Machtin

I assume that you want to go there directly after your UK trip? I think Black Mamba should be open by then. The opening date that rcdb quotes is not that improbable, at least more probable than the first of April, considering the still quite messy construction site. Actually, the date would be pretty plausible because it is right before the beginning of the football world cup here in Germany. For this reason, a big touristic boast is expected here. I bet the park doesn't want to miss that chance to promote itself. I'd love to join you when you come to the Phantasialand, it's my homepark.

^There's still hope that the new Galaxy ride will improve, because it was only a sneak preview for the Chirstmas season and is now to be rethemed properly. You've got to consider that the theming you saw had to done in less than a month's time. I just hope that they redo this crappy preshow and adjust the cars in sync with the film.

I just don't get why anyone who has ridden The Michael Jackson Thrillride can seriously claim that this coaster couldn't be a match for BTM. I mean, even the Paris version is a considerably tame ride, except for the last part under the lake. Okay, a bloody well themed tame ride, I've got to admit, but Michael is far more exciting, well paced, very long and nevertheless amazingly themed. So how can it not be on par with BTM? IMO, it's the best mine train I've ever been on or heard of. Basta.

This is actually a pretty odd thing. "Dinner for One" is nothing more than an old scatch filmed in the 60s which is screened every New Years Eve at nearly every regional channel all over Germany. It's about the 90th birthday dinner of an old woman, called Miss Sophie. She has invited all her old friends. The problem: They are already dead for years. But she doesn't want to change her oh so accustomed birthday dinner which includes her four best friends. So her buttler James has to fill out the roles of all her four admired guests while serving the three course menu. Since Miss Sophie wants to toast at every course, James is obliged to drink the wine for four persons and gets heavily drunk, of course. The whole scatch is about slapstick (James stumbling over a head of a tiger fur every time he is lurching to the bar), but the really odd thing about it is that it's totally in English, which is very weird for a German production from the 1960s, when hardly anyone here was able to understand what they were saying. But nevertheless this show has become incredibly famous here in Germany and I'm not lying when I say that everytime at New Years Eve you'll find at least one cannel at no matter which time screening "Dinner for One". Some channels show it about 4 times a day. This show belongs to New Years Eve as the tree to Christmas. And even if you meet a German who can't speak any English, just ask him: "The same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?", I bet he will be able to answer: "The same procedure as every year, James!" This dialogue out of the show has almost become a saying here in Germany. Do you have something like this in America, too? A tv-show they screen just every year at a special date and everyone is watching?

Since some were wondering about this one: It's the first XCar-Coaster by Maurer Söhne, it's called Sky Wheel. it's located at the Skyline Park, Bavaria, Germany. http://rcdb.com/id2773.htm

^Yes, the Alpina Bahn was at the Canstadter Was'n this year and it's highly probable that it will be there in 2006, as well. It's the only one of the three big German transportable coasters which won't be in Munich at that time, so it would be very odd if the Alpina Bahn wasn't in Stuttgart in 06.

There's a very interesting photo-update at onride.de I'm in love!

^ You're not late at all, because dec 26 is called "2. Day of Christmas" here in Germany. So you are just in time.

Again new pictures at onride.de roll down to the bottom of the page It's going right down into the canyon! Look how messy the track is. It must have been hard work to place the track without spoiling anything.

^and now it's you who's the one exaggerating. Even though these examples given have all been discussed in the German forums, I've got to admit, there is also normal and sometimes even informative discussion going on. But you've got to agree that the posts about air compression and 2 seat trains were very entertaining to read. @ Guy: Go for it and learn German if you dare. Won't be that easy though, I assume. Wouldn't want to learn German if it wasn't my native language.

The loop construction has just begun. This is going to be higher than expected. Check out the photos at onride.de

According to several people in the german forums, the first drop is already standing. But it was already too dark to take photos. So we can count on seeing the drop in all its beauty tomorrow. It's also almost certain that the helix already installed won't be the last because right before the entrance to the tunnel with the brakes there's a big round hole almost predestined for a helix. There's still a LOT to come we can look forward to, of that I'm sure.

some new pictures at onride.de Track work is finally going on! Supports have been erected. It looks as if the first drop and the loop are going to be installed very soon.

Sing Star! This game is simply hilarious. I'm still wondering why this game isn't available in the US. Does anyone know?

Since they already do have a vekoma suspended coaster, dream catcher is rumoured to be the Air Race coaster re-themed to an Indian theme by adding floorless trains. This is a good step to take because Air Race is by far the weakest link of Bobbejaanland's coasters. (I think Robb and Elissa can confirm that) This should make a very good line-up together with the new dark ride next year. This park has really developed to the positive the last few years.

Two hours to get from Hannover to Phantasialand? Don't overestimate the non-speed limit on German motorways, this is as good as impossible. It's about 320 km from Hannover to Brühl, so you'd need an average speed of 160 km/h (100 miles per hour). But 3 hours should be possible, I think.

You may also take into consideration the Efteling in the Netherlands or the Belgian parks, i.e. Bobbejaanland or Walibi Belgium. But the latter two could be already too far away, I guess. The list Sören composed can be fully recommended.

^That should be Bremen's television tower, I suppose. Isn't this quite obvious? German delivery services are really lame. At least if you want to get a package out of the country. This takes ages. When my sister sends packages from Australia, it's normally less than a week's wait, but vice versa, it's double the time. Not for nothing Germany is often referred to as a "Servicewüste" (service-desert). This is no German strength

As much as I know that you would love to ride it, I wouldn't recommend a side trip to Holiday Park from Munich, since that would be a 4 hour's drive and simply too far away as a side trip. The only bigger theme park near Munich is Legoland Germany.

New pics! http://www.phantasialand-bruehl.de/park/bilder_/b_nov.html As you can see, they put tracks for the vertical loop onto the construction site. Everytime they move tracks to the construction site, you can be sure that they are going to be installed in the course of the next days. If I'm seeing right, you can already spot that new fundaments for the supports have been built. This is really getting better day by day!

Just out of curiosity: Where is the difference between The Netherlands and Netherlands :? They should be in the top position. You have to wonder why they are so omnipresent. I mean, they are such a small country, but it seems as if they were everywhere (not offending). In the internet, on German streets, as football professionals...

The German key board looks like this. There are nor many differences to the English one. Some characters are replaced and you've got the umlauts. But don't ask me why z and y change buttons, I don't know either.

^Yes, you found the right one by now. If you consider a 3 1/2 hours drive as endurable, it's not that far away from Europa Park. Germany is not that big after all. Sadly enough, I guess there won't be any construction today at Black Mamba's since it's All Saints' Day which is an official holiday in the state of Northrhine-Westphalia. And it's probably the last day for a few weeks we will get detailed pics of the construction ground because today is the end of the summer season and the park won't open till the end of November. But this won't stop people from taking pictures from outside the park. There are still lots of tracks to be found beside the administration building and they are looking suspiciously like new inversions. By the way, this Brühl you are referring to is not famous for any themepark, but has another attraction: Steffi Graf, Brühl's most famous citizen. Former Tennis champion, who was the last person ever to win a Grand Slam (all four tournaments in one year) and now married to Andre Agassi

You went to a Bavarian restaurant and got meat pie there? Once and for all, this is no authentical German food at all. If you went to a restaurant in Germany and tried to order a genuine German "Fleischkuchen", you would see some very confused faces I think most of the Germans wouldn't even know what a meat pie actually is because it's so uncommon here. Sorry for my little ethnological excursion, I just wanted to rectify this.

"Brücke" means bridge in German. Phantasialand is located in Western Germany. Brühl is, so to say, a suburb of Cologne. This new piece of track looks so intriguingly nasty, I still can't believe that such a piece of rollercoaster art is built just 10 minutes away from my home. I'm the luckiest guy on earth right now.