bert425

eh, in the grand scheme of things, it's a first world problem. so really nothing major to complain about.

.. . . BGT has announced the Skyride reopens Friday. but there is now a $5 (each way) charge for it. free for pass members.

Back at the Hotel, I realized I didn't have anything to help with allergies packed. so Matthew looked up the nearest drugstore (which was still open and he and I hopped in a cab - to make sure we got there as they were closing shortly, and I got to shop in a Swedish Supermarket. Wasnt' sure quite what to purchase, but the checkout lady spoke English very well and helped translate the nose sprays for me and I picked up a couple. then we walked back to the hotel. . grabbed some dinner in the hotel restaurant with a few other folks we saw were eating there, and I headed up to the room to sleep. Pics walking back from the drugstore: and dinner: then up to shower and relax in room/crash. since it's a short final group of pics, will put the Furuvik swag here too: sweatshirt with happy cotton candy: an magnet:

Day 16: Sunday, June 18th part 2 (of 2) - Furuvik - and a surprise bonus on the way back to the hotel! continued. . . if I'm not mistaken, this was a lovely boardwalk/elevated pathway that went out onto the edge of the water, and around the goats & Red Panda enclosure. we didn't get to see the Red Panda - I do believe Dexter told us that the enclosure was getting ready for them, but the actual animals had not been moved into the enclosure yet? but I do know that he drew our attention to that land mass way off in the distance, and I'm pretty sure he said that was Finland we were seeing from Sweden. the post Indian food group that was being shown around by Dexter (that's him on the far right) yo Llama is SOOO fat. when she sits around the enclosure? she sits a ROUND the enclosure! hey. .it's not fat.. it's just fur. . . so Dexter was all excited about the Camels, and he actually called them by name and they came *running* over to him. now, did they come running over because they recognized and love him? or because he had handfulls of food to feed them? the world may never know. . . . but it was still wonderful to see, and get pics of. nothin to see here. . just some goats on a big rock. we had heard folks talking about a dark ride/ boat ride. . but hadn't been able to locate it. when asked Dexter about it, he brought us right to the entrance. (I dont' think we'd ever have found it otherwise). it looked like a fun little river raft ride, tho the boats were very small. there was some chatter about 4 per boat, but I recall protesting, and we ended up 3, 2, and 1 . . and what a correct call THAT was. that boat in front with 3 seems a little low to the water! um. . . . big Mike isn't looking too steady on his own either. . I'm concerned. . but at least Jonathan and I seem to be a little steady. um. . the heavier boat in the front seems to be causing a little bit of a traffic jam. . . I look worried, but the operators were laughing hysterically. . . and "luckily" we had someone off ride walking by at JUST the right moment to capture the chaos. ( think this is courtesy of Andy ? ) this guy's face cracks me up: I mean. . . we're laughing and horrified at the same time. ohhhh. . here comes the "Dark ride" part Realistic!! Sharks AND a Kracken? what kind of jungle is this???? but once you safely disembark, you are walking thru a monkey house. . .which makes the boat ride so worth it! turtles too. . you can get so close to them! Achievement unlocked!!! I found the 5th mascot. or did I? he was hanging around with his twin, and I wasn't sure which one of them I had met earlier. so better safe, than sorry. . . at least now I know i met all five of them. around this point, I was starting to feel pretty bad. I was getting cold, and was starting to cough a lot. . . I didn't think I was sick, and it SEEMED to be allergies. as that was affecting some others right at this point. Unfortunately, I didn't have anything with me to help with the congestion. . . . but I COULD buy a nice warm sweatshirt in a giftshop, so I did that. tho I didnt' buy this freaky octo-duck thing. . . nice to see that at least the mini carousel was getting some riders. . . speaking of horses? we had met up with everyone else to head out, and as we were walking towards the entrance we passed this Hobby Horse race track the park had as an attraction. so why not? Several of us grabbed hobby horses, and off to the races! this is a big part of why I absolutely *love* taking trips with TPR. . there really is no such thing as looking too stupid! it was hella fun, and kudos to my fellow racers! Pic courtesy of Robb, I believe. passing that theater we had seen on the way in. ah. .that's why only the two mascots were out. the others are here on stage. and have at least a bit of a crowd. and Elissa, Sarah, and TPR were awarded giant boxes of Chocolates from our guides at the park. we all piled back on the bus, as the sky started to darken and a bit of rain drops started to fall, and the candy got passed around to everyone for a taste. Robb & Elissa had a surprise for us on the way back. . we weren't going straight back to the hotel. . we were stopping here, at SkiStar Stockholm Hammarbybacken ! they have a lot of activities here at this place, that seems to be open year round. . . tho we were here for this: the only mountain coaster in Stockholm as you can see from the ground, it had started to drizzle, and we weren't sure they would keep it open for us.. but they did! here's some of the other activities that can be done here - this is the Tube sliding tracks (it was late in the afternoon, and the weather was kinda icky. . so that would be why it was mostly empty) you get in the individual cars, and they hook you up and pull you up to the top of the Mountain. here's Joey getting ready to head up. and I BELIEVE this is a pic I took of the screens showing how to control the mountain coaster as you descend. . .but gives a good view of the track/city. here's me coming down. . pic courtesy of, I think, Elissa (or could have been Jason) this thing was FLYING because the track was wet. pretty terrifying, but it was SO much fun. after riding in the rain tho, I was so congested and hacking that no one wanted to sit by me on the short bus ride back to the hotel. There was something going on in town tonight - a concert of some kind, I think. . and several in the group bought last minute tickets and were headed to it. all I wanted to do was find someplace to get some decongestant. . .

Day 16: Sunday, June 18th part 1 (of 2) - a park no one had ever been to, Furuvik - and a surprise bonus on the way back to the hotel! the next morning, we got up from our hotel, and filed onto the bus for a drive out of the city. and pulled up - right off what seemed to be a major highway - to a new park for everyone on the trip (including Robb & Elissa): Furuvik this is similar to Kolmarden in that it is mainly a zoo, but has some amusement rides and rollercoasters. . and it had been in the news fairly recently due to a horrific story regarding the Chimpanzees (that the park was known for - they were a main Chimpanzee research facility in Sweden prior to this) that escaped the enclosure and resulted in several injuries and the deaths of multiple primates. We did not ask about the story, and figured it would not be talked about - but it actually was mentioned by some of the park folks we talked to. and there was this memorial out front of the main entrance. (not sure if it was Furuvik sanctioned, but they were allowing it to be there - with the names of the 4 chimps that had died in Dec 2022). the actual main gates of the park. .and you can see front and center in the logo is a Chimp. . . looking back at the major roadway closeby before we went inside the park. it's a really large park, with some very lush areas. This was a theater we passed by on the way in, with a family show going on here during the day featuring the park's mascots: 5 cats. I never did get all of their names, but I WAS successful in meeting all 5 during our visit today I mentioned it's a large park? yup. .here's the park map oh.. did I mention the park Mascots are cats? yup. .they go ALL IN in places with the kitty cat theming. . a little hard to read, but I appreciate any park that attempts topiary/flower landscaping. Nice job by them. as I said, tho it's mostly a zoo, Furuvik does have an amusement park section (most over here in Scandi are identified by "Tivoli" areas). Based on this entrance area, it does appear that at one point the Amusement rides section was a separate ticket entry? but was all included now. various different rides over here. . some intense, some kiddie, but the majority of them "Family" rides. Sadly, this was the only Carousel on site tho. . . as a group tho, we headed for the Coasters first, as they were new to everyone! Lightning is a retro-looking family Vekoma Launch coaster, that was almost brand new - opening shortly before our visit. (I believe this sits where a Schwarzkopf Jet Star II used to be, named Rocket - that closed in 2021) nothing "EXTREME" here, but lots of twisty, twisty track. and a really fun retro station and train design. it went around twice, if I'm recalling correctly, and the 2nd time thru the station, it really pics up speed with the launch that increases the velocity the train already has going as it flies thru the station really great train design. . and part of the Control Panel for you freaks that like that. . . surprise surprise.. .Bumper Cars. (Swedes seem to LOVE their bumper cars). tho I did appreciate that this one had full "traveling Carnival" light package. . and every light worked. it was impressive when it got overcast how brightly this shined. a Disc-O and several games similar to we saw in Liseberg, where one could win a giant box of treats. next door was this wonderful shooting gallery - which for some reason you could win Octopus' at if you got a high enough score. I really enjoyed the choice of weapons. . tho I let down my Texas family by really sucking at shooting with most of the guns. this looked very similar to the one at Liseberg that had run the fairly tame program. . . simply called "Extreme" here. for sure wanted to ride it, but it required a certain number of riders before they could operate, so we'd have to come back later once the park opened to the public. instead, our guide, Dexter, led us over to the 2nd of the park's 3 roller coasters: Fireball - a Vekoma Family Boomerang. the theming here was quite nice, even if the ride wasn't an EXTREME ride. as a zoo, it's great that the "big" rides they have are mostly things the whole family can ride - even the smaller kids. whee!!! and next to it is a large shooting Dark ride - with some really amazing theming on the outside. but we didn't go to this one yet, there was still one more coaster here to get to as the park was opening up to general guests. Draken - a Zierer kiddie coaster but hey, new credit for everyone! as we got off our ride, and met to be released into the park (getting food vouchers, and being told what time to meet up later for the ride back). . I noticed - what's this? are those. . . mascots riding Draken with the 1st public riders? Yup! two of the 5 mascots found! make that 3 of the 5! and 4 of the 5 ! wow.. good timing to be there, just as the Mascots (well. . most of them) came out to start the day! now the park was open. . EXTREME had started running. we lined up - and tho still had to wait a little bit to get enough riders, were able to get a ride on it. Pretty intense, but I liked it. here's us on the ride - I believe pic courtesy of Erik, as we had to convince sMisty and Goldballs (as Erik calls him) to ride with us so we had enough people for the cycle. Despite my face, I liked it. and at the end of our ride, all the guys hopped off, causing the "arm" to raise up, leaving sMisty stuck in the seat way far off the ground (whoops!!) luckily, they have a step stool there, just for these situations all the big rides done (that I cared to ride), it was time for the spookhouse! fun animatronic in the queue line explaining how the guns work (in Swedish, but we figured it out). AMAZING boarding area. . . so cool. we were starting to get a little hungry, as we hadn't had much for breakfast this morning (I believe the Hotel had given us some pre-made bags, since we left so early, so didn't do the hotel breakfast this day). so we looked at the options for food, and most of the folks I was with agreed that the "Indian"/ Tandoori option sounded good. . . it was off in the middle of the zoo area, so we treked off to find it (with some directions from Dexter). . . passing the Camel enclosure. . . . tho we eventually found it. we were literally the ONLY folks here at this restaurant. so the three guys in the kitchen were joking with us, and chatting about where we were from, and they were very interested in TPR, and folks that took trips to go to theme parks and ride things. they laughed and asked me - since I was first - if I wanted the "American" serving for the add on chicken skewers. I had no idea what the difference was, but said "sure" this is what came out. LOL - you should have seen the eyes bulging out from the others with me. . as everyone pretty quickly ordered the same thing. it was a HUGE amount of food, and it was quite tasty! I posted this pic of it, and several other folks from TPR did come track down the Indian place and eat lunch here (I've heard it was way better than the burger place that some went to) David enjoying his protein! Dexter came by while we were eating and was happy his directions had helped us find the place. he offered to show us around to some of the animals, so of course we said yes, and ended up not having to wander aimlessly (which would have been fine, but nicer to have someone bring us to show the parts of the park that he loves). . . to be continued. . .

forgot a pic i had on my phone

^ yeah .that's it. He said the slides were "new". . so must be for 2024 I can't recall if he said the name. . but you reminded me - he DID show animation, and a drawing of the slide, because he showed it included a conveyor belt to get the 4 person tube to the top so it did not need to be carried up the stairs . . . using the famous couch/PIVOT scene from "Friends" to get a laugh. (same thing happened here in Texas - new slides at SFFT were supposed to be for 2023, and are new this year. . . and Catapult Falls at SWSA - announced for 2023, but opening this year as new.)

Per Steve yesterday. . . he said there was a new Slide installed? or some sort of improvement in the waterpark section?

a bit more detail. . Steve Thomas, the park's new General Manager was who presented at Winterfest - he's well known in Texas, as until recently, he ran the Arlington Trader's Village rides area. and is the main man responsible for bringing Prairie Screamer to that location (Prairie Playland) from Scandia. In Arlington they fully refurbed and reprofiled parts of it, and made it terrifyingly fun to ride. We'll miss him in Texas, but our loss is Alabama Adventure's gain. he told us that he walked the entire track earlier this month, and that Rampage is really in such bad shape, that the refurb is going to take an estimated 5 years. . tho they do plan on opening it during the refurb once the major issues are dealt with first. And that is why the coaster will be closed for all of 2024. But hopes it will be running in some capacity in 2025, and they will continue doing the refurb work on it every off season. they have put out for bids to multiple contractors, but they have not chosen one yet. his vision for the park is great, and sounds like it includes really building up the "dry" areas of the park with new flats as future improvements. (and refurb or clean up of current unusable attractions - he pointed out the overgrown & unused rapids ride as a major eyesore right now that he'd like to address sooner rather than later. And he teased another new coaster is on the table in the next 5 years as well, as they have identified a large, flat open space that is "just perfect for another coaster"

ok. . so it's been a long time. . with not a lot of movement. *but* there has been some land clearing going on recently!! and per Matt's major update yesterday at Winterfest? red-tape has been cleared and vertical construction on Palindrome to start shortly. . with expected completion in late April. *however* the ride will not open to the public immediately, and might wait until the park officially opens in 2025. (but there is a *really* good chance that people will be able to start riding the coaster prior to full COTAland park launch, as they need to get the required number of hours operating in for approval to open.. . so there's a good chance if Palindrome is complete in April, that we may get to start getting rides on it in 2024 still). all rides are either on-site, or in transit. and YES, that includes the Tilt Coaster, Circuit Breaker! in fact, Matt invited all of us at Winterfest yesterday, to come visit COTA for a couple of hours this morning to see the Circuit Breaker track in person. (sadly, I had other plans already and couldn't make it.. but Matt kindly told me I was welcome to share his pics). So here ya go. so big takeaways: 1) Red tape issues resolved, and vertical construction starting on Palindrome shortly 2) followed by construction on the main park, and Circuit Breaker - track all on site already - 1st train fully manufactured and in transit to COTA 3) toward end of 2024, move main entrance rides (current coasters & rides) over into COTAland 4) for opening in 2025 of full park.

mainly recaps of what's coming in the new DCU - with some animations of the new Cyborg Nebulaz, Shazam spinning drop tower, and the Metropolis Monorail. and also the new slides for the kiddos in Whitewater Bay (or whatever they are calling the Waterpark section now) he also confirmed that the retheme of Supergirl started today with the park working to strip the ride bare, and therefore Skyscreamer is down while it becomes Supergirl. one major thing he revealed is that the kiddie truck ride, that is being rethemed to Penguin, will become basically an outdoors dark ride - with lots of sets and scenes of Penguin vs Batgirl (makes total sense, since the Batgirl coaster will be right next door to it). it sounds amazing, and I fully trust this park. Kid Flash is back up and running, and interestingly, the light package is set to only 30% brightness. . .so it COULD be run much brighter, but they don't want to cause discomfort. . LOL Wonder Woman's 3 new trains are being built now, and they expect them to arrive and go on the tracks some time in April. what else. . hmmm. . new Menu options in the VIP Lounge (they all looked good). all festivals/events they ran in 2023 are coming back in 2024, including the new Food Festival they introduced last year. they are opening up for an Eclipse Party on April 8th (I think that's the day of the Eclipse. . . SWSA is opening up that day too). . . and SFFT will have a 180 degree Fireworks display during the actual Ec;ipse. that's what I recall off the top of my head. . .it was a very long day, and just got home

Day 15: Saturday, June 17th part 2 (of 2) - Travel day to Stockholm, surprise ERT at Grona Lund! back on the bus for a few hours, and enjoying the sights to Sweden we took a 45 minute rest stop to grab food, and tho most of the folks went to quicker service (and I think sMisty went to the candy store next door), Erik, myself, Didier, and I think Andrew, went across the intersection to this burger/pub chain in Sweden. they assured us they could get the food out fast, and they did, even tho it was a sit down restaurant. it was quite good too. but . . um. . maybe lost something in the translation? no, I didn't try the "soup of the day" then it was back on the bus, to finish our drive into Stockholm. lots of interesting architecture . . . really liked this sculpture in one of the Roundabouts that are all over Stockholm such a cool city! very futuristic. . . based on the clocks (on the many buildings), we were arriving at our Stockholm hotel at just about 8pm. my first glimpse of Grona Lund. . . I was blown away. the rides really are just piled one on top of each other. our hotel was literally next door to Grona Lund. .so we knew we were close. and here we were. . at the BackStage Hotel. literally across the (narrow) street from Grona Lund. oh. . and also *attached* to the ABBA Museum - with access from the hotel lobby! speaking of the Hotel Lobby. . . very modern, and funky. . . the Cafe in the hotel. and the Bistro attached to the ABBA museum (I stepped out front of the hotel to get these pics) yes, they played ABBA music non-stop. . and yes, I LOVED it. I mean LOVED it. Our room was the corner there on the upper right, with the patio door open. Jonathan was in the room next door to us, and he was also enjoying the music. aww. . a kiddie cut out photo op. one for the adults too. . which hysterically had a sign taped to the back warning not to stick your entire head thru the hole, as it might get stuck. LOL. . you know that has happened, if they need a sign. going back inside, even tho the museum was closed as it was just past 8pm, it's attached to the lobby. So was able to peek in, and get a few pics. I'm stunned by the ABBA around me (yeah yeah. . a terrible pic, but the only one I had of the Kimonos!) Since Grona Lund was right across the street, once I had put all the luggage in the room I ventured out to check it out - from the outside. Tho Backstage was our base hotel for a few nights, our full day at Grona Lund wasn't until two more parks (three days) from now. one of the main gates. . tho this one seemed to enter into the more family friendly, kid friendly ride area but I'll bet this was once THE main gate, as the art deco design and lights were impressive the Grona Lund gift shop, which was open for anyone to go in and look around - so I took a quick peek, but was warned they were closing in an hour, so if I saw anything I wanted, I had to get it before then. By a sweet little old lady - who watched me like a HAWK the moment I stepped into the store. . LOL we were missing the Chicks (ie: the Dixie Chicks) at the park by just a week or so. . . SO much art deco glass and artistic design here. . . one of Grona Lund's multiple Drop Towers/Tower Rides. look closely on the right side.. yup, that's a STAND UP option for one side of the tower! (spoiler, it scared the shit out of me, but I did the stand up option when we went to the park. and that camera on that side up there? yup, takes a photo you can buy). what seems to be getting used as the "main" entrance now. . as it had the box office, the information booth, and the queues set up to handle large lines over here. it also puts you in right be lots of games and some big rides. oooo.. Ice Cream. I hadn't had any at Skara Sommerland. . so I took this as a sign from the universe. tho I wasn't trusting those sprinkles..they looked suspiciously like Licorice to me. so played it safe with a cup and caramel/strawberry syrup topping. I spot a coaster thru the trees. Robb had messaged the group saying he had a surprise for us, and anyone who was interested should meet in the lobby at 9:30. so I finished up my ice cream and headed back across to our hotel. taking a few more pics as I walked. Ian was in the lobby, so I grabbed him and dragged him over to the photo op. I believe Jon took this pic for us. LOL. . neither of us wanted to be the guys. . but I, mean, I HAVE to be Frida of course. turned out the surprise? the owner of the park had reached out to welcome Robb & TPR to Stockholm and offered us some ERT on the park's newest coaster, a B&M Invert called "Monster". .that opened in 2021. I think almost everyone on the trip excitedly lined up to go into Grona Lund as they were about to close for the evening, to get some rides on Monster. the Clock on the wall shows it was about 9:55 pm. . and still so bright out. as you can see, the rides are just stacked on top of each other. . I can imagine how difficult it was to build this coaster in this space! (that white coaster in the background is "Insane", and the drop tower behind it - that drops face first - is "Icarus". . . will talk about them in the Grona Lund update) ah. .finally, the train is visible, right there in the center pic.. . here it comes overhead. . they were flushing the line out for us at the end of night. . . so this empty train told us that they were about ready for us. by the way, the owner we met (who's name I unfortunately cannot remember) was SO damn nice. just an all around nice guy. very much enjoyed chatting with him briefly. crowd headed out. . we're headed in. that's the main entrance to the ride straight ahead. but we weren't going in via the main queue. . . he led us down an alley towards the back of the ride. . . to the JetPass (the park's version of Flashpass) entrance. . which drops you right into the station. I rode this a bunch of times. . the view from the front is just stunning, as it weaves in and out of buildings, with a few near misses. and the drop has just this amazing view of the lake and the ferries as people were leaving the park. it is a bit too intense for me, and so I had to take several breaks. I'd basically do two rides back to back, then a break. . etc. as people started to bow out after many rides, there started to be some open seats - so Ian and I couldn't hold hands while riding but it HAD been a long day. . the adrenaline kept me going tho! one of my "breaks" between rides, in the cool underground station. yup, it starts and ends underground. Eventually we had to bid the park goodbye - for a few days - and we were led past the closed ride entrance and to the gates. LOVE how this ride interacts with the surroundings. . it just looms over everything over here. and then we made our way back across the street to the hotel, where I took a shower, and crashed HARD. it had been a long day, but quite an exciting one. I said a small prayer for the health of our injured companion - who rejoined our group the day after next with his foot bandaged up, but still able to ride stuff), and slept. tomorrow was another day. . and we were going to be headed to Furuvik. . a park no one on the trip (not even Robb & Elissa) had been to prior. . . and it had a lot of animals too. so I was excited. ending with a beautiful shot from Robb's on ride camera, of the Monster first drop, as the sun sets. (and a view of the parking lot across the street that the park has announced will be turned into an expansion, so will have rides on it in the future). thanks for reading along. . hope you've enjoyed!

interrupting the day to share the swag I got from Skara Sommerland, since it really wasn't much: Basically, the park gifted us with goodie bags, which included stuff that I would have purchased had I seen them. . so it saved me from having to do much shopping (really most of what was in the stores was related to the waterpark attractions anyways). it also included those giant baby pacifier suckers - which I gave to a friend's teenager - who loved them, so I guess that IS the target market. regardless, here is Skara Sommerland swag: several different magnets, with park logo, and ride logos. a branded fan. . . and a pic of me using said fan, while waiting for my coffee & balls earlier in the day (it was hot). this pic was misfiled. .so just posting it here and a bonus pic, that was misfiled. . and I found it when I went to check on the pics for the next update:

Day 15: Saturday, June 17th part 1 (of 2) - Travel day to Stockholm, with stop at Skara Sommarland along the way. We got up this beautiful Sat morning, and checked out of the fabulous Grand Curiousa, and loaded up the bus. we were headed to Stockholm today. . .but with a stop along the way. . . buh-bye Liseberg. . . what a fantastic park! just some pics enjoying the Swedish Countryside as we traveled. it really is lovely here. . . and before too long, we were pulling into the parking lot of Skara SommarLand. it was a Saturday, and so I figured it would be crowded, but Elissa had told us that it's mainly a draw for the Waterpark section. we were getting there before opening anyways for some ERT and because the park wanted to show off their newest ride to Robb and TPR. a map out front, showing you approx where you are when visiting Skara and the group shot, before entering - courtesy of Robb. when we got back on the bus later, we'd be short two people, but happily they caught back up with us in Stockholm the next day look how happy.. this is a wonderful pic, if a bit overexposed. the actual map of the Park itself. . it looks a lot bigger than it seemed, but it's pretty spread out with THREE (I think) Go Kart tracks that aren't really clear on this map, tho they are here. some fairly generic, but nice, theming on the main streets. You can tell it's mostly "sold" as a waterpark but THIS is mainly why we made a stop here, for the park's unique (I think only one of it's kind in the world?) S&S Free-Fly coaster, Tranan each car has it's own unique bird "flying" it. . and I was a bit confused, and amused by the look on this one's face. is the coaster THAT bad??? but getting up above it for loading on each side? you can see what's going on here. . . his scarf, has gotten sucked thru this jetback and is choking him to death. hysterical. (this also gives you a good look at the seats on this thing). they didn't have all 5 cars on the tracks - only 3 - but here's a look at the other two characters that were on the standby trains. in this pic, you can see how truly "exposed" one feels while riding this. the "trains" are very low on the sides, and the only safety is the seat belt. oh. . I'm SURE it's safe enough, and no one has ever fallen out. . . .but I really (I mean seriously) did not feel comfortable on this thing. I felt like I could fall out any minute. Some folks really *love* that feeling. . . not me tho. I only rode it twice (once on each side) then was done and just took pics of it. I'm glad I rode it, as it's SO unique. . . but not something I'd go out of my way to ride if it were in my home park. a look at another bird on the next car. yeah. . I'm smiling. .but it hadn't moved yet. . . (guessing pic courtesy of Elissa) notice my death grip on the bar in front of me, and on the rail on the side. Yeah. . wasn't loving this. again, glad I rode it tho. (next pics are likely courtesy of Andy) my 2nd ride.. other side, this time not in the very front. Felt a bit more "secure" with people both in front of me and behind. . . but still, once on each side was enough for me, and went to take pics. it really is rather cool to watch it do this maneuver. it does it twice during the course, I believe. and it truly IS pretty photogenic. . here's the whole layout in pics. . . while waiting for the ERT to finish up, I wandered around the area a little bit. . this ride apparently used to be at Grona Lund before being relocated here. it looks similar to the Catwoman ride SF StL added. the logo is great, even if the name is a bit generic. the medium sized cart track. the park was getting ready to open, and so they were starting to staff up the rides. LOL. .it worried me that the operator for his testing/set up was wearing a neck collar. . but turned out that was a safety thing for all the versions of the go karts here. it really is a lovely park. . tho it feels like there's a lot of unused space here still. across the lake back in the distance is the main waterpark area here's what the Park folks wanted to show us. . the new ride. I don't think I ever did get the name of this. . but it was air bumper cars. basically ? Air Hockey with you as the puck. you can tell it's really new - I think they said that it had just opened the prior week? (or maybe it hadn't opened to the public yet, and TPR was given a preopening ride on it?) they were still working on the theming, and there was a bunch of construction still going on in the queue. but I'll admit - this was hella fun. and I don't do Bumper Cars. . but this was more akin to Bumper Boats, but without the water. and once you figured out how to control the things? like I said, Hella fun. even if the seating in them is just a bit: "Gynecological Exam" guessing thanks to Elissa or maybe Brad or AJ for the pics with me in em? Whee!!! after this fun, we were cut loose to enjoy the park, until meeting up for lunch. Some went to the waterpark, and some of us shopped, or wandered. this is "Spinner" the park's Maurer Wild Mouse. it wasn't open yet - I believe it was supposed to open at noon? so we noted to come back later, and kept exploring. as noted. . a quite nice, and large park. what's this upside down house thing? a funhouse? Nope. . .junior bumper cars. why the upside-down house? no one I asked knew.. . LOL here's the park's 3rd coaster, Gruvbanan, a Mack powered coaster, with an inside section (mainly a couple of big Helixes) that go around a campground of Trolls - if I'm remembering correctly. the queue line was nicely themed. . . as a mining camp. . and it was a really long train. . so it's basically a people eater. . Big Mike, myself, and Matthew also with Jonathan & Didier whee!. . but ya gotta sit down Big Mike! Glad we got a couple of rides on it before moving on, as it broke down shortly after our rides, and I don't think it came back up before we left. (I don't think it opened back up for the rest of the 2023 season either, from what I saw on RCDB. . so something really must have broken) but it was a fun coaster for what it is - a family powered mine train, basically. this "gate" was randomly in the center of one of the walkways. Someone, I think perhaps Erik, opined that this must be the original "rides" section of the park, when it was mostly just waterpark. and as they grew, they started putting coasters and rides in other areas of the park. it's probably a correct assumption, as the majority of the rides (including the mine train, the flume, the train station, and others) are over here found a coffee shop with OK coffee, but they also had these sprinkled balls. they weren't quite cake balls, and I didn't really care for them. . but hey, I'm juvenile enough that I got them with my coffee just so I could get a picture this was something I just adored. A fountain that had an entrance from the back, so one could stand under it to get a picture, without getting wet. the mist was cooling, and no real wetness. yes.. yes. . it's a "rooster". sometimes I don't NEED to put a double entendre caption Nice playground area looking across the lake for where we were about to meet up for Lunch. and a pic of said lunch. I was impressed that a park served on real plates/bowls/glasses, and with real silverware. not sure if that's their standard thing, or just for us special, but this did seem to be the one sit down restaurant in the park. (tho we sat outside on the deck) the lake is full of fishies who were hungry for leftover french fries. . . look at dem mouths! we headed back over to Spinner after lunch, and tho it had been open, it had gotten stuck. Maintenance worked on it, and many from our group lined up and some (I believe including Robb & Sarah) got on. . and the car they were in got stuck - in the same place the prior one had been. several of us looked at each other and were like. . .um. . nuh-uh. (LOL). . but we had seen the train passing by, so instead decided to take a ride on the train around the park. a good idea anyways to let Lunch settle. walking over to the train, found a photo op. So of COURSE! mini-train. . but I really liked the detail on it. and it gives you a great look at the entire park as it travels around. it doesn't look too crowded, but it really was fairly busy. . I think most were just at the waterpark areas. and look. . started off this report with a smiling sMisty, and now have a smiling Erik ! and a smiling Eric and Shane too Big Mike wasn't on the train with us..but caught him wandering around upright! Spinner. . still not moving. around this time, I had gotten a call asking if I knew where Didier was - since I had been hanging out with him. They were looking for him, because there had been an accident (what was referred to as a splinter) and needed to get into the bus. Didier was on the train with us. . . so told them that we'd meet them at the front gate - but as the train had just pulled out, it might be a good 20 minutes. Daniel got the phone and asked me if I had my meds with me - I always carry a bunch of painkillers, antacids, muscle relaxers. . all over the counter stuff. . which of course I did. only problem was the same - we were on the train. BUT, someone had the brilliant idea to notice that the train tracks passed right by where the group was with the injured person, so we made a plan on the spot to drop off pain meds as we passed by. a look at the largest of the go kart tracks here as Skara Sommerland. they also have one of these "never in America" bouncy things in the playground. this is a bizzaro ride - it's a water ski thing. .where you grab a handle, and the wires overhead pull you around the lake here. it doesn't reflect in the pics, but the lake was this weird greenish/yellow color. . that looked kinda toxic - if I'm being honest. . . I certainly wouldn't want to fall into that water. but folks could "waterski" on it. this was also the reason for the medical issue. no, the person hadn't gotten hurt riding it. . .they had gotten a splinter in their foot when they took their shoes off and walked on the wooden deck/station to got to the start of the ride. oh. . but "splinter" is underselling it. I will NOT be sharing the picture, but this was a "splinter" in name only. . it was a big stick, that basically impaled the foot. i'm glad I had some meds that perhaps helped with the pain, but this was a "need to go to the hospital to have it removed" type of thing. (tho we didn't know that just yet. . we only knew a request for pain meds and I was happy to help out) here's Daniel waiting by the train tracks for his dealer. . . (these pics are from Andy who had been hanging with the group doing the waterski thing to get pics) just a taste for free. . the next one you pay! (Shane, who wasn't aware of what was going on, looks very confused) and Erik behind me was making sure all angles were covered. . . after that excitement, there was more excitement on the train when we passed a dinosaur (?). why? I dunno. . but a dinosaur! and going thru the tunnel, there's a huge ad for Wildfire and Kolmarden (I understood this later, when I found out the same owners run all 4 of the next parks we'd be visiting) passing by Gruvbanan, which was still down. and ANOTHER set of Bumper Cars. . . wow. .those are really popular here at Skara. the flume was busy, even tho it was a fairly short, out and back type. Typically what you'd see at a traveling fair. . but this one had permanent troughs. (and adorable cars) a mini-troika - themed to swamp buggies (not operating today. . multiple things seemed to be down today. . but not an issue, the amount of crowds on the "dry" areas had plenty to do. and the kiddie stuff was mostly running. . keeping the families there happy. what I think, perhaps, used to be the main entrance to the "dry/ride" side of the park? it appeared there was a parking lot back over here. Tho everyone in the park came thru the main gates, as we did. Maybe it's only used on super busy days? I was interested in doing a little shopping, but nothing really was catching my eye. Tho this sign did: "Bad Poncho" it doesn't look too awful. . . until you get close and realize it's all blurry and looked like they printed them out on a fax machine from the early 80s oh well. . truth in Advertising, gotta give em that! Senor Frogs? I wasn't in the mood to get wet, so avoided the waterpark - tho I think some in our group did go and say it was fun. But I wanted to get pics of the flume, mainly because of the adorable boats the park was using. I'm not certain why the flume is called "Newton". . couldn't find any translation. maybe the Whale's name is "Newton" ? OMG!!! Adorbs!! ' hahahahaha. . . LOVE it and with that, it was almost time to head out to Stockholm. while we waited for everyone, many folks got Ice Cream, and I posed with the surfboards outside the store. no comment. LOL and with that, we loaded back onto the bus - minus the two who had gone to Hospital to deal with the foot injury and would meet us in Stockholm (seriously. . what a great friend that someone went with to make sure the injured party wasn't' there alone). day to be continued. . .

I mean. . you got the Blue Train toilet pic, so that's a win (I think??). . but how did you get none of the other . . um. . . . "apparent" anatomy that's all over that ride ? great pics! I missed the farmhouse walkthru, because yes, it DID close early! but Strangely? I ended up bumping into Sebastian!!! that was interesting enough.

coin! and ~3 plays for 10 Krona coin if I recall

Liseberg Swag: Magnet: I bought Berg. . tho I probably should have gotten all of em. But Berg is close to Bert. . so restricted myself to just one. Shirts: ' I do like how "minimalist" this shirt is. . . unless you notice the tag on the side? you'd not know this was a theme park shirt. tho the Green bunny balloon is a symbol of the park. ' and I just HAD to, as much as I loved this coaster. I wish it wasn't a "stick on". . and was woven, or printed. . but still. . I just had to get this shirt. EARS: I mean. . of course! you don't' go to Disney for the 1st time and not get Mickey Ears, do you? Carrot. . . . yeah

Day 14: Friday, June 16th part 3 (of 3) - 2nd full day at Liseberg ! before heading back into the park, I stopped by the room for a quick refresh, and then headed to the gates to meet the guys did I exit thru the restaurant so I could get more pics of the Carousel? of course I did. even tho it was after Noon. . the park had just opened. so some stands weren't open to the public yet. this one was no great loss tho - it's win Licorice. . ewww we were headed straight to Helix and Atmos Fear tho. . from the Restrooms at the top of the escalators, there are full wall windows..that allow you to get a great pic of Lisebergbanan cresting the lift hill. and also of Helix coming back from it's course but we were here to ride Helix. . not take pics. . .wheee! and Atmos Fear had just opened up too. . and in a neat little trick, the park has windows from the Helix level station looking down onto Atmosphere's loading. So you can watch the people drop right past the windows. a rather cool set up. not sure whom I have to thank for this pic of us on Atmos Fear. . I would guess either AJ or Andy. .but either way, it's a great pic! and then we headed over to Kiddie land for another ride on the new dark ride. . . and on the way bumped into more mascots (or maybe the same one from yesterday? there were so many I couldn't' keep track. . so just kept stopping to pose with them). at least one or two of these were new! and they had a "Farting" sofa that we sat on for a photo op! tho Big Mike had to lay in front. . and the Rabbits were VERY concerned that he was on the floor. a quick pop into the gift shop, and I suddenly had a key as to who was how. . . so there are 5 total rabbits, and the "bad" guy. Lisen, Kanina, Julius (the white one), Kanne, and Berg (who IS a baker). . and the bad guy is Mans Trak. this was so dirty, I immediately knew I had to buy it. Words and pics can't really describe. . assume if Stretch Armstrong were a carrot. (and hysterically, I got flagged on my flight back and TSA made me open my bag to show them what this was - I think they THOUGHT it was a "toy") CBHX7660.MOV luckily, Jason thought it was kinda kinky too, and filmed me with it I believe this awesome shot is from AJ. . who waited to get pics like this. I mean, it could be one of mine, but I'd put $$ on that it's AJs and I snagged it from the Group chat as it's such a great pic. we headed over to Balder for a couple of rides, and came across this "strength" game. . . this was fun to watch. basically the strong man "ring the bell" stuff you'd see at old carnivals. not much of a line today. . but the park hadn't really been open that long, and it would get busier as the day went on. a couple train wait for front row. worth it! then headed over to the "general" queue for the haunt, Hotel Gasten. . as we wanted another walk thru. what I found very nice is that the queue goes right along the rapids ride, allowing for some nice pics. such as this area. . which as I said the other day, would NEVER be allowed in the USA. . . this is the "bumper boat" section. . 4 rafts ramming off each other was starting to get hungry, but remembered that I had wanted to ride that spin and puke thing. . so we headed over there before stopping for lunch. I was tempted. . but having just ridden something similar, I passed at Liseberg, and never rode the cars/trucks. maybe next time. at lest caught both Helix, and the planes up at the top of the tower in this pic. but here is where we were headed: Mechanica I will say that it LOOKED way more intense than it actually rode. I was surprised it was so "non- flippy". . . but I think that's just the program they were running - the arms of seating seemed to move with the arc of the spin, so you never really went upside-down. at Power Park in a few days, I'd ride one of these that ran an INSANE program. but I did enjoy Mechanica here. . it's just not as intense as it looks. If recalling correctly, I won this rainbow unicorn playing Skeeball. and for lunch, I used my coupons to try this. . and no, I have no idea what it was. it was a local dish, that had a creamy sauce with cheese and onions on a potato (I think) based tostada. It also had a slight fish taste, so perhaps there were sardines in the creamy sauce? I got two of them because the $$ I had on the coupon came out about perfect for two of these and a drink. this is a pic of the restrooms that are next to the mirror maze. I made SURE that no one was using it before snagging a pic. . as this is possibly THE most bizzare "privacy" set up I've ever seen in a urinal situation. yes, the way the partitions are set up give each person standing next to each other privacy. . . but as I immediately noticed when I walked in and there were several folks in there - it's anonymous peen staring at ya! It was kind of like the first round of "Naked Attraction" LOL just very, very odd. . even this guy was shocked. I did read the sign, but I don't recall who he was, or why he had a statue in the park some pics of Helix doing it's thing, over the station for Lisebergbanan we had enjoyed the flume the day before. . so some of us decided to take another ride on it. I believe this pic is courtesy of Big Mike - who didn't want to get wet. the characters weren't out. . but Jon, Jason, and Ryan relaxed a bit on another farting couch! (controlled by the lever Jon has his hand on) I really wanted to ride the ferris wheel - it was the last thing in the park on my "wish list" that I had not yet ridden - tho I am sad I missed the Desperados shooting ride. . I didn't know it was there ) others had already been on the Ferris Wheel and wanted to do other things again, so I split off an made my way up the hill to the wheel. ] they had no issue with me riding alone. . . which was perfect for pics, as i could move from side to side for pictures. looking down inteho the "dino area" of Universeum. so many cranes. .and construction going on around here. . beautiful city. looking inwards towards the park. .that's our hotel on the right. last night, this whole area was full for that concert. .. . . it's a big space! SUCH a good coaster finishing up with my ride on the Ferris Wheel, I decided to walk some of the trails here on the hillside, and enjoy some of the Liseberg gardens. some just lovely art-deco pieces here. and then I found myself back in kiddieland. . . told you. . I LOVED this stupid, rabbits pooping, dark ride. I must have ridden this at least a 1/2 dozen times. and the park was NOT dead - I think people just don't realize this is a ride over here tucked in the corner. Kiddie bumper cars! operator for scale I was so drooling over this. I mean, I'm sure it's rather dull, but I was still sad that it wasn't working and would have loved to try it out. very photogenic. I don't recall if I rode this again, as i think I got distracted by the game next to it. . . Milkshaken!!! You have to move your cup to catch the fluid running from the tap that drips based on the lights in the pipes. . and if you fill it up, you can win a stuffed dog/bear/something????? I dunno. . but it wasn't a rabbit. anyways, I sucked at it, tho I tried a few times. I was starting to wear out, and the park was still open for a bit. So I figured I'd head back towards the hotel, and check out the small arcade, and then go pack up. after all, we had to get up in the morning and head out to Skara Summerland - before checking into our next hotel across from Gronalund. So I was ready to go relax a little bit, having done everything I wanted to in Liseberg. I would have LOVED to have one of these. . but I talked myself out of even trying. . figuring I can get one online when I got home. . but that Tigger & Piglet. . .WANT (Eeyore was a little too "grey". .I mean, on brand, but didn't want him) well..I was certainly mistaken. What I thought was a small arcade, was actually much bigger than I expected, spanning 3 full floors, with lots and lots of games. Including a bunch of Pinball Machines (spaced out on different floors). so yeah, I ended up spending a good 50 minutes here playing pinball. this AC/DC machine kicks major ass. . and they had the sound turned way up, so the music was blasting while playing. and then it was back to the hotel. .where I snapped this pic - the building right in front is the back of the arcade! (from the park it looks like a small thing, but from this side you can see it's 3 stories of games). then I put together my bag for the morning, and I think was asleep before AJ got back to the room. all in all? I LOVED this park, and would eagerly go back again in the future.

I don't think I even SAW that Escalator (or the Church). . were they at the very front of the zoo? I must not have made it all the way up there - which is odd, as I thought I had walked at least most if not all of it. I rode Wildfire I think 4 times during ERT and once earlier in the day. . and it made me have to pee every single time. Not sure what the deal was, but clearly the restraints laid different on me than other RMCs, or the forces just put strain just perfectly on my bladder. After the 4th time sprinting to the toilets down the hill, I just enjoyed watching others ride.

^ wow. . glad you're ok!

I actually DID. . . but the thing is, hadn't planned on Universeum. . . wanted to see the Anime Avatar thing at the museum next door. when it wasn't open yet, we just walked a bit further and found the gift shop for Universeum and went in

that single rail coaster was amazing. . especially because it started drizzling, and the damn thing was flying! truly felt like we were tempting death

Day 14: Friday, June 16th part 2 (of 3) - Late Morning at Liseberg Oceana (Waterpark that was under construction) before Liseberg park open won't be a lot of commentary on these pics. . but TPR was offered a tour of the then-under-construction new indoor/outdoor waterpark, that's going to help make Liseberg a more year-round destination. it was very cool to see this thing coming together, and having seen pics now of the completed areas, I feel very special that I got to take a construction tour and learn about how they put this together and connected it to the Park (it's right on the other side of Hotel Grand Curiousa) Pontus all ready to guide us thru the construction everyone must wear a vest, and a hard-hat and glasses of some type NOTED! low ceiling! just like in the park proper. . the slides / rides really do interact with each other, and come very close! myself and Sarah. . she was taking the group pic for our group, so wanted to be sure she's in a pic too!

Day 14: Friday, June 16th part 1 (of 3) - Morning at Universeum before Liseberg park open so after breakfast, we had several hours until the park opened for the day at Noon. we also had the opportunity, for those who wanted to do it - to take a tour of the under-construction next door Indoor waterpark that Liseberg was building. there was enough interest to split the TPR gang into two groups, and I was in group 2 at 11:30 am. as noted on the way into the area two nights prior, there were several museum-type options right along the side of the park. And as it was only 9:30 or so, I was very interested in checking out an exhibit I had seen advertised regarding video-game Avatars. I asked if anyone else was interested, and Big Mike was up for it. . so we headed down the street to go kill some time at a museum. I believe this was the museum that had the Video Games Avatar exhibit. . and they had a several pieces of Dia De Las Muertos "Mexi-Arte" on exhibit outside. . . but unfortunately, the museum did not open until 11, and that was putting me too close to the WaterPark Tour. . so after a pic or two, we decided to just continue on and see what was int he next building. the next building was a big complex called the "Universium". . . I had no idea what that was, but thru the windows facing the street, I saw the giftshop was open. So we went in to browse the gift shop for a little bit. it really looked like a Museum gift shop, so I started talking to the lady at the counter, and she filled me in on what the Universium is: basically a Science Museum, but it's crossed with a zoo with live animals, and some interactive exhibits. and it was opening just then at 10am. this was the place that had the large dinosaur in the outdoor garden area we had passed two days ago when arriving at the hotel. it sounded very interesting, but I mentioned we only had about an hour and 20 minutes and she frowned and told me. . "hang on a sec". she came back and walked us over to one of the ladies at the front desk, and introduced us. she repeated to her what I had told her, and the front desk lady said that really wasn't enough time to do the entire experience (it would take 3-4 hours she said), but since we were visiting from another Country, she would love to give us a look at what they have to offer. and offered us tickets that were something like 70% off! Mike and I looked at each other for just a moment, then immediately said yes, and I thanked her profusely and said we'd try to do as much as we could in the time we had avail. for our visit. Bert & Big Mike - people persons. . who just by our sheer enthusiasm got offered a great deal to visit the Universeium! the interesting architecture/stairwell they had added for the new building / new areas they had just completed - expanding the space by 50% she told me. the very kind lady at the front desk had recommended that with limited time, we should not miss the Aquarium area, the Rain-forest Section, or the new walkway between buildings with an anime art exhibit. so we headed to the Aquarium area first. There were a TON of school groups here - which makes sense, it's a hands on science museum. So I was very happy to see so many kids . . tho I didn't want to be in the sections they were in. LOL So we waited to see which way the big School Group went, and then we went the opposite direction really large aquariums for inside a building that looked kinda like an office building from the outside. I was very impressed. including some large "walk thru" tanks. heading into the Rain-forest area, there was a photo op. . . no really. so of COURSE I did and then we stepped thru the doors, and into the area for instant pit stains. Oh my. . very humid and rain-foresty in here. and met right away with a tank of Piranha . . .they are not kidding around! I tried to get it in pictures, but the rain-forest area is really large. . it's indoors..but goes up from -1 floor to 4th floor (where the aquarium connects). . with lots of bridges, and paths, and animal displays looking across into the main building on the left - it looked to me like they enclosed the outside of the building to create the rain-forest area. very cool design here. with a glass roof. . which kept all the animals in here. . but also made it quite humid, as the sun comes in and gets "trapped" like a sunroom. More Piranha. . . gobble gobble . . . there were several sloths up high in the trees - but was hard to get a decent picture of them. . so I REALLY appreciated they had a stone one, that you could pose with great photo op, I thought. and one sloth in an area next to the photo so you could see one up close - tho s/he was a sleepy thing during our visit. lots of birds in here. . . some very colorful. on the lower levels there are some open-top freshwater tanks. no piranha in these, thank goodness a peek down showing how far down the rainforest area extends. . XKLX7813.MOV Mike tried to get me to stick my hand in this hole, but I ruined his prank by refusing to do it. (benefit of him trying to prank me is that I got it on video). but he didn't realize he was with a PROFESSIONAL - someone who *knows* never to stick ANYTHING thru a dark hole without first checking to see what's on the other side. bwaaaa-haaaa-haaaaa. . . . and yeah. .this is what was in there. and yes, it was moving. . . so either a really good puppet, or a real scorpion. no thank you. baby gator! and a huge tarantula that was molting. it's mate was just hanging out on the light. . . some GIANT freshwater fish on the bottom level here.. . the school groups had started coming into the rain-forest area, so we moved back to the Aquarium. . . only saw a few smaller groups left here now. the reptile section seemed very popular. . and I would say most of the folks at Universium this morning, were probably in this section. not an issue tho, as it's very well laid out, and never felt cramped in there. oh..this was fun. . you put your hand down and the virtual cobra strikes at you, and you have to try to pull your hand out of the way before he "bites" you (with a burst of air) there was a short line for this, but I tried it. I died. (I think Big Mike did too tho) don't know what you are. . but I've seen things like you in MANY horror movies! gahhhh!!! leaving the main building, you head up to more "swamp" / grasslands tanks. . on what looked like perhaps it used to be the roof area, before they enclosed it and added on. Nice Murals on the wall here. . and some theming in the tanks. . . a shipwreck . . and a toilet. (tho I think this tank was making a point about garbage being dumped into the Earth's oceans/waterways) in the upper level tanks, workers in SCUBA were clearing algae from the front of the tanks. and were happy to pose for a picture and overview of the tanks in this area. . . you can see what I mean about how it looks like it used to be the roof, and they enclosed it. another happy Algae cleaner. . . crossing over into the "new" section, you pass by the remaining track from what used to be the Funicular that used to bring folks up to the rooftop level. as I mentioned the other day, I'm sad it's gone, but I do like that they kept the tracks there as a design element of the building. (I'm basically standing at the big glass window where the unload station used to be) looking up - you can see they are still working on this section. . . above us is that big wooden "sphere" that you are right under while on Helix's brake run. and looking down the hallway at the top of the "T" in that new building addition. They were celebrating the grand opening. . hence the balloons. a building Map. . including the sections inside that we hadn't had time to visit. . tho Big Mike and I were able to do pretty much everything on the left hand side of the map. one of the displays in the new area. . Anime. . I guess to excite the kids into coming to the new section (since the Planetarium is not open yet) Myself and Mike posting in front of the big balloon display for the opening. we thanked the guard for taking the pictures and began to head down to the front desk, as our time was running short. . I thanked the lady at the front desk again for the discounted ticket (and I wanted to show her that we were, indeed, leaving and were not taking advantage of her kindness) and she said. . oh wait! did you see them feed the big fish? we had no idea and she insisted we go back in and down the main steps, along the windows that look into the rainforest area. . as at 11 they start feeding the big fish, and she thought we'd really enjoy taking a peek at it. I always trust he locals, and we just would have to walk fast to get back if we spent another 5-10 minutes here. . so we went back in and downstairs. she was NOT kidding.. . big fish. and he was feeding them smaller fish (which were still a good size!) on a pole, that was causing a feeding frenzy in the tank. it really was pretty incredible to watch from so close! kept the other hands in the shot, just to give some perspective on how huge these carnivorous fish were! a quick pic of the area around us. . this bottom floor of the Universeum is the smaller kids playground area. (so why NOT put the window where you can watch big fish devoured by bigger fish right here? ) very pretty area tho. and then we headed back up. . I again thanked the lady at the front desk for the admission and the suggestion to watch the feeding, and we hoofed it back to Hotel Grand Curiousa if I get to go back to this park someday. . gonna make time to check out the dinosaur outdoor area, and the Space section! the outside of the long area we had been in (taking the pic with the balloons), and the giant wood dome that will be the Planetarium. we got back to Hotel Grand Curiousa with about 5 minutes to spare before the tour of the Waterpark under construction started. pics from that, coming up next!

that statue of Nekkid guys eating ice cream instantly made this park a favorite of mine but there were SO many great and fun, and insane, rides here. great pics.