Lessons learned from our Adventure!!

[belle41379]

Originally Posted by mattincanberra

I couldn't agree more - planning to do unplanned things would be my tip!

Some of the coolest stuff for me was the unplanned and spontaneous things - a shopping trip with Pete that ended up with no shopping but i think hours spent at a cafe overlooking the Eiffel Tower, or our midnight trip to the Arc de Triomphe followed by drinks in the cafe on the Champs Elysees.

That night was definitely a trip highlight!

Originally Posted by JWren1234

I had the same experience, I had hoped my high school/college French would come back to me but it didn't. On my next trip to Europe I plan to learn the language beforehand to make things easier.

Jason

I was shocked by how much came back to me, with just 2 years of French in high school. It ended up being a highlight for me - rediscovering the language. It was exciting being able to do some translating for fellow Adventurers.

Tons of amazing memories.

[LionKingRules84]

Thank you so much 'k5jmh' for starting this thread!

After signing up for the upcoming Knights and Lights in October I hit a fork in the road on where to start in research and planning and this thread has already given me a good start on things I should either keep in mind or start on. Almost forgot about the universal power strip!

Someone mentioned language and I'm already in the process of learning french and my husband already knows some. Anyone that wants to learn a lot in a small amount of time I highly recommend 'Fluenz' French! I've learned more in two weeks from that then my husband learned in 2 years from his high school French class(or so he tells me) and I'm not even half way through the first disc! It's a bit pricey but it's worth it! Just the first disc is helpful and you can buy per disc or as a set.

I'm more worried about London with planning than Paris since just being in Paris is almost enough for me! I went to London on a Europe trip in high school and I was disappointed when I left because I only got to do one thing I wanted to do but then I didn't have the freedom then that I do now! So far the only things I want to do in London that I haven't or isn't planned on the adventure is The British Museum and The National Gallery since it has one of my favorite Van Gogh paintings!

Thank you for all the great ideas in this thread though and if anyone has anymore please share every little bit helps!

[jessrose18]

I am just about to leave on my london/paris trip and I have found Rick Steves guidebooks to be the best and tripadvisor to be amazing! On tripadvisor go to the forums for each city as well as read reviews for each attraction and look at the photos! Rick Steves guidebooks break down each attraction very nicely, time to tour, hand drawn maps, descriptions of must sees/ or rooms in palaces etc. And I agree about Paris, just walking around is an attraction, in London we have a busy itinerary of "sites". Planning is half the fun! Enjoy!

And as for outlet converters, try Amazon by far cheaper than going to a store. I also found a universal hair dryer at walmart for 10 bucks (small one) and a universal hair straightner at marshals (mini) i realized a week before we left that mine weren't hair crisis diverted!

Also as far as getting excited for dlrp...dlrp today is a great blog and they do a podcast as well! It's very entertaining! They are dis'ers as well.

[DisneyKevin]

If you have a DVR or access to iTunes or Netflix....I would suggest catching some of the shows that deal with places you are going.

My personal favorite is Samantha Brown and she has several shows on London and Paris. All of them have a permanent place on my iPad. This is true for Rome, Tuscany and Venice as well.

I have also watched Giada deLaurentis, Anthony Bourdain, Rick Steves (who is like visual valium...he puts me to sleep), Globe Trekker, Barefoot Contessa etc.

You never know where an idea might come from.

This is how I found that bakery in Paris (Poillane) and some of the other stuff.

There are some awesome blogs out there as well, which is how Christy found that amazing restaurant in Paris (in someone's house)...which was one of the great nights of my life.

Keep in mind that guide books are already several months old by the time they are printed, distributed and sold at book stores. And while they may be great for things that don't change (The British Museum), they aren't so good at what's happening currently.

Use all of the resources at your disposal.

[MinnieGarden]

Originally Posted by LionKingRules84

Thank you so much 'k5jmh' for starting this thread!

After signing up for the upcoming Knights and Lights in October I hit a fork in the road on where to start in research and planning and this thread has already given me a good start on things I should either keep in mind or start on. Almost forgot about the universal power strip!

Someone mentioned language and I'm already in the process of learning french and my husband already knows some. Anyone that wants to learn a lot in a small amount of time I highly recommend 'Fluenz' French! I've learned more in two weeks from that then my husband learned in 2 years from his high school French class(or so he tells me) and I'm not even half way through the first disc! It's a bit pricey but it's worth it! Just the first disc is helpful and you can buy per disc or as a set.

I'm more worried about London with planning than Paris since just being in Paris is almost enough for me! I went to London on a Europe trip in high school and I was disappointed when I left because I only got to do one thing I wanted to do but then I didn't have the freedom then that I do now! So far the only things I want to do in London that I haven't or isn't planned on the adventure is The British Museum and The National Gallery since it has one of my favorite Van Gogh paintings!

Thank you for all the great ideas in this thread though and if anyone has anymore please share every little bit helps!

London is going to be fabulous this year! If we could do the trip again this year, I'd do it primarily for the very unique events happening in London this year..... the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee. Granted, you will be there in October so those things will be mostly over, but there will still be a lot of special things going on.

Having done the trip last year, my advice is to do what you enjoy. Ok, I know that sounds silly..... my husband loves classical music, so we discovered there are several free organ concerts at St. Paul's in London (not on your adventure) and Notre Dame. I love shopping and food, so I researched those things. I can tell you all about fabulous scarves, copper pots, and the tiny restaurant that Kevin loves.

Also, if you have a Kindle or the Kindle app on your iPad, consider downloading guide books. They tend to be a little more current because they are released a little quicker.

[k5jmh]

There is also an amazing series on Netflix called "The Tower" . It is documentary series.

[LionKingRules84]

Thanks so much this is truly the most helpful thread ever!!!

Kevin: I remember you mentioned Samantha Brown on the podcast but didn't think to check her on Netflix! They have her to rent but nothing streaming.

I'm and huge fan of Anthony Bourdain, mostly because he has my dry, sarcastic and cynical sense of humor plus he always visits places most others don't. No one should watch his shows that doesn't want to know where your food comes from. Call me strange but I actually have a greater respect for what I eat from his shows. His last episode he did on Paris was great! I plan on visiting 'Rue Mouffetard' because of that episode.

I like the travel shows on my local channel 12 here Rick Steve's is among them. I concur with the 'putting you to sleep' I found a podcast of his and his podcast actually did put me to sleep and there's not much that can do that! :P I think it's his voice that does it. I like him because he seems to always know of every art museum in every European country and I happen to like to know that I'm a sucker for art. I had to take Art History in College and I feel in love with those classes and art after taking them. Even Modern Art which never interested me till I took those classes(I had some great teachers one actually was French). I've been wanting to visit the Louvre again since College since I actually have an understanding of a good amount of what they have. Plus I love learning new things about art.

Kevin&Christy : I'll have to dig on the net for some blogs then never thought of doing that either.

I just got a Kindle for Christmas and have been contemplating whether I should buy the book or Kindle version. I only have a Kindle Touch though so if there are any color pages they come up as black and white.

jessrose18: Thanks for the universal hairdryer tip! I actually need a new one since my nice travel size hair dryer broke recently.

k5jmh: I saw that series listed on Netflix for Streaming. I haven't gotten around to watching it yet though.

Thanks again for all the tips, keep them coming they are truly helpful!

[DisneyKevin]

Originally Posted by k5jmh

There is also an amazing series on Netflix called "The Tower" . It is documentary series.

Originally Posted by LionKingRules84

k5jmh: I saw that series listed on Netflix for Streaming. I haven't gotten around to watching it yet though.

Each episode is approximately 80 hours long....or maybe that's just how it feels.

On top of that, the series starts in 1100 or something like that.

"In this first episode, we'll cover 1100 to 1103."

I started to count my teeth about 40 minutes in.

I kept thinking of all of the useful things I could be doing.

You have been warned.

This is like watching paint dry. No, that's not fair. Drying paint makes this sucker look interesting.

[k5jmh]

I still hear the hideous music from that show in my nightmares.

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by LionKingRules84

jessrose18: Thanks for the universal hairdryer tip! I actually need a new one since my nice travel size hair dryer broke recently.

I can't vouch for the Foxhills Hotel, because it's new this year, but all the other hotels had hairdryers in the room, and they worked just fine for me (and I have a lot of very thick hair). I didn't bring a blow dryer, and didn't miss it. Although the one at the Disneyland Hotel was a bit of a challenge... I bought & brought a travel flat iron, and found it totally inadequate to do anything with my hair. I ended up buying a new full-sized one at Harrod's.

Sayhello

[k5jmh]

And, Harrods does take US Bank and Credit Cards. No need for British £'s at Harrods. Several other places accepted US cards as well.

[Sarabi's Cubs]

Ahem, Kevin!!!! SOME of us out here LIKED "The Tower". To each his own!! Keep bashing it and I'm sending you a copy of David Starkey's "The Monarchy", which I also thoroughly enjoyed and which is about 100 hours long.

Laurie

[DisneyKevin]

Originally Posted by Sarabi's Cubs

Ahem, Kevin!!!! SOME of us out here LIKED "The Tower". To each his own!! Keep bashing it and I'm sending you a copy of David Starkey's "The Monarchy", which I also thoroughly enjoyed and which is about 100 hours long.

Laurie

"In 1103, they realized that you'd get a better result if you stacked the stone block."

"In 1104 they swept the tower with brooms made of straw."

"In 1105 nothing interesting happened."

"In 1106....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[LionKingRules84]

Originally Posted by sayhello

I can't vouch for the Foxhills Hotel, because it's new this year, but all the other hotels had hairdryers in the room, and they worked just fine for me (and I have a lot of very thick hair). I didn't bring a blow dryer, and didn't miss it. Although the one at the Disneyland Hotel was a bit of a challenge... I bought & brought a travel flat iron, and found it totally inadequate to do anything with my hair. I ended up buying a new full-sized one at Harrod's.

Sayhello

Thanks for this I forgot to ask if the hotel rooms had hairdryers or not. A lot of the times the hairdryers are kind of whimpy though and I have long thick hair and most hair dryers can't completely dry my hair. I'll probably end up doing my hair on the bus after waiting for it to dry enough to put up properly. The one I had that broke was more powerful than most hotel hairdryers but I'm sure with my laziness I'll probably end up using whatever they have at the Hotels.

at Kevin and k5jmh! The Tower series sounds great!

jessrose18: Thanks for the suggestion on DLRP site it's getting me extremely excited to visit Disney Land Paris! I've been so excited to go to Europe again I almost forgot the major highlight of this particular trip.

[jessrose18]

Also check out dlrpmagic site good tips, and restaurant menus and ride descriptions. I did pick up the unofficial guide to disneyland paris from amazon as well, good book, but no 20th anniv stuff, which looks so exciting!! Rewatched some episodes of The Tudors last night on streaming netflix, if you are interested in Henry VIII make sure to watch this series!