Oh Versailles! I wasn’t prepared for what I would feel on our visit, and I learned a few things that are in my back pocket for next time. I loved our day there! Yes, plan for the whole day. There is JUST SO MUCH to see. Here are seven of my takeaways and the things that stood out the most, plus some fun facts.

We love Disneyland. We loved Disneyworld! And with Disneyland Paris just hours away we knew we would be soaking up all the magic we could…contemplating annual passes as I type this.

When I saw that Disneyland Paris was hosting after-hours events for Halloween, I knew we had to go. We have done after-hours events at both Disneyland and Disneyworld and I love how special they are, and that the park feels far less crowded that regular days.

A couple days ago a friend of mine leaned in and whispered, “You know what the best thing about Paris is?” I leaned right back expecting to hear about a hidden gem that I’d have to go right back and see…

Writing in his journal in 1844, King Frederick Willam IV of Prussia remembered traveling through southern Germany 25 years earlier as he wanted to know more about his ancestry in the area. He hiked to the top of the largest hill in the area where the ruins of a castle remained and recorded this:

“The memory of the year [18]19, to me is exceedingly lovely, and like a beautiful dream, especially the sunset we saw from one of the castle bastions. [...] Now is a desire, a dream of [my] youth, to see Hohenzollern Castle again made habitable.”

This was the start of one of the most beautiful and most visited castles in Germany.