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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!"

Drivelet was a cool little park--a great way to end the day. Formule X was a good ride (sure beat the hell out of G Force at Drayton), and it taught me a valuable lesson: Never keep your wallet in your left front pocket of an X Car Coaster, unless you want it fused to your leg when the restraint ratchets down on the drops.

And there was much rejoicing. Yay. As you can tell, not one of my favorite rides at Alton.

I wished I'd seen the bumper go karts, too--very cool. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your photos, Hanno.

^There was a thread discussing the possibility of La Ronde getting a new waterpark: http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28587. I think a thread about the old waterpark would be acceptable--especially if you have pictures of it.

A cruise on the Seine, Then we go to Notre Dame. Gargoyles are cool. Quasi ring bells! That's it for the Team Larry High-Speed Tour of Paris. Jardin d'Acclimatation will be next. "Why don't all of you shuddup and let a gargoyle eat in peace? Oh, wait--I'm made of stone, so I don't have to eat anyway." "You're not missing much--the dancers suck." "Sigh! I wish I could watch the dancing, but my stone butt is on the wrong side of the building." There was some dance competition in the plaza below. "At least I can crap on them--I'm not made of stone!" "You know, if I weren't made of stone, I would so hock a big loogie on one of those people down there." I don't care what the homeowner's association thinks, I'm getting one of these for my house. By the way, there's an excellent ice-cream joint behind Notre Dame--as you can tell by this enormous line. (The caramel ice cream is awesome.) Notre Dame, which is nowhere near South Bend, Indiana. I'm not sure if this guy was busted or if the police were just giving him a tow. "Do you hear something? I think I hear . . . "Everyday, I contemplate the meaning of life--and my balls."

More from the City of Lights--during the day (so, no lights). Looking up the Seine. One last set of Paris pics to come. There are two major differences between Paris's Eiffel Tower and the one at Kings Dominion: 1) Paris's is much taller, and 2) KD's never has a long line. OK, who's ready for a cruise on the Seine? . . . and sometimes I just sits. You know, sometimes I sits and thinks . . . Damn it, what is the name of that thing? And why does it keep hounding us? The roof over Napoleon's tomb and uniform. Napoleon's uniform. Napoleon's tomb. My, that's one big ball. A man could go far with two of those, if he could tote them in a big sack, or something. "So, we French folk outwit you a second time, eh?" "I fart in your general direction!" "OK, there's a bunch of French stuff in here I can't pronounce, so let's just go in." This is the Hotel des Invalides--a 17th-century war veterans' residence that houses a war museum and the tomb of Napoleon. Hi, Erik. Sheesh, we can't turn around without bumping into this thing. And why does it remind me of Kings Dominion?

Table of Contents Introduction (scroll down) Chapter 1: Jardin d'Acclimatation Chapter 2: Parc Asterix Chapter 3: Walibi Belgium & Adventure Parc Chapter 4: Bobbejaanland Chapter 5: Toverland Chapter 6: Efteling & Drievliet Chapter 7: Walibi World Chapter 8: Heide Park Chapter 9: Movie Park Germany & Schlossbeck Chapter 10: Phantasialand Chapter 11: Tripsdrill Chapter 12: Holiday Park Chapter 13: Europa Park Chapter 13.5: Walygator Parc Chapter 14: Paris Disney Chapter 15: Final Thoughts Introduction: The Team Larry High-Speed Tour of Paris Well, I’m back home, Angus McNasty is sleeping in my lap, and I have to go back to work tomorrow. All this can mean only one thing—time to start my photo TR of TPR’s Europe Trip 2008. Yes, it’s time to set everything down and relive the whole incredible experience all over again—the parks, the people, the antics (which often develop into full-fledged “hijinks” and “folderol”), the food, the good times, the smells (well, maybe not all the smells). My thanks to Robb and Elissa for putting together another excellent tour. The work that goes into these trips is staggering, yet they always come through beautifully, with plenty of ERT and other perks—such as free beer (more on this later). If you want to make the most of your theme-park experience, you can’t go wrong with a TPR trip. Again, thank you, Robb and Elissa. First, though, a little “culture.” Yes, I know you all came here looking for pictures of roller coasters, dark rides, and TPR members engaged in silly, sometimes PG-13-rated antics. But it would be a shame to go to France and not spend a day checking out what Paris has to offer. So, Paris Pass in hand (which gave me access to a number of attractions and museums without waiting in line), I joined Team Larry (Larry “larrygator” Meisel and Rich “coaster05” and Melanie “funkybadger” Bitner) for a high-speed tour of famous Parisian landmarks and a cruise on the River Seine. So, here’s a look at Paris, a city in which it is nearly impossible to take a bad photo—that is, unless you trip, drop your camera, and take a picture of your own shoes. Or lose a piece of Notre Dame in a sun glitch. Or fall in the Seine, drift downstream, and end up taking a picture of some other town. Oh, and by the way, there may be a few antics depicted in these Paris photos. I wouldn’t want to mislead anybody. Anyway, welcome to Paris, as I saw it through jet-lagged eyes on Saturday, June 21, 2008. "OK, where the hell are we, again?" More to come from Paris. "Are those imbeciles still here?" "Oui." "Remember--don't make eye contact!" Seconds before the statue came to life and smacked me around. Stretch, Larry, stretch! Yeah, they know TPR's in town, alright. This maritime museum was part of our Paris Passes, so in we went. "Protect us, o scary, nearly naked guy!" Here's the very intricate roof of the Arc. The eternal flame burns in honor of France's fallen heroes (not for making smores--sorry). Hmm--this is some moderately popular local landmark, as I recall. Looking toward Montmartre (I think). Here's the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. I bet this soldier is thinking that it's a shame that he's sharing space with a gift shop. It's a long way up the Arc's sprial staircase. By the way, if this picture is spinning around, you may be in a Hitchcock movie--so beware of Kim Novack! Hey, look--my shirt goes with the Arc de Triomphe! (Actually, this is the same shirt I wore when I flew to London and Tokyo on two previous TPR trips.)

I tend to go back and forth between Nitro and Apollo's Chariot (currently lean toward the former as the better coaster). I'm not crazy about Castle O'Sullivan either, but the little plastic leprechaun puppet at the end cracks me up.

Good stuff as usual, Mike. But you be posing with Mr. Smee, not Doc, ya landlubber!

Gladiator's Gauntlet was my favorite flat ride at BGE, and I was a little sorry to see it go when they built Apollo's Chariot. They used to have one of those "Himalaya-like" rides with ships, which would run backwards and forwards, too.

If they're regular patrons of Fuji Queue, they would have to be more patient. Tripsdrill's rapids ride also features a whirlpool, but unlike Phantasialand's River Quest (which I think is an excellent ride), theirs is just scenery (no drop).

We already have a thread and poll for this topic: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31657. Please cast your votes and post your comments there. Chuck

^There are some construction photos here and there (Apollo's Chariot comes to mind).

^^Gas van Sant has proven that your can do a shot-by-shot remake of an old classic flick (in his case, Psycho) and still screw it up completely.

Not entirely true. The comic book was somewhat dark when it started, but became fairly campy. It wasn't until The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel (mid-80's) that Batman got the tone these movies are using. This movie especially seems to be borrowing heavily from "The Long Halloween" story line, especially the Harvey Dent/Two-Face stuff. Hence the satirical, mid-1960s TV series with Adam West.

Movie Guy, Someone has already started a thread with the same question: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44334. The only recommendation so far is checking the SF GrAd Web site (there's a link in the other thread). So, I'm locking this thread. Have fun at Great Adventure. Chuck

Midway Mania looks like a lot of fun (looking forward to checking out the Florida version later this year), and it fits in well with Paradise Pier.

Just for everyone's information, the justices of the California Supreme Court aren't "elected" by the people. They're nominated by the governor and approved by a judicial confirmation commission (after an investigation of their backgrounds and qualifications). Justices do stand for "retention"; that is, the voters get to say whether or not the justices have done a good job and should stay on the bench after they've served for 11 years (I think that's their term). Often, the retention election is just a formality, but California voters have rejected justices in the past (the most famous example is former Chief Justice Rose Bird for her stance against the death penalty).

I enjoyed the video and photos. Your question "What was that?" pretty much sums up my feelings on the music of the Moody Blues in general (especially the unintentionally hilarious "poetic" interludes). I did catch them in concert in Norfolk back in the 1980s, and it was a fun show--and I'm always up for a "trippy" dark ride.

^Actually, they did complete three circuits, Joe; ergo, it counts. And this is the funniest evac credit ever.

Oh, the humanity! At least your new hairstyle looks good, Mel.

Sheesh! What a knucklehead that kid was. I've never seen them e-stop the rapids before. (The kid's lucky that the op was fast on the draw--he could've been drowned or seriously hurt.)

That's too bad about Led Zep being worse than Scream (which may be my least favorite B&M ride).