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Delayed due to so much going on in real life, but I've finally gotten up to the last park of the trip - in Helsinki, Finland, Linnanmäki ! Part 1 This was an absolutely charming park, and it won me over almost immediately. Even tho there are a lot of "smaller" rides mixed in, for the most part, adults were allowed to ride anything they could fit on. I took well over 400 pics, so this will be more than one part (but don't worry, wont' share ALL of em) we arrived early in the morning - before the park opened. walking up the hill, to the main gates, the charm of the park is evident. Looming over the main gate is Ukko, a Maurer Skyloop (I did NOT ride this at all today, but many in the group did. and I'll admit it's very picturesque. just not really for me). speaking of the main gate. . . as I noted, just charming! cute little statues and scenes everywhere. So much theming, even if a lot of it was very oddball. these are the front gates - apparently there is at least 2 other gates, but those were not open this early, and they seemed to be there just to allow folks to enter from the back and side, as the park IS on top of a hill. I'll have a park map pic coming up shortly. the main entry way was adorable (and yes, charming) and at the very end before you curve left into the park, is a SeaLife Aquarium here in this park as well. Group shot, courtesy of Robb. and some pics of the (still closed as it was before park open) storefronts on the main street I honestly cannot recall if we did rides on Vuoristorata, the park's scenic railway, wooden coaster - that also includes a Breakman (or should I say Brakeperson, as there were two women filling that role along with the men). But our way into the park this morning was the back way, and thru the coaster, which made for some very cool picture opportunities. I loved they had this "history of Vuoristorata" billboard up. . tho oddly it was in the center of the coaster. when I rode again later in the day, you can see the billboard from the queue, but you don't really get close enough to read it. Still, it was cool they have it. Group shots in the bowels of Vuoristorata, courtesy of Robb! Good Morning. (Mr Muscle on the left there was our guide this am - can you tell we were in Finland? ) one more, with FEELING! as noted, I don't think we rode it this am, but it was a cool behind the scenes tour of the coaster, and soon we were in the park, and headed towards the coaster we were going to have some ERT on this am. but it's not like I'll pass a Carousel and NOT take a picture of it. for a park that seems very small on paper, it's got a lot of sections. and TONS of awesome details and adorable things theming everywhere. this is Kirnu, the park's Intamin Zac Spin. I did not intend to ride it - having memories of Insane at Grona Lund - but so many folks told me this was a much smoother ride, that I did end up riding it, and liked it. I can't recall if this is the park's drop tower, or Observation tower. . I think it's the drop tower tho. here's what we were headed to tho. Taiga - the park's newest coaster, an Intamin LIM Launch coaster. I heard it described by many on the trip as being similar-ish to Velocicoaster, but having no ridden that one, I can't make the comparison myself. I can say tho, it's quite intense. even the height checking bars here are adorable. I did like this coaster a lot, but being honest? it was a little bit too intense for me. I think I rode 3 times (and once again later in the day), but after my few rides, I stepped out via the gift shop, and snapped pics of it. It's really awesome looking. This pic is thru the window in the gift shop! next door to Taiga is one of the park's multiple Dark Rides. as near as I can figure? this is a Witch Hotel, that an evil wizard decides to stay in, and they do battle. or something. It didn't make a lot of sense, but I loved the scenes in it, and the animatronics and scares were fun. I ended up riding this a lot today once the park opened. That's a witch in the window upstairs that peeks out at you from behind the curtain ok, back to pics of Taiga: the shorter blue track here, actually isn't Taiga - it's Salama - a Maurer spinning coaster. yup, similar to Power Park, Linnanmäki painted coasters next to each other the same color, resulting in a mass of track. Looks kinda cool, I admit. the trains are wonderfully quirky as is the theming in the station. (this pic is from when I went back to ride once more later in the day, hence general public in the station) turned loose after our ERT, the group spread out among the park. We still had a little time before the park actually opened to the public as we made our way towards the back section of the park (start there - and there was another dark ride back over there - and then work our way forwards), I snapped pics of sculptures as we passed by there's a mini-circus train that goes around the outside of this round building - hence the theming. The building is an old water tower, that the park has hollowed out, and put a coaster inside. So yeah, this is actually a picture of Linnunrata eXtra (the Milky Way) a Zierer "Force" model coaster. "eXtra" because you could put on Virtual reality goggles if so chose. so many rides, mainly carnival type, scattered all over this park. And again, adults able to ride almost all of them. Nice placement for a SeaLife Aquarium ad - on the turnaround for the park's rapids ride as noted, the park is on a hill. . so there were all these "never in the USA" play areas to allow ways to traverse the levels of the park. sure, there are stairs, but why do that when you can break your leg in this?? Nightmare fuel ! Ok, so THIS is the observation tower, and hiding behind it (I angled the picture badly) is the drop tower. this park *does* have a very weird fixation with clowns. . . creepy clowns! here's that mini train I mentioned, that goes around the outside of the Linnunrata eXtra building. it was adorable, but no way would my fat ass fit in there. So instead I rode the Monorail to get some overall pics later in the day. still headed towards the back of the park, but the park had now officially opened, and the Drop Tower was running as we passed it. and it's themed to Medieval Royal . . . Lions ? I guess ? all I know, is that it had a throne out front, and I love me a throne picture more cute areas. . and I really loved how they incorporated the cut down tree into the restaurant seating area. this seemed to be a haunted walk thru, but we'd hit it on the way back by. GAHHHH. . more clowns - in "Sirkus" - a suspended Dark Ride. again, we'd hit it on the way back by, as we had to come back thru this section after starting at the back. there was also a walk thru Fun House - tho strangely, it seemed to be a traveling carnival type. Perhaps not so strange, since many of the flat rides, seemed to be of the traveling carnival variety. It was just weird that it was plopped down in the middle on Astroturf with not a lot of theming, when the park has so much theming. ok, heading down ito the back section, I believe this might be one of the other gates, but it was not open at this time. here's that park map. you can see from the "you are here" that we are now at the back of the park headed into the section that's kind of off by itself at the lower left. A SeaLife Aquarium photo op? dont' mind if I do.. tho it looks like a whale hugging an octopus. adorable creatures in the fountains over here. and completely dead still, as it was so early. this was a weird one - it was like a mini trabant, themed to a space chipmonk? I dont' remember if I rode it. . but I think maybe I tried, and there was no way that lap bar was gonna close on my gut. but Andrew and sMisty fit on it. the steam punk octopus ride was very deceiving. it looked so peaceful, but that thing just HAULED. Once I saw it cycle, I decided to ride too. this one really caught my eye, and I LOVED the look of it. is it a coaster? it's got a lift hill, and it's powered. So I'd call it a coaster, but it looked like a Kiddie ride. So I asked the operator, and she said "sure! you folks can ride". . so we all lined up to ride the planes "Pilotti" I mean. . . just LOOK how stupidly thrilled I am, that I got to ride this. whee! even Erik was having fun! all the rides in the back section knocked out. . we headed back to Sirkus - not knowing what to expect. OMG. .it's a side-moving suspended dark ride about CLOWNS! YAYYYYYYY! Sleepy lion. . . (and a blurry Giraffe - sorry) and clowns. oh my. . SO. MANY. CLOWNS. moving, and spinning, and laughing. as you hover in your little "cage" among them. BOOM! why yes, that IS a clown sweeping up all the Elephant poop. so bizarre. . . loved it. I didn't ride it as much as I did the Witch Hotel, but really loved this one too. to be continued. . . .