France gifted America many of its political ideals; the Statue of Liberty, classical literature, fine art, and cordon bleu cooking, while America gave France pop culture; fast food, Hollywood movies, Levi’s jeans and Disneyland.

France is the most visited country on the planet. Most people come to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Notre Dame, soaking up the seductive romantic appeal of the City of Light. With its rich cultural history, traditional cuisine, casual sophistication and unique ambience, Paris provides an ideal backdrop for adventure bursting with endless possibilities, a veritable Disneyland for grown-ups. 

There’s another Disneyland in Paris, specifically built for kids of all ages, families, and lovers of that nostalgic magical fantasyland of our childhood and modelled on the American Disneyland in Anaheim, California. We took a few days off the bikes to surrender to the whole Disneyland experience with a couple of our young grandchildren and their parents. 

Walt Disney himself had a chequered past, from flogging fake war souvenirs to producing films for the purpose of supporting US imperial propaganda, that’s not to say he wasn’t a showman who recognised people’s need for escapism. Disney was able to sell his animated  Mickey Mouse character to a captivated world. Like millions of others, I enjoyed the Disney shows on TV as a child, with Adventureland and Fantasyland being my favourites, easy to watch, believable and always with a happy ending of sorts.  

So it was with some trepidation and foreboding that I approached the gates of Disneyland, expecting some overblown vulgar, garish carnival of capitalism. I simply wasn’t prepared for the scale and size of Disneyland, which is spread out across approximately 2,100 hectares (about 5,200 acres or 8.6 square miles) of land. Almost 16 million people from all over the world visit Disneyland Paris each year, where they are looked after by over 20,000 attentive quirky staff, kitted out in an endless variety of sparkling uniforms and outfits.  

The whole operation generates revenue of around 2 billion euros annually. So on one level my initial fears of overblown excess were correct, however, what I also discovered, was a real Fantasyland, true to Disney’s ideal. I quickly became hooked, drawn into the exciting immersive pulsating atmosphere, with stupendous larger-than-life fairytale castles, spectacular live shows, grand parades full of life-like cartoon characters, dancing princesses, and feverish performers providing nonstop entertainment. 

Perhaps the most magical moment of my Disneyland experience was seeing it all through the eyes of my grandchildren. I arrived as a sceptic and left understanding that nostalgia for an imagined past impacts our present day as we all live in a Fantasyland of our own making.