As an au pair in France, I’m privileged to have many holidays that allow me to travel – be it within Paris or not. Yesterday was one of those holidays and I spent it rattling down hills and dancing in the rain at Parc Asterix, an amusement park just outside of Paris.
The park is themed after a popular children’s comic book “The Adventures of Asterix,” here in France. With rides and shows featuring the characters, the park is full of colorful fun.
The girls and I arrived at the park around noon to begin our roller coaster day of fun and immediately hopped in line for one of the biggest rides we saw.
A ride or two later, we decided to chase down the biggest in the park and get in line. Now, I’m definitely a lover of this fast-paced, screaming fun and couldn’t wait to strap into Oziris. Definitely exhilarating but the line to get to the front was more entertaining.. I know, I know weird right? But seriously the pyramid where you wait in line was extravagant and well-detailed, which made the wait seem less long. And having grown up around some massive roller coasters in the States, I wasn’t as impressed as my Brit/Kiwi counterparts.
A ride later, the rain started to come. We knew all along it would rain and came prepared – well, the other girls did, I didn’t. I wanted to be comfy and cute and pack light so naturally I didn’t bring an umbrella and definitely not a jacket. No, I, being the smart cookie that I am, wore a romper and a see-through black kimono. Yeah. Nevertheless, when the rain started, I ran out and danced in it. Refusing shelter under the umbrellas of my smart friends, I shortly became soaked and just didn’t care. Mascara running and hair matted, I exuberantly took place in line for the very front of our next ride.
Riding in the front of a coaster in the rain with smeared make up and ratty hair sounded like a perfect idea to me.. until thirty seconds later when I couldn’t even open my eyes much less experience the ride due to the now bullets of rain pinging my face repeatedly every second. Do I regret it? Definitely not! It was still a blast doing something so carefree and stupid as that.
Soon after, we decided to embark on all of the water rides because why not? We were already soaked (some of us more than others due to our lack of clothing, i. e. me). Romus et Rapidus, a full on water safari, was our next choice. We get sat in and prepare ourselves for more wetness. I sat excitedly anticipating becoming engulfed in waves with arms outstretched. Much to my dismay, I was the only person who didn’t get a single drop of water splashed on me at all. And we went around two times! Such a disappointment.
Anyway, the rain slowly goes away and we continue our rides rain-free for the rest of the afternoon. We slowly start to dry and ride the rest of the rides until the park is almost closed. We then realize there’s one more ride we need to conquer before leaving – Tonnerre de Zeus. A wild wooden ride bursting with screams of terror. Again, I excitedly run to the very front and plant myself waiting for the very first rush of excitement. As we speed down the first hill, I can tell this ride will be my favorite. Smiling a mouthful of screams through the ride, my long hair flowed freely behind me.. And right into Aimi’s mouth sat behind me. The whole ride I thought I heard something like someone choking and after departing from the coaster, Aimi informs me that it was her.. Surrounded by my blonde locks. Oops, my free-flowing hair that embodies my free-spirited nature almost killed a friend. Great way to end the day, huh?
Though we endured rain bullets and hazardous hair, I’d say it was a wonderful day of fun spent in Parc Asterix.
The Wandering Sunflower 