Shiny, happy people

Our second (and full) day at Disney started with breakfast at Downtown Disney at La Brea Bakery. Then we hit the rides, as only two older women with a mission can do. Thanks again to Ange with whom we agree that yes, it's too good for kids.


First up, we got a Fast Pass to the Indiana Jones ride, and then went and queued for a remarkably short space of time for the Pirates of the Carribean. Both are really impressive in terms of lighting and animatronics. We then went on a bit of a train ride, charmed by Vern who asked us both if we were married - which of course we both are.

Vern, who is 70 and could pass for 60 in a harsh light, obviously finds the flirting good for his cholesterol.

Next up was the Matterhorn Bobsleighs with costumes of VERY dubious Swiss origin (and chosen no doubt for the gay boys supervising the rides) a bit of a splash or two and then on to Star Tours where the teenager next to me texted the whole way through the ride....

Much more interesting was the parts of Disney's California Adventure Park which helped you understand a bit more about the making of the park, and the pictures. So we attended the Animation Academy, where we both drew a pretty passable Pooh Bear, and the Sorcerer's Workshop, where there was some interactive fun and the clever stuff behind Turtle Talk with Crush...more adult than most of the attractions here, and a welcome breather from all the breathless twinkliness.

Although the twinkliness WAS fun (see below right for the Disneyland Castle),
it was also rather pleasing for two grumpy old women from the UK that not all - in fact, a great many - of the workers, far from looking shiny happy people, looked as though they'd rather be doing something else, and the Australian woman who looked through our bags when we came in was very obviously not a morning person.

Having heard all the stories, this was faintly heartening -a human stand against the tide of almost inhuman niceness. Because after all, as the great David Ogilvy said, although you can rely on a chocolate bar to delivery your brand, this is because it doesn't have a row with the wife, get PMT, or have a rough night with the kids. People, as well as being the greatest strength of Disney, are - for customers at least - its greatest potential weakness.

This is not to say we had a bad time - Karen got a badge to say that this was her first time (not surprisingly from Vern) and Fiona is firm in her conviction that everyone should do this at least once. And if the weather wasn't stunning, neither did we have to wait in line for the rides for very long.

And this, friends and family, is almost the end of our trip. Rather than have a somewhat nondescript breakfast at the Crown Plaza, we're off to Huntington Beach, and to Ruby's on the Pier.

We fly at six and we'll doubtless be doing our final blog sometime on Sunday or Monday evening.