Callie's Car Accident

Sporty go in its second car accident this spring. The first was a few years ago when it was side swiped while parked out on the street. This one was when Callie was driving home from school. It was a bit wet and the traffic was stop and go. She didn't do anything wrong and had just slowed due to traffic in front of her. The car behind her rear ended her. There wasn't too much damage to Sporty as we have a hitch which took the brunt of the hit but it did mean that several panels had to be replaced. The cost was more than I would have expected but I guess it's easier to just replace the entire panel rather than try to fix one.

The car that hit her took most of the damage. I felt sorry for the driver as he was a student at Callie's school and was working on the car himself. It ended up taking quite a bit of damage due to the hitch. When it happened Callie pulled over and then both drivers phoned their parents. I was at home just a few blocks away so I hopped on my bike to go and help. It took a bit to find her as she had sent me to the slightly wrong location but I did eventually get there. Our car was fine to drive but it was questionable for the other vehicle. He lived nearby so I followed him home to make sure he made it. Damage is all fixed on our car now. Sporty has lived a hard life. 

 

Carter's Band Year

Carter had another successful year of band. He is in band as a class which means every day is either band or PE. Many of his friends from elementary school chose to sign up for band as well which is good. He plays the saxophone and unlike Callie who brought her flute home with her all the time, he leaves his instrument at school and just does his practice during class. He is also in the Jazz band club which gets together twice a week after school which gives him additional playing time. Being on the saxophone for Jazz band is a bit more useful than the flute. Callie was in Jazz band for a year as well in grade 8 but you could tell the flutes didn't play a prominent part.

There were several concerts this year, some focused on the regular band classes and some focused on Jazz band. I typically try to only attend until Carter has finished playing. Many of the songs they play are not very popular and we are usually on hard bleachers. It does get harder as he gets older though because they play in order of grade. This means that by grade 12 I'll have to stick around until the end. At least the play gets better with each year. There was one fun event that had some Star Wars songs including the conductor in Jedi garb with a light sabre. Maybe next year I'll have R2 done enough that he can attend as well. Carter has gotten a lot better and had several solos during the year. Imagine if he practiced at home!

Carter's Basketball Year

Carter's grade 9 basketball coach organized a spring league team. Typically the team would only play in the fall half of the school year but there are opportunities to create teams that might be school based but aren't actually school supported. Cost was $250 for the year which doesn't sound too bad but we soon realized spring basketball gets expensive. Without school funding all the tournaments needed to pay for space and for refs. This was done by charging spectators anywhere from $10 to $115 per day for a weekend. That means if you have two parents going for all three days it's another $70. (There is a discount for three days.) I saw a set of grandparents getting in one game and they weren't happy about it.

Carter's team consisted of grade 8, 9 and some 10's and was 17 players at its peak. The coach was good about making sure everyone got fairly equal playing time. Not the best way of developing individuals but more fun for the kids. Carter has improved significantly considering basketball was his first organized sport. He scored 8 points in one game which is a new family record. (My highest game was six points.) The team did well in one tournament and decided to go up a league but should probably have spent more time developing in the lower league. They didn't win any games for the rest of the season. Hopefully they do better in the fall with this experience. 

Europe 2023 - Day 13 - Our Final Day in Disneyland Paris

Start time was the same as the day before. Up at 6:00a to the park for an 8:30a gate opening. We started at the main park this day and the line up was a bit longer though we were still at the front. As we were going in we saw Mickey and Minnie walking towards the front gate. Wherever they were going I feel they were late for the party. I would have expected to see them help open the park. No issue though as we are out of the character picture business. We didn't get any this trip. I think the lines are too long to bother getting pictures with grumpy looking teenagers.

Our first planned ride was Big Thunder Mountain but we were shut out again. More technical issues. Maybe we should be worried there were so many broken down rides. We went to Dumbo instead which was Dumbo like. This park just has the one so the line ups can get pretty long fast. I always try to keep Dumbo low to the ground because it's fun to see everyone flying above you but Carter insists on taking us to the top. I miss when we first went to Disneyland and you got a feather to indicate you had an elephant reserved for you.

Melissa found a popcorn bucket that she had to get. It was shaped like the carriage from Cinderella. Not a lot of room for actual popcorn. Even if we wanted such a thing we are out of room in our luggage. We have one large checked bag and then three carry on sized bags plus backpacks for everyone. Everyone was better than normal for packing because we kept to that space and didn't have extra bags on the way here. On the way back though we've added another large bag and we've checked too bags. We are filled to the brim.

Next up was Hyperspace Mountain. I had heard from a colleague at work that it was more intense than the ones in Disneyland or Disney World so I decided to sit this one out. Space Mountain has always been the peak of what I can handle. Turns out this one goes up side down three times. Callie was very much not impressed. She draws the line at upside down and no one noticed the signs indicating it until they went again a second time without her. Now the dilemma will be what the last ride will be since we typically do Space Mountain.

The line for Autopia was short so we headed there next. It can get quite hot waiting for this one and the cars are still gas powered so as they day drags on the area really starts to smell of exhaust. Not sure if they were just using more efficient engines or if there was a breeze but the whole ride was a lot less stinky. Carter got his first driving lesson from me. He gets his learners license in just 15 months. Driving on a track where you can't go anywhere but forward is a good place to start.

The group then split up for a bit. It can get exhausting trying to agree what to do next with seven people so it's nice go go into smaller groups once in a while. We went to do Star Tours. The rides at Disneyland Paris are interesting because they often have much of the writing in English, the verbal instructions can be in both English and French and you often hear both but when you're on the ride it seems sometimes you hit the loop at all English or at all French. We had C3PO translating for us and he does know 6,000,000 forms of communication.

We also took a walking tour of the Nautilus from 20,000 leagues under the sea. This is intended to be their submarine ride but rather than squeezing into a submarine and doing a tour you just have to walk through. This is way more efficient. The Nemo ride in Disneyland is often closed and it takes a long time to get everyone loaded and unloaded. I like the idea of walking through much better. This one isn't Nemo themed and was more about the ship then the fish.

After a few quick treats in the central square, we went to check out the dragon underneath the castle. This castle is intended to be Sleeping Beauty's castle and I'm not sure how the dragon fits in. It is fun to be able to walk underneath the castle though and into the dragons lair. The dragon is laying down across some water and is sleeping with just slight movements before coming alive and doing a bit of a show. No fire.

We had decided we would not try to do another 17 hour day. (I was only 15 hours as I went back early.) We headed back to our hotel after lunch for a nap and on the way out we got some pictures in front of Disneyland with the two graduates. We had bought them both graduate ears when we were in Disney World earlier this year and we brought them here for pictures together. Both Callie and Josh are now fully graduated from high school. Josh is already 18 and Callie turns 18 in August.

When we got back to the park our planned first ride was Pinocchio but once again it was broken down. Instead we did Sleeping Beauty and by the time that was done we Pinocchio was back up and running again. We had lunch on Main Street and then did Pirates, the Tree House and the Haunted Mansion. This park gets busy during the peak of the day but is pretty easy to navigate in the early morning and the evening. Ride times were getting much shorter for us.

Callie had not had anything for dinner yet so I was put in charge of finding her something to eat. We went to main street and had cheese cake at the bakery. It worked as she was able to make a decision on her Pandora bracelet addition. After that victory I headed back to the hotel and Kerry and the kids finished up at 11:00 with Big Thunder Mountain to replace Space Mountain as the last ride.

We were gone a total of 15 days with two travel days. Our average daily step count was 26,000 steps per day which works out to be about 20k. A great trip. Not looking forward to the credit card bill.

Europe 2023 - Day 12 - Our First Full Day at Disneyland Paris

We got up at 6:00a for our first day at Disneyland Paris. The park opens at 9:30a for everyone and at 8:30a for people who are staying at a Disney affiliated hotel. There was just us and a couple other families catching this bus. We've had the sense that not many of the people staying at our hotel are actually going to the park. Either that or none of them are crazy enough to try to get to the park in time for opening. As mentioned, it's about a 900 meter walk from our room to the bus stop so we had to make sure we left enough time. No issues and we had time to sing Melissa Happy Birthday when we got there.

Turns out that park opening is not as stressful here as it is in Anaheim and Orlando. Our first check was security and we were first in line and it wasn't even open. Our second check was to make sure we could go in early and they just looked at the back of our card. We then had to wait in line at the gate until 8:30a and official opening. There was no finger print check and we just had to scan our card. After that we were just in the park. No holding area or rope drop or announcement from a friendly voice over the speakers.

We attempted to do the Crush ride first but it was down for mechanical issues. It's like the Avengers ride where the roller coaster cars themselves rotate. It seems like the type of ride that goes down frequently. Instead we went to Ratatouille. We first went to this ride in Orlando and it's a moving car but it's not bound by tracks in anyway. It can dance across the floor which is fitting as you are the rat and you are running under tables and through the kitchen trying not to get stepped on. It's even got smells though I think there was something off with the baguette smell.

Next up was Indiana Jones. It's a roller coast ride but Callie and I sat this one out as it goes upside down. I'm getting out of the roller coaster game in general but upside down is where I draw the line. For me it's not about fear. I just close my eyes and I can get through anything. I's about the fact that it takes me an hour for my stomach to recover after the ride which just isn't worth it. We then waited as Kerry, Ethan and Melissa did the Hot Wheels ride which is like one of those pirate ships that goes back and forth. This one is a bit extreme though as you go past vertical.

The cars area at this park was a bit of a disappointment. It's definitely not it's own land and the ride was like the Universal Studios back lot tour. You get in a train like vehicle pulled by a truck and it travels on a regular paved road. It goes past a few scenes with the cars characters and then stops in a front of a cliff where the rocks were mysteriously blackened and everything was wet. There is then a sudden accident with flames and a flood. The flames were very hot from where we were. You then head back to the start.

After a bit of shopping where Carter finally got his shoulder Remy, we headed to lunch. There are a few indoor areas at this park including an area where you can get lunch. The meals were typical 'American' style burgers and fries and definitely not cheap. $17 Euro for an adult meal. We got one adult and two kids meals and shared. The kids meal were a great deal at $9 Euro and included a burger not much smaller than the adult meal, coke and a Magnum ice cream which was probably $5 Euro's on it's own. 

Disneyland Paris has two parks. One is like typical Disneyland and other is a random hodgepodge of other areas, sort of like California Adventure. We started with a tour of main street and then went over to Haunted Mansion. It was pretty much identical to Anaheim on the inside though the outside was more like a wooden house rather than an old stone building. Of course at some point it stalled and we had to wait patiently in our coffins. I think this is when someone in a wheel chair is getting on and they have no way to do that without stopping everyone.

We then proceeded to do Pirates of The Caribbean which was way better than Anaheim. The outside had an interactive area with caves and a pirate ship. The inside line up was more interesting and the whole thing didn't smell as bad of chlorine. 

We then had proceeded to do "It's a Small World" which had a nice outside area and was pretty similar inside except that Canada was better represented with mountains and fewer Mounties. 

We also did the tea cups and a neat labyrinth for Alice and Wonderland before heading back to the other park. On our way out we found a secret pathway running along main street. I suppose it's not actually secret since it's a major path on the other side of the main street shops. It's quite useful for when there is a parade and main street is too busy. We got to the other park to do Aladdin before I decided I'd had enough and headed back to the hotel. Kerry, Melissa, Carter and Callie stuck around until 10:30p and did some of the big rides that now had shorter line ups.

Europe 2023 - Day 11 - Travel to Disneyland Paris

Today was going to be a less hectic day. Our only goal was to make our way to our hotel near Disneyland  Paris. We got packed and then headed to a local grocery store to have breakfast. There was one near our hotel that was like a Fresh Street or Choices. I think it's the nicest grocery store I've ever been to and not due to the layout but due to the food. There was a bakery, fresh fish, the fruit was all perfectly placed and there was a cheese section that probably had more kinds of cheese than most cities in Canada. It all looked as if it had just been put out today.

We had about six pastries and the whole thing came to only $10 Euro. Most prices here translate similarly to Canadian prices but this was much cheaper than anything we would get at home.

After breakfast we walked to the local Metro station to catch a train to Disneyland Paris. It was going to be two trains and would take us straight to the park. For $5 Euro each it was a great deal. We'd been warned about pick pocketers for the Paris Metro but I didn't really get that sense. Trains were clean and the clientele was no different than our Skytrain. My wallet and I made it.

When we got to the park things got a big confusing for me. Kerry planned most of the trip including booking the hotel we were staying at and I had thought we were staying at a Disney hotel and that there would be a shuttle to our hotel. Turns out we're staying in a Disney affiliated hotel and the shuttle was actually a bus. It wasn't that bad though because the bus left twice an hour and went directly to our hotel. there were perhaps a dozen stops along the way. We had been warned to have cash but turns out they accepted our card. It's $10 for the family each way but the hotel was a lot cheaper so well worth it.

The confusion over our hotel continued for all of us at this point. The shuttle was about 25 minutes and it dropped us off at this hut in the forest. We dropped off our bags since our room wasn't ready and started walking down a trail towards what appeared to be our hotel block. The hotel is actually part of a huge natural area and includes several hotel blocks, shopping and a wave pool. It really is a nice hotel but they try to ding you on a few thigs. The pool is open to the public so they charge for towels and we're not really clear on the toilet paper situation. Only one roll that we can find. 

The pool was great. It's got a wave pool, multiple lazy rivers and a ton of space. We must have looked confused going into the locker area because someone who clearly only spoke French came and tried to explain them to us. I think he felt we were monkeys. He was very exasperated trying to get his point across. We all speak a little French but he was much too quick for us to pick up anything. We figured it out eventually. After we finished with the pool it was time to make the 900m trek back to the front desk to get our bags and check out our hotel room. It is massive and more like a small apartment. Sleeps six with a full kitchen. 

Once we had finished unpacking we took the bus back to Disney Village which is the Paris version of Downtown Disney. You don't need tickets to get in and there is a mix of shops and restaurants. We tried to get reservations to the Rainforest Café but they didn't take them. Turns out their Downtown Disney is not very busy in the evening. The restaurant wasn't even full. Food was typical 'blah' for Rainforest Café but the atmosphere is fun. We celebrated the combination of Melissa and Kerry's birthday with a 'Volcano' desert.  

Europe 2023 - Day 10 - Our Third Day in Paris

We started our day by walking a few blocks towards the Eiffel Tower to catch a cab to Notre Dame Cathedral. We've averaged 25,000 steps a day for the past 9 days and our farthest point was going to be about 6k from our hotel so we made our way out by cab and walked back towards our hotel during the day. Notre Dame remains under construction since the devastating fire a few years ago. I first learned about this church on This Old House when they were inspecting the roof and talking about the potential of fire. 

Next up was Saint-Chapelle which was on our Museum pass. This was another chapel that I don't think has a regular church presence. Callie wasn't impressed as she said it was just one room, but I found the stained glass to be the nicest I've seen. It surrounded the main room and was in excellent condition. They had some billboards showing the restoration process for the cathedral which includes everything from replacing damaged stone work to cleaning off grime. I'm amazed at how they use lasers to clean off dirt and grime.

We found a nice place for a traditional French breakfast. I had the crepes and Carter had a croissant which he said was the best ever. The waiters had fancy aprons and most of the seats were positioned side by side looking towards the street. It wasn't very expensive and we enjoyed the experience. I'm not sure how I feel about this no tipping your server. In some ways it's great because you don't have to see a 30% increase between taxes and tip but in other ways, you can tell they are just there to get you efficiently through which I also like. I guess I do know how I feel. I like it.

We still had a bit of time to kill before our tickets to the Louvre so we walked down from the main street to a path that runs along the Senne. The river seems quite high though I don't actually have anything to compare to. There were a few homeless people under the bridge and lots of broken Heineken bottles but otherwise it a nice walk. The amount of stonework that had to be done by hand to enclose the river as has been done is impressive. It's all very well maintained despite being hundred's of years old. 

Even though we had a reserved ticket we still had to wait about 20 minutes to get into the Louvre. The ticket is when you show up to the line-up and they seem to let people inside in waves. You can technically just show up but they let the reservations in first and then let others in if there is room. The entrance is via the big glass pyramid and immediately underground is an enormous space that leads to the various wings of the museum. They did an excellent job of fitting in modern museum infrastructure into and old buildings.

The first major piece of artwork we came across was the Venus De Milo. I'm sure there is a reason something like this gets all the intention but I do find that some of the most famous pieces aren't really that impressive. There are definitely more complete and more detailed marble statues. This one was very nice but I feel there were others that deserved attention as well. I imagine it's based on who made it and when and who promoted it.

Callie and I then played a game we saw on Tik Tok described by John Green. He's the artist who wrote "The Fault in Your Stars" as well as several other books. The goal of the game is to look at a fancy painting and then determine if the artist had ever seen a baby. The example here clearly shows the artist had never actually seen a baby. This was just a chubby little man in baby scale. There are hundreds of examples of babies that look like tiny adults. We also found the game can be applied to other things like dogs and horses. We saw one picture where everything else in the painting was to scale and looked realistic and there was this after thought of a dog in the bottom that looked like it had been drawn by a child.

We did the obligatory march in front of the Mona Lisa. I suppose it's fun to think that we were in front of a painting that is known by billions and seen by millions every year. The room it's in had a roped off area with guards protecting it from tomato soup. The line up probably had 200 people in it and you got to see it for about 10 seconds before they rushed you through the exit. My one observation is that it was smaller than I was expecting by about 50%. My other observation is that they appear to have glass protecting most of the important pieces of art but not all.

The Louvre is also more than just paintings. They have many Egyptian artifacts including a mummy in a glass display case. I've seen a couple of mummies up close but this one was in much better condition and you could see very fine details for all of his body parts including his ears, fingers, nose etc. I didn't get a chance to read the tag but I'm assuming this one was real. Poor guy gets put away for eternity hoping to be awoken one day and ends up on display with millions of people staring at him every year.

Our next stop was The Orangerie Museum. This one had paintings done by Monet before he died. As far as I can tell he did them in place as the museum was built. At first I wasn't very impressed as the colors were very muted and if someone hadn't told me they were water lilies I would have had no idea. After a while though the colors grow on you. Callie informs me that the painting changes as you go as Monet was going blind and had difficulty finishing it. The room was supposed to be quiet but there were way too many people for that.

Our last museum of the day was the Musee D'Orsay. It's an old train station that has been converted into a museum. The statues here were very detailed and the architecture of the space lends itself well to a museum. The upper floors including more Monet and Van Gogh paintings. Although Starry Night is in New York we got to see one of his other Starry paintings. I think Callie said this was one of her favorite museums.
We finished the day off with dinner near our hotel.