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Part 11 A Most Unusual Day: Skara Sommarland This may be the strangest day of the TPR Scandinavia Trip for two reasons: One of the group, Barry, had to spend some time in a Swedish hospital after getting an enormous splinter in his foot at the park's wake-boarding attraction. Tranan, a notoriously unreliable S&S Free Fly coaster, ran pretty much all day while other, simpler attractions broke down frequently. Did I say "splinter"? From what I understand, Barry impaled his foot on a huge piece of the wake-boarding pier. He rode in an ambulance to a hospital in another town, accompanied by Colin, one of his trip mates, and caught up with the group in Stockholm by train after being released. Barry and Colin were both real troupers during and after this incident; Barry was able to get around the rest on the trip using crutches and wheelchairs and the help of other TPR folks. As for Tranan, it's fun but very weird as you cruise over, under, and beside the track. ERT on this ride, and on the park's bizarrely named new bumper cars, Badrings Bumpers (the park's webiste also refers to them as "Swimming Ring Bumpers"), went well. But other rides were having issues. For example, Robb and some of the group got stuck midcourse on the park's spinning mouse. A technician rode up on a bicycle, reset the ride (which resumed operating), then rode off again. The ops sent the next car full of riders, which got stuck in exactly the same place. Newton, the park's flume ride with cute little whale-shaped boats, also kept breaking down. Even the deck outside the restaurant where the group had lunch had some technical issues. Seating inside was limited, and it was a rather hot day (especially for Sweden). Fortunately, awnings provided shade for many of the tables. The staff extended the awnings, which work with electric motors controlled inside the building. At the table where I and some others were waiting, the awning extended, then slowly retracted, leaving us in the blazing sun. They tried three or four times to get the awning to stay in place; each time, it retracted. Finally, they let us eat inside. Good lunch, as I recall. Well, we did grab some ice cream before we left--yay! On to Stockholm! Skara is a popular campground with a surfing-beach-themed water park. So maybe this should be "Valkommen-a-bunga." Would you trust these birds on Tranan? Looks like they may have smoked some weed this morning. "Er, these birds look a little stoned. Is this a good idea?" "I'm sure it will be . . . fine." Lord, what the hell is happening? The bird is upside-down? How is this even possible? This ride provides a different sensation than any other coaster I've ever ridden. It is, indeed, unique. You feel really exposed on these very open trains, and you're held in by nothing more than a rather funky seatbelt. I think it's fun but just really weird. What has this bird been drinking, and where can we get some? Tranan can have strange effects on people. (I think this is an Andy or AJ photo.) The theming of the new bumper cars is rather . . . interesting. Lots of manspreading here. "I can see everyone's crotch, which fills me with joy." Thank god my shorts held up! (Photo by Elissa, I think.) Time for a manly lunch on a Manly Beach. This weird snake ride used to be at Grona Lund (the same people own Skara). I'm sure Robb got some interesting footage. "We broke the ride! I can't wait to post the POV!" This is as close as Eric and I got to riding Newton. I know there's some ice cream around here somewhere. But where could it be? Goodbye, Tranan! See ya around, Snake! Catch you later, Karp Pond!

Hawk and Doug had split off to find food, and Big Mike was wandering, so I headed down to 3 where there was a lecture about LGBTQ (didn't stay to listen to it, but there were some exhibits on the topic sprinkled around this floor. the exhibits on floor 1 are exhibitions from the artist: Annette Messager - called "Desirs desordonnes" (Disordered desires) creepy! in the trip chat, some of the others had posted not to miss the basement because it was very strange (I think perhaps that was Andy or Steve). . and I had thought they were talking about this exhibit, which was rather Fv@ked up. . . imagine my surprise when I went down to the zero level for a winding batch of rooms in a Permanent Installation that would give Meow Wolf a run for it's money! very retro room. . a fully stocked dorm/apartment. . . complete with a stocked mini-mart and down another hallway, this creepy very Japanese room. . that had a perpetual rainstorm going on. . .complete with lightning, rain falling on the windows, and dripping water into buckets. So freaking cool. and an endless stairwell. . .reflecting into infinity. another retro room.. . complete with accessories one could interact with. and a room that just had a giant, glowing, vibrator in the center of it. which, honestly, was a bit mesmerizing! a quick perusal of the gift shop. . where I picked up this magnet: and then we were on our way. I stopped and asked a guard the directions to Aarhus Domkirke (the well known Cathedral), and she assured us it's an easy walk, up some of the beautiful canals. . . so with her directions, big Mike and I headed out on foot to check out the Cathedral (and the close to it Viking Museum, and Museum of Gender - if either were still open). to her credit, it WAS a lovely walk. . and past the university and entertainment area. . . so lots and lots of folks out and about (we even passed Doug & Hawk eating in a cafe and said hello as we walked by) so many interesting stores here! ' is it a clothing store? or a shoe store? or a nudist colony money laundering front? I'm confused! around the corner was the Cathedral. . . it really is beautiful. . especially in the late afternoon. didn't stick around to take too many pics of this statue, as behind it, there were probably 5 guys pissing on those trees. so . . yeah. . .kept to this side of the statue a look around the "square" where the Cathedral is in the center. . I thought this was the Viking Museum. . . sadly was closed (they closed at 6 I think).. but looking at the pics, perhaps it's a theater? they seem to be advertising some shows (King Lear) the Gender Studies museum was also closed. . but they had this interactive display out front encouraging you to see if you fit in the gender shape. for "Male". . check! for Female: Also "Check". . if I tuck shame they were closed, but we decided to wander up the side streets to the port area, and just enjoy the scenery. Charlie Brown in Lucy's dress. . . awesome! a big building by the port. . perhaps an amphitheater for music/shows? and I had seen this graffiti on flyers around town. . . so I think it might be a well known one (or artist). . but it was kinda neat, so snapped a pic of it. and at this point, my feet were hurting. . so I said to Big Mike, "I'm gonna flag down a cab, and cab it back to the hotel". . . so we did, and had a nice driver who told us all about the city while taking us back to the zleep in. . . where I crashed hard from a full day. but was excited, as tomorrow was Djurs Sommerland. . . a park I had very much been looking forwards to. I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep due to the excitement, but I was out immediately (and probably kept AJ up with snoring, since I was so exhausted). hope you've enjoyed this update!

Day 7, June 9th part 2 (of 3): afternoon/evening: How about some Culture? the group I had ended up closing out Tivoli Friedhen with wasn't he only group that also wanted to check out some of the stuff in Aarhus - in particular the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum (which was open until 9pm). but i think we might be the only group that looked at a map, said "nope, that's too far to walk" and Uber-ed it not exactly sure what this building was across the street from the museum, but I thought the architecture was interesting, and so snapped a couple of pics. here is the main entrance to ARoS. . . with a glimpse of the permanent installation on the roof, that made this a "must stop" when I was in town: "Your Rainbow Panorama" by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson. once up the long steps into the main entrance to the museum, one is greeted by this stunning circular staircase - very reminiscent of the Guggenheim in Manhattan. I didn't check, but would venture a guess that this museum is by the same designer. In addition to the "rainbow bridge" installation, what sold the museum for me, was this special exhibit that took the entire 5th floor. basically Propaganda Images as seen thru the lens of Pop Art. as a huge fan of Pop Art, I was very excited for this (and as a comics fan, seeing characters I know in the art is a huge burst of excitement). but first we were headed to the roof (at the recommendation of the security guard by the elevator, who VERY RIGHTLY pointed out that the "Your Rainbow Panorama" gets very humid as it absorbs the sun, so do that one first and then enjoy the rest of the cooler museum. up on the top floor, this installation is very, very cool. it's a 150 metre long circular walkway that gives fantastic views of the city, thru panels that are shaded in the colors of the rainbow. looking out thru the one clear panel, at the walkway around the roof. this is construction for a new wing of the museum. . I believe they said it's going to be a planetarium. this pic is courtesy of Andy - who had walked to the museum with his group and was out on the roof itself taking pictures of the city and the port. He saw me in the exhibit and waved and took a pic it really was rather hot in the artwork, so I stepped down to the roof, proper, to get some pics of the city. and some birds, just hanging out. it really is a lovely city. . with lots and lots of really neat architecture. I really love how with the correct angle of the sun, the rainbow from the installation shows up on the surrounding buildings. floor 10 done, we went to Floor 8, for the "Human Nature" works from the museum collection: very very interesting. . a tree made from leaves pressed between panes of glass then hung as a mobile. that this neon is in a museum made me giggle. . .I think most everyone snapped a pic of this. we then headed down to floor 6, titled "Far From Home II" more works from the museum collection - including the piece that the museum is most well known for: Boy - by Australian artist Ron Mueck this is a huge, and VERY realistic sculpture, and has an entire space (mirrored) in the gallery to itself. down on this floor was more my type of "pop art" stuff, and I started taking more pictures - tho not as many as I'd take of the actual Propoganda as Pop Art on level 5 regardless, I didn't understand this one at all. . but I found it beautiful and disturbing at the same time. and I just adored this 5 pic sculpture progression of "Melt" they even had one piece of Proper "Pop Art" on display up here, using Jack Kirby Panels from Captain America. not quite as successful as what Lichetenstein was doing with the comic panels. . but I do like it. . . then going down to the main Exhibit I was interested in, the very first thing greeted by is a huge canvas titled "Fucky-Strike Bureau of propoganda". .and I already knew I was gonna love this exhibit, and spend more time here than Doug, Hawk, or Big Mike cared to (I was correct. . eventually Doug and Hawk split off to get food and Big Mike hung in there with me to finish the museum and do a few other things). this multimedia piece against stark walls, in a dead end - was very much like watching a classic Nine Inch Nails video. fantastic. . as a temporary exhibition they didn't really have any magnets avail with these (only some prints). lucky me, as I saved a ton of $$. (no wall space for prints unless I simply MUST have them. . and was able to pass on these, as much a I loved some of them) hey. . I recognize that Chipmunk with Santa! seriously. . all of these are just amazing. (and full of easter eggs for a comic book/ comic strip nerd like myself) this was one of my favorite pieces, mixing war with the Kama Sutra. . . I have the original pic, but for sharing here, I've edited. HUGE multi panel mural. . featuring many comic book character likenesses blended in I'll say again. . luckily I dont' have much wall space (and wasn't gonna spend a bunch of $$ on prints to schlep around for the rest of the trip). . so I just enjoyed here and took lots of pics heavy R. Crumb influence/borrowing in these. . . even the Powerpuff Girls showed up! to be concluded. . .

Day 7, June 9th part 1: Tivoli Friheden. getting up early, I took advantage of the nearby Starbucks machine in the gas station and walked over to get coffee, snapping a pic of the front of our hotel. (it looks like an office building outside too. . . . I liked it, very no frills, but comfortable) ok.. NOW I'm ready for the day. I was psyching myself up. why? you'll see. very quiet in the morning in Arhus . . with a lovely church closeby - tho the one time I tried to go take some pics of it, as Big Mike and I got closer to it, we discovered that there was a Casket being unloaded and seemed tacky to take pics during a funeral. (I think I might have some closer shots of it on another day tho). walking back to the Hotel, to get ready for the bus this morning. . we were headed to a smaller park today, Tivoli Friheden, in Arhus Denmark. the "big" reason we were coming here? that tower in the background of the prior pic, and this one below. the last operating SCAD tower in the world. SCAD = Suspended Catch Air Device Tower. and I'm terrified of Heights. yeah. hence the need for coffee this morning. for a smaller park, they do have a lot of rides, tho other than the SCAD tower, nothing really "extreme". . more family thrill stuff. very cute logo tho. Us, along with some school kids (I think?) got entry early and we headed directly for the tower. passing a very nice two tier carousel and a decent ferris wheel. for some reason the Pizza place (called PIT.sa - yeah. .I dunno, but it works, LOL) had Carousel Horses on it's sign. Wasn't super crowded when we went there to eat lunch later. A surprise, as the park was full of school kids. but it made for a nice quiet meal later. Standing at the base of the tower, I started to have some doubts. not everyone was going to ride it.. so there was no shame in backing out. But I had PROMISED myself that I was going to do things I'd be scared to do. My spouse dying suddenly showed me life is short, and there are no guarantees. . so I was determined to ride it - if I could. you see, they have a weight limit - minimum AND a maximum. and they put you on a scale to make sure you fall in that range. I had an out if I was too heavy. . but I actually was a good amount below the top weight. . so I was gonna force myself. tho probably shouldn't have watched the first couple of folks go. . . . when it was my turn, we got suited up - complete with a hard "shell" attached to our backs. here's Steve and I. . . yeah. . look how "confident" I am. (think these pics are courtesy of AJ ?) then they put you into a tiny elevator, and bring you all the way up to the top. here's Jon watching us up there.. he stayed on the ground. smart man. thanks to Elissa (this video) and Robb (the next video). . . my turn is documented from the bottom of the tower, and the top. yes. . I'm quiet. I honestly, was too terrified to scream. I think some folks lost money, if they bet I was gonna be loud. VNSD3606.MOV GEGI8065.MOV but I did it.. my legs were shaky, but I managed to "gracefully" get out of the net at the bottom. and was shocked that I did it. and then immediately broke down crying the moment I had all the gear off. . . . yeah. but I DID it! once i got myself all composed again? I rewarded myself with Ice Cream while watching everyone else who wanted to go, take a turn (the elevator only carries 5-6 people at a time, so it was small groups). and then we were given lunch vouchers, and let loose to do what we wished in the park. as not a huge park, with no really extreme coasters, it was an excellent opportunity to spend just half a day here, and then take in some local sights/museums. . as there are lovely canals and architecture here in the city. this is one of the 3 coasters in the park: Tyfonen - a spinning wild mouse. (or is it called Spiseriet ? I didn't see the Tyfonen naming on the outside of this ride) (the park used to have a Suspended looping coaster - extreme - but after some injuries / deaths, the park removed it last year. . tho the ride pad is still there, now with some "jumping" playground stuff there. and they did just announce a decent sized new coaster will be coming in 2024. . I'd assume in that spot) Here's Jonathan, myself and Ian after we finished spinning. . pic, I think, courtesy of Jon? you are EVIL. . I did you once. . never again. . . . well. . not in the same way, I guess. . . Somehow I didn't get a pic of the outside of this ride, but it just cracked me up. at one point it clearly was a haunted house ride thru. then they apparently decided to make it like Resident Evil with Zombies among the haunted house. . oh, and make it a shooting ride. in 3D - which didn't work that well (think un-maintained Six Flags Level). I mean, if you're going to SHOOT, might as well be fully immersive and make the riders cops. well. . we can slap "Police" on the side of the ride vehicle.. that makes it fully immersive, right? it was so hysterically awful. . with the vast majority of the 4 3D screens being blurry messes, even with the glasses on - that made everything else so dark, so the remaining practical effects that were NOT part of the shooting became really hard to see. and for some reason the "scorboard" at the load station, not at the exit. very pointless. . but funny to ride (once) for the "what the F did I just ride?" quality. I mean. . look at the front of that vehicle. It's a POLICE CAR, I tell ya!!! this is another of the rides I forced myself to get on. . I was terrified of it, and this is really the only other "thrill ride" in the park. heck..it's in the park logo, showing it going almost upside-down with free spinning seats. But I took a deep breath and got on it. and it ran a SUPER gentle program. these pics are really as high as it went, and the seats did not free spin (I asked the op about it when he was uncuffing us, and he said the seats hadn't flipped in a while, they stopped doing that). I have to wonder if it ran a more gentle program because of all the kids here today for the school event? so I rode it, but then was a little embarrassed I had been afraid of it. they also have a smallish drop tower next door. . but I skipped that, having had enough "freefall" today. a low to the ground air-race (not Zamperla tho). . got some of the TPR folks excited. . and David (and Jonathan) had the kids in awe by how much flipping they got during their cycle. . . tho if I recall, the operator cut the cycle a little short to protect the record that someone had on the flips for the year. and yes... with only 3 coasters, I rode all 3. here's Dragen - the park's wacky worm. . that went around, I think, five times? All I recall is the transitions weren't super smooth and I was ready for it to stop, and we kept going!! something that got repeated on the park's 3rd coaster: Bisværmen (Bee Swarm) - a spinning coaster. look at me. .all smiles. Happy we're riding a spinning coaster BEFORE we eat lunch. not super intense..but it spun, a LOT. and we were unbalanced, because of the two kids on the back of our car. who BEGGED the operator to send us thru on another cycle (after it had gone around 4 times in the 1st cycle). . so she did. yeah. .8 laps was a lot of spinning. but was fun, I'll admit. even tho we knew we were having Pizza Buffets at the next two parks.. . the Pizza place really did look to be the best choice - it was quiet, and the food looked decent. so here was lunch: complete with yet another of the same scary clown. I guess he must be a famous "clown type" in Denmark. at least he was in Black and White and not with a blood red mouth this time! right next to the Pizza place was the Ferris Wheel. . so that seemed to be a good place to go next - a calm ride. with an animatronic George Ferris in the queue. do I know why? no, I don't. Was George Ferris Danish? Myself, Hawk, Doug, and Big Mike riding the wheel wait wait wait.. .what is that coming off the tower?? is that a zip line??? Oh, HELL no. but it doesn't LOOK like a zip-line. . it looks like they are riding a bike? and it spins as it goes up? hmmmmmmmm and oh. . look how close we are to the Carousel! I know what I'm doing next overlooking more of the park. . there's a whole other section (more park, with only some smaller rides) on the left - that my pic of came out blurry) I was proud of myself for waiting, but now it was time for carousel. and as I got closer to it, I saw it really was an older carousel that was very well maintained, rather than a newer version with plastic figures. there were no other takers - you can see the operator just hanging out on the horse. he was amused the grown men wanted to ride. of course, we headed upstairs to the upper deck where Hawk and Doug rode in a suspended "balloon" over the lower deck and myself and Big Mike rode in Separate "tubs" some really nice design work up here. . even if the color palate was a bit ugly (too much repainting, I think) but as usual. . in my happy place. and I got to be a 4 year old, giggling at how the flower above me looks kinda like a butt-hole. tee-hee I have ZERO memory of this. . but apparently Tivoli Friheden has a shooting "theater" type attraction and Big Mike won, and was "Legendary!" from our die on "Neon Ninja" I was only "Awesome!" this I DO recall.. it was an "Illusions" house, that also was a fun house. not as good as the ship themed one at Bakken (or the one that tried to kill me later at Grona Lund). . but I liked it. remember that "Zip Line" thing that was attached to the SCAD Tower? well, it turned out it was an upcharge (something insane like only $3.50 per ticket) to ride this spinning "bike" thing up to the top of the tower. you had to have two people to ride, so Hawk volunteered to go with me, and I again - fear of heights and all - headed back up to the top of the tower. here we are looking all Motorcycle-y badass as we're about to launch into space and by "launch". . I mean, slowly get pulleyed up to the top of the tower. they dont' wanna take ANY chances on things (or you) falling off the "bike". . so well secured with belts and chains (oh Daddy!) and NO loose articles allowed. I'm King of the World, Hawk!!!! whee.. . ' tho fear of heights, I really wasn't scared here, because we were so well secured in. in this pic you get a good view of the tiny elevator they bring you to the top of the SCAD tower in. and then I discovered we could spin via the "steering wheel" yeah, we still look like we're sitting on a flying toilet, but at least it made it a bit more fun. whee! after the fun, a few folks wanted to ride the swings, and Big Mike wanted to do bumper cars. I just wanted to sit.. so plopped down for a cycle on "Bench: the Ride" and took some pics of them enjoying. love the look this woman shoots Big Mike when she realizes she's got an American driver right behind her. . .LOL and he's pretty aggressive in the bumper cars.. . going after folks to ram them! oh. .I have to *thank* Big Mike for these pics of me from the Funhouse. whee. . . .? (THIS one is a posed pic. . I wasn't about to go down this damn slide after falling in the barrel) enough rides we decided to head over to the "garden" side of the park. there are a lot of "questionable" art installations over here, and the park was really starting to get crowded as it got into the afternoon. (turns out there's a weekly concert at the park, and they have been getting really big crowds for each concert). I asked who was playing, and was told just someone local, but everyone comes out to enjoy the music and fill the park. one of those art installations: some of the stages set up for the concert (and a playground in the back) a kiddie bumper cars is over here as is a kiddie plane ride. and further back is a lake with swan boats. and oh. . and obstacle course - which didn't open until the afternoon, so I think most of the TPR folks who love this kind of thing, missed it, as it was closed earlier. it's a pretty long course too. . as you can see here, it goes over the lake on rope bridges. it was open. . there's a kid on the platform up top (just behind the grey support on the left) and here's one of the bands that was playing. .they sounded pretty good from what we heard. really loved these deco light fixtures. . after checking the times of the Museum in downtown - and really was excited and wanted to go by the museum tonight - I believe we headed out from Tivoli Friheden around 3:30 pm. . as more and more people poured into the park. a look at the bike parking, as we went around the corner to the Taxi/Lyft/Uber stand.. yah. .was getting busy. and with that, we grabbed an Uber, and headed to the Arhus Museum to check it out, as they were open for a few hours still. to be continued. . .

Was in the park today. While the top of the mountain was closed (Ninja, Superman, Magic Mover--and they often close those rides as they prep for Fright Fest), the only other closed rides today were Apocalypse, JL, and Crazanity. Everything else was open, even Roaring Rapids, Jet Stream, Riddler, Goliath, Drop of Doom, and all the flat rides. Although the app said some rides were closed that were actually open. Also saw all the walls are now up for the Saw maze, as well as large boards for a possible facade. And nearly all the scare zone props are out.

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. .

Hi all, It has been a minute since my last post here, however I came across the news earlier today that Eric Long (EBL) passed away a few months ago. I did not see it here nor anywhere else in the community and felt that it deserved to be mentioned. At one time he had been very active here during the early days of the forum, though he had not posted here for several years. However, for us "old timers" around Southern California there is a good chance that you knew Eric. He had been active in the rollercoaster community and on message boards going back to at least the late 90's. He was also a fixture for a long time at local events. I know he was very involved in the Socal chapter of ACE and would often attend their functions as well. I had met him several times for ride openings and other events and had spoken to him many times online. He was always a very nice guy who was happy to chat about theme parks and rollercoasters. He will be missed!