bert425

I know, I know (but I love aquariums too) those are White Spotted Jellyfish! (from Australia) (tho I called the Cauliflower legged Jellyfish) I knew y'all had a blast in Malmo. . . but so thrilled to see the pics. Do you have any others from the Circus themed restaurant? What kind of food was it?

what a fantastic update! That tower scared me so much, i was too frightened to scream. (I was quiet the entire drop. .and then cried after). and I don't know how in the world I missed a shooting ride up by Helix! (unless I did it and just don't recall.. I'll have to go thru my pics!).

Don't wanna bore y'all with too many pics (sorry if too late). . . so I pulled out some of the fun "on ride" pics I have for a separate post. here are official on ride pics, as well as Pics Big Mike took, or Jonathan took, or maybe even Jason. . . and some from Robb's Rider Cam on Daemonen too enjoy! Daemonen Rider Cam: Minen: Ferris Wheel: Mælkevejen Kamelen Cars: Fairy Tale Ride: and finally, Rutschebanen: hope you've enjoyed the pics! next up? BAKKEN!

Day 4, June 6th part 2: Tvioli Gardens! since we were closeby (and it was included in our entry ticket), we decided to take a break and check out the Aquarium. its really just a big giant tank on the lower floor of the Auditorium, but yes, it's nice and cool down there and the fountains by the staircase were "interesting" as noted. . really just one big giant tank. but lovely. and across the way, a smaller tank. . with Piranha. (something every aquarium I went to in the 5 countries had. . guess the folks there like the little fanged suckers) they ARE rather cute we were getting hungry, and checking out the lunch options, it seemed the Tivoli food court (towards the front of the park) was the best option for our gang. . so we headed over that way. passing the Tivoli "trains". . .which I never actually got to ride! every time we passed the station for it, it was out driving around, and when they were at the station were too full. oh well, a reason to go back walking past that big building in the front. . what's this in the grass? a "roomba - mower" why yes it is! and it's themed as a Rabbit! OMG. . LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this. . . for food, I wanted to try a couple of things, so I got this fantastic roll from Let's Sushi (can't recall what was in it (looks like Tuna) but was SO good) as well as a curry and fried spring roll main. Not quite spicy enough for my taste, but still very flavorful and filling. full, fat, and happy, we headed back out into the park, and got this perfectly framed shot of the nightmare clown. . that showed up all over Denmark! and a white peacock. the cute Tivoli worker behind was just a happy coincidence I caught him in the pic.. I swear.. . SQUEEEEEE!!!! the little Rabbit Mower? it lives in a little version of the bigger place who's lawn it mows. OMG. . SO. DAMN. CUTE. even tho Jon is not a fan of heights, and even tho the small ferris wheel is on top of a building? we got him on it. so some pics from the ferris wheel. that Starflyer looks fun. . we'll get to that soon. but first. . . hadn't ridden the other Carousel yet! Jon braved it, but I was worried the small horses up here wouldn't hold me after lunch, so I rode "Bench" on the Carousel. Magic Mushrooms? I liked em, but learned last year not to buy something bulky to carry around towards the start of the trip (tho my pregnant Mermaid from Europa DID make it home safely) we headed back over to the fairy tale ride, as someone didn't like the photo taken, and wanted to get a good picture. having already ridden it 5-6 times, I sat down on a bench by Dæmonen and watched it cycle while they rode. I hadn't planned to ride the antique cars - tho the course was lovely, it was fairly short. and the cars looked like they were designed for the smaller set.. . but it was pointed out to me by someone (not recalling whom) that there's a photo op on the cars. . . and weeeeeell.. our ticket did include photo pass today. . and not much of a line.. so why not? the cars drive themselves, so no gas pedal, nor steering involved. the wonderfully themed Photo download kiosk. yes, I had asked where the camera was so I could pose. I call this: "Driving Miss Gay-zee" a look across the lake at the Haunt - that we were headed to shortly. . . and what I believe was a kid's funhouse? (not 100% as never went in there) along the way, we passed a lovely cul-du-sac with restaurants, and bathrooms, and this ornate birdcage in the middle. I heard all the chirping, but had to laugh when I realized that was all piped in, and the birds in the cage are fake. LOL.. no really. . some of them were hanging upside-down, as they had fallen off the branches they were nailed to. Funny. and then it was time for our visit to the Haunt! here we are all smiles in line. and about to be spooked (tho Jon didn't' get the memo to act scared. . .LOL) Tivoli won an award from a Theme Park place for the Villa Vendetta attraction! and to be honest? it's pretty amazing and detailed inside. . really liked it what I didn't care for is that they make you go thru in groups of 6-8 as a Conga Line. . .hands on the person in front of you. i tend not to "jump scare" so I didn't' mind going first. . .but I do wish that we could have gone thru separately and at a slower pace to enjoy the details. (but again, I realize most people are awful, and that's probably why the conga line - to make sure guests don't touch the staging) they give you a cute video back/forth at the end of the visit tho. KTKD6493.MP4 after that? time for Ice Cream! yummmm (and to be fair, we had bumped into Erik and Misty. . so great excuse to have Ice Cream) and then back to the Fairy tale ride - which I did ride again. and for the first time noticed the "odd" placement of one of the 'glowing (family) jewels' out front I had mentioned to Erik that the Cars had a photo op, and it was a lovely course. . so he and I rode it, as it was a walk on. (pics from big Mike, I think) and I attempted to go back to the Carousel by the Condor.. but it was closed (the "kiddie" rides shut down at 7 so I took solace in taking some pics of the teeny-tiny animals I hadn't noticed earlier that are for the real tiny kiddos. (and we also rode the kiddie coaster, Kamelen (Camel) while we were over here as that was still open) proof that I rode Minen again.. .LOL. . I seriously don't' remember anything about it! what were we shooting at? tho more "magic wand" (or Sonic Screwdriver) than "shooting apparatus" back to Rutschebanen again. . told ya, I rode it a lot I swear. .it's so damn cool to ride a coaster that's been operating for over a 100 years, and has a manual Brakeman. I can't recall whom, but we bumped into someone who hadn't eaten yet, so we went with them back to the Food Court, and I stopped before going with them to watch part of the Pantomime show that was going on this evening. something to do with a Statue that when "wound up" stabs people (or at least hits them on the head with his sword). . very "slapstick" after food, we headed over to the Starflyer. . intending to hit the rides we hadn't done yet, and get another ride on Mælkevejen - which you get a great view of from the Starflyer queue. sadly, that was not to be, as it valleyed just after I took this picture. so instead, we headed over to the Air Race - which I had been avoiding, as every other flat had been running INSANE programs here at Tivoli Gardens, and I really didn't want to get sick to end the night. But it was right there (also on top of a building, across from the starflyer), so we headed up and got a somewhat mild ride on it to close out the night. somewhat mild, for an Air Race I suppose.. LOL. . . it's 10pm here, and the park is closing down. . but look how bright it still is! at least can see some of the lights a bit. and with that we headed back to the hotel, for showers, and resting, and packing. . as tomorrow? We were headed to Bakken, followed by a Ferry Ride to Germany!

Day 4, June 6th part 1: Tvioli Gardens! up and early and after breakfast, we headed around the corner and across the street to Tivoli Gardens. we were getting there before open, as we were going to have a walking tour of the classic Scenic Railway, Rutschebanen! (with some ERT after) while waiting for the folks from Tivoli to meet us, Robb took a group pic: and as we were greeted and got a quick history of the park (and in particular Rutschebanen - which has been operating here since 1914 (!) ) everyone was so damn friendly. . but no, he wouldn't give me his hat (damn. . still REALLY want one of these hats!) the park rep walked us back over to the coaster, passing some of the beautiful gardens that are in the park's name. and then he led us INTO the mountain. . for a tour of the structure and the tracks. what I found incredibly interesting, is the history that's preserved inside this ride. The Brakemen (and other operators) have saved TONS of signage and Park History from over the years, and have lovingly tacked them to the walls all over the space inside. I took lots of pics as we made our way thru the mountain and up to the tracks themselves: oh my! while walking thru the structure, one can peek down into the Funhouse, that's actually inside the ride (entrance from the alley we were in yesterday). you can't really notice it from the ride itself, but very cool. and next thing you know, we were stepping thru a door, and onto the actual tracks of the ride (well.. actual transfer tracks. .the main tracks for the ride are just up ahead) and down below. . there was this massive pile of rotting teddybears in an "orgy" like situation. . . I asked about them. Turns out these were used during Covid to fill every other row of the coaster train, to enforce social distancing. How neat is that? once the Covid crisis passed and vaccines became avail, they just dumped the teddies here off to the side of the transfer track. . where they have been ever since. LOL this was our guide, a very nice gentleman - who's name I can't recall (I'm sure someone in the group knows and will tell us). I may (or may not) have taken this pic to show the track, the space, the lighting. . . or maybe just his butt ? the world may never know! here he is pointing to a patch repair where the train had come around the curve too quickly, and smashed into it. (bad brakeman! LOL). . . .to be fair, he said it's happened a number of times in the history of the ride. I love little stuff like this. . . so cool to hear stories like this. just me on the tracks. then we headed outside to the "roof" of the mountain. really so great to get this experience, and be able to take some unique pics! Jonathan behind me having a grand ol time. . . we paused for a Group pic on the top of the coaster: and then our guide got on his walkie to call for an Uber to get us down from the roof. here it comes! oh wow. . . so freaking cool! the coaster train was brought to a stop near us by the Breakman. . and we loaded up the train to ride the 2nd half of the coaster course down to the loading station. yup.. we loaded up in the Polar Bear cave - something you honestly don't notice much when riding the coaster, as you zoom thru this cave/turn. all loading up, and another pic taken - since got lucky and ended up in the seat just in front of the Breakman. and we were on our way! (these two pics courtesy of Elissa I believe) after a few rides on Rutschebanen (oh and believe me, I rode it a BUNCH more thruout the day. . I think my final ride count on it was 21? really either a good ride, or a great ride depending on which Brakeman you got, and where you sat), the group headed over to Daemonen - for 15 minutes of ERT before the park officially opened. again, pic courtesy of, I believe Elissa. . . tho any pic with me in it, is either Robb, Elissa, AJ, Brad or Andy got a good 4-5 rides on this short, but strong forced B&M floorless coaster during our ERT session. .as we just about filled up the whole train. and then we were handed out our lunch coupons, and turned loose in the park for the rest of the day. the great thing is that the park was open until 10pm. . . and the hotel was so close, that anyone who needed a break could go back and rest easily. of course i stayed in the park all day.. prolly should have rested, but so much to do, so much to see! it's such a pretty park. . . tho we were turned loose, most of us headed over to the area close to Daemonen that has the Condor, Flying Carpet, & drop tower. . and a 2nd Carousel. the one with the fantastic animals, but no galloping. of course, i went for the Camel. (I think these pics might be from Big Mike? tho the middle one might be from Elissa) and climbed up and sat on the neck "hump" I mean, seriously. . look how damn happy I am!!! and I rode it twice while waiting for the Condor to open. . . I mean. . so many options! (and I spy Kidtums on a Giraffe right behind my spinning teacup/flower) oh, we also rode the shot/drop tower. . . I didn't remember that we rode it (make of that what you will). .but I have this pic, so I know we did. that's Big Mike, Jon, and myself. here's the Condor. . while some of the TPR folks did go for the standard "animal" cars..most of us went for the tilting outwards facing ones. it was really fun! (and as said the other day, wish more parks would install this option). pics, I think, courtesy of Andy after a few "extreme" rides.. how about a nice dark ride. . . in the world of Hans Christian Anderson. where you ride in a trunk. sure.. why not? it's a HUGE dark ride, that's really rather hidden - it doesn't stand out at all from the midway, but once you head down the stairs.. . . we each travelled in our own "trunks".. which was probably a mistake (one we repeated over and over as we rode this a bunch) because some of the transitions are so steep, you're sliding back and forth on the seat. . very "Doom Buggy" esque.. the front comes forward and "seals" you in. . so no chance of sliding out. . but pretty steep angles in places. I was joking this should be considered a coaster credit. ready to see some fairy tales on this GREAT dark ride that's a combo of Small World type figurines with Hand Christian Anderson tales. tho some of them I had no idea.. . "Little Drummer Boy" perhaps? "the Little Mermaid" (featuring bewbs) lots and lots of bewbs... "the Emperor's New clothes" "the ugly duckling" "the Snow Queen" some of them that I DID know, I don't have decent pics of. . such as "the Princess and the Pea" and "the Little Match Girl" - which yes, showed the little figure outside in the snow freezing to death while rich folks partied inside thru the window! at the end of the ride there's a pretty great animatronic (way more lifelike than the figurines in the ride). . .of HCA and he moves. as noted. . we rode this a LOT.. . LOL about this time, I needed a pee break. too much information. . but wanted to share, as Tivoli has the most amazing bathrooms.. all of them seemed to be themed, and all very different from each other. this one is right next to the fairy tale ride. Very art deco tiles. . into a funhouse themed Bathroom! I adored this. . and wish the magnets for this park had these psycho chickens on em! I'm having to guess here, as it's a dark pic and I honestly dont' recall. . but I'm pretty sure this is a pic of us on Mælkevejen (Milky Way) a powered Mack coaster. I do recall the cars were themed to the planets, and I was highly, highly amused that I ended up in the "Uranus" car. no really. . tho I didn't get a pic - as when we went back to ride it late in the day, it closed as it had valleyed just before we got on it! it was fun for what it was tho.. just a family coaster. lots of games here at Tivoli Gardens. . . and gambling. they had a bunch of these type of "gambling" games where you choose a number and can win giant chocolates (something I saw at many of the parks we visited). Our tickets today included a chance to play these, so I did. I lost, but even losers get a piece of candy as a consolation! here's Minen, the shooting dark boat ride. .that I seriously remember nothing about. (tho I rode it a few times, and even have pics of me on it. . LOL) tho Chuck said it was better as a boat ride than a shooting ride. one of the many trips back to Rutschebanen. . . we hopped on it anytime we passed it and the line wasn't too bad - which it never was too crowded, as we were there on a Tuesday. but here's some pics of the station another booth in the Alley.. . where you could get hair braids. from this creepy mannequin head! and since we're in the alley? let's do the funhouse! (remember, we're INSIDE Rutschebanen) I'm a big ol klutz. . but there seem to be handrails, and it's well carpeted.. so ok, let's give this a shot. Jon on the slide and this oh, so flattering pic of me coming down one of the steep slides (too fast for Big Mike) and the scrapes to prove i did it! we bumped into Erik and Misty in the alley, and Misty was willing to ride TikTak with me.. so we got in line, and took a spin. Pics from Erik, who did a great job capturing clear pics of us, even tho the ride moves so damn fast! we ended up with 3 complete flips, but a lot of "close almost upside-down" calls. we sure LOOK like we're having fun! to be continued. . .

there was a Desperados at Liseberg?

^ he was being sarcastic

ZERO chance SFFT is removing Batman. it's the centerpiece of DCUniverse. . and also the 1st S&S Freespin. They ain't pulling it out. but SFOG is most likely getting one. . it's one of the few SF parks without one, and the GP loves them. (and y'all are getting a single rail already with Kid Flash. . . not to say that you won't get both, as SFFT has WW and now kid Flash.. both single rail. . . but odds are against you on that one)

forgot to post "Sweet Connie". . not a stop at SFFT without a pic with this icon

Had a great time today, meeting up with friends at SFFT to enjoy the "Flavors of the World" Food Festival. Jeffrey & Chef Tim Klauder did a great job as almost everything is excellent. . . we bought the 12 punch (since if you buy 8 you get 4 free) and it was WAY too much food. let's just say that Macroons & Baklava travel very well in "to go" containers we also checked out the "Circuit Breaker" electric go karts - fun, tho they look better at night when you can see the lights. the VIP lounge was nice and cool - tho we didn't eat any of the snacks as were SO full from the food festival. and caught the band in Sangerfest Halle - they were really good, even tho all cover songs (but what one would expect at a theme park). way too hot for many rides, but did ride Pandemonium, Pirates of Deep Sea (both walk on), Spinsanity (1 cycle wait), and the Carousel. only "boo" was that every single frozen drink place in the park had the frozen dispenser down. . so no Frozen Jack & Coke, no frozen Daqueries, no frozen Margaritas, and no frozen Dr. Diabolical's Elixer. Seriously, what a bummer that multiple restaurants/bars/quick serve stands had the frozen drink machines down. but only a small downside, to what was a great, if warm, day. actually. . not the only "boo". . tho this one was fixed after some pain. . . WARNING, Six Flags Corporate rolled out a new App. It automatically upgrades whatever app you had on your phone. It also WIPES OUT ANY PASS/MEMBERSHIP you had attached to the prior App. so yep, was standing at the front gate with no pass on my phone. Pulled out my hard copy of the pass (at least thought that was what it was) only to be told that it was expired. They tried to direct me to the huge line at Guest Services outside the front gate, and I told the guy "nope - I'm going to go to Guest Services right there, inside the park" and he shrugged and gestured me thru. Luckily, the gentleman at the Guest Services there, Joe - going to give him credit - after digging thru multiple screens, was finally able to find my current Diamond Level Pass in the system (by tying to my email, as phone number showed multiple expired passes, and name gave him nothing in the system). So eventually he printed me a new card, and then standing there, helped me attach the new Pass to the new version of the app in my phone. so be warned.. if you only use your phone for your pass/membership scan in? check it NOW. . .as Joe told me they'd seen the issue *multiple* times since Corporate updated the app. (which is, of course, filled with dates past for offers, and things that make no sense in the benefits tabs now). . .but at least fixed. some pics: the flyer showing the offerings. . .all booths located near each other in the "German" section of the park. these were the Chinese Pork Ribs. . *excellent*. . among the best dishes offered, I think and the Post Stickers (Steamed Chicken & Veg) served with Edamame Cuban Cigar Rolls (deep friend Pork, Ham, and swiss cheese w/ pickles) and a mustard dipping sauce from the Caribbean booth From France, the Macarons. EXCELLENT. Also from France, the Ham & Cheese Croissant. . . very good as well we tried multiple things from all booths, and all were really good. . so I recommend this. . you have two more weeks to check it out! but over on the boardwalk? SFFT now has a Fatburger!!!! Prices in line with "theme park food" (~$18 for a burger), but were on the Meal Plan. (the Johnny Rockets is still over in DCUniverse near Superman. . so that option is still there as well) Progress on Wonder Woman's station.. it's all dug up, as they are replacing/upgrading the station mechanics/motors. how's Kid Flash looking? really, really good.. . honestly, they seem to be almost done with the tracks themselves. . maybe complete in the next week? and now have to work mostly on the Queue line, and Station. some new art installations around the park too. butterflies. . very Dollywood. a break in the bar (no frozen Jack & Coke - boo. . but it was cool in there and we hung out for a bit), then back over to Spassburg for more food. many of the booths have Photo Ops near them: this is the Tiramisu Gelato Cone from Italy. very, very messy to eat. . but OMG.. so damn good. another art installation.. metal "sunflowers".. pretty and ending in my happy place, on the Bowie Bunny, before getting a few orders of Macarons & Baklava to go. . .

they don't seem to hav the website updated for that far out yet. . only going thru 9/9. you'll just have to keep checking. . https://www.cedarpoint.com/daily-tickets

I think that was probably me who posted about it? but that doesn't mean that Chuck hadn't found it first

Day 3, June 5th part 2: Tvioli Gardens and Copenhagen Canals: when we got back to the hotel, first thing we did was the "fun snack exchange" This is something that sometimes happened on USA trips, where attendees bring their favorite local (or weird) snack to share with the group. I helped organize this year, and had gotten permission from the hotel desk to take over an area of the lobby for us to sample each other's treats. there were some damn good snacks brought - I think my favorites were the Ice Wine Candy from Canada, and some of the "biscuits" brought by Carolyn from England. but there were a lot of good things, and the only "bad" one - to me - were the "Mac & Cheese" Gummies. . which some seemed to love, but for me? blech. (I also brought cinnamon spiced watermelon Lollipops . . that are SO good). anyhow, here's a pic of some of the stuff laid out on he table. There was so much, that many folks took some for later in the trip, and there was STILL a ton left. after we shared snacks, we helped clean up, and then Jon, myself, AJ, and I think Jonathan? headed over to Tivoli Gardens to take advantage of evening entry with no rides, just to stroll the grounds. it was a good call, as just going in, boosted my ego: Lady at the ticket booth - blonde, very well "endowed" - did the tickets for the first two of us, but when I was going to the window, she swapped out and sliding into the seat was an older gentleman. so I asked for an evening ticket like the prior folks had gotten, and this man says "I'm really sorry about the poorer view that you got" I was confused for just a moment, then realized he was referencing that the big boobed blonde wasn't at the ticket window anymore. . so I said, "oh, no worries! I'd much rather look at you anyways" and he smiled at me and said (and Jon heard it, so I have a witness): "why thank you. .and I'd absolutely do you" LOL. . so I got hit on by a ticket booth sales guy on the way into Tivoli Gardens. as I said, really made a perfect ending to a great first day ok. .so after we finished giggling about it (I mean, couldn't do anything - he had just gone on shift, and I was going into the park. . so didn't even go back and ask him for coffee, tho I probably should have). . we made our way into Tivoli Gardens proper. we weren't going to be here for the day until tomorrow, but it seemed like a great idea to look around. this stage, with the gorgeous Peacock curtain is where they do "Pantomime" plays thruout the day. there was nothing going on at the moment, but I did catch a performance the next day and enjoyed it for what it is (stupid clown stuff) and it did draw quite a crowd. Overflowing from the set benches and onto the lawn where people sat in folding chairs or on blankets. I believe this is one of the fancier restaurants on property.. but it's a mini Taj Mahal (sort of) snapping pics of a "cold tower" at one of the restaurants we passed in the park. there are TONS of restaurant options, most fairly upscale. . but the dining options all looked really good, if a bit pricey. this girl was eating cotton candy (candy floss) bigger than her head! I had to get a pic. one of the oldest coasters in the world, operating since 1914 - Rutschebanen decent line for how late in the day it was. . .but it's a classic, and this is a coaster that operates with a "Brakeman" in the middle of the train to control the speed. theming and booths along the side of the coaster. lookie.. you can win a Weiner (hot) dog. . if you hit the dancing clown small, but adorably themed ferris wheel on top of one of the buildings. this is a shooting dark ride. ..I rode it a few times the next day, and honestly dont' remember much about it (LOL) - other than it was hard to aim with the "guns" this was interesting, but never saw anyone playing it. i seemed to be a "wall sized" Whack a Mole.. tho instead of a mallet, you "high-five" the hands as they light up. looked like stupid fun. ahh. .the infamous "Spin and Puke" Tik Tak - with some really spectacular theming. not only spins, but also gets flipping - some seemed to flip more than others - but still.. . vomit comet city! tho I DID ride it the next day, and we only flipped 3 times (there's a counter in the seats that keeps track, supposedly) what's this I spy, next to the Sea-Storm? "Smogen". . . google translate tells me that it's a City in Sweden, but it also means "Alley". . so let's take a look down there. ooo. . love the use of the carousel horses here. . lots and lots of stuff down this alley. . .games, shops, bars, casino, and even an attraction or two. . . and most all of it very interesting! a better view of the alley.. .packed with things on both sides. (on the right is the coaster) what's that I see? ah.. bewbs loved the design of most all of the games. . they do such a fantastic job making this park "quaint" in the middle of the Alley is the entrance to the big funhouse - that's in the center of the coaster. it's a ticketed admission and as we were just walking around today, didn't go on any "rides". . . I'd be back for this tomorrow. Coming down the steps, got a good view of the Rutschebanen pulling into the station. so you can see the Brake-Man and how he operates. nice Double-Decker Carousel over here across the great lawn. . not a "classic". .but nicely done. and going towards the back of the park, we came across Daemonen - a B&M floorless, that's crammed into a pretty small space. it may be short, but it's pretty intense. Looking across the "lake" from Daemonen. . it really is a beautiful park. I do believe they have a full size Bumper-Cars, but since I don't ride Bumper Cars, I can't really recall. but I DO remember the kiddie version. . . Under the "Condor" ride, and themed to bunnies! and across from that? another Carousel. This one not a "galloping" carousel, but more traditional "just sit on animals and go around in a circle" but I really liked the assortment and animal options: turning around to look at the park's Condor ride. Fatamorgana is a weird one. . it IS a Condor. . but they're replaced two of the "arms" with outward facing seats. and those seats? get a pretty good tilt on them as the ride progresses good example of the amount of tilt those outward facing seats get. it really is a fantastic idea, and I wish other parks would do this! they also have a suspended flying carpet, called Monsunen: continuing around the park, on the lake side, there's an installation of glasswork that I thought was just lovely. . . looking back towards Daemonen, across the lake. (too bad the cranes mess up my picture, but it's not like there's a train on the track anyways ) a pirate ship. . . why not? adds theming to look at for the paddleboats. wildlife all thruout the park. .including this very ugly duck. and some pretty Malards. .that know they're pretty. and this guy. . hanging out with the seagulls (?). . .no idea what he is. . speaking of "no idea what it is". . . . um..a bear? maybe? this is the Tivoli Garden's haunt, Villa Vendetta. An immersive walk thru, where they send folks thru in groups of 7-9. . conga line style (hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you) giving off very "haunted Mansion castmember" vibes. I fell in love with these hats, and wanted one SO badly. but they don't sell them. . the only way to get one is to work at the park. I even checked eBay. . no luck more of the "Gardens" in Tivoli Gardens. really. . such a lovely park. loved this antique cars ride. . seemed very short. . but once I found out that there was a photo op on it? (we had photo pass included in our tickets tomorrow), made sure to ride it so could get the pic . look how happy this lil guy is! wish I knew who his parents were so could share the pic. we were getting a bit hungry, so Jon and i decided we'd head out of the park for a bit and walk along the canal and see what we could see. not the "famous" canal houses, but just some of the architecture. .and see if we could spot someplace to grab a bite to eat - as we hadn't really eaten since the Danish-Mexican buffet at BonBonLand (not counting the snack exchange) so we headed towards the side exit of the park, passing Daemonen's section again. . and passing the Hans Christian Anderson ride. oh wow, Chuck, I DID get a pic of the figure of him riding the "book/box" I had no idea I had gotten this pic of the entrance to the ride! lots of candy . . . those "pacifiers" for teens/adults seemed REALLY popular. . saw them at many parks! before heading out tho. . we popped into one of the Gambling places in the park. not the casino, but one of the Guess where the wheel stops places. in this case, the wheel is a cyclist who goes around a large circle, and you bet where he might stop to win. The lady operating told me that this particular parlor, had been in operation since the park opened. so over 100 years of pedaling! there's also a big "Opera House". and smaller aquarium downstairs. on property. beautifully placed Star Flyer (on top of a building), and close to the ferris wheel. and a flying Carousel front and center behind the main lawn. Jon and I got our hands stamped and headed towards the canal. . . I think this was a restaurant? really loved the architecture along the water, and the fact they have a "boardwalk" up and down so folks can walk it. (some were swimming too. . but I can't imagine how cold that water must have been!) giant chairs in front of the Marriott make for a great photo op. . .but I knew my fat ass might be able to get in the chair, but won't be very pretty getting OUT. so I just balanced on the edge for my photo. this was an interesting "slide". . not only made out of wood (so you couldn't really "slide" on it). .but it also ended a good 5-6 feet above the water! maybe it was for bikes, or skateboards into the water? regardless. .it was weird. the backside of the Danish Architecture and Design Center (sadly closed at this hour) has an interactive playground. . with all kinds of slides and climbing things to play on. I'm a klutz, so tho the gate was open? yeah. . didn't do these! (wasn't gonna break my ankle on day 1) we were hungry, but hadn't really had anything catch our eye. . so we decided to head back towards the park, and we'd go again to WagaMama. good decision. . and the menu is so big, that we easily were able to get different food than the prior evening. and we got seated right away, only being a party of 2. don't even remember what this was. . but it was good! meal finished. . we headed back into Tivoli Gardens to close out the last hour of the night. not really "dark" this late. .but at least some of the lights were coming on. . this is the "Kiddie Coaster" : Kamelen. . . which I assume means "Camel". .. LOL oooo. . no fireworks tonight, but there was a "dancing fountains" show, coordinated with lights and smoke effects. Cute, and nicely done. and with that done, we headed towards the exit closest to our hotel. . . I was pretty wiped out after a full day, and Jon was tired too. beautiful park. i think I took shower once back, then crashed hard. couldn't wait for tomorrow, as it's a full day at this place, and I'll get to ride all the stuff I looked at today! wOOt!

great memories of Hansa (and I totally forgot they gave us that CD . .need to find where I put it!) I absolutely adore that Nessie logo, and was disappointed that Nessie was really the only coaster they didnt' sell shirts for! (they told me they sold out and hadn't restocked). but I really liked this park a LOT, and glad to see the Jungle Safari, as I wasn't sure who else rode it as it was kinda hidden in the center of the park! great pics, Chuck. .and you make a fine Cowboy. . .just riding "reverse Cowgirl" (wait. .that sounds. ."wrong")

Interrupting day-evening on 1st full day of the trip for important news: I found where I put the Lufthansa Paper Underwear! No, I didn't throw it out, but I did put it in the pile of paper recycling. so I present in all it's glory (and NO, I did *not* put it on for a pic, as when I tried to model them it was so awful, I wouldn't do that to you). they are the consistency of "Bounty Paper Towels" so, yup, they gave me "the quicker pick-er-upper to wear on my junk" (I knew y'all wanted to see. . so "your'e welcome" )

Thrilled to see inside the Round tower, as I only got a pic of it as we passed in walking on the 1st night. I was wondering what was in there. and yes, if even *I* wouldn't buy that magnet? you know it's a sucky magnet. . LOL Great to see all this stuff, keep on updating!

it doesn't APPEAR that they are skip the lines. . but rather virtual queue for rides so you can go when it tells you to come. but still waiting for further clarification from Jeffrey.

so SFFT just rolled this out, literally moments ago. (I've already asked Jeffrey for more info. . ie: what rides are included? only 2 rides per visit? can you swap out the rides or the same two for rest of summer?) for only $25, that's a good deal, as the regular Flash Pass is $50 per visit if you want it.

Day 3, June 5th (and the official start of the TPR trip) part 1: BonBon Land BonBon Land is a weird - I mean REALLY weird - park. Think of it as the Denmark version of HersheyPark , only in that it is run/themed by/to a candy company. In this case, a company that makes lots of weird hard (and licorice) candies that are themed to body functions, and weird / nasty messed up animals! it's also hidden behind what looks like an industrial area, in the middle of fields. But then suddenly there are Rollercoasters and all kinds of weird rides. Apparently they've WAY toned down some of the more offensive/freaky mascots - and many of the rides seemed to be missing theming that we were told was there in prior years. So they've absolutely "cleaned it up". . tho much of the WTF-ness of it does remain, hidden in some areas. Seriously, this park is beyond fucked up. . .so of COURSE I loved it. tho it's probably most infamous for Henry the pooping dog, who is the mascot of the infamous Dog-Fart coaster. let's have some fun, shall we? coming up to the front gate. We were getting in early for some ERT, but the park was also hosting a "heroes" race for parents and kids, where they got to wear masks and capes and run a course thru the park. Not gonna lie, I was envious of the capes and really wanted one but that's why you might notice some tape blocking paths in some pics. hurm. . here was an advertisement for our included lunch for today - the park was going to open up it's Mexican Buffet for us *usually only open on certain days. Danish "Mexican" food. . what could go wrong? LOL. . cautiously optimistic . . . but hey, they had rainbow flags everywhere! for the race? for Pride? not sure. . but was still happy to see em. right near the front of the park - as you pass all the photo ops (would go back for those later) as you get to the actual rides section. .there's a statue of Henry. already with leg up interesting figures all thuout the park, just spaced out among the rides. most of these are on the labels for the candies (also sold in the park). . but as noted, they seem to have way toned down the "over the top" ones. . and gone more towards the cute or "slightly racially offensive" ones. loved this take on the caterpillar ride. . . tho he looked a little scary. . . the turtle just looked a bit stoned. or maybe he was upset at all the weight hanging from the underside of his shell. such odd, and yet amazingly funky and fun rides here! fairly large space too.. this looked like it was a boat ride of some sort that had been pulled out. not really sure, but it's lush back here and we were walked over to our first coaster of the day: Vild Svinet (which is Danish for Wild Boar) not really sure WHY this has a hog racing theme. . but it is historic, as it's the worlds first Eurofighter it did have a little bit of a rattle. . but in the front row, it was not bad at all. (not a fan of Eurofighters). note: any pic that I'm in is courtesy of Elissa, Robb (tho he's in this pic), AJ (ditto), Andy, or Brad. after we got a ride or two on the Eurofighter, we went next door for Han-Katten (Tom-Cat). this is a Gerstlaur spinner, and man, did it spin. the mascot was out, to greet the racers, and tho he could barely walk in the giant feet, and seemed very confused by who all the people were on the other side of the race course with him. . he still posed for a pic. and then posed with the group. . a nice view of the two coasters next door to each other. . they actually look quite good together. whoever took this pic, managed to catch Robb filming, and the lift hill. note that we're riding in the "Pussy" car. no really . . . the cars each have names, and my first ride was with the guys in the Pussy car. and man did we spin. wanna see? here's the video Robb posted it was so good, I went back around and rode again - this time in the Felix car. But we still spun a TON the 3rd coaster we were going to before the park opened was the one the place is most well known for: Hundeprut - which really does, translate from the Danish to "Dog Fart" so yup. . we got to ride the famous Dog Fart coaster. ..where, when the train goes thru the house, there are loud fart noises played. oh. .and the statue of Henry in the middle of the coaster field, also has poop around him. yup. I loved this messed up park. look at those happy faces! even I was laughing and enjoying this thing. TPR got farted on by Henry! me enjoying the back row. we had a little time before the park opened to the general public, so we headed over to wait close to the 4th coaster in the park, Viktor Vandorm. . a really long (I think 20 rows) zierer family coaster. while we waited we hung out in the playground underneath the raised coaster - where Henry is also represented. NEVER IN AMERICA.. but you can climb into Henry in multiple ways, then get pooped out via a metal slide from his butt. no.. really: Bwaa-haaa-haaaaa soon enough the park opened to all (tho most of the TPR folks had stayed together to ride this one) so we took over the whole train to go around a few times in a surprisingly fun family coaster. cut loose to enjoy the rest of the day on our own - until time to meet for lunch. . many of us headed over to the giant frisbee. along the way we passed the small - and heavily themed - drop tower. Very similar to one I rode last year at Tripsdrill. . and no, I won't spoil the surprise, but yes, it scares the crap out of you before dropping. it wasn't open just yet, so snapped a pic as I passed. here's the frisbee. . themed to a giant spider. . but most all of the actual "spider" theming was gone. didn't matter tho. .it was still an amazing ride, with very high & fast swings, and a really long cycle (perhaps just a wee bit too long. . once was enough. . LOL) we explored a bit and found where we needed to meet for lunch later. perhaps a little humping occurred on this "is it racist or not?" figure. but I had spotted this. No Carousel any longer (the park had an infamous one with lots of the offensive characters, but it had been pulled out). . so this was as close as I was gonna get to a Carousel here. But that's ok, as I love these pony rides. which at one point has a chicken animatronic that turns to show you it's butthole. again, no, really. Andy took this pic after I told him that it's on the ride, so he rode just to get this picture for me (thanks Andy!) whee! (you pull the cord to send yourself off). hurm. . a little of the 'older' theming seems to remain on this ride tho. . . the pigs were "tits out" and Mexican robber rats. I think the Disk-o is supposed to be themed to an albatross. . but I kept calling it a Drag Chicken (and that's the first Magnet I bought here.. the drag chicken magnet). Didn't ride the Disk-o tho, as I don't care for them. I had heard whispers about this ride too. .it's basically an outdoor dark ride. . where your boat passes lots of scenes, full of some "questionable" content. it to had been cleaned up a bit, but the underbelly of weirdness was still there, and I really loved this. (tho I didn't love the operators with water pistols on the water rides that squirt you before you even leave the station. . something that happened at many parks thruout the trip). USA. . .cracked and bent.. but ok.. seems reasonable is that Bullwinkle? So "Sitting Bull". . . . .LOL hard to see in the pic, but the crock animatronic was chewing on a disembodied leg.. LOL oh my! the characters all have such big feet, it's hard for them to walk.. so they get pushed around in carts! the small surprise drop tower opened, so we headed over there. . and all of us got the crap scared out of us by what it does. . even tho some of us KNEW what it was gonna do damn that frisbee goes high. getting close to lunch time. . but first, we had to go on the flume. which is themed to Rats, and rotten cheese. yup! Colin enjoying squeezing in with Barry. . . Andy looks comfy tho the rest of the group I hung around with today did 2 per raft one of the "pissing ants" that is a character on some candies, and used to be featured on the Carousel. (tho this one wasn't pissing. .it had been sanded off). I chose not to ride this "Swinging ship" which seems to be themed to a fish? but those that did said it was an oddly boring cycle. it looked great tho. several of the parks on this trip were going to have Obstacle Courses. . I'm a big ol kluts, and wasn't gonna do most of em. but this one at BonBon Land I did, as the steps were wide enough I wasn't worried about slipping, and the snakes spit water, and I didn't care if I got a little wet. whee! and then it was time for lunch. how was it. . . ummm. . . . well.. if this is a representation of Danish Mexican food? I guess it's OK i mean, it didn't give me the shits. . but it was most certainly very bland. and the best things I got was the Corn (not really Mexican) and the Chicken on a Stick (also not really Mexican).. but those two had the most flavor and are what I went back for. wanna see the buffet options? sure, I took pics! there were three types of "Taco Toast" - two with meat and a veggie version. . and they all tasted the same. LOL this was boiled chicken (as near as I could tell). Even dumping guac and salsa on it didn't help much. the beef was better tho. only slightly, but better. here are the chips and cheese to make nachos. the Tortilla chips? they tore open bags of Doritos and poured them in the bowls. Hysterical. but hey. . can't go wrong with Doritos! the corn and build your own tacos (with the chicken or beef in prior pics) after lunch we still had a couple of hours in the park, so off we all went until it was time to meet up at the bus to head back to Copenhagen. this slide i was told was very fun (I didnt' ride it). . . it used to be themed to (I think I was told) a giant shrimp? and used to have a giant sexy shrimp laying across the top of the launch area? what I find most interesting is how it interacts with the long family coaster, that dives thru it (you can see the elevated tracks here) Bever Rafting? ok then. . . BWAAA-HAAA-HAAAA this was a fun river raft ride, that didn't have a lot of "rapids" that I recall, but had lots of scenes with Beaver characters on the shores doing things. I think we did get a little bit wet tho. We're all smiling in the pics. we then headed over to the "Western" section.. which most parks seem to have. no real "rides" over here - it's a small section - tho they do have a shooting gallery, and this great photo op. I think maybe the shooting gallery at one point WAS a ride? the saddles you sit on look like they are supposed to move (think Plants vs Zombies at Kings Island or Carowinds). .but they were just static seats while we shot at the screens. we SUCKED at it. . LOL. . but didn't stop us from trying to do a Charlies Angels pose.. sorta. I had spotted this earlier, and it seemed like a kiddie ride. But watching it cycle just once? oh no, this crazy thing not only spun super fast, but also went backwards just as fast. NOT a kiddie ride. . . and the design of it is fantastic. all smiles before it starts. and then bigger smiles as we hung on for dear life, as the ride op got it going faster and faster and we tried not to fly out. a couple more pics of the worlds first Eurofighter. . as I walked the park to see what else I might want to ride. this one was a mistake.. you HAVE to pedal. HAHAHAHAHA. . it sucked. I think Big Mike was ready to kill me when we got half way and realized how much more pedaling there was to do. i think thanks to Andy for this pic. another pic of Henry as I made my way towards a gift shop to get some more magnets. . I wanted one that said BonBon Land. Erik and Misty had been getting ice cream at most stops, and it sounded like a really good idea. and once I saw you could get a souvenir Henry head full of ice cream? SOLD watching Dragon cycle (and Robb film) as I enjoyed the ice cream. Success on magnets. . . but none of them said BonBon Land. . had to keep looking. . . (spoiler, I did find some. .thinking I'll save Swag posts till the end, or at least until I organize enough to get pics of everything) in the front gift shop, hidden high on the upper level above the registers. . they had some carved figures of the characters they had quietly removed from the park but will my zoom on my camera, was able to capture them. um. . some I DO understand why they pulled them . . .LOL as heading to the bus.. had to stop for those photo ops I had passed on earlier. but also realized I never got a pic of the park map: awwwwww after a fun filled day, we met at the bus and headed back to Copenhagen. while on the bus, Robb shared the pic he had taken that morning: I really liked this park. . supremely funky, and odd. . and really my cuppa, even if they didn't have a Carousel. there were a few things we didn't do.. and just didn't have time for the 5D movie part of the park.. but overall, I really liked it. hope you enjoyed the pics! on the drive back it was pointed out that we were getting back fairly early and Tivoli Gardens was open until 10.. . so it was quickly decided that some of us were going to take advantage of an "evening ticket" and just go in to walk the grounds and get the lay of the land for the next day. so with that plan in my head, I relaxed for the ride back to the hotel. Day to be continued. . . .

Day 2, June 4th, Part 3: Rosenborg Castle Armory, the Crown Jewels, a quick pop into the Copenhagen Botanical Gardens, and the welcome dinner at Wagamama. and a pleasant surprise after dinner. down into the Armory, the 1st thing you really encounter is a big display case full of golden/silver figurines - that would have been used on a war map. assorted rifles and swords, as well as some armor this was pretty cool. . the first revolvers seen in Europe - a gift from President Lincoln crossbows carved Ivory & turtle shell artwork on display down here too. . .very pretty a royal saddle and helmet onto trinkets and expensive gifts given to the royals living in the castle. and then it was down some step steps and thru this vault door. . it was time to see the Crown Jewels ooooooo even prettier than the 1st crown. and this was a set of two for King & Queen some really stunning jewelry. . . hubba hubba! tho to be honest, some of the rings really did look like kinda cheap costume jewelry . . tho I'm sure they were worth big bucks after oooohing and ahhhiing at the jewels, we headed out and since we were right across the street from the botanical gardens, decided to give it a 30 minute peek. unfortunately the gardens are undergoing a huge renovation, and 3/4ths of them are closed off to the public. on the positive tho, that meant we really could see almost everything in just 30 minutes. . . and it was free to get in! (not sure if they usually charge or not, but I'd assume they do, and just were not as only one entrance/exit gate was open). posing under the lilac trellis (at least I recall they smelled like Lilacs) bunch of folks out on the lawn (on the portion of the gardens open) enjoying the beautiful day. this looked interesting, but I'm kinda glad we didn't make the effort to go into this greenhouse, as I heard (from Erik I think) that the circular room at the top was hella hot today from the sun thru the glass. having seen most of what was available, we hitaled it back to the train to head back to the Hotel for the welcome Dinner. remembered to take some pics of the train station by the castle tho.. as it was rather neat looking. a quick stop at the hotel to drop off stuff (and say hello to AJ who had arrived) and we headed over to Wagamama - which happens to be attached to Tivoli Gardens. our table: ltr: me, AJ, Erik, Misty, Jon my "green tea" -which is promoted on the menu as free to enjoy. . was kinda brownish. but it tasted good. I had some sort of firecracker chicken curry. .it was SO damn good. and a pork bun (also very good). so good Jon and I went back the next night as well. while we were eating, I got an email from Lufthansa that my luggage had arrived and was on it's way! the airtag showed it on the street outside Tivoli. . .so I worried just a little bit about it, but when we got back to the hotel? it was waiting for me at the front desk. YAY!!!! most important part of my luggage were the treats for the snack exchange. . . and I was so happy to find the "treats" i had brought to share were all intact. finally able to breathe a huge sigh of relief, I called it and climbed into bed early (I think) while AJ headed over to Tivoli Gardens for an evening visit, as we weren't gonna be in that park for two more days. I was excited, the trip had officially started, and we were staring off the day tomorrow with the super messed up (and super fun) BonBonLand!

Day 2, June 4th, Part 2: Rosenborg Castle there wont be a lot of commentary in this update, just a crapload of pics. I weeded out things I thought weren't interesting, but still ended up with so many pics. The Rosenborg Castle is GORGEOUS inside - if you like over the top furniture, clocks, decor, and tapestries. and your visit also includes a trip to the armory underneath, and the vault that holds the crown jewels. If you find yourself in Copenhagen? it's absolutely worth a visit, but be advised that tickets do sell out, and they assign times. So we lucked out, but you might want to prebook your visit. on to pics! A short train ride (and switching lines) and we were at Rosenborg Castle they were only open until 5, so we had plenty of time. . but we hadn't realized that the tickets are timed. and most of the times were filled for the day already. warily we got in line, and got very lucky that there were two open spots for the 2pm entry left. So we grabbed those last two tickets, and then had about 35 minutes to kill before our time to line up for entry. . which we did by wandering the grounds. armed guards (all looking VERY young) patrol around the Castle. and you are advised to not get in their way as they patrol, and also told (at the ticket booth) to NOT take any selfies with them. But you are allowed to take pictures OF them, so I did so. lovely grounds in the back here, with lots of folks just hanging out in the grass enjoying the sun, and the ponds full of large fish (not sure what kind, they weren't Koi). along the walls of the front of the castle are all these busts. .not sure if they were leaders, or perhaps gods? (some of the inside work clearly depicted some of the Pantheon of gods. . so could be busts of them outside too, I suppose). placard about the castle layout and gardens. looking out over the great lawn & pool that's at the front of the Castle. and turning back to look at the building itself. really a beautiful building outside - but was blown away by how over the top incredible it was inside. what's behind this door? no idea, but the Guards didn't stop me when I pretended to pull the handle oooo. .a butt a butt, I tell you! completing our circuit around the Castle. the grounds really are very lovely. . and it was a beautiful day. this is the entry to the Armory and the Crown Jewels - we'd go here after touring the main Castle. (you have to show your entry ticket and they allow you down in here) our turn, so we lined up and went in. there are 3 floors open, with many rooms to view. All of them crammed full of things. there is an available map, and also an audio tour you can take. We were kinda/sorta limited on time, so chose to just do our own walk thru, but you can easily spend 3-4 hours here if you want to experience the full place, and learn about all the furniture, clocks, artwork, dishware, tapestries, and rulers who lived here. every room is floor to ceiling dripping with excess. . If they had sold a replica of this in the gift shop, 100% I would have bought one the royal toidy. no, really! and you could peek inside - as the servants were able to do back in the day - there was a window from the next room peeking into the bathroom so the servants could see if they were needed by the Royals while on the potty. the true throne of this Castle Did I mention that some of the rooms are very "over the top". . . but oh so stunning to look at! and look! Big Mike in the middle of it the numbers go with the mapbook, and the audio tour. these were figurines presented as a gift, if I'm not mistaken. more gifts. many fireplaces too. . after all, it IS Denmark. lots of big balls in this castle too. . .the Royals liked their big balls apparently ummm. . ok. not sure what's going on, but I liked it. (heck, I loved most of the tapestries hanging) Up to the 2nd floor. . . this tea-room was Japanese themed, and was a very dark black, with inlaid dragons and other creatures. it photographed dark, but was just lovely. lots and lots of large & intricate clocks in almost every room too. this room just blew me away. yes, it's very busy, but the tapestries are beautiful, and I loved every bit of the furniture in here. an early phonograph, I believe this was the "music room" and it was floor to ceiling in mirrors. because it was afternoon, this room was baking hot from the sun reflecting off the mirrors. this was so fugly, I kinda loved it. Marble top and turquoise and gold trim? awful, but I loved it. Medals worn by the Royalty that lived in the Castle over the decades. up to the 3rd floor, which is mostly the Grand Ballroom. which, honestly, is Breathtaking! looking up at the inlay on the ceiling for the Coat of Arms: only two side rooms were open up here - but they showed off the fancy glasswear and gold used for the ballroom parties. a blown glass silverware set: single throne on one side - which the guidebook said was used for dealing with diplomatic issues and on the other side, the His & Her's thrones - guarded by Silver Lions with a backdrop of some of the Greek Gods looking over them. I believe this is Demeter? (goddess of the harvest) and I believe this is Artemis, the goddess of wild animals. peeking out the 3rd floor window for an overview of the back garden before heading down. and with that, we headed back downstairs and into the Armory beneath the castle. to be concluded in Day 2: Part 3 - weapons, jewels, a stop at the Botanical Gardens, and welcome meal at Wagamama!

Day 2, June 4th, Part 1: so I woke up and got ready to go up to breakfast (at this hotel it's on the 6th floor), and peeked out the window to get a good look at the view from our room. i liked the architecture across the way, so snapped a pic. then noticed what it was. . .LOL. . the European Church of Scientology . . . . I don't seem to have any pics of the breakfast area, tho perhaps that was just this 1st day (I'll check the rest of my pics). . but it was a very nice spread with lots of options. while eating, I saw a few folks from the TPR trip who had arrived already and said hello, and ended up meeting Big Mike (of Big Mike Roadshow fame).. he and I hit it off over breakfast and I enjoyed the company. when I mentioned I was planning on going to the Copenhagen Zoo this morning, he showed interest as well. . so we made plans to meet in the lobby in 10 minutes and go together on the Train/walk. a better look at the lobby now that I've had some sleep. a lovely hotel. a short train ride later (and luckily I had taken a train back the night before with Colin, so already knew how to operate the ticket machine/get a ticket easily, and was able to show Big Mike) and we were at the station closest to the Zoo. closest is misleading tho, as it was still a bit of a walk. but the city is lovely, so really didn't mind. besides, was gonna be doing a LOT of walking today and in the next 3 weeks. tons of bikes on this street. .not one bike lock. never in America as noted, this was the closest train station to the Zoo (as well as a few other touristy things). . so it was very nice to see clearly marked signs (in multiple languages) directing folks to the sites. such a nice walk, and so picturesque. . . we even passed a guy doing concrete cleaning with a flamethrower - but was on the wrong side of the street to get a good pic of that eventually tho we made it to the. . . . Zoo? What the hell? why is there a big dinosaur here??? but yeah. .it's the Zoo. which also includes a freestanding observation tower, that for a small fee, you can add to your admission (they give you a token at entry, and you feed it into the turnstyle to go up in the tower). Nice information. . . although we pocketed the token for later, and headed into the zoo itself first. it's a very nice zoo. . . very oddly spaced out, but with a great assortment of animals, as well as a ton of WTF photo-ops, and gardens interspersed thruout. I will say, every animal we saw seemed very happy and pleased with their surroundings. . .I had a great time here. not sure what this guy was, but they were in with the flamingos. . and were very eye-catchingly red. this Polar Bear was a hoot.. he was "quarantined" in this section while a zookeeper cleaned his main "area".. and he kept running up to the doors between and bellowing at her. he really either 1) wanted to go back to his main area, or, 2) wanted to eat her. ooo. . Lion Pride, with babies! the zookeeper I spoke with said the cubs were born ~6 months ago. a better look at the family from a different viewing area. this thing freaked me out a little bit. it talked to you, and it "burped" after you put trash in it. . . all kinds of fun carvings and pathways thruout the zoo. I don't recall seeing any falcons here, but I have a picture of the carving, so we must have been by the enclosure. smart, sleeping, buffalo - thing. it wasn't super hot, but I'm from Texas. .so to me, anything under 102 is not really "hot" so I don't blame him for staying in the shade. Elephants! the little one was playing in the water, spraying it everywhere, and the bigger one was having a ball swatting the plastic containers hanging from the tops of the posts. as with many of the others, the Elephant enclosure was a good size, and you could go all the way around it. Erik mentioned the restaurant where you could eat and watch the Pandas. It was closed on the Sunday we were there, but peeking thru the exterior glass, I realized you could see right thru the restaurant and into the Panda enclosure. So was able to snap some really great pics (considering it's thru two panes of glass and a restaurant between) you can also go around and up top to view the Pandas in the enclosure without the restaurant. and. . here are the Dinos. yeah. .not really sure why. . we didn't really go into this part of the zoo. but a photo op, where I can touch the dinos? yeah. . some "humping" took place Penguins!! these guys didnt' seem to mind the sun. .and were out sunning themselves. more interesting sculptures over here. . and you could turn a crank to make the sculptures "squawk" at you. over to the Red Panda exhibit. . which had this really cool "runway" where the panda could run back and forth between the connecting areas. unfortunately, we didn't see this guy at all - couldn't even spot him if sleeping. but there were photo-ops with wood carved Red Pandas in the seating in this area . . so took pics of that. awwww.. .Otters are so cute! this guy was fugly. . .so fugly I had to get a pic.. but he seemed so happy.. sniffing the air and hopping up and down in the paddock he was in. into the Primate House - which was mostly empty for some reason. . tho there were lots of primates out in the enclosures outside of the main Primate House. the Chimps were hanging out inside tho. and were happy to pose for those who wanted to see them. yeah. .he saw me looking. . and turned for the picture. no idea what this one was doing. . but sat this way the whole time we were in the area, while shocked parents laughed and quickly grabbed the kiddos to pull them along as they got to this window. attached on the other side of the Primate House is the reptiles/bugs/rainforest area. where there were multiple free-range birds, butterflies, Turtles, and a sloth! baby crocs. . and birds. . looking up to show how large, and lush, the area is. there was a case of butterfly pupa on display, that hatched in real time.. that was rather cool to see some of them being born while we were there and then taking flight into the enclosure. I believe this is a Dik-Dik ummm. . what is this? Do I want to look at it? the answer was NO. . I should no have looked at it. . it was a whole wall display of "Death's Head Cockroaches" ewwww. . . creeped me out for days! and some nice large millipeedes and poisonous tree frogs. . but so pretty! animals everywhere. . just hanging out, and watching the people watching them. ummmm. . .ok. not sure what the sign was trying to tell me.. . . but I did a double-take at this sign. Bwaa-haaa-haaaa looking up, I saw the Sloth and pointed him out to Big Mike. . and we watched him (her?) slowly climb across the ceiling and head down to it's burrow inside one of the large trees. next up was the Wallaby / Kangaroo display. which also has a walkthru area where you can get pretty close to the animals tho the big plastic (and moving!!!) dinosaurs are pretty distracting. I still find it odd that a whole section of the zoo was dinosaur themed. why hello there! oh, don't mind me. . we lemurs are just hanging out in the shade. feels SOOOO good! hahahaha.. a Churro that has been turned into a snake for advertising. Love stuff like this.. lean in! King of the Baboons, high on his perch watching over all the other monkeys in that enclosure. babies in the enclosure too lizard. and look. .I found an interactive toy to play with (and yes, I waited in line behind a kid to get my turn on it) thanks to Big Mike for taking the pictures. we'd finished the main part of the zoo at this point (tho there was the whole "Savannah" section across the street - accessed via a tunnel. but we decided to do the Observation tower before heading across. a huge crowd was forming around the base of the tower. what was up? it was a Peppa Pig show. (no, really). . . damn.. that pig is popular in Denmark! we were literally the only ones in the tower. . which was a good thing, as the steps are steep, and the passageways narrow. So we had to keep stopping to rest on the way up. looking down at the Peppa Pig crowd from the lower level observation deck. (we stopped to rest before continuing up to the top). and the crowd got even more tightly packed as the slow started. as noted, they really like Peppa Pig in Denmark. (and the zoo knows it's crowd. . after the show ended, a gift shop worker came out with probably 50 Peppa Pig balloons, and it was a feeding frenzy, and he sold out of every one of them in minutes!) as the show started, and that awful song started to get stuck in my head, we continued our climb to the top of the tower. well worth it. . the views were LOVELY from up here. poor Polar Bear still trying to get back into his preferred area over there (from the top of the tower) just lovely. after our climb back down (easier.. surprise, surprise ). . and a quick stop in the gift shop to pick up magnets . . we headed across to the Savannah area to check out the Giraffes / Rhinos, and other animals. zebras! we had pretty much finished up the zoo, but were getting a little hungry, and thirsty. the food places all had pretty long lines, but Mike found a place selling hotdogs that had a fairly short line. So we went there for a drink, and I noticed right next door was this Ice Cream Place (Nice Cream)!. . so went over there since no line. the lady was happy to see me, but told me with a sad face that it was "Vegan Ice Cream" her whole demeanor changed, and she lit up brightly when I said "that's ok" (apparently many folks walk away when she tells them her ice cream is vegan) I took her suggestion and had (I think) Coconut Milk Ice Cream with nuts. . it was really good! My ice cream, and an unintentional Big Mike photobomb behind me getting sodas from the stand next door. while eating my ice cream, I was shocked to see this across the way. so had to put aside my ice cream for a moment to get a pic. i present you: the Stevie Nicks Camel. yup. . it was awesome. Stand Baaaaaaaack and with that, we made our way to the front gates to decide what to do next, as it was only ~1pm. I had tentative plans to go to the Cisterns that were kinda across the way. . but I had been chatting with gate staff, and so asked them "as a tourist, would you recommend the Cisterns?" they said, "honestly no".. so I asked for their suggestions on what to do, and one of the suggestions, "the Rosenborg Castle" had been on Big Mike's list of things he'd like to do - and it was across from the botanical gardens. so we thanked the gate folks, and made our way back to the train station and headed towards Rosenborg Castle. to be continued in part II:

Thunderbolt is no single riders allowed (the laterals on the helixes are the reasons they usually give. . .but shouldn't be too hard to find someone to ride with - and worst case, ask an operator to ride with you, they typically are happy to do so if they can't get another single to pair with you)

^ FYI. . Racer will always race (unless they have removed one train). . it's a Moebius coaster, so both trains are on the same track

^ rumors of it closing have been around for years and it hangs in there. too bad you didn't make the massive (but worth it) trek to the top of the hill for the drop tower. . it really does provide incredible views of the falls. as to the bears? yup, you can buy the food to feed them.