A Trip to France

Hello!

Oliver and I have been planning to go to France for a while for my 18th birthday. So Oliver bought our channel tunnel tickets, booked our hotel and off we went!

We drove to the tunnel after Oliver finished work and we spent thirty five minutes traveling underground (which I was overly nervous about for no reason). Oliver's uncle and aunt own a home near the Somme so we traveled late to stay with them. After a long drive with Oliver driving on the other side of the road for the first time and his mum hilariously slipping over and giving us a laughing fit, we spent the night with his family.

In the morning, after having real French croissants, Oliver drove us to Paris in one piece (apart from a huge lorry nearly squashing us, we managed to survive).

Once we arrived at our Ibis hotel, we settled in and got ready to go to the centre of Paris. We weren't even a two minute walk to the station so we managed to get there in under forty five minutes.

Once we got there, we came out right in front of the Arc de Triomphe and then made our way to the Eiffel tower. It wasn't too far to walk and all the buildings and restaurants were so pretty and elegant.

Once we were in sight of the Eiffel tower, I couldn't quite believe it was that! It looked so different to the photos I have seen. We took some pictures and then couldn't resist the smell of churros or chichis as they are called in France (I love that word now!). We had churros and Nutella before Oliver dragged me very reluctantly to see how much tickets were to go up the tower. I have a fear of heights so looking up made me feel ill!

When we got through security, we were expecting the tickets to cost 30$ each but they only cost 5$ as we were classed as juniors (16-24)!

I refused to get the elevator so we headed up for a long long long walk to the second floor. We stopped on the first floor where I had my first ever espresso, which I may add, was awful. But we went to the second floor as the summit was closed. We spent a while gazing at the city and it even became dark. We walked back down to the first floor and to my dismay the stairs were closed so I had to get the elevator which I hate!

But afterwards, I was rewarded with a McDonald's on the Champs Elysees. And then we headed back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night watching Revenge before we had to get some rest to go to Disneyland the next day.

So after a well rested night and still feeling tired in the morning, we left early and headed to Disneyland. We managed to get in early and completed two rides within an hour.

I managed to go on Star Wars Hyperspace and Rock'n Roller Coaster (I hated that one). We also went on It's A Small World, Crush's Coaster, Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates of the Carribbean. I did, however, refuse to go on Twilight Zone as it looked terrifying!

I think the worst rides were Big Thunder Mountain, Rock'n Roller Coaster and Crush's Coaster.

My favourites were probably Pirate's of the Carribbean and Star Wars Hyperspace as they were more tame than the others!

We went and had some pizza for lunch and did some Disney shopping where Oliver bought me Minnie ears and a Minnie cuddly toy.

We had to catch the tunnel afterwards so we rushed out of Disneyland and back home to bed at 11PM. But the funniest thing that happened that day was when our croissants got hard in the heat in the car and instead of taking it with us or putting it in the bin, I flung it like a frisbee out of the car window.

So there you have it! Our two day holiday in France was amazing and I can't wait to go back again.

My favourite parts of the trip were going up the Eiffel tower, seeing the Disney castle and having a lot of laughing fits with Oliver.

Have you been to Disneyland? If so, let me know what your favourite ride was!

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Beauty and the Beast 2017 Movie Review

Hey guys, I'm going to be doing something different today and talk about the new Beauty and the Beast film now out. I'm very excited to be doing my first movie review and hope you enjoyed the film as much as I did. (There may be spoilers for those of you who haven't yet seen the film.)

First of all, I was apprehensive about seeing it because I was worried I would just see Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. At first, I did think this, but after a while I just saw her as a brilliant and very talented actress.

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite Disney movies and I was nervous the new adaptation wouldn't exceed my expectations. However, Disney has made the movie better and more informative in my opinion. I loved how we see more of the Beast's back story and more of Belle's mother as well.

I also liked how Disney has added in some new songs and made a magical book that the Enchantress gave to the Beast. This book transported the Beast and Belle to Paris, where her mother died of the plague when Belle was a baby. Belle questions this throughout the film and I'm pleased we have received answers about what happened to her mother.

                                                                                                 
Some things have been changed - such as Gaston tying Maurice up in the woods to die, a few songs added, Chip the teacup not stowing away to help Belle and Maurice escape the cart that will take them to the asylum. However, I like how they made Belle and her father escape on their own and this proves Belle is more inventive and has more skills than the Belle of the original film.

They also added that people who loved the servants and workers in the castle, would forget them altogether, and would forget the castle even existed. It turns out that Mrs Potts and Cogsworth both have loved ones who live in Belle's village. Mrs Potts finds Mr Potts again instead of striking up a friendship with Belle's father like in the 1991 movie.

I enjoyed that there was much more of a story with this movie because it proves that Disney thought more about having a plot in place with questions answered. The Enchantress has more of a role in the film and is actually there when the Beast dies and brings him back to life.

Now, lets talk about the music. From the very first song to the end, it was exactly as I remembered it and brought back childhood memories of watching one of my favourite Disney movies. The new songs added are called "Days in the Sun," "Evermore" and "How Does a Moment Last Forever?" However, the one part I do prefer in the original movie is the "Be Our Guest" song when they are serving dinner because the food looks so yummy!

The scenes and props were spot on. From Belle walking through the village singing to running in the field, to her outfits, it was brilliantly done. The village is just like the one in the 1991 movie and the castle is slightly different but scarier. And the library is every bookworm's dream - including mine. However, the Beast also reads - I remember he couldn't read in the original movie and Belle had to teach him.

                                                           

I thought that the costumes were excellent and exactly like the 1991 movie. From Belle's blue and white everyday dress to the famous yellow gown, it was very well made. The red cape Belle wears in the grounds was one of my favourites too. Overall, all the costumes were good and reflected the clothes which were animated in the original movie.

I really think the actors were well played and lived up to my expectations. Gaston is just as selfish and even more funny in the newer version and his companion is the same little, annoying man as in the original film. However, they did make Lefou gay in the movie which I loved, obviously. And the furniture was just as whimsical and comical as ever; I do however prefer the animated Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs Potts because of their appearance. Belle was cast well and had a strong female lead by one of the most influential actresses of our generation.

Overall, I love both the original and the new adaptation but enjoyed having more of a plot to the newer version. I grew up with the older Disney movies so I didn't care too much about plots when I was younger, but now I really see the importance of setting out the whole story and appreciate that Disney has done this.

Don't forget to comment your opinion down below if you've seen the movie!

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