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.

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.

Maleficent

As a major fan of everything Disney, I had been excited for months to watch Maleficent. As soon as it was released at the cinema, I dragged my best friend Lucy to come and watch it with me. I have never really seen a movie featuring Angelina Jolie before, and therefore didn't know what to expect. However, her portrayal of Maleficent was perfect! I was more than impressed with her look, acting quality and her voice. I couldn't have asked for a better Maleficent. 
The storyline itself was a fantastic twist on the original Sleeping Beauty story. Without giving away the story to you people who have yet to watch it, it was highly different in parts to the original which makes for good viewing. 
Elle Fanning is one of my favourite actresses so I knew she was going to be the perfect princess. She still upheld the class and elegance of the original cartoon Aurora, with a little added sassiness and a lot more independence. This princess, unlike the original, isn't going to wait around to be saved.
Disney have made an amazing film with fabulous special effects. The three fairies are really life-like as they shrink and grow throughout the movie. The woodland creatures too are very cleverly made via computer animation. 
This definitely is a must see movie for any Disney or fairy tale fan. I cannot wait till it comes out on DVD so I can watch it again and again.