The Plaza Gardens

This was the place I spent my 23rd Birthday tea! Me, 6 friends and one 2 year old. We're quite a bunch of fussy people so finding somewhere everyone was happy was going to be a challenge. However, this place fit the bill! Not only was the decor gorgeous, with its elegant fountains and statues, but the food itself was varied and delicious. 

I particularly enjoyed the carved ham, the creamy potatoes, the fries, the lamb chops, the burgers, chicken, the vegetables and the pasta. There was also pizza, soup, mussels, chicken nuggets and plenty of other options. My friends were in awe. For puddings were things such as ice creams, crepes, cakes, jelly and sweets. It made my birthday perfect, we did reserve a table but only 3 days before and they were more than welcoming for our party of 8. Free refills on drinks was a bonus too.

The Biggest Cheese Toastie I've Ever Seen!

Back to Disneyland Paris for my next blog post. This time the focus is on food, I must say I haven't been able to get this particular toastie out of my head. ;)

When wanting a snack/sandwich we opted to look into The Blockbuster Cafe in the studios park, and to our delight they had a help yourself sandwich bar. As soon as I saw the cheese and ham toastie my eyes lit up, I could not believe how big it was! It came in a meal deal with a massive bag of ready salted lays crisps and a bottle of drink. I also bought a chocolate loaf cake. The whole meal was thoroughly delicious! We all followed suit and got the same meal deal. I liked how the restaurant was themed as half Marvel/iron man and half pirates of the caribbean. We opted to sit in the marvel side even though pirates of the caribbean is one of my favourite franchises, purely because it looked very dark in there and the 2 year old that was accompanying us was terrified of the dark. But I would definitely eat here again, it was very good value.

Ratatouille: The Adventure

After visiting Disneyland Paris for my 23rd birthday, I felt I would start doing some blog posts based on the subject. My first blog post is going to be about Ratatouille: the Adventure, which is situated in the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris.
Anyone who knows me, will know that I absolutely adore rides of this type. The futuristic technology excites me and I had been dying to go on this ever since I first heard about it. For those of you who don't know about the ride, it is based on the Pixar movie Ratatouille. You ride in a rat shaped vehicle which is on a motionless track system (similar to the Antarctica: Empire of the Penguin ride in Sea World Orlando.) You are simulating the experience of being in Gusteau's restaurant and living life as a rat. Through various larger than life props and the use of wide screens, it turns into a lifelike journey. 
When we arrived at the Walt Disney Studios Park on our 2nd day in Paris, I knew I immediately wanted to go and queue for this ride. We headed over there to see a 60 minute queue, which sounds bad, but I knew for this ride it would usually be much longer. Therefore we decided to queue nonetheless. The queue area was filled with posters of Gusteau and his many culinary inventions such as microwavable haggis snacks, which gave us all a good chuckle. Once you get to the inside section of the queue however, it gets a little more interesting. You are suddenly plunged into darkness on the rooftops of Paris right outside Gusteau's restaurant. Gusteau comes to life on the sign (as he does in the movie) and talks about various things, and even tries to give himself an extra star on his sign. He spoke in both French and English which I enjoyed. After this section it wasn't far to the vehicles and everyone was excited. Each rat holds 6 guests, 3 in the front and 3 in the back. 
Now maybe this is because I have visited Orlando, Florida and rode the rides there, but I must say Ratatouille was lower than my expectations. I understand that this is a child friendly ride and therefore cannot be some high speed chase through the kitchens of Paris but I was slightly disappointed. My friends on the other hand who have only ever visited British theme parks were thrilled. I think I was too busy comparing it to the Gringotts Coaster, Spiderman and Transformers. However, despite all of that I did like the ride. We all agreed to use the single rider line to be able to go on it again. The 3D effects were good and made it all seem more realistic. I especially liked the part where we were shoved in the oven and the whole room heated up, although the first time we rode none of us saw this bit. Each rat goes a slightly different route and there are 3 rat vehicles in each scene at any one time, so we came to the conclusion that each ride would be slightly different. So the second time I rode, I did feel the heat of the oven, and I liked it much better being the last rat in each scene as you had longer to look around and notice things. 
Overall, it is a very good ride and well made. I just prefer things on the faster side.
Also, a side note, the restaurant looked amazing. We didn't eat here, but the attention to detail in the decor was superb.

A Chocolate Delight...

The Schokoladen Museum in Cologne, Germany is a true chocolate delight. Owned by Lindt, Lindor chocolate company it is the perfect place for chocoholics and people with a sweet tooth to visit. 
Myself, My Mum and my best friend Lucy visited the museum in April whilst on a trip to Cologne. My Mum and I had visited once before but it was a long time ago and a lot had changed since then. As we approached the museum after walking down the bank of the Rhine, the scent of chocolate was floating in the air, which enticed us in even more. As the museum opened at 11am, all of the tourists waiting outside barged through the door and queued for their entry. Whilst stood in the queue, we noticed the amazing cakes on display in the cafe next to the ticket office. We didn't actually try one but boy did they look good!

When we finally got our ticket, we were also handed a free wrapped piece of Lindt milk chocolate. I straight away unwrapped it and popped it in my mouth, it was a taste I wanted to savour. We firstly came across the initial process of making chocolate, ie, the humble cacao bean. All of the signs were written in German and English, which was amazing and meant we could keep up with all the displays. All of this was very interesting, but I am sure, as we were, you're waiting to hear about the ultimate chocolate indulgence...the chocolate fountain. Unlike any fountain I've ever seen, this gold masterpiece is astonishingly tall and is surrounded by glass that looks out onto the river. It is a spectacular site, especially on a sunny day like we got. We ran straight over to the lady handing out samples. She handed us a wafer biscuit dipped in warm melted chocolate. It was divine! 

After devouring our chocolate sample, we moved on to the factory portion of the tour. This section was filled with all of the machinery that they use to make the chocolate that they sell. It was a very mouth watering experience! Watching all of the chocolate roll down the conveyor belts was seriously making us want to go and buy some chocolate. 

There were also chocolate moulds on the upper floor which showed all the amazing creations they can make. Everything from Little Red Riding Hood & Wolf to cats. Moving on we saw a lot of chocolate merchandise from the early years right up to present day. It was nice to see how all the packaging had changed from some of my favourite chocolates, especially After Eights. Me and Lucy also found a few photo opportunities in this room, including a Milka cow, a Lindt bunny bench and a massive Lindt chocolate that we just couldn't reach!

After finishing the tour, we spent almost as long in the gift shop. Lucy was trying to choose presents for her family to take back, and me and Mum were doing the same, (as well as trying to choose one for ourselves.) I spent ages trying to decide what I would like to try. In the end I decided on a pick 'n' mix style bag of Lindt chocolates and a large bag of mixed fruit marshmallows. Yum! Lucy found some lovely little chocolates shaped like the Dom (the cathedral in Cologne) which were so cute! 
Overall we had an amazing time at the Schokoladen Museum and if you are ever in the Cologne area, it is a must do attraction!

Bucket List Destinations

I have always loved travelling, there is just something about being in different parts of the World that you cannot beat. The World has so much to offer and I would love to take part in it all. However, if I had to choose just 3 Bucket List destinations these would be the places I would go.

1. NEW YORK CITY

Ok, so this one is probably on most people's bucket lists, (if they haven't already been that is.) But there is something about this city that seems somewhat magical. I guess it seems like an exciting adventure where there is so much to see and do. Lots of movies and tv shows have been set here and the majority of them make the city seem so glamorous. As an avid fan of anything and everything musical related, Broadway is a dream for me! I couldn't even count the amount of musicals I'd love to see and although choosing one would be difficult, I'm certain I'd love whatever I would decide. Who hasn't pictured themselves on top of the Statue of Liberty? I know I have! Glancing out onto the entire city from above, and of course taking lots of photos! Central Park has always interested me too, it looks like a forest from the aerial shots I have gandered at, you could certainly get lost in it, that's for sure. As a theme park and fun fair lover, Coney Island seems like a lot of fun. There seems to be so much to do in New York, of course we cannot forget about the shopping. I would love to physically shop till I drop. It also seems lovely at Christmas, all of the shop windows have marvellous wintery displays, and quite often the snow falls down on all the shoppers below. It is very picturesque and I would imagine would get you right into the Christmas spirit. 

2. DUBAI

Dubai is one of the World's most luxurious places, and this can be seen by the various images that I have found of it. Not only does it have glorious weather and huge beaches, but it has many amazing looking attractions. For starters, staying in the Atlantis Palm Resort would be an absolute dream come true. I doubt you would ever need to leave the resort for all the amenities it provides. It has everything from it's own aquarium, to a water park, an ice cream parlour to a dolphinarium. This place looks truly amazing! Outside of that however, The Dubai Mall would be the ultimate shopping destination, I'd love to bring some souvenirs back for all my friend's and family from here. The Dubai Zoo would be a refreshing change and would give me the chance to see some of nature's most amazing wildlife. If I wanted a change from the heat, I would definitely head to Ski Dubai, I have always adored the snow and wish that I could ski, so having a chance to do just that would be brilliant! 

3. TOKYO DISNEY

As a massive fan of Disney movies and theme parks, Tokyo Disney is most definitely on my travel bucket list. I have been to Disney World in Florida 8 times and Disneyland Paris 2 (soon to be 3.) Tokyo Disney has particularly interested me as it has two theme parks in its complex, the original Tokyo Disney and Tokyo Disneysea. The latter is a whole ocean themed park, mainly based on the Little Mermaid, which is one of my all-time favourite Disney classics. I have watched various YouTube videos of the Little Mermaid section and I must say their technology astounds me! I have recently viewed images and videos of an attraction named Mystic Manor, which seems like a haunted house style ride with trackless technology. As well as this, Pooh's Hunny Hunt and Monsters Inc Ride and Go Seek look like seamlessly made attractions I love attractions with an interactive element, and the Monsters Inc ride has just that. You have a torch attached to your ride vehicle which is there to help you seek out the monsters which help you rack up points. There are so many attractions at both parks that I would just love to experience, plus the hotel resorts look out of this world (as everything Disney always is.)

So these are my top 3 travel destinations for my bucket list, however there are an infinite amount more that I would love to visit too. Please feel free to leave comments underneath of your top 3 travel destinations or if you have visited any of these places and want to tell me about them, feel free to do that too.

Into the Woods

For me this movie had been long awaited. This post is quite late considering that I watched it with Lucy and Emily on the very first day it came out. The combination of the words Disney, Musical and Fairy Tales, meant this movie was pretty darn sure to impress me. It did not disappoint. 
Not only was the film full to the brim of amazing actors and actresses, they were also exceptional singers. Apart from seeing her in Mamma Mia, I had no idea that Meryl Streep could hit those kind of notes. James Corden also shocked me with his singing efforts. Who knew he could sing? The younger actors and actresses were too extremely impressive. Lilla Crawford who played Little Red Riding Hood had a singing voice that 30-somethings would be jealous of. In one particular song she sings deeper and sounds older than Anna Kendrick. Daniel Huttlestone (of Les Miserables fame) is too extraordinary and keeps his usual musical flair and cheeky grin. I can also not forget how sexy Johnny Depp is in this movie. He is only in it for the briefest of time, yet he is one of the most memorable parts. His song "Hello Little Girl" has so much sex appeal, you literally fall in love with the villain, (well I did anyway.)
For those of you who don't know the storyline. The very brief basis of it is this:
There is a baker and his wife who unbeknownst to them have had a curse put upon them from the witch next door so that they may never have a child. In order to break this wretched curse, they must locate 4 items and bring them to the witch. These being: the cloak as red as blood, the cow as white as milk, the hair as yellow as corn and the slipper as pure as gold. As you can tell already this story is going to intertwine the lives of lots of different fairy tale characters. It puts a twist on the modern fairy tales that we know and love and spins everything on it's head.
The songs are unknowingly catchy and lovable from the offset, and I have been singing them ever since. If you haven't yet seen it and love everything that Disney stands for, you must go and see it! You won't regret it!

Disneyland Paris

I have booked Disneyland Paris for my 23rd birthday in June, and I am majorly excited! Anyone who knows me well will know that my 2 favourite things in life are Disney and theme parks, and this combination is enough to set my excitement levels through the roof. The best part of it is that I am dragging my friends along with me. The attendees are: myself, Lucy P, Lucy S, Pete, Amy, Rhys, Emily and little 2 year old Eloise. I think what excites me more is that Eloise is going to be in her element, surrounded by all of her favourite characters and I want to make it so magical for her! As I have been to Disneyland Paris before, I would like to reminisce on this blog post about my favourite attractions. I haven't been since about 2009 so although I am pretty sure that the Toy Story Playland and the new Ratatouille attractions are going to be top of my list by June, for now I can't add them.

10. Pirates of the Caribbean
As a lover of the films and the Disney World version of the ride, this one is a no brainer. I love the idea of venturing into the Caribbean to spy on the lives of pirates. Also the drops make it a little more exhilarating for an ordinary family ride. And who doesn't love singing YO HO YO HO A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME!

9. Snow White's Scary Adventures
This is a classic ride that was taken from Magic Kingdom in Orlando and I dearly miss. It is a family friendly ride that I am hoping will not scare the pants of Eloise. She has recently watched Snow White and loved the movie so hopefully it'll be ok. I adore rides that are based on Disney movies though, it makes them unique.

8. The Voyage of Pinocchio
Again, a ride based on a movie, and one of Walt's first movies. It's quite an underrated Disney movie as it doesn't feature any princesses or princes, but it's a brilliant movie all the same. I love the fun fair part of this ride resembling Pleasure Island.

7. Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
Any ride that has an interactive element makes me love it even more. Especially when I have the opportunity to compete with the person sat next to me (ahem...Lucy P!) Me and Lucy love competing against each other, plus we both love Toy Story!

6. Star Tours
I am loving the upgrade in Orlando to give it that 3D edge, as well as the fact that you can now get a different adventure everytime. However, the Paris version is the original version and although it is in French it still makes a fun simulator adventure!

5. Casey Junior Train
Rollercoasters are always fun and when they can incorporate a family ride into it, it means we can all enjoy it on this trip. Eloise has also just watched Dumbo and loved the idea of the train and the circus animals, so hopefully she will really have fun on this ride.

4. Art of Disney Animation
I was always into drawing cartoons and once had a book of all the Disney characters I had drawn. So learning how to draw them properly is right up my street. Hopefully I will get to draw one I haven't learnt so far.

3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Again, a rollercoaster is always up there in my top rides. This one is my favourite coaster in Orlando, and I am hoping this one (with its new effects) will be better!

2. Phantom Manor
I love a good horror / ghost train themed ride, and the Disney versions are amazing! There attention to detail to make a good story is impeccable. The Haunted Mansion in Orlando is one of my all-time favourite rides, and this one, although slightly more scary is so fun!

1. Cinemagique
Ok, so most people will be thinking....why a show, not a ride. But this show is the most innovative show I have ever seen! I am always in awe everytime I see, plus they change it a lot and add newer movies into it. But basically a seemingly ordinary man from the audience goes up on stage to answer a phone call and somehow gets sucked into the movies. It's brilliant!!!


So those are my top 10 attractions so far for Disneyland Paris!
If you'd like to comment yours feel free! Or any tips for visiting there in June for my birthday!