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Travel Diary – 20th June 16 – Paris Day Four
By Day Four of our trip, our holiday was almost over! We had traveled on Day One, then attended the Fairytales Convention both Day Two and Day Three (as well as sight-see) and so by Day Four we were on our last whole day and this was to be spent in Disneyland Paris. Although I’ve been lucky enough to visit Disneyland Paris four times before, this was Nat’s first time. We had decided to Disneybound for the day and I had even made us Disney Ears to match. Sadly, even from the start of the day, we knew it was going to be a wet one and so taking an outfit picture was going to be unlikely.
When we got up in the morning, we both got dressed and ready. Nat was being Captain America and I was being Ariel. The hotel was too dim and there wasn’t really much room to photograph our outfits and so instead we decided we would try to take something in the park. However even on the way to CDG airport to catch the train, the rain started and we wondered if once again my curse to not have sunshine at Disney was about to strike!
The picture above, is pretty much the best picture that we managed to take all day. You can’t see our outfits at all but I was wearing a purple t-shirt, with green jeans and mint coloured shoes and a handbag. Nat was wearing royal blue jeans, red converse and a Captain America t-shirt. As I mentioned, we had ears to match!
When we first arrived at Disney, we headed into the Studios. I wanted Nat to ride Ratatouille while we were there, so snagging a fast pass was important – and she wanted to ride Hollywood Tower of Terror, so that was also top of the list. After getting our fast passes for Ratatouille, we did ride Hollywood Tower next. We then got a fast pass for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and then went on Armageddon Special Effects. We then did the Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster, followed by the Studio Tram Tour – all of which we managed, without getting too wet. However during the Tram Tour, the rain really started to come down. After getting off, we decided to head for food so we got Quick Service at the Front Lot. Despite the fact we ended up sitting on the floor, food was actually pretty nice. However after that it was time for Ratatouille and the rain was still coming down hard. Due to the fact we were Disneybounding, unfortunately we didn’t have coats – this was a bad move as we got completely soaked too and from Ratatouille, eventually ducking into the toilets to try and dry ourselves off.
Finally we headed over to the other park. There actually wasn’t a huge amount we wanted to do here, as a lot of the bigger rides are closed. Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain are both closed for maintenance right now and other than the parade and fireworks, we were really just going to see what didn’t have too much of a queue. Sadly on the trip between parks, we got drowned again. You can probably see from the picture below, just how wet it was.
The rain was still coming down hard and it showed no sign of letting up. There isn’t a huge amount of cover and although we headed for the castle, we didn’t want to just sit in there and shelter from the rain indefinitely. Instead we headed towards the Indiana Jones roller coaster, which I hadn’t ridden before. We didn’t realise it was outdoor either but by the time we got there, we were soaked anyway and with only a 10 minute queue, we figured “what the hell”. Sadly though, when we got off, we were pretty much done. It was only about 4pm and the thought of even making it till 5.30pm for the parade was unlikely, let alone the fireworks at 10-11pm.
As we’d walked through the two parks, I’d been half looking for a hoodie or jacket to buy, so I could take off my wet top and get warm again. In the end I bought a white DLP one as I liked it the most of all I’d seen and we headed into the toilets to dry off. We were lucky enough to find a toilets that was pretty much deserted AND with four hand dryers. I quickly slipped off my top and on with my jacket and then dried off my top. Nat dried her cardigan and once that was dry, switched like I had and dried her t-shirt. All in all, I think we were in that bathroom for almost an hour but honestly it was so worth it. I had been tempted to just wear my jacket and actually ditch my t-shirt, however I managed to dry it pretty well and put it back on.
Rocking the drowned rat look
By mutual decision, we headed out of the park and back to the train. We bought a ticket on the fast train again, but there was an hour to wait so we found ourselves a seat and refused to move so as not to lose it. At about 10 minutes before our train, we raided the venting machines for a drink, crisps, sweets etc. all to take back to the hotel. This is because we didn’t want to risk another plate of cold meats, fish and whatnot that we couldn’t eat! Eventually we were back at the hotel, freezing cold and incredibly tired. We both got changed into our pjs and climbed into bed, hoping to make it till about 10pm and then go to sleep. The evening dragged a little and neither of us could really warm up. While we’d had a good day, it felt a bit ruined by the rain and even more so now we were cold and feeling rough. However eventually we headed to bed, knowing we were getting up early and heading home in the morning!
Superhero Movies – the good and the not so good!
The last superhero movie I saw was Avengers – Age of Ultron and it was awesome. The other day, when Nat and I went to see the new Hunger Games movie, I got excited seeing the trailer for Deadpool which is finally out next year. Also with things like The Flash, Arrow and even Super Girl all currently airing on the TV, I thought I would share some of my favourite superhero movies.
Batman
I really enjoyed all the Batman movies that have been released to date, though I’ll admit the Dark Knight series was definitely my favourite. Christian Bale was by far the best Batman in my opinion and Heath Ledger at The Joker was just amazing. I’m really unsure about the new Superman Vs Batman that is planned for release as I’m just not convinced on Ben Affleck as Batman.
Spider-Man
I’ve watched all three original Spider-Man movies but only one of the recent ones. I did enjoy Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man but I have to admit that Andrew Garfield was my favourite in the end. I don’t honestly know why I haven’t got around to seeing The Amazing Spider-Man 2 yet, especially as I love Emma Stone. It’s on my to-do list though.
Superman
No one will ever beat Christopher Reeve as Superman for me. I love Brandon Routh in Arrow these days but his role as Superman in Superman Returns was just dreadful. I haven’t even seen Man of Steel but it’s certainly not on my “must see” list. And like I mentioned above, I’m really not sure about Superman Vs Batman.
Iron Man
Way before the first Avengers movie, Iron Man (and its sequel were released). Iron Man is by far one of my most favourite superhero movies as I just love Robert Downey Jnr’s portrayal of him. The first Iron-Man movie is my favourite, followed by the third. I didn’t really think much to number 2, but it doesn’t change my love for Iron Man.
Thor
Still on the theme of Avengers, Thor was another movie that I had high hopes for, based on its main actor – Chris Hemsworth. I have to admit I loved it and again enjoyed Thor in the Avengers movie when it finally came out. I’m sad to say I haven’t seen the second movie yet. It was even on the plane, on the way home from Florida, but I chose sleep over Thor (though technically Robert Downey Jnr in The Judge before that).
Captain America
Based on liking Iron Man and liking Thor, I fully expected to like Captain America too. Sadly I didn’t though. I like Chris Evans and I thought he was great, but the movie just didn’t really float my boat. I’m not one for war movies or soldiers so that didn’t help. I’m also not great with movies set in the past. I did however enjoy the character of Captain America in the Avenger movies and I’m sure I’ll eventually get around to watching Captain America 2, though like Man of Steel, it’s not high on my list of priorities.
(The Incredible) Hulk
I hated both these movies. Seriously. I used to love the TV series of The Incredible Hulk but both movies have been bad! The first one, titled just Hulk was by far the worst, Edward Norton giving a bit more credibility to the second one, The Incredible Hulk. Having seen Mark Ruffalo as Hulk in the Avengers movies though, I do wish they would make a spin off movie for him. I’ll keep my fingers crossed!
Daredevil & Elektra
In all honestly, these are two completely separate movies and should have their own paragraph. However I didn’t like either so I don’t want to waste too much time writing about them. Daredevil was marginally better than Elektra but I wasn’t keen on Ben Affleck or Jennifer Garner. Both movies felt a bit cheap and low budget, though Colin Farrell as Bullseye was pretty awesome.
X-Men
I’ve always been a lover of the X-Men movies and have watched each as they’ve come out. The third was my least favourite though and I have to admit to slipping a little behind recently. I haven’t seen either Wolverine movie, or Days of Future Past but they are all on my to-do list. X-Men First Class is probably one of my favourites, though I love Patrick Stewart and he was definitely missing for me. Hopefully Days of Future Past will solve that for me.
Green Lantern
I absolutely love Ryan Reynolds and as such I enjoyed the Green Lantern. That said I think it could have been better and I wasn’t a big fan of Blake Lively’s part. That said, knowing Ryan Reynolds is also Deadpool makes me excited for that being released. I’m saddened to see they are making a reboot of Green Lantern in 2020 though as I don’t think that’s necessary.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Before this movie was released, I have to admit to knowing nothing about this particular storyline. That said I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope they plan to do more spin-offs. All the characters were great and the girls even enjoyed watching the movie. We have three out of the main four characters as Disney Infinity figures too.
There are several other movies that I haven’t mentioned such as; The Green Hornet (hated it), Fantastic Four (liked but not loved, no idea why they rebooted but haven’t seen it), Ghost Rider (love Nicholas Cage but wasn’t especially won over by this, haven’t even seen 2), Hancock (meh), Catwoman (meh, meh) and so on but I would be here for days if I listed them all! As a huge fan of the superhero genre I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot more as they’re released and even catching up on those I’ve missed. Let me know what you think of the ones I’ve mentioned, or even those I haven’t!
Movie Review: Avengers – Age of Ultron
Before I start to tell you about my Florida holiday, I want to tell you all about the latest movie I saw – Avengers: Age of Ultron (it’s Marvel/Disney though so it’s okay). On Friday, Nat and I went to the cinema – as we often do – to see the newest Avengers movie and both of us really enjoyed it!
As with all my reviews, no spoilers. However that always makes it difficult to tell you very much. What I can tell you is that it’s long!!! It’s not a complaint, but definitely a warning. Nat and I both went to the toilet before it began but only half way through, needed it again (TMI??) We did take a drink in with us (which we probably shouldn’t havbe) but yeah… warning!
In all seriousness though, I personally loved this movie. I’m a great lover of superhero movies anyway and on Friday I actually wrote about the good and the not so good superhero movies, over at Twice the Mum (and later republished on my own blog). This new Avengers movie would definitely be around the top of my list – if not for any other reason than RDJ as Iron Man is epic (as always). I tried to avoid any trailers or reading too much about the plot, so it was really nice to go into the movie not knowing much about it. I loved the concept and idea for the movie, though at times I felt a little lost, but I also loved the new characters getting gradually pulled into the plot (and it made me realise I really need to watch X-Men: Days of Future Past!). It was nice to see Hawkeye take more of a role this time and of course its nice to see all the Avengers working as more of a cohesive team. I’ve never really liked Scarlett Johansson but actually in the Avengers movies I find her fairly tolerable. As I said before, I loved Iron Man and he has now become my clear favourite (I was torn between him and Thor before). I especially loved Iron Man’s Hulk version. The ending with Hulk was a bit frustrating but not altogether surprising, I’m glad to see there is an Avengers 3 on the cards though – even if rumour has it that RDJ will be sliding out of the franchise at that point!
For anyone who likes an action movie, especially Superhero, I’d say it’s a must-see. At the cinema it holds so much more effect too – with the load noises, big screen, dramatic effect etc. That said, I’ll be getting it on DVD to watch again when it comes out, especially as the kids will want to see it. I loved this Avengers movie though truth me told, I probably love the last one a little bit more.