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Day 6, June 8th, post park evening. . so back on the bus, and we headed off to Aarhus, Denmark. . which would be our basecamp hotel for the next4 parks. I don't recall how long the drive was, but I don't have many pics out the window, so I have a feeling I napped. . LOL but eventually we did a "food stop" for dinner in a town who's name I can't recall. . . but they had this interesting sculpture in the middle of the roundabout. there were multiple food options here, and the group scattered for dinner, but many of us ended up here: Sunset Boulevard - which I guess is best compared to Burger King or McDonald's in Denmark? a peek at the menu: (lots and lots of options. . too many, really, LOL. .I had a hard time choosing what to eat) and tho it was not really memorable as great.. I do remember it didn't thrill me with how MESSY everything was. (seriously, I *hate* being sticky - hence my fixation with always having napkins - and this was a multiple napkin meal) yeah. . I recall it did taste better than it looked. . but. . . ewwwww. the fries were pretty good tho. and I did like the Chili Cheese bites (at least I think that's what these were advertised as), in a chipotle mayo dip. back on the bus and onwards to Aarhus where we checked into the Zleep Hotel - another kinda funky hotel that I really liked. this one looked like it was intended to be an office building, but it never got completed, and they just turned it into a Hotel. very "industrial" with exposed concrete walls, and sleek/bare furnishings, but I liked it. we had a nice view of the town too. . pic of Nick (and saline for contacts) on the side table - and a quick recon of the area (and found out a Starbucks in a 24 hour gas station just up the street. . . self serve, but the Starbucks machine. . so was happy - and then turned in for the night. another GREAT day in the books, and so much more to come on this trip.

Hansa Swag . . . tho you can see me wearing the shirt in the afternoon pics T-shirt Magnets: the soundtrack to the Karnan coaster and the picture I bought

Day 6, June 8th part 2: rest of the day at the incredible Hansa Park making our way towards the front area with the big restaurant (which seemed the best bet as they had lots of options), we stumbled across a section in the middle of the park that seemed to be themed to Africa. and, of course, they had a Jungle Safari ride. it looked rather silly - basically an antique taxi kind of ride, but there was no line, and the ride op said we could each take our own "jeep'. . so we hopped on. turned out to be a great decision, as this was not only stupid long and relaxing, but full of some amazing (and amazingly bad) animatronic animals. absolutely loved this, and posted about it to the group thread the moment we got off, so folks knew it was there. come along with me and enjoy "Africa" ! the snake hissed, made an attempt to strike at you, and spit water. . LOL just like the Lion King. . .'zactly! look on the left over there. . it's the backside of Hippo and then they apparently decided: Enough with the realistic animals. . let's stick in one that looks like a pinata. Big Mike loved it. as did Doug Hawk just gave up. . . and out front.. a Giraffe apparently named "Akira". . . I mean. . . gotta climb up and hump (I mean Hug) it. . after our safari, it was time to eat, and the restaurant up front was like a cafeteria with a lot of options. and this neat little kids play area in the corner, so the adults could eat in peace while the kids are distracted. (we weren't there exactly at a meal time, so wasn't busy at all, but did see many other TPR folks in there too). can't remember what I got.. but I do recall the desert was very sweet, and what looks like Schnitzel there (probably was) was pretty good, but too much gravy on it. oddly, the restaurants here don't have the restrooms attached.. so had to go outside and down the way to wash my hands before eating. while outside tho, get a wonderful view of Nessie, so stopped to snap a pic or three again, not patient enough to sit and wait for the shot (hey, I was hungry), but Royal Scotsman *did* come thru Nessie's loop about 2 seconds later food eaten, and some shopping done (magnet and T-shirt purchased. .but sadly no Nessie merch as mentioned in part 1), we headed towards the train. Planning to take a calm, relaxing ride after a meal. the park also has an observation tower, but unfortunately was down today as it was being painted. the train takes you all the way around the park, and it's a really nice ride, with lots to enjoy. here's some nature, part of Flucht von Novgorod's track (in the background behind it is track from Schwur des Kärnan). and on the left is I THINK a Starflyer (tho it could be Highlander?). yup. .it's Highlander the train weaves in and out, and under, some rides. allowing for some really cool pictures. another of the little play areas. . this one with self operating teeter-totters (kinda) called "Buffalo Rodeo" LOL Schwur des Kärnan & Crazy Mine from the train. THEMING! our lil group enjoying the train. . and yes, those are the same two girls from way earlier. . who spotted Jonathan and really wanted to share a seat with him on the train totally forgot the park has a Troika. . . it's kinda tucked off by itself behind that building on the left - which is indoor, disco, bumper cars. (no, really) this space here is where a Carousel is supposed to be. They had a temporary (cheapie) one set up across the way I didn't bother with. .but the sign says they are refurbishing a classic carousel and will put it in that spot, across from the observation tower on the right. after the train ride, we were settled enough it was time to hit the water rides (and it had gotten warm enough). over by the flume, they have some animatronic bears (I think they are bears?) that play in the clock-tower. got more than a little moist on the flume, but it felt good! and just outside? a photo op. i can ride a bear? yes please and over here in this section they do have a classic merry-go-round (similar to several I saw on last year's Europe Trip). so made a point to ride this one. . and Big Mike rode with me. look how happy! and yeah, of course I chose a bear to ride again. (think I have Hawk to thank for this pic) another photo op, going towards the park's Supersplash, you can lower the helmet to pose. prolly was stupid to do, but at least didn't get sick from anyone else's germs while posing. the park has a few big water rides, spread out at the edges. tho we didn't get SOAKED on the flume, some in the group were wary about getting on something called a Super Splash. so I ended up riding it alone. because it wasn't busy over here on this side of the park, the ride ops had no problem letting me go in my own car. it helped keep me a bit drier than it would have. (think these pics are courtesy of Big Mike) then we all headed back over towards Flucht von Novgorod. . and although we got in the Single Rider line (and there was a pretty big line). . it just happened to work out that Hawk, Doug, and I all ended up on the same train. so Big Mike was able to get this great picture! what's this section. . had we been thru here yet? I see Western theme, and American flags? and scales for some reason. but a great photo op! I feel so skinny! and the store was selling "Horse Bubbles". . . it's EXACTLY as gay as you'd imagine it would be from the sign oh. . oh. . .I LOVE these, and they have one. and not only is it just a pony ride. . it's a SHOOTING pony ride, and the ride keeps score! I got to ride "Fury" the targets were a bit hard to hit, but when you did? they reacted like the old Disney Shooting Gallery.. ended up being a lot of fun. and of course, had to take this pic. across the way was the kiddie canoe ride (the operator for the ponies was also running this one).. but the canoes were clearly not for adults, so didn't even try those. a statue of someone. . for something. Zooming in on the sign, perhaps he was the King of Denmark? but they had those ice creams I loved in Paris here. the ones Kristen got me hooked on. not exactly the same, but close enough. oo. . sexy. . . we had made our way to the other side of the park, and the other "big" water ride. .the rafting. nobody getting off looked wet, so we all rode, and even tho it was fun? yeah. . didn't even get spritzed with water.. . so a dry water ride. But again, it was fun, and we got a lot of spinning during the ride. like the canoes, they also have a kiddie log flume. also like the canoes, this one clearly looked like there was no way an adult would fit in these barrels .. so I just took a picture of it. David was over at the "Planes on a Trebuchet" getting his flip on (and I think he did end up on the scoreboard). . so went over to watch that for a bit. and across the way from it (in the shadow of Schwur des Kärnan) is the Hupfberge - the giant bouncy playground. it was getting close to time that we had to meet the bus, so Big Mike and I made our way around the far end of the park. (while some others ran back to get more rides on some of the coasters) and we stumbled across yet ANOTHER flume. this one had ride vehicles shaped like viking boats. and upon observation, it appeared to be a family version - with one adult seat and two kids seats in each boat. there were adults and older teens riding, so we joined the line. it's not Dumbo, nor Shamu. . . Shumbo ? from the mini-flume ride. and yeah. .while not all that tall, or steep? this thing gave off a big splash. very refreshing and for some reason, themed with Penguins, and Vikings buried up to their necks in the ground watching you on the ride. kinda creepy, kinda cool. I don't ride bumper cars - can mess up my back. . but as we made our way to the front gate for the bus, we just had to pop into the Disco Bumper Cars so I could take a look at them. you enter thru a spinning walkway - apparently going to outer space. and the ride looked like a lot of fun - and was blasting music. but no. .didn't ride. Just took a couple of pics. and then we headed to the gate to meet up with the group and the bus. We had a drive tonight, as we were headed back to Denmark - specifically to Aarhus, as tomorrow was a park that has a one of a kind in the world (now remaining) thrill. but yeah, Hansa was a really fantastic park with a lot to do for anyone who is any "thrill level" loved my time here.

Day 6, June 8th part 1: a full day at the incredible Hansa Park after checking out, a short bus trip brought us to the main gates (well. .the parking lot across the street from the main gates) to Hansa Park - which started out life as the first official Legoland (way back when). it's so much more now, with sections that are fully immersive, and hidden nooks and crannies everywhere in the park with all kinds of fun stuff to discover. up the escalator to cross the busy road. . . a bit foggy this am, but it would burn off. oooo.. pretty charming front gates. and a welcome TPR area? with cool goodies for us? how neat! (including a CD of music played at the park). after a quick introduction and welcome to the park, we were walked into the place before opening to enjoy some ERT on a coaster - the park's "biggie" Schwur des Kärnan (Karnan's Oath). . a Gerstlauer Infinity coaster. thru the main gates. . .tho stopping 1st for a pic of park map wow. . it's a much bigger park than it looks like on the map. did a LOT of walking today. I'm positive Robb took a group picture, because I remember posing in front of this flower clock.. . but I don't seem to have it in my pics from the park (which means I have it mis-filed, and if I find it during the months it will take me to finish, I'll go ahead and post it). but meanwhile, here's my pic of the flower clock at the main entrance. what you see upon entering the park: Nessie , the Schwarzkopf looper. also that tower there is "Highlander" - which is now the world's tallest tilting freefall tower (since, you know, the incident in Orlando) restaurants and shops.. as noted, lovely theming. Empty only because we're in the park before official opening. another look at Highlander as we walk by it. . .that's not Nessie, but yet ANOTHER coaster, Royal Scotsman, a Vekoma Jr. coaster, that wraps around it (and passes thru Nessie's loop) lots of play areas sprinkled around the park.. I appreciated that many were close to "big" rides, to give the little ones something to keep them occupied while the teens/adults were on the bigger things. a mini canoe ride, featuring frogs. Indian frogs that live in tee-pees apparently. and a very plastic horse in the western section that one could pose on (I passed on this.. .shocking, I know. . but there were many other photo ops that had my attention) remember the Alamo! (well, this ain't it.. . so your memory is faulty) and coming around the corner, our first real peek at the twisted, terrifying track that is Schwur des Kärnan that medieval tower there? that hides the lift. . and has a secret that scared the crap out of me and really gets the adrenaline going. the track is way off the ground in most places -- at least in the places one can see. the first half of the ride is kinda a dark ride. let's walk the queue so we can enjoy the heavy theming. . going up into the castle via the queue, one gets a look at the "planes on stick" ride (tho it's actually "Planes on a trebuchet"). and a playground area with one of those giant inflatable bouncy mountains. deep into the castle, the theming gets more and more intense as you discover the storyline of the ride. . it involves magic and spells that protect the castle. . . the lockers are tied into the theming, as the wizard tells the story on the TV, and then the bookshelves slide open to reveal storage for all loose articles. so because everything was put into the storage, I had no camera to describe the rest of the loading process. . but it's very cool, so will describe it. once everyone has stored bags, you are led into a circular room that's divided with six "queue lines". . . .these lines don't match up with where you'll end up on the coaster - as you can't actually see the train yet. What happens is the lights at the top of the room start to spin (ie: magic) and in turn it lands, randomly, in front of each queue row in the circular chamber, and then the "wall" in front of that row opens, and those 4 people go thru to sit on the ride. So first door open, gets front row, 2nd door 2nd row, etc.. . got really lucky on my rides, and ended up front row one ride, and back row on another. I think I got a 3rd ride and just went to the center since we didn't have to go back thru the preshow room if we wanted to ride again that time. a GREAT ride. and no..I'm not going to spoil the start of the ride, or what happens in the lift. but wow.. it's a shocker the 1st time, and even when you know what's coming? it still gets that adrenaline pumping. a few rides later, and my camera back from my stored bag. . .I hung out at the bottom of the tower to try and catch the drop from the vertical lift (it moves so fast it took a few tries, but I got it). after the fun ERT, we were cut loose in the park, and since over here, several of us went over to the nearby Crazy Mine - a Maurer Wild Mouse (that also has some animatronics.. many rides here seemed to have a dark ride-like portion, or at least animatronics). and lots of theming in the queue-lines. was fun for what it was.. tho not as fun as the photo op that was available in this area. is it a "horse" ? hell if I know.. but damn right I'm gonna climb on top of it for a photo! look how damn happy I am.. LOL. . does this count as humping? this is a weird one. . while looking at RCDB, I noticed that Hansa Park had another coaster, that I must have missed: Schlange von Midgard (Snake from Midguard) a Gerstlauer family coaster where the train looks like a viking ship, and has an enclosed (dark ride-ish) start/lift hill. I REALLY thought I hadn't ridden it. . LOL. . but then found this pic! - part of our "goodie bag" from the park included an on-ride pic, and I got this one. too damn funny that the coaster I got the onride pic from is one that I don't even remember riding now. we're all smiling tho, so we must have enjoyed it enough it was time for a potty break, and I found these "kiddie sized" toilet stalls so charming, that I took a picture of them. tho most were mainly interested in the coasters, I really like most all rides, and so did those I ended up with today. . . so we made our way over towards Highlander. um. . that looks really high (probably because it is) I don't recall it being "scary". . which is odd, as I don't like heights. But I guess I DO love Falcon's Fury, and Acrophobia. so a tilting drop tower is more fun to me than scary. . and I do recall this being fun. as it was RIGHT next door, we headed over to Royal Scotsman before going over closeby to queue for Nessie. honestly, Royal Scotsman doesn't do much, but it's ALL about the setting - circling Highlander, and going thru Nessie's loop makes it kinda fun. tried to get all at the same time. . but I don't have the patience for that. . .LOL. . so here's Nessie going up the lift hill just before the 1st drop. again, the park has done a heck of a job with the queue. and I adored this logo, and would have bought a shirt or magnet with it in a SECOND. but the park store didn't have any Nessie merch very impressive station. and we knew we'd all love it. . I mean, it's a classic Schwarzkopf after Nessie we moved further into the park to head towards the kiddie coaster (was on the way to our next thing). .and found ourselves in a traveling circus area. at least the clowns in Germany are not as terrifying as the ones in Denmark! or are they?? clearly this is a kiddie coaster, and it's called Kleine Zar (Little Czar, I believe). (it's hidden behind a fairly tall fence, so you can't even see the coaster much unless you've queued for it) that's a pretty tight helix tho and it looked like it might be fun, so we asked if adults were allowed to ride it. an example of the view one can get of the coaster from outside the queue. we got a "yes, of course you can ride" from the ride op, so we hopped in line for this. (on the right is the coaster we had been heading to: Flucht von Novgorod (a Gerstlauer Eurofighter). . but as noted, this was on the way it truly was a lot of fun, and I giggled my way thru it. as I expected, that tight helix was quite enjoyable. I took back row. while others went for the front rows. hands up! and the wonderful operator who told us of course we could ride. Kiddie coaster credit out of the way, we headed to Flucht von Novgorod (Escape from Novgorod). . a heavily themed coaster with a spooky storyline. . . the two girls we had met by the clown bridge came along with us, and were truly scared to get in line for it (no, really)! hmmm. . another brick building? yup, another enclosed vertical lift coaster. later in the day, this ride would have an insane line - especially with so few riders per car. . . BUT we discovered that making use of single rider got you on relatively quickly, and so ended up riding this several times during the day. it was a lot of fun. one of the most fun features of this was that the storyline doesn't end after the ride! the exit is via a maze (that one really can get lost in) and there are also photo ops in the exit maze: lots of fun. this seems to be an out of the box ride, but I liked the look of it, and so convinced Jonathan to ride it with me. the operator put us on a LOOOOOONG cycle tho.. and I was well ready to stop spinning around before he stopped the ride. luckily we hadn't eaten lunch yet. but before it started it sure looks like we were ready to have fun also over here was what appeared to be a rather "hidden" water obstacle course. . . it wasn't huge, but I'm a klutz, so I took pics of the obstacles, while Jonathan actually did the course. one tiny step to cross this water filled trap. . whoops. . well..there WAS one little step. better watch your timing on this! oooo.. .kinky a junior sea-storm. . but I actually passed on this - wasnt' about to go on another spinning ride after being spun to death on the motorcyle ride just moments before. here's my speed. . and yes, it's called "Blumenmeerbootsfahrt" but the English section of the description sold me as a perfect ride for this moment: "A slow moving boat ride" piped in sounds too. . very calming but with freaky little fairy people among the scenery. Big Mike likes flowers, and I do too.. . so seemed a nice reprieve. Think everyone with me rode it awww a cute lil mushroom wave swinger for the lil freaky people. aha! from the boat ride, you can actually see part of the kiddie coaster starting to get a little hungry. . but so much more of the park to do.. and we decided to take the "long way" around to the front restaurant where we'd eat lunch. but passing by a photo op? don't mind if I do! and they even had a small section with the "do it yourself" rides I had seen in some parks last year while in Europe these seemed to be clearly for the little kiddos only tho. . so just snapped a pic of them. to be continued. .

Part 8 Where Even the Apocalypse Is Awesome: LEGOLAND Billund Following its stay at Hansa Park, LEGOLAND set up shop near the LEGO factory in Denmark. This is the oldest of the LEGOLAND parks, and it set the template and standard for all that followed. I’m not the intended audience for these places, but I still like visiting them and noting their differences. Billund has many of the same attractions as the other parks in the chain, such as the Dragon coaster (this version is a powered ride), an observation tower, and, of course, Miniland (with a Scandinavian theme). But it has unique attractions, as well--for example, the Polar X-plorer coaster and Ghost--The Haunted House (a walk-through with a surprise at the end). Emmet’s Flying Adventure is a “Soarin’” type of ride inspired by The LEGO Movie. (I think the California park has this one, too). One funny thing: During the preshow for Emmet’s Flying Adventure (which is in Danish) whenever you expect the word “awesome,” they use “super duper.” According to Google translate, the nearest Danish equivalent to “awesome” is “fantastik.” I guess that didn’t sound quite right, so they went with “super duper”? However, signs in the park say “awesome” in English. So, let’s go where everything is SUPER DUPER--that is, AWESOME or FANTASTIK. If they weren’t stopped by this fence, these drummers would attack and kill you! This is how I imagine all LEGO parks are built. And Erik’s shirt is, indeed, FANTASTIK or SUPER DUPER or AWESOME--as is his trip report. Check it out. This dragon with the block-and-tackle on its head was also crucial to the construction of the park--SUPER DUPER, indeed. Ligeia has found me yet again--and she has a witch with her! They’re proud to be Americans in Denmark? I think this coaster is unique to this park, at least in how it's themed. I did not cover myself in glory with my photos of this ride. But I’m sure Robb got a much better video. Aw, thanks, Emmet! You’re a pal. Emmet invited me over to hang out on his double-decker couch. “I find my lack of an invitation to hang out on Emmet’s couch disturbing.” Polar X-plorer was fun, even though it doesn’t have real penguins anymore. (Photo by . . . Elissa? I think.) Ice Pilots is unique to this park, but it’s not really my thing. But if you like being tortured by an industrial robot, be my guest. Welcome to the cutest Mad Max-style hellscape ever . . . . . . unless you’re a stinkin’ DUPLO! “Yeah, I’m really cute when I run you down with my motorcycle and chop your head off with my flaming ax.” The Apocalypseburg Sky Battle has begun! Kristin and Sarah in a dance of death--in the sky! “You win this round, Crouse. But you task me! You task me, and I shall have you!” We all escaped the colorful hellscape. This show was such a huge hit, it spawned a spin-off series and a Euro western movie. First was the pirate-themed reality show “Wench! Whar Be Me Pantaloons?” This was followed by that classic Italian-Spanish western “When You Meet Sartana, Hold on to Your Pants!” “I . . . SEE . . .YOU!” This part of LEGOLAND aggravates Frodo Baggins’s PTSD. “Look, Sarah! A haunt! You love those!” “See? Just some skeletons, rats foraging for rotten food, flickering lights . . . everything is AWESOME!” I think Sarah would prefer this nice, relaxing boat ride. A Danish model of a French statue that stands in an American harbor! Yay! USA! USA! “Er, I thought we were in Denmark.” Yes, it’s a very relaxing ride--as long as you keep the little boat balanced. (Photo by Elissa.) There’s also a somewhat less relaxing boat ride with pirates and sharks. This guy was taking a shower back in 2009, too. Why doesn’t he give someone else a chance? “No we won’t be playin’ that ‘Yo Ho’ song! We be sick ‘o’ that tune! No requests, sez I.” The clientele be too classy and too rich for my blood, mate. Let’s find us another tavern. OK, what’s this Ninjago stuff all about? It appears to have something to do with spinning a redheaded woman at a high rate of speed. I couldn’t get the hang of this ride. Just not very good at waving my hands around in the right place. I’ll never be a ninja or ninjago or whatever it is. Time for a stroll through Miniland. I’m always impressed with the attention to detail in these displays at the LEGOLAND parks. It’s amazing what they can do with LEGO bricks. Hey, I’ve been there. This is a working canal-and-lock system. You can see Miniland via monorail, too. (Photo by Jere.) Time to go, I guess. Well, maybe after some chocolate LEGO bricks. Thanks, LEGOLAND. You were FANTASTIK or AWESOME or SUPER DUPER!

Just got all caught up on this hot, so hot, afternoon here in the Lou. The look on that kids face on the little ladybug coaster is hilarious. He is totally trying to figure out why he is surrounded by a bunch of adult American men, lol.

As of today, we now have an official animated on ride video of the new Mack HyperCoaster! A new minisite has also gone live, teasing a potential bird theme with glowing/burning gold feathers Construction is progressing well with a lot of footers now completed. Gold and white coloured supports have also arrived. Here is the video again below for those of you can't open YouTube. Thorpe Park Project Exodus On-Ride Video.mp4

More like Timmy's Hash Pipe Havoc, amirite?

The Pantheon ops push down and pull up a bit when checking restraints. I think the sensors used to be a bit buggy, but are more consistent now. If you have a problem fitting they will try to accommodate you with an extra shove or two on the restraint. I find that it helps to rent a locker and empty my pockets, as the restraint tended to hit my bulky old wallet. They're very strict about loose items on Pantheon, anyway. They used to allow cell phones in zippered pockets, but not anymore. Now they want all your pockets empty.

I agree. It seems as if the park needs to announce a 3-mile long giga coaster to appease these folks. And even then they would still complain about something. Geez...

I agree. It's so nice there.

Day 5, June 7th part 2: Ferry to Germany, bus ride, the incredibly odd Hotel Gremersdorf, and forced Schnitzel! after a very fun day at Bakken, we settled in on the bus as we headed towards the Ferry, where I believe we were going to cross the Baltic Sea? it wasn't a terribly long crossing (I think a little over an hour?). . . but passengers are not allowed to stay on the vehicles, so we had to leave the bus down in the hold, and relax on the ferry as we made the crossing. some folks ate, or had coffee - but most of us were still full from lunch, so just browsed the ship or the store onboard. Many also stocked up on snacks, as the hotel we were headed to didn't have a lot of food options nearby, and as we were arriving ~9:00pm it was going to be close as to getting food later. bye-bye Denmark a ferry coming the other way, from Germany to Denmark a mirror of our ship. . if you were curious what ours looked like. . soon, the announcements were made, and we funneled back down into the hold and onto the bus. hello Germany! shortly after getting on the road tho, we hit some major construction going on - on the bridge from the ferry!. . that pretty much brought us to a standstill for over an hour + but at least we got to see a beautiful sunset from the bus on the bridge: tho eventually we did get moving and made our way to the hotel Welcome to Hotel Gremersdorf. . .a very funky/odd hotel. the rooms all are slightly different. .and some in different buildings. It's kinda like an odd little self built commune, crossed with Winchester house. Some rooms had windows that opened into nowhere, some had slanted walls that you had to be careful not to bump your head when getting into bed. .and some had doors that you couldnt' open if a drawer was pulled out, or if the bathroom door wasn't completely closed (no space for the main door to swing open). It was so weird.. . I loved it! maybe has some of "the Overlook" from the Shining mixed in too! I took all of these pics after dinner. . . dinner? yup. . . the very, VERY kind folks who run the hotel? when we arrived so late due the construction, they kept open the dinner/buffet for us, and would not check us in until after they had fed us, because they felt bad we had arrived so late. so instead of checking in, we were directed to dump all our luggage into a dark corner of the lobby, and led into the restaurant. Where we were seated and they insisted on feeding us. yup. . forced schnitzel! (no shade.. was really good, even tho most of us ween't that hungry, we all ate. . . because. . . such kindness!) I had to take a quick potty break (while they were setting up the buffet for us), and this amused me: but on the way back remembered to take a pic of the offerings they had stayed open late (and awake) for us: as noted. .was really good! and that it was such a kind gesture made it taste all the better! once we had all eaten, room keys were handed out, and we were able to go into our rooms to crash for the night. as noted, pretty much every room is slightly different in this Hotel, but AJ and I lucked out with a very nice room: that had a "sleeper sofa" included. . . since I had been snoring, I figured I might be able to get some space so he could sleep better, so I took the sofa: large bathroom here too.. tho you had to be careful what you had open, otherwise you couldn't open the door to get in. . LOL I recall having a pretty good night's sleep here, even tho the window right behind where I was sleeping (which when slanted open gave a great cool breeze), opened up into a weird little courtyard that despite not seeing any way to get INTO the courtyard. . I still heard noises of people/things out there all night. LOL. . like I said. . funky hotel. i really did like it. soon enough tho it was time to get up for breakfast, and I got a good look at the lobby in the daytime: quirky! breakfast was great: and then we checked out, loaded back onto the bus, and headed off to what was once the original LegoLand. . know known as Hansa Park! (to be continued on Day 6 with Hansa Park)

Day 5, June 7th part 1: Bakken! today was gonna be a really full day. . . but at least we got to sleep in a bit! after breakfast, we checked out and loaded up the bus and were on our way to Bakken by 10:30 (for 11am arrival). as some others doing reports have mentioned, Bakken is the world's oldest amusement park, as per Wikipedia, it's been operating since 1583! It also really does look exactly as we were told - "like a group of carnies got tired of traveling, so just set up in the middle of a forest, and decided to stay there" the closest comparison, I'd say, is Knoebels. . it very much has that vibe. we had ERT on their wooden coaster, and a crazy swing ride called Supernova before the park opened at noon, and then were there until 5pm. (we had to catch a ferry to Germany this evening) it's not a HUGE park, but there is quite a lot to do. as Chuck has been pointing out. . this Nightmare clown seems to be all over Denmark! I had thought this was a spookhouse. . but when it opened later? it's a candy shop. Yeah. . with Dracula's on the top for some reason. . LOL This was the reason we are here early. . . no, not the "Fyr & Flamme" performance, but the wooden coaster (which like at Tivoli Gardens is called) Rutschebanen (Roller Coaster) This one is not quite as old as the one at Tivoli Gardens, as this one opened in 1932. Sadly tho, back in 2010, they modernized it with new trains, new station gates, and other "upgrades". . . the new trains no longer require a brakeman to control the speed. . . so although the coaster LOOKS fantastic, it really was just an OK ride. Way, way outshined by the version at Tivoli Gardens. Oh, still worth riding. . but personally I didn't really get any airtime regardless of where I rode the train, and it seemed a bit sluggish in places. it's only one ride at the park tho, so not a slam on the park, but it is a shame it's been so neutered. I do love the "Old skool vs new" design of the trains the fancy "glass" gates front row! this is a later pic, and explains why not a full train, as some went over to ride Supernova (which is a spinny ride that I just wasn't feeling, so I stayed back and kept riding Rutschebanen). again, it was ok. Fun, but not YEAHHH!!!! fun and unlike the one at Tivoli Gardens? This Rutschebanen has a nude woman that is still on the actual ride. in fact, you go thru the "classily" placed tunnel that she hovers over during the ride! (thanks, Jonathan, for the clear pic!). pink unicorn balloons? sure! appetizing! we were gonna be turned loose in the park to enjoy the day, but after some discussion, pretty much everyone stayed together to head over to Tornado, the park's Intamin spinner. one of only two in the world (and the 2nd one just opened in 2023). you see, they run it in normal mode. . but with some encouragement (ie: $$ and asking nicely) from Robb & Elissa, the park very kindly switched the ride over to "insane" mode for us! what is insane mode you ask? well. . .the chain lift, basically speeds up to the point that instead of a lift hill? it becomes a launch. and when I say launch? I mean, this sucker THROWS you up the lift hill and right into the twisting track. it really beat the shit outta me, and I loved every moment of it! and insane, crazy, fun ride. the park was open to the public now, this wasn't ERT. . but they still ran it in "Insane mode" for us before switching it back. so we got back inline to ride it in "normal mode". . and the operators recognized us as TPR and kicked it back over to insane for our launch again. . LOL. . . I have the bruises to prove it.. but loved this. Really wish there were more of them around! most of the track is in the building, so hard to get a pic of the full ride, but I think Robb has a video up on TPR's youtube of it? after another ride on Tornado, much of the group scattered to check out the rest of the park on this beautiful day. scary clown? check! oooo. . down this way is the Vilde Mus - which is exactly what you think it is these pics, I think, courtesy of Big Mike. yeah. . here's Supernova.. the other ride we had ERT on this morning (that I passed on riding) ooo.. a carousel. a small one, but don't mind if I do! "interesting" figurines on the interior column but Hawk and Doug rode with me. . . next door was something. . it appeared to be a fun house, so we went in. and it IS a funhouse - a pretty damn good one too. . but themed to a submarine! (for some reason). continuing along to check out more of the park. Turned out to be a beautiful day. . the weather really cooperated with us on this trip. oooo..the clown has his own house - where he puts on a show. the park was nice enough to have the times out as a warning this is a jungle/shooting ride. . . Jonathan better watch out for that spider! Big Mike looks like he's shooting himself in the leg. there's one more "big" coaster here - Mine Train Ulven (Wolf's Mine Train) like Tornado, a lot of this ride is hidden in the trees/shrubs. . and also like Tornado? it's an Intamin! didn't' know what to expect, but this was SO good, with an intense diving helix that was so impressive we got off it and got right back in line to ride again. the park also has a Flume. . that's very disingenuous.. . the drops don't get you really wet. . but the course brings you so close to the drops, that you get soaked from the splashdowns of OTHER boats. really quite good. a little moist, but it felt good. (think this pic is via Andy if not mistaken) we were starting to get hungry, so looked around to see what options were avail. . and there are a LOT of food options. Several buffet choices too. we ended up at a very nice place - looked a bit "fancy" but was quite reasonable, and had a great variety of choices on the buffet. Yes, i chanced deviled eggs from a theme park buffet and did NOT get ill. most everything was really good. . tho too many choices and I did overdo it a little bit didn't stop me from going back and getting a little bit more. . . (those are calamari not onion rings. . and I HAD to try one of the gigantic hot dogs being sold everywhere - tho I didn't care for it, so most of it was uneaten) but there's always room for Ice Cream! even if the promotions are these creepy kids eating their way out of ice cream traps that are worth of the '66 Batman TV show. yum! "Skumfidus" ??? yeah. . . nope!! (turns out skumfidus is the danish word for "Marshmallow". . . so disgusting in English, AND in Danish) taking a lap around the park to check out the areas we hadnt' been to (and to walk off the food). . . let's go past the wild mouse this time. . . a "Professor'. . . not sure, but at least not a creepy clown. Check out that tie he's got on tho. Grasshopper. . another spinny ride, that was a "nope" for me today, tho Doug & Hawk rode it later. as mentioned, tons of restaurants and cafes here in the park. including this dance hall. this was the first time I'd seen something like this, so snapped a pic - but I discovered all thruout the Scandinavian parks, dance halls are very popular . .. and this was the least crowded of any of them I'd see during the trip. the decor in here was "interesting" tho. . . ah.. . a dark ride haunt? yes please! it was carnival level, but also had a couple of really good animatronics, and at least two GREAT jump scares. I think I rode this 4-5 times. the park has a Nebulaz too. . . tho this was more my speed at the moment. . still full from so much food! a shooting dark ride? not quite. . more saddles with "guns" in front of a video screen, if I'm recalling correctly. I *think* the seats moved along with the action on the screen? but can't recall.. someone on the trip can clarify I hope. there was also a 5D theater . . . again, not a super clear memory, but I think we saw an Angry Birds 5D movie? LOVED the poster art all over the park.. so much history. unfortunately, not really a gift shop that sold any of this merch, tho they did have a puzzle of the grounds I think. not a Kangaroo (ala Kennywood) but a fun mini-bouncer. but note. . do not clim on the statue! some of the track from the "hidden" Mine Train Ulven more food options.. . .but past here the place really was more "park" than "amusement park".. .lots of folks having picnics and enjoying the grounds once you passed this bus. oh no! we happened to be walking by at "Clown time" GAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! scared the "pissoir" out of me the park has a smaller Air Race. . . that seemed to allow for some good flipping. Hawk about to get his flip on and Jonathan not super tall.. but tall enough to allow for some good winds. . and I really enjoyed the retro light fixtures. this wasn't operating today, but as near as I can tell, it was a "Dunk the clown" booth? and here's the park's one other coaster: Mariehønen (a zierer ladybug kiddie coaster) here are the credit whores riding it! and I honestly did NOT remember riding it. . tho many on the trip did. but here's proof that I did get on it and ride it too (hi, I'm bert, and can be peer pressured into being a credit whore too (sometimes)). here's that Grasshopper ride, with Doug & Hawk on it. yeah. . glad I passed on it. . . tho I did enjoy this rum fountain near the funhouse. I did a quick run over to guest services (where they sell the very limited Bakken merch) and tho no magnet, I did pick up a bottle opener/keychain, that I'll have to make into a magnet), and then we headed to the front of the park to meet the bus. Robb gathered us all for a picture. . . and then we headed out to the bus. . we had a ferry ride to Germany, and a decent drive ahead of us before we checked into the hotel (a very funky hotel) for the night. to be continued. . .

It still might take less time than SFSTL's carousel refurbishment.

oh. .and my park maps/brochures from the whole trip:

Day 4, June 6th part 2: Tvioli Gardens! since we were closeby (and it was included in our entry ticket), we decided to take a break and check out the Aquarium. its really just a big giant tank on the lower floor of the Auditorium, but yes, it's nice and cool down there and the fountains by the staircase were "interesting" as noted. . really just one big giant tank. but lovely. and across the way, a smaller tank. . with Piranha. (something every aquarium I went to in the 5 countries had. . guess the folks there like the little fanged suckers) they ARE rather cute we were getting hungry, and checking out the lunch options, it seemed the Tivoli food court (towards the front of the park) was the best option for our gang. . so we headed over that way. passing the Tivoli "trains". . .which I never actually got to ride! every time we passed the station for it, it was out driving around, and when they were at the station were too full. oh well, a reason to go back walking past that big building in the front. . what's this in the grass? a "roomba - mower" why yes it is! and it's themed as a Rabbit! OMG. . LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this. . . for food, I wanted to try a couple of things, so I got this fantastic roll from Let's Sushi (can't recall what was in it (looks like Tuna) but was SO good) as well as a curry and fried spring roll main. Not quite spicy enough for my taste, but still very flavorful and filling. full, fat, and happy, we headed back out into the park, and got this perfectly framed shot of the nightmare clown. . that showed up all over Denmark! and a white peacock. the cute Tivoli worker behind was just a happy coincidence I caught him in the pic.. I swear.. . SQUEEEEEE!!!! the little Rabbit Mower? it lives in a little version of the bigger place who's lawn it mows. OMG. . SO. DAMN. CUTE. even tho Jon is not a fan of heights, and even tho the small ferris wheel is on top of a building? we got him on it. so some pics from the ferris wheel. that Starflyer looks fun. . we'll get to that soon. but first. . . hadn't ridden the other Carousel yet! Jon braved it, but I was worried the small horses up here wouldn't hold me after lunch, so I rode "Bench" on the Carousel. Magic Mushrooms? I liked em, but learned last year not to buy something bulky to carry around towards the start of the trip (tho my pregnant Mermaid from Europa DID make it home safely) we headed back over to the fairy tale ride, as someone didn't like the photo taken, and wanted to get a good picture. having already ridden it 5-6 times, I sat down on a bench by Dæmonen and watched it cycle while they rode. I hadn't planned to ride the antique cars - tho the course was lovely, it was fairly short. and the cars looked like they were designed for the smaller set.. . but it was pointed out to me by someone (not recalling whom) that there's a photo op on the cars. . . and weeeeeell.. our ticket did include photo pass today. . and not much of a line.. so why not? the cars drive themselves, so no gas pedal, nor steering involved. the wonderfully themed Photo download kiosk. yes, I had asked where the camera was so I could pose. I call this: "Driving Miss Gay-zee" a look across the lake at the Haunt - that we were headed to shortly. . . and what I believe was a kid's funhouse? (not 100% as never went in there) along the way, we passed a lovely cul-du-sac with restaurants, and bathrooms, and this ornate birdcage in the middle. I heard all the chirping, but had to laugh when I realized that was all piped in, and the birds in the cage are fake. LOL.. no really. . some of them were hanging upside-down, as they had fallen off the branches they were nailed to. Funny. and then it was time for our visit to the Haunt! here we are all smiles in line. and about to be spooked (tho Jon didn't' get the memo to act scared. . .LOL) Tivoli won an award from a Theme Park place for the Villa Vendetta attraction! and to be honest? it's pretty amazing and detailed inside. . really liked it what I didn't care for is that they make you go thru in groups of 6-8 as a Conga Line. . .hands on the person in front of you. i tend not to "jump scare" so I didn't' mind going first. . .but I do wish that we could have gone thru separately and at a slower pace to enjoy the details. (but again, I realize most people are awful, and that's probably why the conga line - to make sure guests don't touch the staging) they give you a cute video back/forth at the end of the visit tho. KTKD6493.MP4 after that? time for Ice Cream! yummmm (and to be fair, we had bumped into Erik and Misty. . so great excuse to have Ice Cream) and then back to the Fairy tale ride - which I did ride again. and for the first time noticed the "odd" placement of one of the 'glowing (family) jewels' out front I had mentioned to Erik that the Cars had a photo op, and it was a lovely course. . so he and I rode it, as it was a walk on. (pics from big Mike, I think) and I attempted to go back to the Carousel by the Condor.. but it was closed (the "kiddie" rides shut down at 7 so I took solace in taking some pics of the teeny-tiny animals I hadn't noticed earlier that are for the real tiny kiddos. (and we also rode the kiddie coaster, Kamelen (Camel) while we were over here as that was still open) proof that I rode Minen again.. .LOL. . I seriously don't' remember anything about it! what were we shooting at? tho more "magic wand" (or Sonic Screwdriver) than "shooting apparatus" back to Rutschebanen again. . told ya, I rode it a lot I swear. .it's so damn cool to ride a coaster that's been operating for over a 100 years, and has a manual Brakeman. I can't recall whom, but we bumped into someone who hadn't eaten yet, so we went with them back to the Food Court, and I stopped before going with them to watch part of the Pantomime show that was going on this evening. something to do with a Statue that when "wound up" stabs people (or at least hits them on the head with his sword). . very "slapstick" after food, we headed over to the Starflyer. . intending to hit the rides we hadn't done yet, and get another ride on Mælkevejen - which you get a great view of from the Starflyer queue. sadly, that was not to be, as it valleyed just after I took this picture. so instead, we headed over to the Air Race - which I had been avoiding, as every other flat had been running INSANE programs here at Tivoli Gardens, and I really didn't want to get sick to end the night. But it was right there (also on top of a building, across from the starflyer), so we headed up and got a somewhat mild ride on it to close out the night. somewhat mild, for an Air Race I suppose.. LOL. . . it's 10pm here, and the park is closing down. . but look how bright it still is! at least can see some of the lights a bit. and with that we headed back to the hotel, for showers, and resting, and packing. . as tomorrow? We were headed to Bakken, followed by a Ferry Ride to Germany!