Disneyland Paris... these are a few of my favourite things #2

I blogged about a few of my favourite things in Disneyland Paris last week, and this is the second instalment. So please read on with bated breath to find out what else I loved about Disneyland Paris...

Crush's Coaster

I have a disproportionately strong love for this ride. I screamed 'THIS IS AMAZING!' while we were hurtling around in our little turtle shell... it really was. I had no idea what to expect as this ride is exclusive to Disneyland Paris, just like the Ratatouille ride I described in my last post, so I just thought it would be a gentle teacup-type ride. It starts off gently enough until you've trundled to the top of a little incline. You then unexpectedly experience all manner of drops, twists and turns in total darkness, as well as going backwards for part of the ride. The queues for this ride were consistently massive but it was well worth it. I also loved hearing Crush speaking French in a vaguely Australian accent... that made our day!

Disneyland Park Hotel 

The beautiful Disneyland Park Hotel guards the entrance to Disneyland Park itself and I would absolutely love to stay here if we could ever afford it. You can literally hop out of bed and run down the stairs, straight in to the park. It's such an elegant hotel and the little details like the Mickey Mouse clock are key to its appeal. It's also pink which means it'll always seem extra appealing to me. Just imagine having a room in one of the little pink turrets with a perfect view of Main Street USA and Sleeping Beauty's Castle... I can dream! 

Landmarks in Walt Disney Studios

There are some iconic landmarks in Disneyland Paris' Walt Disney Studios which shouldn't be overlooked. The 'Earful Tower' is situated right at the entrance and, despite being much smaller than its Floridian counterpart, it's perfectly proportioned for this park. I also loved the statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse (which was lit up beautifully at night), as well as the Sorcerer's Apprentice model and the 'hat' in the Toon Studio area. I'm gutted that they're taking down the hat in Florida's Hollywood Studios! There was also another Sorcerer's Apprentice landmark near the entrance... I think Mickey looks so cute in this little outfit and it's always how I picture him. As you can see, Walt Disney Studios definitely isn't just about the rides! 

Main Street USA

Unfortunately, I couldn't get many good photographs of the bustling Main Street USA due to the tricky combination of bad weather and big crowds. However, it's one of my favourite places in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris. Sleeping Beauty's Castle lies at the end of the street, and Main Street USA runs from the entrance of the park to the castle itself. It's densely lined with merchandise shops, crystal shops, bakeries, ice cream parlours, toy shops... it's just a hive of activity and a Disney fan's dream. The Christmas decorations made it even more special and I just couldn't help breaking into a huge smile whenever I strolled down this street. 

Disney Princess Parade

This was another parade we stumbled upon by accident and I'm really glad we managed to catch it. I didn't used to be a big fan of the Disney princesses but they've definitely grown on me over the last few years after visiting Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris. Belle is my favourite Disney princess, closely followed by Rapunzel and Aurora. The princesses came out of the castle in all their finery then swanned past us one by one, waving to the crowds. Their dresses were beautiful and it certainly brightened up a rainy afternoon. 

What do you love about Disneyland Paris? Do you agree with my top ten? Let me know what you think! 

Disneyland Paris... these are a few of my favourite things #1

We went to Disneyland Paris at the beginning of December and I can't believe I haven't blogged about it yet! It was a lovely break just before Christmas and I really enjoyed the experience of going on holiday in December. Having been to Florida's Walt Disney World twice, it was interesting to compare the two locations and to have a different Disney holiday slightly closer to home.

I don't think we'll ever to go Florida's Walt Disney World so close to Christmas as we like going there when it's hot. Consequently, I'm so glad I got to experience all the Christmas parades, decorations and so on in Disneyland Paris. Disney and Christmas really is a magical combination and I'm pretty obsessed with both!

Here are a few of my favourite things about Disneyland Paris... I decided to split my list into two posts as I wanted to share so many photos. Enjoy the first instalment!

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Sleeping Beauty's castle is the majestic showpiece of Paris' Disneyland Park and it really is a beautiful spectacle. I mostly love the fact that it's pink! It's surrounded by lots of greenery which adds to its fairytale aura, and the different levels and turrets are so immacutely detailed. You can even climb an internal staircase to the first level of the castle which gives you a lovely view of the park and a closer view of the castle's beautiful turrets. The castle also looks amazing once it gets dark... you really have to be there to appreciate its full beauty at night as photographs can't do it justice!

Space Mountain 

I love this ride in Florida's Magic Kingdom, and this version is even better! I screamed with sheer joy throughout this entire ride and we went on as many times as the queue would allow. The vast majority of this ride is conducted in darkness, as the name suggests... I think that might be why I love it so much. You just never know what's coming! It's full of sharp turns and drops and you do feel quite bruised at the end of it as a result of being bumped around so much, but I just love it. You absolutely HAVE to try it if you ever visit either Disneyland Paris or Walt Disney World. 

Disney Village

The Disney Village is a mini version of Florida's Downtown Disney and we spent lots of time here. It's conveniently located in between both parks so it was a nice place to wander to for lunch or for a break from the long queues. It was also a good place to run to during the heavy rain on our second day! The Disney Village is full of restaurants, shops and bars, including a MASSIVE Earl of Sandwich restaurant, a Rainforest Cafe, and several huge Disney Stores. It also had little huts scattered along the walkways which sold coffee, mulled wine, pretzels, doughnuts, muffins and so on. These added to the Christmassy atmosphere, particularly the mulled wine! 

Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy

The Ratatouille ride is the newest attraction in Disneyland Paris and is hugely popular. We ran for this ride as soon as the park opened so only had to queue for half an hour or so, but the queue was already up to nearly two hours by the time we'd finished on the ride. This Parisian area of the park is so well designed and it's very authentic. Ratatouille is one of my favourite Pixar films so I really loved this simulator ride. It's very unique, as well as being amazingly and intricately designed (like most things in any Disney park). It's a family friendly ride but I still screamed quite a lot... I think I just like screaming on rides to convey my joy. This ride doesn't exist in Florida so it was great to experience something totally new and innovative. Another ride you definitely shouldn't miss!  

Christmas parade 

I love Christmas and I love a good parade. As you'd expect from any Disney parade, this one was beautifully orchestrated with perfect details. There was even some fake snow! The parade featured lots of my favourite characters (including Eeyore!) and the music made me want to dance and jump around...  not much makes me want to dance and jump around in public, believe me. We just happened to stumble upon lots of crowds lining the main street in Disneyland Park one afternoon and realised that the parade was starting in ten minutes. Impeccable timing, and we even managed to get a brilliant standing spot. Disney Christmas parades are definitely the best parades. 

I hope you've enjoyed reading about a few of my favourite things in Disneyland Paris... look out for my follow-up post in a few days on another five favourite things!

Honeymoon destination #2 - Malcesine

After four amazing days in Rome, we moved on to the next stop of our honeymoon... Malcesine in Lake Garda. I'd eagerly done lots of research on Pinterest and stumbled across some beautiful photos so I was very excited about seeing the famous Lake Garda in all its glory.

We caught the train from Rome to Verona which went without a hitch. I can confirm that Italian trains are much cleaner, spacious and punctual than British trains, and their stations are much better organised! Our transfer driver was waiting for us as we got off the train and drove us straight to our hotel, which took just under an hour. The car journey was a great opportunity to take in the scenery... we could tell straight away that we'd decided to visit an extremely beautiful part of the world.

Hotel Casa Barca was recommended to us by a friend who got married in Malcesine a few years ago. We were expecting great things after seeing the hotel's exceptionally high ratings on Trip Advisor and we definitely weren't disappointed. You'll already have seen their amazing breakfast in my previous post... it's possibly the greatest breakfast selection I've ever seen. I just loved everything about this hotel, including the bright and airy rooms, the tranquil roof garden, the secluded poolside area and the hotel bar. There was also a health and wellbeing area with a spa, jacuzzi and half price massage treatment. The hotel was only a short walk away from the town centre, and the staff were all extremely friendly and helpful. Perfection!

View from the roof garden

Outside the hotel

View from our balcony

Malcesine is such a pretty little town and a stark contrast to the grandeur and opulence of Rome. I loved the narrow streets and the unique shops dotted around the town, and there were countless restaurants and bars hidden in all the nooks and crannies. I've never seen so many bag shops in such close proximity before... this was dangerous for a bag addict like me! I also loved the coloured buildings... a pink building here and there makes the world seem like a much better place. 

The main attraction of Malcesine has to be the beautiful lake on its doorstep. I've never seen such a clear, blue and sparkling body of water in my entire life. We spent many hours walking along the lake, eating ice cream and taking in the striking view from various angles. Apparently this is a great lake for wind surfing... we didn't do that ourselves but saw lots of other people having a go! The lake really was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever seen. 

The focal point of Malcesine is its majestic castle. I took hundreds of photos of the castle itself and of the views from different vantage points. Hundreds of people get married in this castle every year, and you can really see why when you experience its beauty. There were amazing views from every level and the castle itself was a fascinating mix of ancient stone and refurbished sections. I couldn't choose just two or three photos of the castle and of the views from it, hence the photo fest below!

We also went on a trip to Limone during our stay in Malcesine as it had been highly recommended to us and it was just a short trip across the river. We caught the boat over to Limone which was a lovely experience and we stayed there for a few hours. We walked around the lemon grove which was very relaxing and had an ice cream (of course) at the side of the lake. Limone was a real hub of activity and I loved all the lemon merchandise. Lemon soap, lemon chocolate, lemon tea towels, lemon liqueur... for someone who loves lemon, it was like a lemony paradise!

On our last day in Malcesine, we discovered yet another beautiful walk and view of the castle. There were just hidden gems everywhere, and I honestly think you could go on a different walk every day even if you stayed in this fascinating town for a month!

Malcesine really is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited, and it was the perfect honeymoon destination as it was so secluded and peaceful. I was very sad when we left Malcesine, but we did have a few days in Venice to look forward to... check back in a few days to find out what we got up to on the final leg of our honeymoon!

P.S. I apologise for the over-use of the word 'beautiful'... there are only so many superlatives in the world and there will never be enough to describe the beauty of Malcesine!