You only turn 25 once, so why not do something spectacular, like head to Euro Disney in Paris, France? That’s what we did back on the weekend of December 12, 1992. While Caroline had been to the United States and even to Southern California the year before, we didn’t have time to visit Disneyland. So we went all out and bought a couple of plane tickets from Frankfurt, Germany, to Charles de Gaulle Airport and caught the shuttle bus to the park. Our hotel was one of the pueblo-themed units, which was exciting all by itself.
The day we arrived, we wandered around the facilities outside the Magic Kingdom, visiting the ice rink and gift shops before stopping in a classic American diner for dinner. In the morning, when we entered the park itself, we were as excited as any child visiting one of these amazing treasures. As for me, while I’d visited Disneyland a dozen or more times at that point, I’d never been to Disneyworld or the park in Tokyo, Japan.
There’d been much controversy leading up to the opening of Euro Disney, as valuable farmland was being used for American Trash Culture (according to French media). Then there was the question if high-minded Europeans would even go and which of the snooty French would visit such a déclassé blight on their historic Paris? The park was constantly maligned in the press, and its early demise was frequently predicted. In was a chance meeting while Caroline and I were attending CEBIT back in March 1992; an American tech engineer shared his photos of the park with us, which to us looked amazing. We were incredibly jealous as not only had he already visited and taken photos, but he had been able to do so more than a month before Euro Disney officially opened on April 12th, 1992. With the constant negative chatter about the place, we decided we’d need to see it with our own eyes before the bulldozers moved in and turned the grounds back into farms.
Euro Disney was far from packed, but it wasn’t empty either. Then again, it was mid-December, and anyone who’s been to Paris in the winter can tell you that nice weather isn’t guaranteed. What seemingly was guaranteed were smiles. Not only smiles from Caroline and me but, to our surprise, from the many French people in the park. We entered Disney with the expectation we’d see very few French and mostly visitors from other countries; we were wrong.
The park was pristine, and the presentation was flawless. It was a great destination for any birthday.
While technically in Paris, you couldn’t see the city from any vantage point out this way. In the park, you were immersed in the fantasy of being transported to a happy place. The contrast between playful Disney and serious and old Europe made for a spectacular opportunity to wander into the imagination that Disney has mastery over. Our dreams were coming true.
It was difficult to get photos of Caroline looking at the camera as her eyes darted over every detail, taking in something she’d never seen the likes of. While we’d go to Disneyland years later, this park had the benefit of starting from scratch and improving on things that couldn’t have been accomplished in Anaheim when that park opened back in 1955.
Let’s return to the gift shop for a moment. In the very first photo, Caroline has a Euro Disney hat on, but that’s not all. This jacket, the shirt under it, and even a red t-shirt below were all bought here at Euro Disney. The striped shirt would be the one she wore 13 months later in Las Vegas, Nevada when we got married at the Little White Chapel. There was also a pair of Mickey Mouse shorts she bought, though it was too cold to wear them outside this weekend. Almost 30 years later, here in 2021 (when I’m writing this), she still owns the shorts, shirt, and t-shirt.
I’d like to point out that I was very thin at one time and prone to fits of silliness.
The two people in this photo in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle were a couple of Bohemian adventure-seeking, occasionally reckless, madly in love, somewhat troubled individuals who had a long and, at times, arduous journey of finding happiness. While we’ve stumbled over many if not all, the speed bumps life can throw at people, we still swoon when walking hand-in-hand with When You Wish Upon A Star echoing through our memories.
