the one with the trip to Paris

I'm on my third cup of coffee this morning. The hubs and I got up early to get his car registered (kind of a pain here in Deutschland).

I've got Gilmore Girls on in the background and our cute pup Regina laying on me.

It's a pretty gloomy day here today which is perfect for snuggling up on the couch with a blanket and writing.

I'm drinking coffee from my current favorite mug - my Minnie Mouse mug from Disneyland Paris. My family was here a couple months ago and it was the perfect visit. They stayed for two and a half weeks and there was never that moment when you're just ready to get your house back to yourself. Isaac even made the comment they could have stayed longer and it would have been awesome. Kudos to my family for being such fun apartment guests.

Growing up in the states, I think the first place we could all agree we want to visit in Europe is Paris, France. Isaac and I had gone on a trip the end of last year for a Christmas vacation and I loved it, so when my family wanted to go while they were here I was more than willing to plan our trip.

Our first day for our 3 day trip we wanted to go to Disneyland Paris which is about a 5 and a half hour drive from my door step. Isaac was out of town this week so the Hartle (my maiden name) clan was reunited. We headed out around 4:30 in the morning so we could get there when it opened. I drove the whole way there which wasn't bad, except for the fact that I accidentally avoided the toll roads on the gps so it added an extra hour to our trip.

We got to Disneyland around 11am, and immediately I got that "happiest place on earth" feeling. Disneyland brings out my childish side - I just love it so much.

Payge picked up some Minnie Mouse ears on our way into the park (I had some from last time). Funny story, our first time to Disney back in the states, I was 13 and Payge was 10. We all convinced her she didn't need Minnie Mouse ears, they're childish and she'd grow out of them. Poor Payge. This time we considered them absolutely necessary.

I like to start these trips with pictures before places get busy with people, and so I don't have to think about it the rest of the day. Pictures to me are a part of the fun.

There are some "secret" spots I always try to find on our trips where I can snap the perfect photos, without getting a bunch of people in the background.

The rest of the day was spent on rides, reminiscing about our first time to Disneyland California (9 years before), being sarcastic with one another as usual, screaming on rides, and eating the super yummy star donuts.

After a long day at Disneyland (and only getting 4 hours of sleep prior), we headed back to our hotel completely exhausted and slept like babies. The hotel I booked was apart of the Disney hotel village so it had free buses to and from the park which was extremely convenient. The best part about of the hotel was the cappuccino machine at breakfast - let me tell you.

The next day after breakfast, we took the train (located right outside the park) into the city of Paris.

The first time I was in Paris, Isaac and I walked at least 10 miles a day from our Airbnb apartment. Taking the train directly to the Arc de Triumph was perfect! We literally walked up out of the train station, and there it was right in front of us.

We snapped a few pictures here before heading to the Eiffel Tower.

This is one of those surreal moments during travel. I can't quite put to words what you feel when you see the Eiffel Tower come into view.

Using the word magical sounds way too corny, but I never would have imagined I'd be in Paris, eating French pastries, staring at the Eiffel Tower. It's really hard to soak it all in.

Just a side note - my mom is the best. This is what it looks like before we actually take the pictures.

We finished off our trip to the city Paris by stopping by to hear the bells on Notre Dame, getting some dinner (I tried escargot), buying souvenirs, and grabbing the nearest train back to our hotel.

I miss my family so much. They're not just my family, they're my closest friends. We would always have a chat growing up before leaving for vacations. My dad would tell us we need to enjoy every moment (and get along because hey - we're siblings), because the further you get away from the vacation, the more fun it seemed. And it's true. Writing this post reminded of how much fun we had together. It was so special to be able to share our life here with them (and our coffee).