here in late March. We are living just outside the city of Brussels in the commune of Tervuren, Belgium.

Although we are sad to temporarily leave our family and friends, we are excited for this adventure. What an opportunity to leave our tiny box and experience life outside of America!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Disneyland Paris


For those of you that know the Shinozaki girls, you are probably surprised that it has taken over 2 months after arriving in Europe, to finally make it to Disneyland Paris! After all, these are the same girls that have enjoyed Disneyland USA and California Adventure countless times while back home in the US.

Well, it did take a while, but we finally made the three-hour drive from Brussels to the Magic Kingdom! And, although Disneyland USA is such a familiar place for DS and PS, the Parisian version of the "Happiest Place on Earth" is a unique blend of new and old that makes exploring the park quite an adventure...



Disneyland Paris (formerly Euro-Disney) opened in 1992 to a rather lukewarm European reception. It was the second Disneyland theme park to open outside of the United States (behind Tokyo Disneyland in 1983). This year, Disneyland Paris is celebrating their 15th anniversary.



Today, Disneyland Paris is one of the top tourist destinations in Europe! And contrary to popular opinion, all of the Disney parks are NOT the same. However, they do have something in common - they are all expensive!!!



The girls and I decided to drive up on a Saturday afternoon, have dinner at the adjoining Disney Village entertainment center and stay overnight at a hotel in nearby Torcy.



In the morning, we got up early, purchased our annual passports (as a part of the 15th anniversary, DS' and PS' annual pp's were free!), and headed inside to explore the park. Many of the attractions made famous at Disneyland USA are here, but just different enough to seem "new". I noticed that English was spoken by most Disney cast members and all of the signs and menus included English, as well as French. An interesting observation was that many of the live stage shows were performed alternately in French and English. You just had to make sure that you were lining up for the right one!


As it is in all Disneyland parks, the time flies by and soon it was time to call it a day. Plus, we had a three hour drive home ahead of us (next time, we may take the high-speed train that goes directly from Brussels to the Disneyland station in a little over an hour)


The annual passports that we bought ensures that we will be returning again to the park for future visits. And, Disneyland Paris gave DS and PS a little taste of something familiar that they can enjoy while experiencing all that is new for them in Europe...
Ray
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