Disney is fantastic!!

We're having a wonderful time. No photos yet because I'm too wiped out to download any, but everything has been beautiful.

We started with an overnight train to Frankfurt. The girls were overjoyed to be sleeping on a train. We didn't spent too much time revelling in the fun of having a sleeper car because we didn't hit the tracks (ha!) until 8 and breakfast was going to be served at 5:30 am. Not a long night's sleep for the kids.

They had no trouble falling asleep, and neither did I, but Nick says he found it less than lulling and took half the night to settle into a deep sleep. It didn't help that the "beds" were more like plywood with fabric on top.

Our next train left Frankfurt before 7 and we got into Paris at almost 11. Germany looked just like Austria, which wasn't too surprising, but France actually looked very different. Rolling fields, totally different architecture... provincial. And lovely.

By the time we got to Versailles it was like 2 in the afternoon. Erik and Isabelle met us at our hotel, we relaxed and ate a late lunch, then the six of us headed out to "the chateau." That's what they call it, "the chateau." And, wow. I've seen pictures, but seeing it was just unbelievable. It was huge, the gardens were huge (and we only saw a fraction of them). There were reflecting pools the size of a city block. Just amazing. We walked all over the grounds for a few hours, saw the swans, Maggie and Nick got pooped on by birds, and then we went to Erik and Isabelle's hotel. Which is actually another palace on the grounds that's been converted to a hotel.

We kicked around in their room, put a movie on TV for the girls, drank coffee, and generally recuperated. We were pretty tired because we'd already had such a long day, but the coffee helped and we rallied for dinner. Which we had, at a little crepe shop on the way to our hotel (which seemed a lot nicer before we saw the palace turned hotel!). The crepes were amazingly delicious. I had a black sausage, walnut, and apple crepe, Nick had a tripe, egg, and cheese crepe, and the girls both had egg and cheese. Mmmm. Isabelle had scallops, mushrooms and tomatoes and Erik had some kind of blue cheese salad crepe. I can't remember what else was in it.

Finally we got back to our room and passed out. Then in the morning, Erik and Isabelle arrived with these fresh baked croissants that were the most delicious thing I've ever tasted. People aren't kidding when they go on and on about the French food. I'm spoiled for life now.

THEN we went straight to Disney. We took a cab this time because hauling our luggage all over the subway was ridiculously hard.

Disney is so much fun. All four of us are having a total blast. The magic kingdom is divided into four parks: fantasy land (where we spent most of today), adventure land (we just did the pirates of the carribean ride there), frontier land, aaaaaaaand I can't remember the last one. I'm too tired to get up and check the map, I'll get back to you on the last one. Plus there's also Walt Disney Studios next door!

Then around 6:00 pm we came back to our beautiful room and went for a swim. I came back to the room to take the girls to the bathroom and now I'm just too warm and tired to go back in the pool, so Nick's swimming with them. After this we'll head back into the park for dinner and if that takes long enough we'll watch the fireworks before bed.

I think it's going to take us all four days to see everything here!