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Day 2 concluded: a trip to the Olympic Green Stacy has a great sense of direction, so i wasn't worried about getting lost. and we ended up with a small group that she led on the subway to the Olympic Green it's a very large park area, that's home to several well known sites from the Beijing Olympics: the Birds Nest (Beijing National Stadium), the Water Cube (Beijing National Aquatics Stadium), the Fan (Beijing National Indoor Stadium) , the Speed Skating Oval, the Fields, and the Promenade - home to the Olympic Tower and the Beijing Olympic TV tower. I liked that you could watch the operator of the train at the front of the car, if you chose to do so. stepping out of the Metro station onto the Promenade one of the multiple Olympic Mascots for the 2008 & 2022 Beijing Olympics. the tower in the back is the Olympic Tower (which you can go up to the observation levels) and the closer one is the Ling Long Pagoda (Olympic TV tower) that was used for Broadcasting here's the "Birds Nest". . .it just looks incredible at night and the "Water Cube" - also amazing. . tho now home to car/truck ads on the outside. thanks to Andy for these wonderful pics of the group of us that went to the Olympic Green this night. LOL. . we were trying to do "rings" and now attempting the Olympic Rings. hey. . it was an attempt! loved this sculpture in front of the Water Cube some Winter Olympics Mascot the base of the Ling Long Pagoda is home to a giant "Friendship Store".. . we didn't go in, but seemed to offer a lot of Russian themed things looking at the Bird's Nest from the Field next door (where the outdoor events were held) the Olympic Torch from across the field Anth and I sitting, while others with more energy walked to the Olympic Torch. (I was saving my steps for the Olympic Tower) here's "the Fan" . . where all the gymnastics were held not sure what this one is. . but it was all lit up, so must have been used for something (perhaps the Tennis Center?) walking the Promenade down to the Olympic Tower wasn't too expensive to go up. . and we walked all the way here, no way was I NOT going up. some of the floors have glass panels up here. . . oh my! gahhh!!!! incredible views up here. that blue blur is the speed skating stadium. . the lights on it are amazing. oh wait, that building next to it is the Tennis Stadium a bit overcast / pollution. . but great views of Beijing at night from here Birds Nest and fields on the left straight ahead, Water Cube and the Fan on the right, with convention center next to it. time to say goodbye and head back. . it had been a very long day, lots of steps. and the metro would take us about an hour to get back. it was a little busy, but once we got to the Universal Line? it was a TPR Train Takeover! the metro station at Universal was pretty neon. some folks rushed to get a last drink before everything shut down for the night, but Stacy and I were exhausted. . so one quick stop to ride the "Snail" sculpture in front of Dogfish at City Walk (thanks Sara for the pic!), and then it was back to the hotel for me. signing off with a great pic of Birds Nest from Andy that he shared with the group. he's such a great photographer! back in the room, a shower, and then collapsed into bed and out immediately. tomorrow was another packed day: Most of it would be spent at Happy Valley Beijing, but then some of us were gonna head to Tiananmen Square as our guide had managed to get us tickets to go tomorrow. but for now? sleep! hope you've enjoyed following along. SO MUCH MORE to come in future weeks.

Särkänniemi has announced the addition of a new family coaster, Konect which will open at the park in the summer of 2026. The park's largest investment of the decade will be longest family coaster Vekoma has built in Europe and among the tallest family coasters of its type. https://sarkanniemi.fi/en/rides/konect Konect is a tribute to Tampere, to courage, and to shared moments Tampere. A city that has always moved boldly forward. The clatter of hooves turned into the chug of steam locomotives. The hum of Nysse buses became the ringing of the tram. Now something new is appearing on the horizon: a track that makes traveling together more memorable than ever. The adventure begins, of course, at the world’s center of joy, Särkänniemi. Along the way you will see world class landmarks: the sky reaching Näsinneula tower and Lake Näsijärvi stretching into the distance, and of course the whole of Särkänniemi. The ride itself is the finishing touch: Konect brings together the youngest and the oldest, the bravest and the calmest, because the best journey is created when it is shared. Särkänniemi’s largest investment of the decade, the family roller coaster named Konect, will open for summer 2026. This unique coaster has been designed specifically for Särkänniemi, so there is nothing quite like it anywhere else. Konect is the first major roller coaster in Finland that riders as short as 100 cm can enjoy with an adult. Without an adult, riders must be over 120 cm tall. The track, more than half a kilometer long, will run above the amusement park area, partly skimming right along the shoreline of Lake Näsijärvi. The coaster will spread across the Troika, X, and Tyrsky areas, significantly changing the park’s skyline. Konect will be the longest family roller coaster Vekoma has ever built in Europe. It will also be the highest rising family coaster in its class. This wonderful family roller coaster has been designed for a very wide audience, as even a 100 cm tall child can ride with an adult. The goal is to offer shared experiences and joy for larger groups as well, with just the right amount of thrilling fun for small children, teenagers, adults, and grandparents alike. Family Rides Minimum height limit with an adult - 100 cm Minimum height limit alone - 120 cm Top speed - 68 km / h Track length - 525 m Highest point - 27 m

yup. . look at Day 1. . . Raclette was day one.

Day 2 part 2: back on the bus, we were headed to lunch. This would be the first of many group meals we were gonna have on this trip (a change from many prior TPR trips I'd been on, in that we only had a couple of group meals. . . on this trip there would be many of them, mostly in office buildings that were set up to handle tour group style trips). I honestly really enjoyed these "lazy susan" meals. There were always lots of options, at various levels of "spice". . and if we wanted to go off and have truly specific types of Chinese food, we could always get a meal in the evenings. but these lazy susan meals were perfect in that there was always something that somebody liked to eat in the options. here is where our first group meal was pretty neat design on the building, I thought. Didn't get a pic before we all dived in. . but here's my one attempt at the main food on the table. I DID remember to take a picture of my plate. the winner here was that Bok Choy/ Chinese Cabbage, which I loved, and seemed to be on most lazy susan dinners. so I was glad I discovered I loved it early in the trip wasn't a fan of these dumplings, but I tried almost everything on the entire trip. (there was really only one thing I refused to try, and I'll get to that in Hong Kong (eventually)) the surprise in this first meal is that Elissa and the guide arranged for us to have true Peking Duck in China! the Chef wheeled it into the room and sliced it thin, right behind us here were the thin pancakes and the veggies that you are supposed to put on the strips of duck to eat them. to be honest, I didn't really care for it. oh, it was good, but a bit too fatty for my tastes. . . not to worry tho, as the Chef left the room and came back in with these two that he called "the Sisters" and these two were gloriously crispy and made up for anything I thought the first duck lacked in terms of texture. I absolutely adored this, and was only a bit sad that it came at the end of the meal and I was already pretty full. but the crispy duck was so, so good. Jonathan's pic of our happy table, most chewing food during pic. . LOL after the meal, and the culture, it was time for the theme park we were gonna go to today. a traditional Chinese park. very large, very spread out, and containing lots of individual rides, that were owned and operated by many different people. Sun Park. these were the "main gates" as far as I could tell. . . the park wasn't enclosed, and entry was really available from anywhere. it's a lovely setting. . tho so big, it really felt like we were the only ones in the park. Tho we did draw a crowd when we rode the Tagada as a group as we walked into the park from the lot, we spotted a star flyer, so I knew we were in the right spot (not that I don't trust Robb & Elissa to take us to great places regardless). this park is home to (supposedly) six operating coasters, and a couple of SBNO ones. we were gonna see what would operate for us, as it truly was a little hard to tell what was running and what had been abandoned. . . overall view of this large park. this was the first coaster we came too: Happy Journey Cars. there didn't really seem to be anyone around, but an operator came over, and spoke with Robb/Elissa, and they took a headcount on who wanted to ride, and the operator agreed to let adults ride, as long as it was only 1 per side. they looked like "spinning" cars, but they seemed to slowly rotate only once on the ride. it wasn't much of a layout, and to ME, this is a kiddie coaster. as I don't count credits, and don't tend to ride straight out kiddie coasters, I passed on this and just took pics as others rode. hey, it's got lions (for some reason) and Giraffes Anth was enjoying it. so were Steven, Colin, and Chris Johnathan was terrified, but Daniel is having a blast as were Colin and Adam Andy also took pics. as noted, the park seemed pretty empty on a Tuesday afternoon. . . this is the operator's wife, if I'm not mistaken, watching him run it for TPR. "Space Journey". . no idea what it was at one point, but it seemed to be abandoned now. this mini flume seemed to be likewise closed. . but I did see it running later that afternoon for a customer. oooo. . a wild mouse. well, actually this is "Jungle Mouse" and it has been sitting here SBNO (Standing But Not Operating) since 2023. so we weren't gonna get to ride this today. I think these had operators in case anyone wanted to ride, but no customers when we walked by. the large flume didn't quite look abandoned, but it didn't have any water or people around it either. so another no-go this is the largest coaster in the park, and tho it too, looked abandoned? there were people who appeared to be there to operate it if there were any takers. this is "Flying Coaster". . . tho it seemed to have a couple of different names, and is a Moto Coaster (underneath it was a tiny 4D theater experience called "Tsunami" that was operated by the same owner. . but passed on that as it did not look like a good time) yeah.. they were drying laundry in between the coaster track, so the exit was closed to keep people from going out that way) but it's a moto coaster. they fired it up for us, and I don't recall them even testing it - they just opened it up, and then discussed (a lot) about restraints while they decided if it was gonna kill us or not - I assume. LOL they only loaded up the front half of the train. . . but here we are smiling. (this was before anyone had ridden it, we were the first riders of the day apparently.. . possibly the month?) I mean, it LOOKED like it might be decent. I was thinking Pony Express at Knotts sorta and you ride it kinda like "Tron" style. here's Hawk & Dove, and Daniel and Elissa all smiles on the ride after ours. yeah..I felt for them. it was . . . um. . . . not good. for a ride with mainly Helixes? the transitions are rough, and it was really shaky. . but it IS a large coaster, and looks good. I will admit, being off ride for this run? the groans and grunts as the train passed over us WAS pretty funny. yeah. .that smiling Daniel pic from the launch? I caught him after the ride before he saw the camera and smiled. LOL. . true feelings on the ride two down. . apparently 4 to go! let's try to find them. I was tempted by this, but we were on a mission as a group, and since this isn't a pay one fee park, we had to stay together as Elissa was paying each operator for rides. so didn't even attempt to ride this tho it was running. I was impressed with how much signage they have in the park. and how most of it has English as well. next coaster found (also a kiddie, so I didn't ride this one either): Fruit Worm Coaster but most of the folks on this trip lined up to ride it interesting Seashell themed Tilt a Whirl next door, that looked to be in pieces. wow. .this is a FUNKY transition here. . . John and Bill enjoying the ride with Colin, Adam, and Andy bringing up the rear there were several of these in the park at different locations. . and none of them seemed to be operating. maybe they are busier on a weekend? but some folks were out fishing in the lakes not "Free Willy" but "Free Whale".. a kiddie whale themed swinging ship. that looked like it was about to fall apart, but DID have an operator standing by to run it if asked! coaster #4 was also a kiddie coaster: "Rainbow Children Coaster" tho honestly, it was more of a family coaster thank a kiddie and I should have ridden. but I was feeling a little shook from the Moto Coaster full, so passed on this one too. it had some interesting theming: with a monkey on the front (sharing it's Banana with Steve) I think I had a stroke reading this sign. . .LOL as a tourist, I made sure to read the notice before participating! there were several small trains I saw in this park. . all adorable, but none of them operating today the Carousel was a double decker set up to run in opposite directions (as this was the first one I'd seen "in the wild" in China, I didn't realize that the double decker, running in opposite directions - tho only one side at a time - was pretty standard in China). it sadly looked like it hadn't operated in a long while, tho it seemed to be in pretty good condition. saw this "game" at a lot of places. . . children "fishing" for gold fish. cute. it was getting late in the afternoon and the park was closing down, but we still had two potential coasters if we could find them. first a potty break tho. so yeah, another toilet pic at the big pavilion in the center of the park, there seemed to be a photo shoot going on for wedding planners. with lots of "brides" and "grooms" Robb found out where the last coaster was (the other one was not operating) and we headed over there, bypassing this Tagada. which was running - and we did end up going back as a group and riding after Robb/Elissa slipped the operator some cash to open up for us after close time. so I got to ride my first Tagada on this trip. it ran a really gentle cycle, but was perfect for my first one. and as noted earlier, we drew quite the crowd who came over to watch the "ghosts" ride this is the coaster that was "new" and not in operation. "Crazy Skateboard" apparently replacing the ride that had been there - seemingly the exact same model, also called "Crazy Skateboard" note the workmen on the lift hill. .they were not only painting, but *welding*.. . but with encouragement, Robb and Elissa went and talked to them and there was some discussion on if they could open it up for riders. (RCDB still listed it as not open/unknown) across from it was the last coaster in the park: "Space Scooter" - that one had already shut down for the day, but when they saw the crowd around the Crazy Skateboard while Robb and Elissa talked to them, the operator offered to open it up for us, if TPR wanted to ride. so they started testing it again. the Star Flyer also seemed to open back up. . tho we didn't ride it, several of the models from the wedding photoshoot did come over and ride. "Space Scooter" testing and with TPR on it! as mentioned. . Star Flyer now going too. . which started to draw some folks over to this part of the park. Robb and Elissa had worked their magic, and the coaster guys agreed to run Crazy Skateboard for us.. .and started testing it. the cars weren't set up to "spin" yet, so it was a non spinning coaster, but they tested it, and then gave the OK. notice our tour guide Paul, laughing in the bottom corner. that's likely because as you can see on the steps? the workmen just put the blowtorches down, and stepped away to see what would happen if they operate it. Robb and these folks are FAR more brave than I. I (and a couple of others) decided not to take a chance on this, and chose NOT to ride this. It was really the beginning of my trip, I didn't want to take any risks for any reason. . but good on them for giving it a shot. and absolutely hysterical watching the workmen "nod" as the car crested the lift hill with no issue. there are the workmen watching the first car with people in it. . . Barry has just noticed the Blowtorch sitting on the steps as they passed by it. they survived! yay!!! most everyone else on the trip gave it a whirl (tho not a spin, as the spinning wasn't working yet)..and the folks riding it drew more folks to this ride as well, as they eagerly lined up to ride something that had been "not operating" yet. after the Tagada ride, and with the sun starting to set, Robb, Elissa, and some in the group were headed back to Universal Resort. some went to dinner or to sightsee in downtown Beijing. and a group of about 10 of us wanted to go visit the Olympic Green - site of the 2008 Summer Olympics, and 2022 Winter Olympics. The metro would take us back to Universal later. lovely sunset made the buildings around Sun Park look very interesting to be concluded. . .

Day 2: Forbidden City, Lunch, and Sun Park! Bonus visit to Olympic park area this night with smaller group too. Day 2 part 1: up and ready to go, but first, breakfast! another character from Despicable Me. . one of the girls, no idea which one tho this time I remembered to snap a pic of some of the food on my plate before diving in and then it was everyone onto the bus, as we headed back into Central Beijing from the Universal Resort area. today was gonna start with Culture, and end with our first "traditional" Chinese park. view of some of the massive clusters of buildings as you approach the outskirts of Beijing this is where it starts to get interesting, as we get into the "inner walls" area of the City, over the Canal guardians. the building on the far left is the Southeast Corner Tower, of the Beijing Ming City Wall. it's over 550 years old, and anchors an area called "Beijing Ming City Wall Ruins Park" - that features an almost 1 mile long section of the Beijing City wall from the Ming Dynasty. we didn't stop to see it, but got a great view of it as we passed it on our way to the nearby Forbidden City. closer view of the southeast corner tower and some snaps of the actual wall, as we drive along side it. the tightening Security is VERY noticeable as we get closer to the Forbidden City Imperial Palace - a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is arguably the most famous palace in all of Chinese history, and is the largest preserved royal palace complex still standing in the world. (per Wikipedia). tour buses and cars are not allowed within a few blocks of the Forbidden City, so a tourism spot has sprung up in the blocks around it, as buses and taxis drop of groups that then walk to the front entrance. so these next pics are walking from the drop off, up to the palace walls. the "fruit on a stick" encased in Sugar seemed to be VERY popular in China, and saw it at every park we went to, and at many street stands. it basically is just fresh fruit and sugar, but it IS very good, and I had it several times. finally approaching the outside (side) wall of the Forbidden City. . tho we still had to go around to the front for entry we'd be heading up this way to go thru the gates around the corner for the main entrance / security screening but this is the inner canal that surrounds the Forbidden City. .the last line of defense against attack other than the high palace walls. TPR listening to facts from our guide about the Forbidden City. walking along the side wall to get to the front entrance it really is quite impressive from the outside. . and once you're inside, it's even more so - with courtyard after courtyard opening up, and seeming to go on for miles! some folks out doing photo shoots off the canal that goes around the Forbidden City still heading towards the main entrance and here are the main gates into the front of the Forbidden City - not into the actual palace, but into the area that gets you into the palace the "Door Nails" that the wonderful Dumpling I had the day before were named after! and NOW we're in the courtyard that serves as the main entrance to the Forbidden City complex. yeah and this was on a TUESDAY!!! just the crowds were impressive this is the security screening line to get it and have tickets scanned thru these main gates, you are then in the Palace grounds our guide, with her "fish on a stick" so we wouldn't lose her in the masses of people! to see it with your own eyes. . truly, you aren't prepared for the sight once you go thru this tunnel. breathtaking and this is just the first, of many, courtyards a quiet back alley off the main square (we had all gone to the side for a bathroom break) the people lined up in these stanchions are for entrance to the building just off to the right, and it's to view the Imperial Jewels. A separate ticket (and wait) was required for that, so we didn't do that on this trip - perhaps a visit back just for that in the future. . .but I saw enough stunning things to not miss at all not going into the Imperial Jewels building. up the stairs and thru these buildings to the next courtyard over the beautiful carved bridges. TPR at the Forbidden City - thanks to Robb for the picture up and thru to the next courtyard. and it's just as breathtaking and awe inspiring as the entry courtyard up the next set of stairs, and we come across flame pots to light and warm the complex and thru to another courtyard. this one including a building with intricate woodwork laced with gold, and containing a throne (it was gated off, but the doors were open to peek in. there were SO many people there tho, I got the best pics I could of said throne) these giant golden / bronze vats that were used to store oil were on either side of many of the "main" buildings in each square. Our guide told me that these are replicas, but they are all so worn from visitors rubbing them for luck. all of the buildings in the Forbidden City complex are beautifully detailed, and have intricate carvings on each corner, that represent many things (that I can't recall, or would share with you) going into the next courtyard - that building way, WAY off in the distance? is part of the complex. . that's how big this palace is. but that far back is not open to the Public, which only can view a portion of the Palace. Oh, it's a HUGE portion of the complex, but not even close to a third of it. stepping down into the next courtyard. it truly is awe inspiring and overwhelming looking down into yet another courtyard, as we made our way thru the areas open to the public this carving up the back side of one of the main buildings in this courtyard is made from just 3 giant pieces of stone. it's incredible. one of the many maps in the Forbidden City. This one just for the Inner court courtyards. our guide specifically wanted to bring us down this way - saying it would be less crowded, as many aren't aware it's here (and she was correct) she wanted to show us into this building/vault that contains some really amazing Jade carvings. just a sampling of the wonderful pieces on display here: and then it was off to the back of the "open to the public" areas - the Imperial Garden area - where the Emperor allowed his Concubines to relax, and play (since they were confined to Imperial Palace grounds) it really was a bit of surprise to turn the corner and find these amazing gardens back here! and with that, we had walked a (mostly) straight line thru the public areas in the Forbidden City, and headed towards the back gate. we were off to have our first group lunch on the trip before heading to the next stop. I am so thankful I got to experience this, it truly is a wonder to see in person. one of the other buildings off in the distance that's part of the Imperial Palace / Forbidden City the back exit gate is just as crowded, but less chaotic than the front entrance an overall map of the palace sections that are open to the public walking back towards the bus. . one final look back at the Forbidden City to be continued. . .

All those 'loop' sculptures in the display case ... those were awards? Interesting. And ....any raclette during this visit to the park? Thought I'd inquire. ?

Holy crap. Reading your TR's made me remember that Europa Park is on my bucket list.