bert425

I could swear I brought it up in passing (over in the Fiesta thread). yes, he's been named GM. . so he's over Fiesta, Hurricane Harbor Houston, SFOT (where he's been spending a LOT of time the past couple of weeks)/Hurricane Harbor, Schlitterbahn (both New Braunfels and Galveston), and Frontier City!

Cutting it a little close, but SFFT finally released the schedule for the upcoming Roller Coaster Rodeo this morning. this is an EXCELLENT event (with, honestly, the biggest selling point being that your badge works as VIP Flash Pass Access *all* day Friday & Sunday too. . . .so while you'll be too busy to use it on Saturday, it works all day before the event officially starts Friday, and all day after the event ends Sunday at Noon). some changes this year and I'm a little bit sad they seem to have gotten rid of some of the "rodeo games" / "scavenger hunt". . . but mostly, I'll miss the Friday night "Frightfest" they had been doing for attendees in prior years, complete with two houses. But I can get over that, as we're having an ERT DCU party instead. (and it looks like Saturday morning ERT has been added to allow day time rides on the Crackaxle rides. . if i'm correct in my guess that's what "wild west sunrise shindig" is. it's a great event, and so worth the cost!

due to it's location? I dont' think it will open before they have the "Park" built around it. "Palindrome" tho? that's near the entrance to the observation tower / concert venue. . . so I would put $$ on it that will open well before the actual "CotALand park" will. as to Circuit Breaker's stats? I don't believe they have released them yet (again, for some reason not promoting it), but it's a Custom Vekoma Tilt Coaster model, they codenamed "Pittfall" now back to Cedar Point. . . I can't wait to go back. Haven't been since they removed Wicked Twister, and have only ridden Steel Vengeance once (with a major injury, so didn't really enjoy it either). so lots of new things for me to ride there. . including that mouse on the boardwalk!

^ the one here near me is TERRIFYING. I've been really giving the CotA team a hard time about how I just can't understand why they are sitting quietly when Circuit Breaker (CotA tilt coaster) and Palindrome (unique shuttle coaster) are sitting there built, and everyone talks about Siren's Curse. I mean, I GET the park isn't anywhere near ready to open. . but piggyback on the publicity at least - ESPECIALLY since CotA started building their tilt coaster first. here's a pic from May 12th (one of the few CotA has on their site):

from what I recall, USJ was pretty landlocked - especially around Minion's land. are they taking something away to add this? or just putting it in over some of the "park space" in the center of that area?

if I understood correctly, and perhaps Robb or Elissa can confirm - the section of the park that was closed off - where the Chute the Chutes ride is/was, was intended to reopen with a log flume.

Day 11 (pt 2) full day at Flamingo Land, continued: after the disappointment of the Haunt ride, we decided to head back towards the front of the park, where the main restaurants were. it was mid afternoon, and hadn't eaten yet, and we had seen posts in the group chat that the food in the pub was decent. the decor in here certainly was "eclectic" and the food was "typical bar food". .but that's fine, because it actually was all pretty good. the mozzarella sticks : and my Ham & Swiss with loaded nacho fries. we had a couple of hours left before time to meet the bus, so took the opportunity of being near the front gate, to check out the gift shop. capybaras !! then checking out the time, decided to venture way over to the other side of the park for the zoo portion. lazy afternoon for the lion pride. lovely Giraffe enclosure, surrounded by what looked like tracks for a SBNO train. perhaps it only operates on certain days? too bad, as it would have given some great views. This park most certainly can use a train or a monorail. . as it's a TON of walking, due to it being so big. monkeys, and free roaming peacocks. .that were everywhere! hmm. that's one way to ensure the big cats don't hide from visitors during the day - chain a big chunk of meat to the central enclosure. tho the Red Panda didn't seem to need any coaxing to be out. so cute! what's this???? ah. there's a "zoo area only" monorail.. and if I had found it a bit earlier, absolutely would have ridden it. but the station was difficult to find, and I was worried I wouldn't have time to check out the rest of the park. Nice to know at least one of the "sit and enjoy the view" rides (as I call them) was working today tho. thru the elephant enclosure, you can see just how far away from the SLC coaster we are - and there's still a whole nother "land" behind me. speaking of that other land. . . getting to it, and more free range Peacocks it looks like this at one point was a main entrance to the zoo? perhaps it's now the resort entrance? very small kiddie carousel here. . at least they had one, even if it's a tiny one. (but no, didn't try to ride it) and a few other assorted kiddie rides. that's why I'm guessing this park started out as a zoo.. but they slowly added thrill rides, and expanded out to the left. mini-ponies! and a whole "Peter Rabbit" section, that included a maze, and obstacle course, a gift shop / library (closed today) and a castle. and back behind the castle - hidden with NO signs, and not on any map I could find - was a classic carousel. i know it wasn't on the maps, because I tried to tell Stacy I had found a carousel, so she could come ride it with Myself and Nick. . but she wasn't able to find it, and kept getting directed to the kiddie carousel. called "the Gallopers". . . I was so happy to see this, and of course immediately hopped in line to ride it. I *believe* I ended up on Twister. . but can't really recall. still. . . Carousels are my happy place. and Nick seems to be enjoying it too. we looped back around the far side of the zoo to head back to the main gate / bus. as you can see, the sky cleared and it ended up being a beautiful day. more roaming Peacock I believe a buzzard sleepy meerkats antelope hiding in the tall grass a meerkat keeping watch while others dig for bugs and happy piggies in mud a photo op? why yes, please that's one way to make use of a dead branch that must be cut. . . carve into an owl. we got back to the front gate as the pirate show was going on. not sure what a pirate show has to do with Flamingo Land. . but I guess it explains the Pirate Ship stage. and there was a ton of kiddie / crowd involvement - those kids at the very front, expected to be chosen to participate. and the cast stuck around afterwards for photos .. . so of course! arrrrrghhhhhh!!! and this guy seems to be the mascot of the park. yeah.. I don't really understand it either. . why a Parrot for FLAMINGOLand? but hey, was cool to meet a mascot. and with that, we all headed to the bus and made our way towards the last hotel for the trip. on the group thread, either Andy or perhaps Brad shared these pics they had taken in the zoo portion. thought they were great enough to share. . .especially this first one. later that night, in the hotel, Stacy had a dilemna. she had gotten her bottle of Iron Maiden wine. . but how to get it home? no liquid allowed in that qty on the plane. well, the answer was to drink it of course, so she headed to me room and we drank like Troopers. and with that, it was time to go to bed. one final park before the trip was done. .and it was another surprise one.

Day 11 (pt 1) full day at Flamingo Land: on the way to the last hotel for the trip (back near London), we stopped to spend most of the day at FlamingoLand. this is a weird ass park - on the one hand, it's very, very run down, and seemed to be falling apart in places. With some pretty awful operations (most coasters were running one - or less ! no really, a coaster was running one train ops with only loading the first 4 rows). . . *but* the rides/coasters they do have offer a wide variety of thrills, and included one of my favorite coasters on the trip. it's also a HUGE park. .that includes a zoo. and mixed in past the zoo? some more rides (tho these were mostly smaller rides, and I got the impression that this was the original park, and then they expanded behind the zoo to add the newer thrill rides section). the day we were there was overcast, and tho there was a lot SBNO - including a section with a chute the chutes and a mine train coaster that was completely shut down - and a LOT of stuff that broke while we were in line for it (tho they mainly got them back up and running fairly quickly) - AND it turned out we were there on a day that was a standard "Families with kids with special needs" day at the park (so was busy), it never really FELT crowded, as the park is so big. and I really enjoyed chatting with some of the special needs kids while they were in line with their companions and their excitement at riding "big coasters" was contagious. made for a wonderful day overall. even tho the appearance of the park, and the operations, definitely get a C- ? the day I had I'd give a high B+ to. (tho the SBNO monorails, train, race track, and other rides really are a giant eyesore, and they make no attempt to hide the "rotting" rides) on to pictures! it was so sad to leave Blackpool. . but at least I still had the lovely sights to see out of the bus windows a roundabout, with the first sign I'd seen pointing us to Flamingo Land and before too long, we pulled into a mostly empty parking lot (we had arrived before park open) hmm. . SOME theming here. wonder how it is thruout the park? (answer, very hit or miss. .with some areas really themed, some areas looked like they had been themed and over the years the park just gave up, and some areas with little/no theming). the big draw (at least for us) was staring at us right from the parking lot: SIK - an Intamin 10 loop coaster. it's very similar to Colossus at Thorpe Park, but with a different restraint system (and trust me, that makes ALL the difference in the world) Inside the front gates, and tho the day started out cool, it did warm up a bit. ok. . some nice theming near the entrance gates - tho really not sure what a pirate ship has to do with Flamingo Land. I'd try to catch a show later to see if there is a connection. on this side behind Sik is another (in)famous coaster here - Hero - a Zamperla Volare. oy. next to it in this pic is a Disc-O, and a drop tower (neither of which were operating during our visit). . . but that station on the right and the orange track, is another coaster: Velocity - a Zamperla MotorBike coaster (it was up and down all day, but got lucky with out skip the line passes and managed to get a ride on it). THIS is what we were gonna start off with tho. and the park does have the "classic" photo op in front of the multiple corkscrew inversions (and I could SWEAR Robb took a pic of the group there), I don't have that shot. . so here's a "not exactly lined up" shot of the multiple inversions. walking back over to SIK before the gates open, here's a pic of Hero. just looking around from in front of SIK while they get the morning test runs out of the way. that blue track behind the Disc-O is Kumali - the park's Vekoma SLC. yeah. it's like the park has the "greatest shits" in terms of the coasters. . LOL. and SIK is testing, yay! here's an onride shot (that I bought on a magnet) with Stacy, me, Doug and Nick. it shows off the different restraint system than Colossus has, and this makes is SO MUCH BETTER. no headbang (nothing to bang against!).. and turns this into such a great ride. by the time I got done purchasing the picture - don't ask. .it was a 15 minute shitshow - the park had opened and Velocity had already gone up and down a few times. they got it running again, and so I headed right over, and managed to get a ride before it went down again, using our quick queue passes. I sat out the Zamperla Volare - having already had the horrific experience of riding one of these in a park in Helsinki. So I just took pics and waited for those I was hanging with to ride. to be fair tho, those that did ride it? said it was running very well, and was way smoother than they expected. walking back over towards Mumbo Jumbo (the park's S&S El Loco), and Kumali (the park's Vekoma SLC), you have to go around this huge - and not operating today - race car attraction. Not sure if this is SBNO or was just not open today. . .but since what looked like the loading station was all blocked off and full of storage? I'd guess is SBNO. a shame, as it's huge, and in the center of this whole side of the park. Mumbo Jumbo was a new to me coaster. . I'd never been on an El Loco - as I've never been to Indiana Beach (for Steel Hawg) or to Adventuredome since CircusCircus put that in. so I was nervous, but excited. even with passes, and not much of a line, this took a while to get on, as it doesn't have the best capacity very intimidating. . . but those who were riding it, seemed to really be enjoying it (ignore the scowling kid in row 2. .LOL) just as we were about to get on.. . a restraint arm fell off. no. . really. . . bwaaa-haaa-haaaa did not have me feeling very "safe". . . but maintenance came out fairly quickly. . and after messing with it for a bit, just locked off that seat, and then tested and reopened the ride. Did I like it? not really. . I can see why others do like these El Locos, but for me, just felt a bit too. . . "im gonna try and kill you" for me to enjoy it. so was one and done for me, but I'm glad I got to ride one of these finally. Hey Andrew! speaking of "I'm going to try and kill you" rides, next up was the Vekoma SLC this one had the upgraded train (not trains, as they were only running 1 train, and of that 1 train, were only loading the 1st 6 rows, leaving the back 4 rows empty on every cycle). so yeah. .this one took a while to get on, especially with the apparent restrictions that special needs couldn't ride in front or back (so row 6) so the operators were pulling 2 quick queue, 4 special needs, and 4 standby line for each cycle). was it worth the wait? well, it actually DID ride better, I thought, than Infusion, which I had just ridden the prior day at Blackpool. but at the end of the day, it's an SLC. I mean..I'm smiling in the pic back behind this ride is the closed off section where the Chute the Chutes ride is (and looks like also an SBNO swinging ship too) this water battle ride, was not operating today. . .tho they did have the water features going, and it LOOKED like it typically does operate. one thing I did think was interesting here was how many kiddie coasters they have. when we visited, I think there were four, but looking at RCDB, it does appear that at least two of them closed down at the end of 2024. this one is still operating in the park tho. (and you can see in this pic the SBNO Monorail. . parked in the middle of the place, so you can get excited about riding it, but it's not working) whee. . . I believe I DID ride this one (Runaway Mine Train) with Stacy too, even tho I tend to skip the kiddie coasters. this one, called "Dino Roller" , I did not ride. but did take pics for those riding. . there's Nick in car 2. and Stacy in the back row. very interesting ferris wheel next door. I don't think I've ever seen a "covered wagon" wheel that had so many arms. while we were over in this area, my most anticipated coaster actually opened - tho it had been down all day thus far. Zooom! - a Zamperla Air Force coaster. yeah it doesn't do much, but it's my kind of dumb fun. .wheeee. we were among the first to get over to ride, but did find that Jon and Daniel had already hopped in line and were on the cycle before us. clouds really coming in. . was hoping it would hold off until our day was done (and it did) this small claw ride (adjacent to zooom!) was operating, but it looked like it was SUPPOSED to be over a lake, with water features that squirt as you swing over it. it was kinda looking sad and run-down without that in place. Jon having a blast me too. . . Whee!! another pic of a parked Monorail. . . I guess I just don't understand why have it out, if there's no way to actually ride it? Maybe the station was back in that SBNO area they are tearing down the chute the chutes in? I actually was interested in riding this, but it had a decent line, and there was so much more of the park to explore. still think it's super interesting tho. this big dino area, was another spot where they seemed to go in bigtime with some theming. there was a spinning coaster back here too. . so we headed in. I only seem to have taken pics of the queue line, tho we did ride it. it's called Twistosaurus, an is a Zamperla Twister Coaster (there are some pis of it on RCDB if you're curious). fun, but not super exciting. interesting factoid posted at Twistersaurus. looking at the park map, it appeared there was a haunted house attraction (family friendly) if we headed towards the zoo side of the park down this path. so we headed that way. quickly coming across another kiddie coaster - this one also now showing as removed at the end of 2024, called "Go Gator" adults were NOT allowed on this one, and I could see why. . nevermind getting in the train, that track didn't look like it could support over 80 lbs. a lovely cottage and picnic area, just in the center of a huge amusement park. and then we came upon Mischief Mansion. . ok, totally NOT an adult ride. . but man, was this embarrassing. I was embarrassed for the park that they were even operating this. only 3 cars working (the main operator told me they had 4 cars until last week, but one of them got stuck - and he was telling the truth, as in the ride? the car that broke is just sitting right by the side of the track - where they pushed it against the wall - and I guess riders are just supposed to pretend they don't see it? with only 3 cars, this one took a while, even with very small queue line. it seemed to be aimed at the 3-4 year old crowd, which I had gathered from the cutesy monsters. . . . but id say at least 75% of the triggered effects did not work, and those that did work? all seemed to make a fart sound. (not that farts aren't funny to the audience I guess they were going for). was told no pictures on the ride, so put my phone away, but this is from the queue. Yeah. .that's not theming. .that's a lot of cobwebs and dead bugs in the light. ewww. . .. lowest point of the visit I would say, if only because the idea of a haunt got my hopes up. to be continued. . .

the refurbished Sangerfest Halle is now officially open. not only looks great, but the new layout VASTLY improved wait times - with the line splitting at the front for two sides with same options, and then 4 cashiers on each side. The Beverage station is also now on the same side (looks like what was the beverage station across the dining room area is going to be refurbed - if I had to guess, it will be a beer/alcohol stand, but at the moment it's all blocked off). the new food options are excellent, and this is NOT "theme park food" - other than the pizza and chicken fingers option that I guess they must offer for the picky eaters and kiddos. I DO wish some of the options that went away - such as my beloved Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich - will come back, as I feel they could use a few more options. opening options are: (all are Meal options on dining plan, and both deserts are Snack options) Salad (good size comes with grilled chicken chunks) Pizza plate - one large slize (cheese or Peperoni) with a pretzel bread stick Chicken Tenders - with a pretzel breadstick Sangerfest Platter - I entree, 1 side (+6.99 for additional sides) Entree Options: Traditional Braised Beef with Spaetzle, Grilled Brats, German Pork Loin, Chicken Tenders Side Options: Macaroni & Cheese, Fried Brussel Sprouts, Steak Fries, Fried Apples Deserts: Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, Parfaits Everything we tried was excellent, and the serving size for the pork loin was big enough that could easily be shared. I always bring along baggies, and took home leftover pork and Brussells that made a great lunch today.

last Day in Munich: at the fair for a final time. all packed up, shower and a quick nap taken, several of us met up in the lobby and headed back over to the Oktoberfest Faire for the final night (for us, the fair still ran I think for 2 more weekends?). a brewery we passed by every time we walked to the fair: as it was a weeknight, not as packed as we'd seen it. . but still the fairgrounds were pretty hopping. this is what they use for medical emergencies (or alcoholic emergencies: ie: pass-outs). they are to permit privacy, but these big, blue, coffins wheeling thru the crowds drew attention to them, I thought. this was my goal for tonight. . to get some pics from the ferris wheel at the back of the fair. so we headed that way. still pretty busy for a Tuesday night, I thought. we ended up sharing with a family who also wanted to take pics, so we took turns sitting in the end seat to grab pics as we cycled so colorful from above! a look down into the "older" section that had the separate entry. Loved that part of the Fairgrounds. and the beerhalls lining down one side of the main walkway Olympia Looping from the Ferris Wheel the ferris wheel off my list, there really was only one more thing I wanted to check out (and thanks to Erik for recommending it!) - one of the oldest rides at Oktoberfest! the Suspended Carousel. it was celebrating it's 100 years at the festival, and not only had a live band playing while it operated, but some daredevil operators, who jumped up onto the carriages as they swung around to take your ticket. it was amazing! the inner workings of the ride Erik even got on to ride it again with me. hidden way back on the complex, it wasn't packed tonight, but we weren't the only ones riding it. the live band - crammed into that little booth - that played while the ride was going. some signage celebrating the 100 years it' had been at the fair. I was actually starting a get a bit of munchies (having not really eaten today other than sharing that pizza).. so we started looking for a place to try that we hadn't had yet. LOL. .the sign ALMOST got me.. but I had flashbacks to those balls from night one.. and passed. Tho we stopped for a pic. no takes for the flume tonight. .even tho it was not raining I'm SURE this is 100% Disney approved, right? but since we were over here, and it was our last night? absolutely got some rides on Olympia Looping. this pic gives a good shot of the restraints. I don't care for them because as the coaster hits the loops, the pressure forces the shoulder harness down more and more..and you feel crushed by ride end. Fantastic coaster tho, and was able to knock it off my bucket list. luckily just out front of it was a place serving these wonderful things. Kinda like a Gyro, but on fry bread with more veggies inside. comes flat, but one folds it to eat like a taco. it was quite good. and met some folks who thought my jacket was as cool as their jackets, so they wanted to take a picture together. uh oh.. more of those "body boxes" things. . . stuff I hadn't seen in the prior 4 days, now suddenly a few times in one evening? and whom did we stumble upon? (and in a fantastic mood)? Jonathan, once again wearing his lederhosen. he joined us and we decided to check out Dr. Archibald - basically a ghost train, but with the gimmick that each rider gets VR goggles, and for the most part, all are watching different stories. honestly? I wasn't impressed at all with the VR. But the 'ghost train' aspects of it were fun (as was the exit funhouse), and it had some of the best lighting on the fairgrounds (purely to draw in customers - as once you had the VR on anyways, you couldn't see it. the ticket to get in. we're ready to be a-scared !! Jonathan really, REALLY wanted to try the toboggan again - as he was insisting that he had done well the night before. I worried he was wasting his $$, and that he was too far "gone" to have a chance, but he woudl not take no for an answer, so we all observed (and filmed for him at his insistence) as he gave it a go. whoopsie! but he made it to the top.. then kinda disappeared. he took his time coming down.. but eventually spotted him on the slide. where he sat giggling.. until staffers - who did NOT think it was funny - came and "helped him" out. but hey, it made fora *classic* short film clip HYWX4608.MOV after that fun, Jonahan wanted to go even deeper inoo the fair as possilby prior noted: Even tho it doesn't do anything TOO nuts. . but still, I think, it' possibly my favorite coaster at the fair. note: these pics were taken on the final brake run into the station - WITH PERMISSION from he ride operator. never pull out a phone for pics on a coaster, unless you get an ok from the folks who operate the ride! some "artsy" pics i have on my batch. . .and I think they are probably Andy's pics that he shared. finally managed to get the natural lame on Voodoo Jumper. and one final look back before we head out to go back to the hotel. Long day tomorrow with drive to Europa Parc it had been a fantastic visit to Oktoerfest, and still a few days to go on this trip. for now tho? off to rest. . .

Free Day in Munich: Part 2 at the Deutsches Museum the next hall we went into seemed to be the history of stringed instruments. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing, so I recall spending quite a bit of time in this quiet section of the Museum, where many of the instruments were interactive in some way, and you could hear the sounds from them. stunning large organ, off to one side of the big hall. I'd never seen one of these "air pumped" organs. . . super interesting. another stunning organ interestingly designed harpsicord/piano mash up shouldn't be surprised, but the innner workings are SO much more complicated than I'd expected. moving on to more modern types of instrumentation. . and sound amplifying options this guy was so cool. . and I wondered why he wasn't on the first floor exibit of Atomotons. but looking at it, this seemed to be a permanent installation in this section of the museum, and yes, he operated! Loved the mirror behind him so you could watch the inner workings different kinds of flutes.. and I believe the one at top is the crystal flute the museum loaned out to Lizzo for a performance (as she's a flutist) as we're getting closer to "modern" times, the automatons are getting even more detailed - this player piano almost looks like a Jukebox and this Asian singing bird sculpture was really impressive for how tiny everything was, but they moved and sang. a Theremin. . that was so fun to play with and make my own Laurie Anderson Music. I don't think Andrew was impressed tho. . .LOL hmmm. . why do they have a recording studio set up in this area of the museum? oh. pretty cool to see, even if reading the notes, sounded like most of it were reproductions rather than original instruments (think the speakers were official) onwards to the Apothocary, and farm life. with tons of dioramas set up to show extreme conditions, and how certain discoveries were made, in terms of medicine. and even some discussion of mental health. I honestly can't recall what this handshake/grip display was for. . but it was creepy! the Periodic Table with examples of things (that won't kill you at least) was a nifty way to show off the Elements This pic might be out of order. . I THINK it might be from the "printing/communication" exhibit on the floor above. but it was in my roll here.. so maybe has to do with farming? we'd been in the museum for over 4 1/2 hours now, so it was a perfect time to stop for a quick coffee break. and I did love the artwork by the upper level "restaurant" and the furniture continuing on - last but not least on this floor was a display about Microscopes, and the way light bends to form holograms. very interesting on how the Microscope evolved thru the ages. and tho they didn't photograph well. . .I found the Hologram exhibits to be among the most fun. they were all super interactive, moving glass panes and objects to get different results. looking thru a telescope that went thru multiple exhibits to give an example of how things existing on different planes can appear flat on the same plane when looked at in a certain way. going up a level, was the large exhibit about printing processes and the way the world communicates. (this area had a couple of full size - like barn size - printers from the 1800s) examples of the pieces put into a printing press to roll off printed works spam and a trojan horse.. . . can't recall why. . probably about using mis-communication as communication examples of printing. . and ways of communication - carrier pigeon! and following as technology evolved. . into games, and short films and eventually some artwork depicting how technology can overwhelm us. I really enjoyed this piece that I believe was called the Techno-Tornado and look! even found a roller coaster connection. of course, why they chose to use an SLC, I dunno.. . maybe they wanted to make a statement about science sometimes = pain up to the final/top level - where about 1/2 is closed off as they work on the new additions to the Musuem, the two main sections here were Body/Health, and farming. we went to Farming first. 'nuff said it was interesting to see how technology is used not only to process crops, but also to fiddle with the DNA of some foods/insects to end with better outcomes/harvests for some reason, in the health area, I didn't take many pics. Perhaps the details of "perform your own surgery" or "you try making stitches" or looking at old remedies for illnesses were just a bit too gross for me to take pics of (not likely). . . or I just had my hands full with so much hands on stuff that I didn't think to take many pictures. the hall is set up like a giant humanoid body, and each station has info (and creepy utensils) about how they used to work on these things to treat people. I did manage to snap some pics out the windows from up here, for a nice view of Munich. a fully stocked apothecary from the Renaissance - with everything labeled and you could read up on what each thing was used for via that kiosk in the center by clicking on things. I'll take modern medicine, thank you. we were pretty exhausted - having been here most of the day - and hungry. so we decided to head out.. tho stopped in the "train room" to watch the trains for a bit. and in the Robots exhibit, a Museum staffer was out with a robot dog showing off it's tricks for a small crowd, so we stopped and watched this a bit too. the weather was still holding up - very overcast, but nice. so after a quick stop in the Museum gift shop (of course) we decided to walk towards the town center and find something to eat. here's a peek over the construction fence from the gift shop. I'd guess this is the "official" front entrance to the Museum. . . but since they put so much work into setting up the new entrance, I'd guess that will remain the entrance. while walking we passed a vegan pet food store, and took a look inside (Andrew's family had just gotten a puppy). we didn't buy anything, but they DID have this *stunning* piece of art up on the wall. there was a lot of art that I liked that we passed as we walked. we did end up stopping and getting Pizza from a place that was actually pretty good. I don't know why I didn't take a single picture, or if I did? kept any pictures? because the pizza was decent, and it was just what we needed to hit the spot. near the main square, there was this absolutely beautiful church that has a sign outside inviting anyone to come in and check it out. i'm glad we stepped in to take a look.. as the inside was really pretty breathtaking. there was also a large street market area over here too.. so we did some shopping for gifts, and treats while here. we finally got to the point where our feet were hurting a bit - and I recognized a building (and knew how to get back to the hotel via train from here) but first we watched the clocktower animated pinging at (I think) 5pm. and Andrew offered to treat me to a Hot Chocolate from a chocolate shop off the square. I said yes, and we were both surprised to get a full cup of melted chocolate. . LOL. . it's like what they use to dip their chocolates in a chocolate fountain but just put it straight into a cup. it was rich, and dark, and just the right amount of bitter. A postcard I got for a friend. and then we hopped on the train and headed back to the hotel. where we took a couple of hours to relax, pack for the morning (we were leaving for Europa Parc in the morning), and meet back down in the lobby for one final visit to the Oktoberfest faire. this guy is now sitting on the rocking chair in my living room. . but I bought him at a street fair in Munich. to be continued with final night at the fair.

Free Day in Munich: Part 1 oy.. seeing that Adam is actually on his last day of the TPR trip, reminded me that despite having so much going on, I've GOT to get back to my dual Trip Reports (both Oktoberfest, and the UK) - not only because I love doing them, but because I have to make time for myself to do the things I love doing. so after a lengthy wait, here's an update for day 5 in Munich - our "Free Day" to explore the city, go back to the Oktoberfest faire, or just do whatever we wanted to do. Andrew and I decided via chat before the trip (and at the suggestion of options from Elissa that she had sent out prior to the trip) that we would spend our free day at the Munich museum of Science and Technology (the "Deutsches Museum") and I had prebought tix for us. a quick cab ride from the hotel, and we had arrived. the Deutsches Museum is a HUGE and very interactive museum, and as we were here on a Tuesday, we knew there would likely be school groups here (there were, but they pretty much stuck together, and so we were able to avoid the large groups most of the time - but the place is SO big, that even if packed it probably wouldn't have felt very packed. a view across the lovely waterway that passes by the Museum. it doesn't look that big (that's what she said!), but the more you get into it, you realize there are levels below ground and farther back. and they are doing some massive construction near what would be the front entrance (the gift shop is on the left) to build, I believe, a Planetarium. so this is the current entrance, down the side of the building, under the large "Barometer tower" Munich truly is a very lovely city from the current entrance, one enters by one of the working scientific labs that suspended above a large conference area - where they were holding talks and shows that the public are welcome to join. you can join to work in in the lab with the scientists too. . . tho that's an upcharge and only during certain hours. another view of the lab from the coffee shop they had set up near this entrance. a most important stop to get to once we scanned in (and a potty break too) looking out the back window while sipping coffees.. yeah, the building goes way back, and there are even full size boats just out back that one could touch and go on. as the museum is so big, we decided to follow the extremely helpful map, and just go along the route it recommended. the first large room, was also where most of the school groups started too. So tho you can't see it in these pics, there were a LOT of kids in this first display area. once we moved on from this room tho, we didn't really interact with the school groups. they were mostly doing the audio tour - which we could have done - but chose instead to skip so we could spend more time on the things that interested us most, instead of going from case to case with the audio tour. the first exhibit hall was about the history (and future) of robotics - starting out with toys: a display about how a robot would "see" with thermal imaging CREEPY !!!! one of the first ever full size robots built with a human face the historical robotics stuff here was SO interesting. I could have spent way longer in this hall, but it was getting crowded. they even had a Golem. I was super impressed this guy played guitar. . down this next hall was the way to proceed into the main museum.. .and I snapped this pic to show Andrew how once we got out of this room, there was plenty of space and way less kids. i mean, it's GREAT there were school groups of kids at a museum. and it was GREAT they were all well behaved. but.. I mean. . kids (shudder) one last pic in the robotics room. . . and then quickly buypassing the next room (about trains and transportation) to get more ahead of the groups. it was a really impressive train set up tho. . . we went back later to catch it fully running. in the base of the "Barometer Tower" is a Foucault pendulum display. . . very interesting, even tho I'd seen a version of this at Tokyo DisneySea in the Michelangelo challenge area. the point is that it proves the Earth's rotation. the next exhibit hall on this floor was about Bridges/Tunnels/construction. i totally got why Elissa had described this as a "fun" museum. So interactive, with so many displays. I loved it, and think we spent over 6 hours here this day. yes, they actually have a glass suspension bridge build across the area! pretty cool to walk over and look down to displays you'd get to later in this hall. most of these models are working - you push a button and they show how they operate. honestly, the history of construction materials and types was WAY more interesting than I ever thought it would be! we spent so much time in this room the groups started to catch up with us. and the area about water, and how it's utilized to generate power to move the machinery is really cool too.. tho the sound over here did make me have to pee as noted. . some really impressive models in this museum Andrew and I posing in front of a cross section of a cable that supports a Suspension Bridge. LOL.. in this pic you can see the groups starting to filter in so we moved into the next connected hall, which was all about machinery and how it's powered and what energy is required, and what energy is produced and just off the hall from this is a huge, 4 story area, that all about aviation and space. this just shocked me. . suddenly was in a space that was just as large as the Air and Space Museum main exhibit hall at the Smithsonian! full size planes on display, and hanging from the open area ceilings. Andrew actually chatted with another tourist that was a fan of flying and they stood and talked aviation for a good 20 minutes over here. I found a lot of it interesting too , tho of course I found the display with the Stewardess Barbie. and no, putting Ken's Pilot hat on Barbie doesn't make her the pilot museum folks ha! a Playmobil TSA set. peeking out the windows over here, at what I think is a nearby cathedral ? the hall is so big, they even talk about commercial airlines, including a cross sectioned plane so you can see how the food, luggage are stored. up the stairs to level 2 of the museum - tho still sticking with the Aviation atrium area where they have a 360 flight simulator and they begin to talk about missiles, rockets, and space tee-hee another view out the window from the 2nd floor now. looked like it was gonna rain today, but for the most part, the weather held out full size walk thru of classic planes - inside a museum! finally found a direction board . . and I was wrong, thought we were on level 2, but we were now on level 1, as we had come in on level 0 as you can tell. . still LOTS to do. into the Space section, and a nice model of the shuttle and skylab not as much on display as they have at the Johnson Space Center outside of Houston. . but for a museum across the world? I was really impressed by how much they do have on display. didn't seem to take many pictures in the "Science" hall.. .but I think that's because there was so much interactive stuff to do, that I just didn't even think to take many pics. thought these tubes/thermometers were pretty dang kewl tho. and who DOESN'T want a "Gilbert Nuclear Physics Atomic Energy Lab" playset???? to be continued . . .

this pic of us CHOOSING to ride MindEraser pretty much sums up my feelings on Six Flags America: and one of my other memories of it were the absolute shit-holiest Carousels I've ever ridden (yes, it had a Pink Elephant on it, but there were freaking holes in the floor of it, and all kinds of tears in the canopy) but to be fair? I DO have some fond memories of this park too: Daffy Photobombing our photo, when we asked him to step aside so we could get a pic with Sam only: that fantastic sign for such a shitty, shitty coaster: and the first time ever, I got to ride a coaster with Robb while he filmed: so. . . all in all, I won't really "miss" it, but it wasn't the greatest park in the chain, and gotta wonder if a rival might pick it up and actually give it some love.

have you been to the park and ridden it? I'm asking because i could *swear* I was told that was Kilg%re who has taken over the ride, when riding (he argues with Cyborg who tells the riders to calm down and he'll save them via ride audio) a query on Google got me this response: The phrase "Kilg%re" appears to be a reference to a specific theming element within the Cyborg (Nebulaz) ride area, which is part of the DC Universe section of the park I'll listen again next time I'm in the park. . but just wondering if you went and rode it and heard it differently?