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That evening at Toverland was like the greatest party, ever! You can't go wrong with coasters and beer.

I thought that was the Novotel in Amsterdam, which was a really nice non-themed hotel. Joe - I think you're right, I might be mixing up my hotels at this point (at least I got the country right). And yes, Novotel Amsterdam was indeed another nice one! You may both be right. I recall seeing similar instructions in two different hotels.

^Well, I didn't have a pic of you asleep--but others might.

There was an article in the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) discussing all that Busch has done for this part of Virginia (for example, training hospitality staff for the Jamestown 400 celebration and holding the LPGA Tournament at Kingsmill). ImBev isn't going to be "into" that stuff, but nobody really knows what the fallout (if any) will be from this deal. So, we're in a holding pattern in Williamsburg.

^Yeah, the white-chocolate-covered waffles at Walibi were actually a bit much. The chocolate waffles at Walygator really rocked.

There's already a thread for Knott's 2008 Haunt: http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=608642#608642. Please post your comments there. Thread locked.

Looks like you could've used that gray shirt as a reverse drag chute, Nicole.

Walibis, ropes, and awards next. Joe's wife, Liz, was the first winner of Elissa Bingo. Her prize? She gets immunity from Dave's carnivorous bees and rocket-launching bears. Oh, and an auographed copy of Brian Keene's "Dead Sea" (a very good zombie novel). That's all for now. "OK, Joe--you can keep this beautiful, Big Mike-designed plaque, or take what's behind Curtain #2!" And here they are! Winners in Big Mike's Trivia Contest get to choose from these fabulous prizes! It was awards time that night in the hotel bar. "Larry! Larry! Larry!" A boy and his pole. "Aw-ee-aw-ee-aw-ee-aw!" (Actually, Chris has far too much dignity to do a Tarzan yell.) "Pathetic fools! Don't they know what they're in for? We've been stuck up here for days!" It's quite a pretty place, though. "Oh, I am so not doin' that one!" And now, for those who want to indulge their inner Tarzan . . . Adventure Parc! Definitely not this tie. So, what else is good at Walibi Belgium? "I swear, if I get 'French crunched' one more time . . ." And to think they banned the Frito Bandito in the States. Hmm--either this joint is owned by some guy named "Whisky," or somebody needs to bone up on their punctuation.

More ramblin' round Walibi Belgium. Vertigo just looks so industrial. Really, I can imagine the shipyard in Newport News, Va., using a similar rig to move parts around the drydock. A bit more Walibi and wee bit extra to follow. . . . then ignite your own flatulence? The wish is granted!" . . . form a ring around a magic lamp, . . . "Let's see. You wish to make many people stand in the blazing sun, . . . "I am the genie of the lamp! What is your wish, my master?" It's a rather long wait for wetness, but isn't it always better to take things slow? Well, at least it was a good flume, anyway. "There are queues within queues." "I'm afraid it's far worse than that, gentlemen." "Wha? There's a whole other freakin' queue in here?" "There's a bit of a line for the flume, but it doesn't look too bad. Let's check it out." I have no idea what this old guy said, but I think it boils down to this: Grab gun. Shoot bad guys. See fire. "Hello! I'm Tut! Can anybody recommend a good orthodontist? No? Well, curse you all, then!" . . . and I'm proud! I'm sad and pathetic . . . Sing it long, and sing it loud!

^Hmm--I used to have a bad case of "farmpit" when I worked for my Dad during apricot season. Moving right along . . . Chapter 3: If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Walibi Belgium It’s tempting to label Walibi Belgium the “Fuji-Queue” of the Europe trip, because it’s a park with a bunch of low-capacity rides, but huge crowds. But that would be a bit unfair. I think it’s a much better park than Fuji-Queue—it’s prettier with better themeing and more enjoyable. But those crowds on June 24, 2008, and all that “French crunching,” were pretty annoying. Fortunately, Robb and Elissa had arranged some much-appreciated morning ERT, not only on the park’s woodie, but also on the lower-capacity coasters. This let everybody get their credits in and still have plenty of time to hit the park’s other main attractions. Again, my thanks to Robb and Elissa for ensuring that everybody could maximize their fun, even when the park is crawling with obnoxious kids and teenagers. Here’s how the coasters stack up (best to worst): Turbine—Leave it to Anton Schwartzkopf to grace Walibi Belgium with its best ride: a classic shuttle loop in a box. You’re launched into complete darkness, so the loop is a huge surprise, even though you know it’s coming, and the train climbs nice and high on both the front and back spikes. Nice work, Anton! Calamity Mine—Europeans must love mine-train coasters. There were quite a few of them on this trip, and they were all pretty good. Walibi’s was very nicely themed to the American Southwest and even threw in a few waterfalls. Lots of fun. Loup Garou—I was a bit disappointed in this woodie. It’s an OK ride, but it seems to shuffle a lot (at least when I rode it). This is too bad, because I really like Tusenfryd’s Thunder Coaster (another Vekoma woodie). Cobra—On the one hand, this may be the best boomerang I’ve ever ridden; on the other hand, that’s not saying much. It’s like saying that one punch to the jaw is better than two punches to the jaw and a shot to head. Like saying that a tension headache is better than a migraine. Like saying that I’d rather shoot myself in the head with a .22 than a 12 gauge. (OK, I’ll stop now.) Coccinelle—This tiny ladybug coaster is really for kids and credit whores only, and not always for the latter, it seems. Robb persuaded the operator to let our group ride it for one lap, two adults at a time—provided that we say, on camera, that we are “sad and pathetic.” Did anybody turn him down? But Walibi Belgium’s best attraction, for my money, was its shooting dark ride, Challenge of Tutankmamon. This trackless Sally dark ride offers plenty of targets, loads of atmosphere, and even a bonus room if you car scores enough points. (Mine didn’t, but some other TPR members did.) There’s even real fire! La Chambre Magique du Zanzur is a very good madhouse ride about dueling Arab magicians, hampered by its lousy operations: Instead of cycling the ride for one group while letting the other watch the preshow, guests are forced to wait outside while one group gets the preshow and the ride. This seems counter to any other madhouse attraction I’ve ridden, and it doubles the wait time. There’s also a good, reversing log flume with the sneakiest queue I’ve ever seen (more on that later). The park’s newest attraction, a suspended coaster called Vertigo, was down for the count, which was unfortunate; so was Vampire, the park’s Vekoma SLC, which was just as well. Many of the group also checked out the ropes course at Adventure Parc. I gave it shot, but being as you could fit all my athletic ability into a thimble and still have room for my knowledge of quantum physics, I didn’t last long. Still, I was curious because I’d never done anything like that before, and my thanks to Elissa for the opportunity. My hat’s off to all those who outlasted me at Adventure Parc. And now, a look at both Walibi Belgium and Adventure Parc. Well, mostly at the former. And there was an impromptu snooker tournament the night before. Even down to the drop tower. More to come. What is it with European parks and American "Wild West" themeing? They're really good at it. I pretty much fail at being a werewolf. I do sort of look like Henry Hull in "Werewolf of London," though--but I didn't have "a Chinese menu in my hand." The poor werewolf wasn't howling too loud that day. Maybe if I'd ridden it under the full moon . . . I think someone must've slipped Loup Garou some wolfbane that morning. And no one regretted it. Turbine is fun. Everybody chose the box. "OK, you can keep the Boomerang and leave now, or have what's in the box! Whaddaya say, pal?" . . . profit from our mistakes. After all, we must make sure that future generations . . . It is crucial that all Boomerangs be thoroughly documented. "Hi there! I'm Satan! Enjoy my ride! Think of it as punishment for 'original sin.'" . . . and, unfortunately, a functional Vekoma Boomerang. WB has a very nice entrance . . . And here it is. For my money, KidTums snookered them all. On to Walibi Belgium! . . . that he impaled himself on his own cue. TPDave so regretted teaching Larry how to play snooker . . .

I caught Wall E yesterday, and I think it may be Pixar's best flick--especially during the first half. The opening scene is the best I've seen in any movie all year.

Copenhagen looks like a beautiful city, and Tivoli is beautiful--no wonder it inspired Walt Disney to move ahead with his own park. One of those rides looked like some sort of inverted flying carpet.

^Hmm--I thought there was "something in the air" that day.

Heide Park is great--but I would put it after Europa and Phantasialand. The spread at the hotel buffet that night and breakfast the following day were excellent. Wildwasserbahn was my favorite flume ride of the trip--and the closest the park comes to a "dark ride."

Not really. I suck at taking POVs and any onride coaster videos. BTW, another great TR. I know what your mean. A few years ago, I was with some friends at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. For some reason, they asked me to shoot some POV of Peter Pan for them with their camera. Why they wanted me to do this, I have no idea, as I'd never used their video camera before. Well, the thing was set on "autofocus," and the video was mostly a blurry mess of black light and glowing colors. They gave me a bad time about the crappy video later. Thanks, guys.

Too bad you missed the Haunted House--I think it's the best thing at Trimper Rides. Jolly Roger's dark ride, though, sucks.

And, so, our day at Parc Asterix comes to an end. Sniff! "Hey, the ride's e-stopped! Here's our chance to hock some loogies on 'em!" And on that note, our day at Parc Asterix comes to an end. Yes, this battalion certainly inspires confidence. Remember--never volunteer to be a "catapult tester." And we're them? Yes, Caesar's looking for a few good men. Time for the TPR takeover of the madhouse. But all he finds are more of the horrors of war. Chris uses his super-spy camera to help Caesar's men conduct reconnaissance. The result--me, Elliot, and Piers. The result--Melanie. The splash. The drop. I met up with Team Larry for the Menhir Express. Yeah, it had a bit of a line, but it moved pretty well. We conquered the kiddie coaster. We came. We saw. Parc Asterix is a beautiful place.

Our lesson in ancient French history contiunes at Parc Asterix. "OK, we've had enough! Back to Rome!" But we're not done yet--one more set of photos to come. But the occupation wreaks a horrible toll on the occupiers. "Heh, heh, heh! I'm so aroused by half-naked, dancing gypsy men!" Yes, the Roman occupation has taken a horrible toll. Watch as this man debases and sells himself! Jeff is so ready. "Just give me a cigarette, dammit!" I'm not sure that Lou and Chris are ready for it. But we must press on. And now, a look at the dark underside of the world of Asterix. Why so emo, Elliot? This is Periferix. It is not to be confused with a real train. That is all. . . . the answer is "not wet at all." You know, this is pretty impressive themeing for a spinning-raft ride. I'm not sure what it's supposed to be, but I like it. As for the "wetness" question . . . TPR members ponder the eternal question: "How wet will we get?" I'm not sure what went on in this building, but I liked how it was themed. But they believe in keeping in shape--through torture! They're every bit as freaky as those big-headed puppets on Thunderbirds. But nobody told me about the scary demon puppets! Time for Transdemonium. I love wacked-out dark rides, and Europe is full of 'em.

Again, thanks for all the nice comments so far, folks. It's always good to know that somebody's reading. Jeff had the credit so he didn't ride. But even being near Gouderix was enough to drive the poor bugger mad! And we're not done with Asterix yet--stay tuned. Gouderix tried to kill me. It nearly succeeded. As usual, the loop is the least-painful element. . . . then I get to scarf 'em down! Yum, yum!" "First, Gouderix tenderizes them . . . Special? Or sad and pathetic? You make the call. Seems like everybody wanted footage of Vol d'Icare. Get any good shots, Brian? I went off to take this picture and lost track of Team Larry. Oops. He does have a kick-ass coaster. Well, he is the father of the gods. I guess he can wear anything he wants. Looks like the ladies are ready to ride--as is Shane. Maybe the polka-dot briefs aren't such a bad idea after all. Ha, ha! Zeus got polka-dot undies! Nice station ya got here, Zeus. But, what--no polka dots? Oh, yeah? Well, smite this, pal! I ain't the one with a polka-dot crotch. "Wretched mortal! I shall smite thee mightily!" Time to ride Tonnere de Zeus--and to "pay homage" to the father of all the gods.

Chapter 2: All Gaul Is Divided into Three Parts, All of Them Wacky—Parc Asterix I learned three valuable history lessons at TPR’s first “official” park of the Europe trip (Monday, June 23, 2008): 1. Caesar and his vaunted Roman legions were even more inept than Colonel Klink and Sgt. Schultz. 2. The gods of ancient Rome (who were stolen from the gods of ancient Greece—let’s be honest here) liked “exciting” underpants. 3. Cavemen invented the bobsled. Yes, I learned so much about the ancient world at Parc Asterix, and had a great time learning it. The inspiration for the place is an old French comic strip about the exploits of Asterix, a little Gaul warrior with a handlebar moustache and horned helmet, and his big, rotund buddy, who I think is named Menhir. Anyway, they both possess superpowers and spend most of their time harassing and thrashing Emperor Caesar’s invading legions. This quirky, very nicely themed park (on a par with the Busch parks) got the trip off to a great start with ERT on its two best coasters. Here they are, from best to worst: Tonnere de Zeus—This is a very good woodie, with a twisty layout and an out-of-control feeling (at least the day that we were there). There’s plenty of airtime, and despite a rough patch here and there, it’s very re-rideable. I liked it a lot. Trace du Hourra—This is, as many have said, the only Mack Bobsled that isn’t themed to be a “bobsled.” It’s a coaster as conceived by a bunch of bored cavemen, and I think it’s the biggest, tallest, and best of the Mack Bobsleds. Lots of fun as it whips around those turns and through those helices. Le Vol D’Icare—A fun family coaster with winged cars themed to the story of Icarus (the boy who flew too close to the sun). It brakes a bit hard, so be careful lest you crack open your kneecaps. Periferix—Family mine-train coaster that’s OK for what it is. Gouderix—Is this really the worst steel coaster ever, as stated in the annual Hawker poll? Well, there are a few SLCs that would give it a run for its money, but this uncomfortable, rough, Vekoma looper and twister is definitely in the bottom five. La Ronde des Rondins—Wee coaster for kiddies and credit whores only. Parc Asterix has a good mix of other attractions. Le Defi de Cesar is an OK madhouse with a great preshow, which gives us insight into how desperate the Romans were to take out Asterix. (Hey, they drafted TPR members to join their legions—that’s really scraping the bottom of the barrel.) Transdemonium is one wacked-out dark ride (with some coasterish moments) about evil demon puppets. The Menhir Express is a very good flume ride that will leave you soaked. L’Oxygenarium is a spinning raft ride with a strange “Jules Verne” look that won’t soak you at all. There’s also a boat ride through the world of Asterix, which involves lots of Romans getting beaten up. Here’s a look at Parc Asterix. Yes, that's (shudder!) Gouderix! Why are evil Vekomas always so damn photogenic? More to come from Parc Asterix. Then evacin' it, caveman style. At last--ridin' it caveman style. Behold, a brief glimpse of the pain that is to come. Great view of the park, though. "What? Whaddaya mean it's the last train for ERT?" "Bring it on! Neanderthal! Cro Magnon! Any style you want! I'll ride it!" That's my old UK Trip roomie, Jeff. He's back and ready for action, baby! Whee! Who knew cavemen led such interesting lives? OK--who's ready to ride it Neanderthal style? Here we see the failed prototype train. First up, ERT on the Mack caveman coaster. "Home at last," sighs Louise. "Yeah! It takes a real man to run around in the broiling sun with a purple shag carpet on his head!" Neither is copyediting your shirt. "Hey, pimpin' aint easy!" "Who are these people? Don't they know the park isn't open yet? And why did they bring two pimps?"

I'm not sure about how far it was to "central Paris," but there was a subway station nearby. And if you were up for a bit of a street hike, you could walk to the Arc de Triomphe. I'm glad everybody's enjoying the TR so far. I'll post Parc Asterix (a park I liked a lot) this weekend.

The Galactica routine was so wonderfully cheesy. "Foolish humans! You have blundered into a Cylon battlezone!"

Kings Dominion has it's own campground, and there are a couple of KOAs in Williamsburg (just 10-15 minutes from BGE via I-64).

While Jeff goes "tilt" with the pinball machine, let's check out more of what this charming little park has to offer. One last look at the Arc d'Triomphe. Next up--the park that shows us what tools the ancient Romans really were. Hmm--twin Bart Simpsons on different soccer, I mean football, teams? We decided to amble down the street in search of food, and first found this. Definitely not food. "OK, action! Do something interesting, Jeff!" "Hmm--this structure appears to be some sort of aviary." "And it looks like a big bird house too, Skipper!" "Shut up, Gilligan!" Please God--tell me he thinks this is a large croquette he's licking and not, er, something else. Nor this. Hmm--I'll wager you won't be seeing this in any U.S. playgrounds. "Hi kiddies! Come and play under the scary spider tree! If you're lucky, I'll paralyze you with my venom, spin a cocoon around you, and not eat you for weeks!" "Yum! Dragon like children--flame broiled!" Being as it killed Jeff, that's probably just as well. Here's the coaster I missed. See the monkeys climb? Climb, monkeys, climb! . . . monkeys! . . . donkeys, and . . . . . . turkeys, . . . . . . goats, . . . There were plenty of animals, too, such as chickens (I guess the one on the right is "free range" and expensive), . . . Pretty, but I wouldn't drink from this creek. There are little gardens tucked all over this park. Looks like hobbits should live here.

Chapter 1: A Peek at What's to Come--Jardin d'Acclimatation My jet-lagged brain started catching up to Parisian time the next day (Sunday, June 22), thanks to a welcome first chance to sleep in a bit. Jardin d'Acclimatation, a nice family park in the heart of Paris, gave us a "sneak preview" of what was to come--and a nice, low-key start to the whole TPR Europe Tour experience. Jardin offered, in miniature, much of what to come at later parks: an interesting mix of coasters (three kiddies, in this case), pretty grounds, playground implements of doom and destruction that you'd never see in the states, and even a mini-taste of "ropes course action." (All it lacked was a quirky dark ride.) I enjoyed the place, and it gave everyone a chance to get in a few "warm-up" credits and check out a few Paris landmarks. The most interesting coaster there was "Alice's Butterflies," a kiddie spinning mouse, which had a surprising pop of air on one drop and plenty of spinning (at least if you had a car to yourself). There was a powered coaster with a "surprise" drop into a tunnel that delivered quite a sucker punch, too. I missed the little dragon coaster, thanks to a lost ticket. (Oops.) So, let's stroll through Jardin d'Acclamatation, shall we? Jeff, would you and the RCT pinball machine like to be alone? More to come from Jardin d'Acclimatation. Little do these people know the sucker punch that awaits them. Kristie has slipped into a zen state, Piers is bemused, Melanie is amused, Rich is asleep, Jeff is dead, and Larry isn't sure what to make of any of this. This little powered coaster packs a surprising punch, but where's Dick Dastardly and Muttley? Can't have Wacky Races without them. The two cavemen are saying, "Wacky Races--represent! Hanna-Barbera in the house!" Look--it's Rowan Atkinson's evil twin! Perhaps butterflies in France have big bushy eyebrows and large, multicolored pastel butts. These cars look more like angry stew pots than butterflies. I'm really not seeing the whole "butterfly" thing here, and Alice is nowhere in sight. OK, break out your kill jars, mounting pins, and paraffin boards. It's time for Alice's Butterflies. Nope--no touchy copyright issues here, right? Jardin is quite inclusive and diverse in its offerings. Here we see Disney's Genie getting acquainted with Terrytoons' Mighty Mouse. And here we are. You have to pay to get in, then pay as you ride. Aw-w-w-w-w . . . Kidtums is helping that nice old man up the steps. First, two touching moments while waiting for the bus. "Chris, your armpit smells just like warm cinnamon buns!"