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J: Joyland Amusement Park Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, UK Home of the Spook Express. (TPR 2006 UK Tour)

Finally, it starts up again, tonight!

Fixed. A few times in past months, actually. When was the last time you had something in your car repaired?

Eyes

Don't worry about Jeff. I rode it and counted it back in 2007, LOL. Cable cars or gondolas to a park are always cool to ride. They always up the anticipation. Sorry that the El Loco-type coaster wasn't open for you guys to try out. Maybe another trip? Great TR so far, Aaron! I do so want to go back to Japan in a couple of years or so.

R: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Disneyland Paris - Walt Disney Studios Park (Marne la Vallée, Ile-de-France, France) "...Avec Aerosmith". (Photo taken on Sept.24/15)

First, We Fly Away... So, this was really a not-so new trip for me and David, having been to Amsterdam and Paris three times before (2002, '04, '07), but it had been a long time since the last visit. I did revisit Disney Paris in 2008 with TPR on their (then) first ever Mainland Europe Tour, which was great, but still it was 7 years ago for me. So, for the both of us, a revisit to both cities (and a couple of theme parks) was needed to happen again. And we did plan a few times to get there (see the "planning envelope" photo, above). But "something" usually got in the way of the plans ('10-Europe; '12-China; '14-Scandi). Until this year. We had planned a year ago, to do it this year, but I was concerned that my also doing a TPR Tour would interfere economically for myself. I would of course loved to have done a TPR tour this summer. But TPR decided to take a break off from the tours, and the past decision (and planning) to go this year worked out perfectly. Yay timing! So we planned, saved up, bought ahead (flight, hotels, Paris apt., transport tix), and ultimately returned to the original time period we first visited the cities, in September. And we did it. For a couple of weeks. Five nights' stay in Amsterdam, five nights' stay in the city of Paris, and five nights' stay at one of The Hotels in Disney Paris, I had on my Bucket List since the resort first opened in 1992...The Sequoia Lodge Hotel. My Dream Hotel. And, it was. We found some changes big and small throughout our latest adventure. A few were unexpected. Others, we were well aware of. I will try to remember these times and experiences as we go along here. No promises. It's my age, y'know? But first, we go to Amsterdam! Unfortunately, our (mostly) free flight through our Air Miles account had a stopover - in Chicago. I hate these kinds of flights with connecting flights. I'm sure most people would rather go direct, one flight, city to city. But, through Chicago we went, and arrived the next day in Amsterdam, ready to visit new spots and favourite places. And eat rich Dutch food, too. And - That first travel photo I posted above, was in the transfer section of Chicago O'Hare Airport. It was some kind of Furniture Art. I wondered if the drawers actually worked? Here's the Airline Photos everybody loves to see! And this was the second flight we took, from Chicago to Amsterdam. Inside the plane. Bye bye Chicago. Outside the plane...window. Clouds. Usual stuff. Oooo puffy clouds. Land! I had no idea where we were by this time in the flight. I got this odd sensation of looking down on a cemetery. On water.

My most recent longest line I have ever walked through, was my recent visit to Walibi Holland (Sept.12) and the queue for the Rock'n'Roller clone, X-Press. I could not believe how on and on and on the indoor queue went. Every turn produced another block of tunnel to walk through. A very daunting queue (to me) to be sure. Thankfully, we all hit it first thing after the park opened, but I imagined (while walking through it) how depressing it could be for a full queue to move through. Very. Slowly. It looks nice and wide open at the stairs' entrance to it. But after that left turn, at the top..... eep.

^^ ERT has made me impatient for lines that are over 15 minutes long! Great TR on your SFMM visit, Chuck. I must get back there, some year. Looking forward to the Knotts Report.

"The Cat Came Back" Fred Penner (It was on the radio, honest!)

I've never been much of a fan of chicken wings of any kind. Period. But this kind of setup could definitely let me try them, since there's so much variety. Great report Phil. Now - go get some more wings!

So wrong, this is... But if people love it - and eat it - good for them. I wish them a speedy recovery from their clogged arteries, lol. Good Fair Report, by the way. Must go back to it, some year.

I want to go back to Disneyland Paris and the wonderful Sequoia Lodge Hotel. Now.

^ Nope, and nope. Try try again, Phil. And here's my (so far) last shot of the trip... The Souvenir Haul! (To be separated, grouped, and photographed at a later date.) A Big Bunch of Sh....Stuff, this is. (o;

Hey Phil, you got the job? Awesome! (Am assuming you did get it, yes? No?) I just got back (yesterday) from Amsterdam and Paris, with some really great food eaten there... But now I log in, and look through all these menus. (Woo hoo Fondue!) I think I'm full again, just from reading (and looking at) all of this, lol!

Fanta Icy Lemon (in Paris, yesterday). I loved it, and wish we could get it here in Vancouver!

Sunny skies, today.

Dirt shot from my recent trip to WH, September 12. Mmmmmm, dirt pile.

...And we're back from a great trip! Here's the very first photo of it. And the Trip Report itself, will start up in just a couple of days. A bientot! Where oh where are we now? (o;

I love Japan.

Forgot to tell... I saw DIRT in Walibi Holland!

^^ and ^ Yes, thank you - and we're about to end our five night stay in Amsterdam. Ready to head to Paris on Tuesday. Great trip so far. And Walibi Holland was a great visit, last Saturday. A great park. And its almost 5:30 PM here in Amsterdam. Same day, Sunday. (And I got two of my three credits, needed on this trip. Ka-ching!)

Actually ***the Pre-Show*** will be two weeks - of nothing, after this posting - until we get back from the trip! Ha! I just don't have the electronic equipment to do immediate 'reporting' as the trip goes on. Life. That said, everything will start up the weekend of Sept.26 - when we're back home. With loads of photos and stuff. But for now, here's my pre-show of getting almost ready to fly to Amsterdam, via Chicago, tomorrow morning. Then after Amsterdam, we take Europe's ICEtrain (think Japan's Bullet) to the City Of Light, stay awhile, then head over to my City Of Disney ....Resort. And our final days/nights, onsite at the DLPR Sequoia Lodge, Lakeside view. And, the title is due to that I will be getting only three credits on the entire trip. Two at Walibi Holland; one at Walt Disney Studios. Not a lot, but it's not that important right now. We wanted to come back, after 8 years away from our two fave Europe cities. In the mean time, if you haven't read any of my previous TRs, here's my last one, when TPR went to awesome Scandinavia in 2014. http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=68418 And here's the TR I did when my David and I went to Japan together for the first time, via the TPR 2013 Japan Tour which was also awesome! http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=65816 They sort of show you what my "writing style" (if any) is. And how I some times post stuff here at TPR. See you all, at the end of September! I know it's crude, but having a hands-on "planning envelope" is still done by me. And as you can see on it, the trip was about 7 years in the making! These "other overseas trips" I took, kept putting it off. (o; Pretty much packed, now. Last second stuff to go. My traveling t-shirt of choice. (o: Speaking of RED - me between Mr. and Ms. Claus in June ( ! ) at Bakken park, last year on the TPR Scandi Tour.

I must get to this park - some time in the future - later.

^ Harsh. I was just going to put 0/10. Poptarts! - 8/10 Spaghetti and meat balls.