So, when we left you last we were on the cusp of fulfilling every child’s dream and entering what is arguably the most famous theme park on the planet, Disneyland. Antoinette could hardly contain herself the morning of our departure and after loading our pack mule, James, with sugary supplies and a really atrocious coffee we arrived at the gates about 30 minutes prior to the park opening. This, as it turned out, was a really good move because if you want to experience everything this park has to offer it will take more than a full day and we found it was not until half way through our second day we had seen all the different areas in Disneyland. We decided not to tackle the California Adventure Park because it just would have meant we would have to split our time between the two destinations and not be able to get the most out of our Disneyland experience. |
| James hanging on for dear life. |
After waiting for the park to officially open and hearing the ‘strategies’ of people standing next to us and how they were going to go to this ride, grab fast passes for this ride on the way, while the family continued on, and how walking through the park with a stroller was about being ‘firm, but fair’ we did not know what to expect. We quickly realized how lame and unentertaining it would be to have a strategy and we just decided to do everything in the entire park and we were always joking about having a strategy while waiting in line for the rides, which was a good way to pass the time. Even in off season there were lines for pretty much everything, but the lines all move really quickly and we would hate to come to this place during peak season because you would definitely end up feeling like a herd of animals as the lines crawl to the departure point. Some of our favourite experiences included when Tigger, the sneaky and unsubtle so and so, covered James with Antoinette’s scarf during a photo to get James, quite literally, out of the picture, completely overdosing on sugar for the two days and James holding on for dear life while Antoinette drove carelessly around a closed circuit. Some of the rides were, obviously, better than others and Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Madhatter were some of the best and we made time to revisit these on our second day.
The place itself is all done really well, with the exception of a few of the older areas, and each theme is executed near perfectly and the décor in these sections really does make you feel like you are in the jungle, in the wild west, a futuristic land of tomorrow or part of a Disney fairytale yet to be told. After two days of strolling around, tackling the exciting and authentic attractions and having all of our childhood fantasies fulfilled it was time to say goodbye to Disneyland and say hello San Diego, the birthplace of Ron Burgundy, the greatest fictitious news presenter the world has ever known.
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| Antoinette with her recently acquired friend, Samuel. |
Those of you who have seen Anchorman will now be thinking of plenty of ridiculous quotes from the most eccentric scotch loving, suit wearing and mustachioed character ever produced, but San Diego has more to offer than entertaining news anchors. After two non-stop days at Disneyland we spent one afternoon on Pacific Beach, just a 10 minute drive north-west from the city centre, lazing about and it was great to be able to get outdoors, relax and forget about everything to do with traveling for a few hours. The beautiful white sands, gentle sea breeze and warm sunny conditions made this just what we needed to get our heads back in the right places after the swarming mass of crying children and angry parents that was Disneyland.
The San Diego Zoo was also another reason we came this far south and it did not disappoint. The place is massive and there are so many animals here and although it is always a bizarre feeling to see such majestic creatures behind bars, prisoners for our own enjoyment, it was still an enjoyable experience. This zoo has elephants, polar bears, tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars and so much more it was hard cramming it all into one day, but after walking without a break from end to end and side to side we had seen everything there was to see, except for the animals that spent their days hiding just out of view. After two days of drinking down the smooth delights of San Diego it was time to get amongst the city centre and we found ourselves dragged towards the Gas Lamp Quarter.
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| The Entry To the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego |
The Gas Lamp Quarter is a 16-block sanctuary in the centre of San Diego overflowing with restaurants, shops and night clubs nestled in some very classic Victorian architecture. The energy around this place on a Saturday was quite electric and one could only imagine what would take place here once the sun went down, but we could only imagine because the 300 mile drive the next day limited our debauchery to a late lunch and, yet another, average coffee experience. Overall San Diego is definitely worth visiting if you ever find yourself this far south and had we been privy to a couple more days here there was more we could have done, but with Vegas beckoning with its bright lights and promises of unclaimed fortunes it is time to say goodbye to California and hello to Nevada.
‘Till next time,
Antoinette and James.
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