bert425

yup . . about to update that in the Fiesta Texas thread. . .it was shown during the FT92 event that also announced some new Houses for FrightFest. those prices are special introductory prices for initial offering in about a week (Jeffrey said they will go on sale mid-August for a limited time)

great report and loving the pictures. I'm there in just about 6 weeks and can't wait to see what they do for Halloween. I did get something in the mail (email) that mentioned the Snorri dark ride was being removed and replaced with something else. I wonder if that will be up and running for my visit. . i'm very curious about that, Votron, and the re-opened Haunted Mansion type ride and re-done Powered Coaster/Flume. thanks for sharing.

hmm. . I'm not really a water park person, but I've worn Aqua Socks on slides at Six Flags. I'd assume anything without a "grip" or "stud" on it would be acceptable on a slide.

Day -1 (part 2): lunch, Crypt Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, and more! as noted in the prior update, Wagamama over here by the tower looked good. . but a few doors down was this, "Dream Xi'an". . and it looked amazing as well. so I went here, tho was pretty much the only customer as it was past lunch time on a Sunday. don't remember exactly what this was, other than hot green tea, Gyoza, and i believe it was a spicy lamb, hearty stew. (I'm guessing it was lamb, because I remember pulling out bones from it, and most lamb/goat has bones in it) it was all excellent tho! I had heard of this place called the Sky Garden, that supposedly offered fantastic views. but one needed to get tickets online - although they did offer a standby line. so I walked the 10 blocks or so over there, and was told standby would be a few hours, but I was welcome to hang around. So I explored the area. Wasn't hungry as had just eaten, but found this fantastic animatronic noodle bowl (the chopsticks pull the noodles out of the bowl), that kept me very amused (and the amount of people taking selfies with it was so funny, that I stood in line and got one too). eventually I wandered back across the street to the sky garden to hang out for a while, and was told they still had no standby spots avail. that's ok. . it was set up neat enough over here anyways, that I was entertained. love some of the architecture in London. I even rested a bit and played around on my phone for a little while. but it eventually became clear they were never gonna let stand by folks in line, so I headed back over towards the Tower of London - where my taxi had dropped me off earlier, and was actually planning on heading back to the hotel for a nap, and then just coming back later. but as I got nearer to the spot where I was dropped off, I noticed the sign on this church near the Tower of London. Oldest Church in London? hmmm. . I like old Churches, and the sign out front said all are welcome to come in and take a look, so I headed in. it's a lovely Church, with again, some very nice stained glass. but what's this? (I noticed later they do have this on the sign outside, but not really calling any attention to it. I asked the Priest that was working the "gift" area why they don't really advertise the Crypt Museum - getting ahead of myself, but you can tell I LOVED it (and it's free) - especially how close they are to the Tower of London? and he answered me honestly, that they don't want to deal with the amount of insurance they would need if so many tourists discovered it's here. . so they like to keep it more word of mouth and the insurance premiums down) it was such a narrow, steep, and foreboding staircase - hidden in a back corner, that I was already loving this. Very cool, and very much recommended if you find yourself in this area of London. all these following pics are under the church. . .and in some of the areas, the whole place shakes as the Tube trains roll nearby. I would SO buy this on a shirt. . . this rediscovered mural, on a closed off staircase was just incredible. it was worth the trip to the Crypt Museum just to see this. lovely. in talking to the Pastor after visiting the Crypt Museum, I had mentioned about the Sky Garden being sold out. he gave me a map and recommended that I head over to St. Paul's Cathedral, it wasn't open to the public this afternoon, but just across the street was a shopping complex that had recently opened their own skydeck - so that was another option to get some nice views for free. i thanked him, and ignored my feet, and decided to walk along the Thames to go to St. Pauls, as there are walking paths on both sides of the river, and even tho it had started to get a little overcast, it was still a lovely day. walking along the Thames. . . .I guess people actually swim in it? I actually found "London Bridge" . . .without even seeking it out. I admit, I was pretty impressed even if it is, you know, just a bridge. so much interesting architecture and design along the riverwalk here. and I had it mostly to myself (but didn't feel unsafe at all) St. Paul's - per the map I had gotten from the Church - was just at the Millennium Bridge (it had been about a 40 minute walk). . the design is interesting. looking straight ahead from the bridge, is St. Paul's Cathedral Double Decker Bus. . very London. some really neat "artsy" touches on the buildings/courtyards leading up the main streets here. on this map, you can see how far I walked, from Tower of London (on lower right), along the river, up to St Paul's. the outside is quite nice. . reminds me of US State Capitols. I figured since was here, would explore the grounds a bit before going to that shopping center (called One New Change) Exiting the Cathedral space, I spotted some "high end" stores, so headed that way for the "One New Change" shopping center and their skydeck. ended up being a waste of time, as not only was it a mostly dead mall - with at least 2/3rds of the storefronts empty, with only a few high-end shops open on the main level, but there were giant signs on the Elevators noting that "due to construction, the public Skydeck is not available" however, there was a bar/club on the top that had some views, so I figured I'd go up and get a drink. only to be stopped by the douchebag guy manning the Elevators (whom I'm sure if I got closer to him, would have reeked of Patchoulli) telling me that I was not allowed to go up, because I was "a single" (looked it up, the place is called "the Madison") I looked around at the dead mall and said to him, "you're going to stop someone who's willing to go into your business and purchase something?" and he said again - you're a single, not allowed up. (I'm certain that it's because I was wearing shorts). I actually laughed at him, and told him that it was silly to turn away a tourist when their place is in a dead mall, but that I'd be sure to post about it - and took the escalators up to the 2nd floor when I was welcomed into a very loud/raucous game place - think it was called the F1 Arcade. I only hung out there for one drink, as it was very loud in there. . . but I sipped a drink, and then headed back to the St. Paul's courtyard to play on my phone for a bit (and post to Facebook how I had been turned away and I found it hysterical they were turning away business) it was quite peaceful over here, and I hung out here probably for 40 minutes or so - watching the massive swarms of birds that were circling the city. it was starting to get past 7pm, so I figured I'd better head back towards the Tower of London, but wanted to cross and come back on the other side of the river. so I headed back, snapping pics along the way of things that caught my eye. Crossing the Millennium Bridge to the other side of the Thames. where I was coming from: where I was headed: I would have gone into the Tate Modern if I'd had more time - and if I had realized it was over here, I probably wouldn't have sat by that fountain and rested my feet for 45 minutes. but oh well. as I posted on Facebook at the time, "how in the world do you advertise "See Great Art From Around the World" . . . . at the same time you're promoting a Yoko Ono exhibit?" the re-re-re-re-re-built famous Shakespeare's Globe Theater another reason to go back to London. . to see a show here in this theater. while walking, I passed this sign at a restaurant called "the Real Greek". "TOO GOOD NOT TO TRY!" hmmmm. . I'll be the judge of that, so I headed in. even tho not super hungry, the menu looked amazing, so I ordered several things to try. this is the Halloumi "popcorn". . it actually was really quite good, tho the addition of the honey poured on top is what really made it taste better. the drink is a Negroni, which while it's supposed to be a bitter cocktail, this one was SO strong, I really had to water it down, and still couldn't finish it. Lamb Meatball wrap and Spinach Tiropitakia all were really good, and I ate too much. . . but it was so good. I was getting a bit short on time .. had about 80 minutes to get back to the Tower of London, and wasn't sure how long it would take me to waddle my full butt back there. so I headed back along the river. this place looked really familiar. It must have been featured in some show I've watched. some really neat graffiti art on the walkway on this side of the river Prison Museum? oh my! as I started to get closer, and spotted the Tower Bridge, I figured I'd better cross back to the "correct" side for Tower of London. was able to get some lovely shots of the sun setting over London. made it back with about 25 minutes to spare, so went to the meet up place, and chatted with some of the others that had also gotten tickets to the Ceremony of the Keys (many of them had a similar story to mine - tired and failed to get thru, sent email, were sent link and then it was time for the Ceremony. once we passed thru these gates, everyone had to turn off their phones, and no eating or drinking. it really was a once in a lifetime experience, and it impressed the hell out of me. I'm so glad I got to see it. after the Ceremony was over, we were invited to take out our phones/cameras, and to ask questions. the lead Royal Guardsman (Beefeater) answered questions for a good 20 minutes - explaining all about the Brigade of Gurkhas and why it was such a rare occasion to see them perform the Ceremony. after I asked a few questions (mainly about how much did the Ceremony change after the Queen passed) I asked if I could get a picture with him - which triggered a whole line of people asking for the same thing (lol). and then we were led back to the main gates, and thru the smaller door (that those who live in the Tower use, after it's locked up) to head home. it was eerie, and beautiful walking thru the Tower of London at night, with no one else around. the Traitor's gate at night. in order to grab a cab, I had to walk all the way up to the Tower Bridge, to go to the hotel across the way. but I didn't mind, it was lovely. and once the hotel called me a cab, I was fighting to keep my eyes open. . .but awake enough to snap this pic of the London Eye at night. and shortly after this pic, I was back at the hotel, and in bed, out cold. It had been a very long day, and my feet were aching, but tomorrow was day 0 - meet up at the start hotel, and group dinner to officially kick off the TPR UK trip.

my go to is Spider Roll (soft shell crab). . . but I like most all rolls and Nigiri (and Sashimi)

Day -1 (part 1): full day spent at Tower of London, Crypt Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, and more! FLASHBACK TO PRE-TRIP: Once I knew a while back I was going to be in the UK, and starting in London, my #1 bucket list item was to visit the Tower of London. and I quickly scored a ticket for it. my #2 bucketlist item was to get a ticket to the "Ceremony of the Keys" - which is the ceremony that happens each night at the Tower, that locks it down in the name of the Monarch. And tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys are *very* hard to come by (limited to less than 50 a day, and they sell out instantly). The tickets for the Ceremony of the Keys go on sale on the first day of the month - and as noted, they tend to sell out instantly. Despite my trying for hours in the queue, I was unsuccessful in trying to get a ticket. . even when it finally let me in to see if there were any tickets avail. (what can I say? I was working, so just left that window open in the background to see if MAYBE I could score 1 ticket). When I finally got into the ticket purchase site, it looked like nothing had ever been made available? Certainly if it had sold out, they would say sold out for the days, right? so I sent a polite email to the Historic Royal Palaces, questioning if I had done something incorrectly, and noting I was in the city just this one day and would love to get a ticket if there is any way possible to squeeze me in. And then I went ahead and purchased my ticket for Tower Of London (complete with guidebook), for 10am on that Sunday, figuring I'll knock out the Tower of London, then go find some other stuff to do - maybe go back to the British Museum or the London Eye. cut to two days later, and I got an email response from the Historic Royal Palaces, explaining that there had been a glitch in their computer system, but the tickets were live now, and try this link. And sure enough, I was able to score a ticket to the Ceremony of the Keys! INCREDIBLY lucky. . as the whole month of June actually did sell out less than 30 minutes later. so it was fate that I happened to be on the computer and saw the email as soon as it came in. Downside tho? I now had to be back at the Tower of London at 9:30 pm, since that's when the Ceremony starts, and I had already purchased my ticket for 10am. Oh well. . was gonna be a long day, but worth it. back to real time: I woke up fairly early on Sunday (9am) - which was surprising how exhausted I had been the day before, and grabbed some coffee, then headed down to the lobby to ask the best way to get to Tower of London. they gave me several options, but the simplest was "grab a cab and they'll drop you right in front of it". So I did that, and the doorman called a cab for me. before long, we were pulling up by the main entrance - something I found out later most Cabs aren't allowed to do. . how I got so lucky? I dunno. it was still well over30 minutes before the Tower opened for the day, and some folks were already lining up in the queue for entrance. But since I had some time, I walked over to the river to snap some pictures of the London Skyline. ians of the Tower of I believe this is "the shard".. the well known building in central London and to my left? the famous Tower Bridge. on the day I was there, it was not scheduled to raise for any ships - I was told the ships have to put in a request 24 hours in advance - but I still managed to get some great pics with the iconic red double decker busses crossing in some shots. Still amazing to see this famous landmark in person. the gift shop had opened early, so I went in and browsed a bit, and chatted with one of the ladies behind the counter. (what can I say, I have the gift of gab). we talked about where i was visiting from and how the Tower of London was top of my list of things to do in London, and she advised me: "go to the Crown Jewels first. Everyone will wait for the first tour that starts at 10am, but ignore that - the tours happen every hour - and go to the Crown Jewels, it will be the shortest wait it ever is" I thanked her for the advice and headed out to queue up, as they were opening the gates a little bit early. (and spoiler, as you'll see, her advice as SPOT on. . . I was basically walk on for the Crown Jewels, but by Noon? it was a 2 hour wait just to get in that building!) Pics of the Tower of London from the queue outside to get in. Entrance is on the far right. looking down into the moat here. the famous Menagerie that was kept at the Tower is represented all over by these amazing Wire Sculptures. myself and a Beefeater (Yeoman Warder) - the Ceremonial Guard of the Tower of London. he was happy to stop for a picture with me. tickets scanned, and into the main complex. these people are gathering for the first tour group. I was headed to the left to follow the Cashier's advice on what to do first. the iconic and most famous castle keep in the world: the White Tower in the center of the Tower of London. as I was there on a Sunday wasn't allowed over here. This lovely area is the section of the complex that holds the Church, and it was off limits. There were a lot of folks in Suits, and members of the families that live in the Tower headed in for services tho. THIS is where I was headed - the Crown Jewels. as noted. .a walk on. absolutely NO Photography allowed. and no cell phones or cameras even allowed out while walking thru. the stuff in here is truly impressive tho, and well worth seeing with your own eyes. More of that fabulous wire art - it was all over the Tower complex walking along the side walls among the turrets - and there are TONS of paths and tours one can do at the Tower of London, I easily spent 5-6 hours here - one gets some nice views of downtown London, and the outer walls of the Tower. the exhibit about the Menagerie is in one of the many turrets. Very thick walls on the inner parts of the Tower complex. Peeking out thru one of the "turret slits". . . great views everywhere. This is in front of the Crown Jewels complex. I got very lucky and happened to be there the 1 week that the Yeoman Warders (the guys in the Red uniforms with the giant Bearskin hats) had stepped aside to honor the Brigade of Ghurkas - who were being given the honor to celebrate the 110th Anniversary. a bit more info from Wiki (and from the Beefeater who explained who the gentlemen were taking part of the Ceremony of the Keys later that night): The Royal Gurkha Rifles are Infantry are manned by Nepali soldiers and officers; and British officers, it is this blend of cultures that makes the RGR unique. Gurkhas are known for their professionalism, fighting prowess, humour and humility. so instead of seeing the Red Uniforms and Bearskin hats, I was pleasantly surprised to see the guards at the Crown Jewels were the Royal Gurkhas it was a really cool experience to see something that not a lot of people get to experience while in London. in a building off to the side, is a museum honoring all different Battalions who have fought for England. I particularly was impressed by this display from "the Jewish Legion" In addition to the museums on site (as well as a couple of way overpriced snack places), there are also free tours, and several free shows put on thruout the day at the Tower of London. I was admiring this Cannon, when I heard a commotion, as they were getting ready to start a show about the famous Ravens that live at the Tower, and how they got there. so I walked to the other corner of the White Tower (hadn't been in there yet) to see what was up. as you can see. . gorgeous day too. the show gave off VERY "Renaissance Festival" LARPing vibes. . but they all stayed in character, and told a fun story that got lots of laughs from the crowd. this is the giant that kidnapped a Princess and brought her to Wales, and how in rescuing her, the Ravens came to live at the Tower and as long as there is a Raven at the tower, the city will never fall. (behind him in the queue to go into the White Tower) and I think I managed to get just one of the Ravens in this pic. . but hey, at least I got one! Joining the queue for the White Tower. . and couldn't resist another Selfie with Tower Bridge behind. the whole entrance floor of the White Tower is dedicated to displays of Armor but you are able to go up multiple floors, and explore a lot of areas of this famous keep. and there is a small section dedicated to Torture - but most of that stuff is in a smaller museum area in another section of the Tower Complex. but (t) yes, you can go into the famous White Tower Toilet. whoo-hoo! it was blocked off. . so please don't use, but was still an interesting thing to see the White Tower , of course, has a cathedral on an upper floor: and a pretty impressive display of weapons. this one caught my eye, as it's firearms that are covered in jewels and stones: they even have a full size Dragon on display on this floor - made out of weapons, and bullets. remnants from some of the many fires the White Tower has withstood over the years. and down in the basement is the weapons room. . all displayed lovingly. there's also a small display here about those executed at the Tower of London. and like any good tourist thing? you exit the White Tower thru the gift shop. tho in the middle of the gift shop? the White Tower's Well Exiting the White Tower. . wowza. . look at the line for the Crown Jewels now!!! (and per that clock, it's only 12:05 More Menagerie wire animals. the Moat around the back side of the Tower of London has been turned into a wildflower sanctuary (something I'm pretty familiar with from here in Texas with Ladybird Johnson an all). So I went down that way to have a look. I found this part of the Tower just fascinating. . . and it was such a lovely day, that I spent a good 20 minutes here talking to the ladies who were educating anyone who came down here about the flowers. one of them took this picture for me with the dragonfly sculptures in the gardens. which don't photograph near as lovely as they looked in person. There was a tour of the Tower about to start up (even tho I had done a lot of it on my own already. . but I had time, so I headed back in to where the tour started) and here we are starting. . by the infamous "Traitor's Gate" exiting the Tower complex to the Thames river and then continued up thru the Queen's quarters, and the King's Quarters - that can be entered via just over the Traitor's Gate (something I found interesting) following the crowd for this tour. they've restored as close to the originals as they believe. . . I think it's rather impressive. I particularly liked all the stained glass. and vaulted ceilings and I love me a throne, of course. (tho couldn't sit in this one) tour done, I was starting to get a bit hungry.. but decided to do one more round to make sure I didn't miss anything, this time walking along the walkways connecting the turrets. and got a lovely selfie in front of the White Tower and again, Tower Bridge overview of the complex. . discovered more pretty neat sculpture are among the walkways.. .made to look like Battalion Members fighting. looking down to see some of the residences of folks that live within the Tower walls. (families of the Beefeaters) the thing I was going to later tonight, the Ceremony of the Keys? No photography allowed. So I took advantage of this display of Tower of London Keys to take a pic now, since not allowed to later I mentioned earlier that there was a torture display area somewhere in the complex. . it's down here, kind of "hidden" in a tiny area in one of the corners, where the walls connect. . . coming out of the torture area, I made a quick pit stop and realized I had done the whole tower complex. I had been there almost 6 hours, and it was just past 3 pm. I had about 7 hours to kill, and considered just heading back to the hotel to nap, as my sleepyness was catching up with me. and then whom did I bump into? why Mr. Ryan Crash! also on the TPR trip, and also sightseeing the day before the trip starts officially. what are the odds? so we snapped a pic and briefly chatted before heading off knowing we'd see each other tomorrow. Still. . really wild to bump into him in all of London. I went ahead and exited the tower complex and headed along the Promenade along the river . . here's a pic of the outside of the Traitor's Gate. and one final pic (for the moment) of the Tower Bridge there were lots of food trucks here along the side of the Tower/along the river, but I was kinda in the mood for a sit down service. I popped back into the gift shop to thank the Cashier from earlier, bought a few things, and she suggested the plaza around the corner for a meal. I almost ended up at WagaMama, but I knew that the welcome dinner was at one of those the next night. . so I kept walking for the moment. goodbye for now, Tower of London, see ya in about 6 1/2 hours for the Ceremony of the Keys. to be continued. . .

I'm there in about a week for Howard Jones. . .but man does it make me sad to see the Luxor being used as a Doritos billboard Hopefully I'll have time to swing by Bellagio and to head downtown (it's a very quick trip). thanks for sharing!

yeah. . weird. yours is ringing up different than mine. I guess because I'm so much closer to the park?

115 for the all park pass, + 150 for the add on = $265 which, I say again, is STILL a great bargain as it includes parking. but I really don't know where y'all are getting 190 from. EDIT: unless the site is smart enough to know I'm looking it up from Austin, and is giving me a higher price as I'm much closer to the Schlitterbahn park)

check your link in your original post. they adjusted the price up. .it was 150 when I looked, and it's showing 150 right now:

^ which, as I even said for $265. . is a great deal, if you plan on visiting multiple parks during the year. (it includes Parking)

these just got released. . and have already hit eBay. (tho I think the price is reasonable). I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get one @Nrthwnd

^ look at the actual numbers tho. it's NOT $75 the base Schillterbahn pass you need is the 2 park pass: $115 the all park add on is: $150 (noted at far bottom right of the above link). so in reality, the all park pass - if purchased at Schlitterbahn - comes out to: $265 (which is STILL a great deal, if you plan to go to multiple parks next year).

with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), you'll find most parks in the USA are very Wheelchair friendly. some have a lot of hills tho (SFOG, Dollywood, HersheyPark for example are pretty hilly). . but you should not really worry about accessibility overall. As most parks meet ADA requirements in some way.

you also have Monorail. and the zoo IS connected, and there are shows at the zoo area.

Jealous of that. . . . closest I've come is seeing Goblin perform live to a screening of "Susperia". .that was cool. I just stumbled across "Suzume" and was blown away. I'm tracking down the other films he/they have done and here's the trailer for those who might be interested... it really is SO good and I highly recommend it

so.. when I heard that TPR was going to doing a UK trip in 2024, and that they were going to a park that I had dreamed about ever setting foot in for almost 40 years? yeah, I quickly inquired and was able to join them on the trip. I decided to be comfortable - my spouse passing really made me into a bit bougie/enjoy while you can kind of person. . so I not only booked flights, but paid for upgrades. United was "kind" enough to upgrade me for the 40 minute flight from Austin to Houston (which ended up being so bumpy there was no drink service anyways), but due to an error on their part? yep, didn't upgrade me for the longer, 9 hour flight, and had me in Economy. the wonderful desk agent in Austin, tried for almost an hour to "fix" the longer flight, but eventually told me there was nothing they could do and that I should check in at the gate in Houston and see if they worked it out. But offered me a bunch of drink vounchers for the longer flight and told me to go relax in the United lounge until my flight in about an hour. don't think it will surprise you to hear that the United lounge wouldn't let me in, as I was only upgraded on the Domestic portion of my flight, but not the International. . therefore I didn't qualify to go in. . . but I could pay $56 for a day pass? Yeah.. no. Instead I gave the name of the agent who had been helping me and they called down to her (turns out she's a supervisor) and she told them let me in. . . .so I did get a nice snack while waiting for my plane to leave. I was determined to stay in a positive mood, and not let glitches like this deter me - after all, at the end of the flights, I'd be in London. But oh yes, I'll deal with United when I get back after. not worth $56 to pay to get in, so glad that I didn't have to. but a nice snack. my "surprised" face at the gate in Houston, upon being told that nope, they didn't have an upgrade for me. I was number 12, and they had filled upgrades 1-11 and had no more seats in Premium Plus. shocking, I know! oh well. .I had figured out I'd not be getting the upgrade they had charged me for. BUT. . I was glad I had stayed positive, as it turned out the center seat was empty (despite it being a full plane), so my neighbor in the window seat and I had lots of room to spread out on the longer flight. So it all worked out. I ended up watching an Anime movie about a otherworldly "keymaster" that turns into a chair. ("Suzume" which I highly recommend. . I quite enjoyed it), and Disney's "Wish" - which I liked so much, I watched it twice. Sunrise from the plane as we were in transit. here's what I had for a meal on the flight. that Milk cookie was so sweet I really didn't care for it and spit most of it out. The Steward seemed surprised and said most like it. but it was edible and decent (I wasn't all that hungry anyways) I did make use of some of my Drink Coupons tho. . . the Bloody Mary hit just right Finally landing in Heathrow, and getting thru Customs was a breeze. I had decided to be a little bougie, and had hired a car - that picked me up at the Customs area with a little sign. LOL. . I felt so important turned out to be an excellent choice, as there were protests all over London - seems to be something that happens pretty much every Saturday - and the drive took over 2 hours to get to my Hotel. but since I had paid a flat rate for the driver, he took the way scenic way, to avoid many closed off streets, and I ended up seeing many sights I might have not even gotten a chance to see. from the car, yes, but still. . very cool to see and now I could say that I saw them. Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliment London Eye, Parliment, Big Ben. .from the other side. I think that's the shard in the back on the right? eventually tho, I finally made it to the hotel, and only wanted a hot shower. but turned out they were having issues with the keys (creating them). . . so they moved some things around and put me in this room (which was fine, I just wanted to sleep there anyways for 2 nights before the TPR trip started). I went back down to the front desk and talked to the Concierge. i was really interested in seeing a show in the West End (I was staying at the Doubletree West End - and huge shout out to Elissa for helping me decide to book a room there) my "wish list" show had been "Spirited Away". . but tickets were quite expensive, and I didn't want to pre-purchase just in case of delayed flights or some other issue. So had been leaving it up to the universe. The Concierge got hold of the box office, and via some miracle, there was ONE open seat available. In row 7, near center stage! They told me they would be happy to put it on hold for me, and I could pick it up at the on call one hour before the performance. i was stoked, and tipped the Concierge well for the help, and then got walking directions to the British Museum (another reason I had chosen this hotel was the proximity to that). and off I went. (I had gotten a free ticket online, tho I was well over an hour past my ticketed time, due to the issues getting to the hotel. . but I wasn't too concerned, as I had been told I could just go around to the backside of the museum and get in over there even without a timed ticket). it was a lovely walk, and the weather was just cool enough that I was having a grand time. I mean. . as a first time visitor to London, one HAS to, right? it's a gorgeous, and HUGE, museum. and was absolutely packed with schoolkids - which I guess is a good thing? (tho I ended up chatting with multiple security guards - chatting or perhaps flirting? I'm not really sure - they kept commenting on my Katya shirt and boots). even tho it was past my ticket time, I was told to get in the line and just go in with the other timed ticket people. So got to go in the front of the museum. I spent just about 4 hours here. . by no means did I even come close to seeing everything. But was able to hit up every area that I was interested in. unfortunately "the Wave" the famous Japanese silkscreen, was not on display at the moment - having been taken down for some restoration work. . but there was plenty of other things to see (and photograph) yeah yeah. . .juvenile humor.. but it was funny to me. a few purchases later (mostly magnets) and I headed back to the hotel to change up a bit - to get a little fancier for the theater some fresh walking directions, and I headed out (exhausted, but determined) to go see "Spirited Away" the theater it's playing in is one of the oldest, and the staff told me is the largest, in the West End: the London Coliseum. ahhhhh. . THIS is why the show was nearly sold out. the actress playing Yubaba/Zeniba? (Mari Natsuki) That's the actress who voiced the part in the original Anime! I was VERY lucky to get a ticket. the show had only been playing in London for a couple of weeks and the gift shop folks were freaking out, as it still had to run thru the end of August - and they were sold out of almost everything. they had a few T-shirts (in smaller sizes), and some keychains. . .but most of the merch had sold right away and they desperately were trying to find a way to restock (I spoke with them before the show started, and they were expressing how surprised everyone was at how well the show was doing). hopefully that's a good sign, and we'll see the show here in the States? It sticks VERY close to the film - tho there's a new song and set piece added in act II to pad it a little bit. The puppet work on the characters is super impressive. . I loved it, particularly when Haku flies out thru and above the audience to end Act I. anyways. . . I bought a couple of shirts that are a little too small for me, but will hang in the closet as souvenirs. . .and enjoyed the specialty Martini the theater truly is GORGEOUS. (pics taken when they opened the doors. NO photography during the performance. . I think they want to keep the puppets "hidden". . which is strange when two full versions of the show are avail. on Max to watch, so you could see the puppets anyways.). they relaxed the rule during curtain call. .so that's how I got that pic. the whole show is in Japanese, with English translations flashed above, and to the sides of the stage. after the show, I had totally forgotten it was Saturday night. (I was exhausted, and was lucky to have kept my eyes open for the whole show. . LOL). . . but seemed like most of the West End shows ended around the same time, and everyone poured out into the streets, and it was like a big, festive, party going on out here. this was my back-up show, if I had been unable to score a ticket to "Spirited Away".. just for Tom Holland. Ian McKellan was also headlining a show. . but he had just fallen off the stage a couple of days before my arrival, so his part was being played by an understudy. So I didn't even look at tickets for that. I was focused on my wish list one I wandered among the crowds, enjoying some pastry and the art installations on some streets. then gave in, exhausted, and hired a pedi-cab to get me back to the hotel, where I went up to my room and promptly crashed. I had to get up fairly early tomorrow for a full day at Tower of London. so a quick shower, and off to bed. but hey, I was in London! (the two Spirited Away shirts I got. . . the XL "might' fit. . . but the other one for sure wont)

cool.. happy to see this thread resurrected!

Jeffery posted pictures of a new central "pole" arriving for the ride. So I guess they are replacing that painted green planet - OR (and more likely) they are raising it higher above the ride, so it looks like you are flying around the planet when the jets go up).

it was thru United! but I bought trip insurance on my upcoming trip again, anyways. . . . I'm dumb that way.

and with the next morning, I got up, checked out of the hotel, and headed to the airport. it had been a fantastic trip, and I had a wonderful time. hate to end on downer, so will TRY to keep this kinda "cliff notes" - but will summarize that the trip home was a horror show (and after fighting for months with United, they finally gave me some "credit" - the only reason I'm using them again for an upcoming trip. so a chance to redeem). headed to the Helsinki airport. . . lovely weather. I had paid for Polaris class (treated myself) for the long flight from Munich to Denver, so I got bumped up to premium class on the flight from Helsinki to Munich. meaning I had access to the lounge here while waiting for my flight. not SUPER bougie, but it was a nice enough area to sit and have a snack while waiting for my flight to board. tho not a super long flight, it was nice I had an open seat next to me! and because I was "premium". .they served us food on this flight. Landing in Munich, and switching planes, I got my 1st look at Polaris (fancy-schmantzy) seating. my own little cubicle! with a seat that reclined fully into a bed position, so I could nap. lots of perks too with this price point seating: and I will fully admit, the food was wonderful. the real issue - and one that really pissed me off - and I let United know about it at well, is they allowed a new mother with a NEW BORN (probably 2 weeks old) to book the pod directly behind me. Not only did the baby cry the entire flight (babies do that, I get it). . but she constantly was walking up and down the aisle back and forth between her pod and the galley / restroom area - that was just in front of my seat. So it was incredibly distracting, and she kept making noise and cooing to the baby which meant I could not sleep or rest at all. I 100% realize that babies need to fly too. . families have to go places. But to not have a designated area for the babies on the plane? to disturb passengers that had paid a premium (as a treat to oneself). . really shameful. but oh . United had WAY worse service for me coming up. at least the view was pretty. and I watched a lot of movies, and was up the whole flight, so they kept me fed. we arrived in Denver at 6:30 pm for what was supposed to be a 2 hour layover until my flight home to Austin. at 8:15, we were told flight was delayed till 10. at 9:45, we were told flight was delayed till 12:04 am. (tons of flights around us were getting cancelled - not due to bad weather in Denver, but at the destination areas - but we were assured that our flight was going to happen. as we watched people rush into the customer service lines (that stretched all the way down the terminal) and people were being set up on cots by empty gates. at 11:30 we were told our flight was delayed once more, to 1:15am, but it was happening, don't worry. at 12:35? it was announced they were still working it, but the flight was delaying further (found out that the crew had worked too many hours, and there was no replacement crew, so they were cancelling our flight). But they never TOLD us that. nothing ever was shown on the boards, nothing came across the app. . most on our full flight looked at each other confused, then a mad rush to get up to the Customer Service stations - lines which still stretched all the way down the terminal. There were only two people on, and we were told they go off shift at 1am (yeah). . . but it was ok, the United staff brought those of us in line, water. it was close to 1:15 when I finally got up towards the front of the line, and got to overhear the conversations of those ahead of me - from my flight (that's how I know the issue was crew hours over).. but the fact they had been assuring us our flight was going to happen really pissed off a LOT of people. There were no hotels, there were no available cots any longer, it was almost 1:30am, everything in the airport had shut down. it was a nightmare, and after traveling all day? I just wanted to be home. one of my fellow passengers from my flight - who was a couple of people behind me, spoke up and said he found a Southwest flight leaving at 5am, and there seemed to be seats avail. on it. the one United lady still at Customer Service said she could help us book it, so a group of us went to her and we all booked it on our phones - with assurances that 1) our luggage would be transferred over to Southwest - "Don't worry, we do it all the time", and 2) those of us with Trip insurance would be reimbursed. I was one of the lucky ones who was able to get a seat on the Southwest flight. . . so around 2am, a group of us made the long journey over to a different terminal to nap (or try to) in front of the Southwest flight - which was now ~3 hours away. a pic of the screen announcing the 12:04 departure - that didn't' happen. as you can see? our plane is THERE at the gate. my proof of my SW purchase to get home, so I wasn't stranded in Denver. I wasn't' concerned, as I had purchased trip insurance.. so figured for sure United would reimburse me (as noted at start? months of fighting with them, and no money back, just credit - after I had to keep pushing back that "points" did not satisfy me. so trip insurance really does seem to be a scam. and my boarding pass from Southwest. no I never did get any rest - was worried I'd snore in the middle of the airport, or would miss the flight. So just paced and sat awake for the 3 hours. the Southwest flight DID leave on time, and those on my flight had gotten the final seats - so all of us ended up in middle seats. I didn't care, I just slept the whole flight between a sour woman and her husband - who clearly were hoping for a row to themselves, and then it was a full flight. I just wanted to get home after traveling all day. we United refugees had been concerned about our bags making it onto the Southwest flight - the United tracker was useless and had not been updated - but the customer service lady had told us that they "do it all the time" and not to worry about our bags being transferred over. but suddenly *as* we were boarding the Southwest flight, the United baggage tracker updated to show the below: yup. . when the flight had been cancelled (tho not officially for quite a while after we were told), they had unloaded our bags, and brought them to baggage claim. where they sat all night on the carousel. we *could* have gone down to baggage claim, got our bags, and then re-checked them in via Southwest - but we were never told that's what they had done. We had been assured United would transfer the bags to Southwest. watching my airpod, I could see my bag was left behind in Denver as we took off. so yeah, add an extra hour in line behind the folks that had been on my United flight - at the Austin Baggage claim area. at least once the 1st two people went thru, they realized, and were able to help multiple of us to fill out forms at once. I called my friend who picked me up - some 15 hours after I was supposed to have arrived, and I came home and immediately crashed. when I woke up the next morning, my luggage was sitting on my front porch. No email, no text, no phone call notification. . . . just bag on my front door. I guess that's "good service" since I live about an hour from the airport. But if you are keeping track? yeah, United lost my luggage on the way TO Denmark to start the trip, and then lost it again on the way home. at least after all the fighting, i guess they realized I wasn't' going to give up - I had paid for that freaking insurance - and settled with enough credit that I was able to do nice seat on my upcoming trip. we shall see how THIS goes. hope you enjoyed reading along on this trip report. again, huge thanks to Robb & Elissa (TPR) and all those that come on the trips and make them such a fantastic experience! ready for the next (yay, I finished 5 days before my next trip).

^ bad memory! (that's why I take so many pictures. . it triggers memories)

Linnanmaki swag - not much (it was end of trip, and my bag was pretty full!). but a pin, and a magnet

Linnanmäki ! Part 2 after the nutso Sirkus dark ride, it was time for the Haunt right next door. I had been correct in my guess that it was a walk thru - but I didn't realize it's in 3D. the glasses really DID enhance in some places, but as you can see from the pics, it works really well regardless. And it was fairly lengthy. this hall of mirrors section was truly spectacular. and with the 3D glasses on, it was so easy to walk into a mirror. but some of them have surprises inside if you do touch them! most of the games over here weren't open today - probably because it was a slow Sunday. But here's a good view of the entrance to the Haunt walkthru, and the Sirkus dark ride next door. I don't think I mentioned, but similar to Groan Lund, they go all out here at Linnanmäki in terms of theming for the Restrooms. no two are alike, and they don't seem to be tied into whatever area they are in. (for example, this one was by the Funhouse, Sirkus, Haunt). But they are heavily themed. wanna go in for a "pit stop" - literally? (and yes, racing sounds were played in the toilets via hidden speakers) looking towards the park's front gate, you can see the parks other drop tower (square vs round) some dark clouds were starting to move in, but it didn't rain until a bit later in the day (and then only for about 20 minutes) Loved the little areas that were just . . . there in the middle of things. such as this small wooden labyrinth just in the middle - that's also a water feature, with some occasional shooting jets of water. (I did do it, but managed to avoid the water ) would get to the Carousel soon, but I had wanted to come over here to ride Vuoristorata - the wooden coaster with a brake person. if you believe Roller Coaster Database, it's the same design as the one at Bakken (which no longer has the brake man), but it's slightly longer and taller. I love that they are so proud of their Brakemasters, that they have their pics up on a board in the queue. and tells you a bit of how they are trained. very cool. from the queue line, you can see the station (next door) for the Monorail. . . . would be doing that shortly! not a very crowded train. . all just TPR folks. sMisty and I went for the back, near our BrakePerson. . who happened to be the lady! twas quite cool. the ride was just OK, tho I did ride a few times. I think after starting the trip at Tivoli Gardens, with their incredibly fun Bakeman driven coaster, anything else would naturally come in 2nd. It was enjoyable, tho think of it as a scenic railway rather than a woodie, since there's no real pops of air (understandable, as there's someone standing on the back of the coaster ) we went down the exit ramp, and right up next door onto the Monorail, which offers some amazing views of the park. in particular the park's coaster collection Taiga on the left Vuoristorata & Ukko Kirnu Salama (the Maurer Spinner) the frying pan ride. . which no, I did NOT want to get on a spin and puke ride. (tho Robb did film this, and I believe he's posted the video on the TPR Youtube channel). earlier in the trip? I might have gone for it, but I was wanting "calmer" rides today. and this one was looking a bit "intense" wait. . . they have a "pony" ride? how had I not seen this on the map. DEFINITELY something to track down sooner rather than later. better view of the funhouse on Astroturf from above. not only some great sculptures around the park, but also some lovely flower work. pausing to buy some souveniers to bring home to my best friend. and then over to the Witch Hotel! sadly, no pictures allowed in the ride, so best I could do was queue line. maybe it would ruin the "storyline" wizard vs witch . . or something? LOL time for a coaster I hadn't been on yet, Tulireki - billed as a one of a kind. this is a Mack "e-Motion" coaster, where the trains "tilt" in certain areas to make you feel as if you're falling off the tracks. honestly? the effect isn't really noticable - the turns felt just as if we were on a wild mouse. So i guess it just doesn't work as a concept. . but it was a fun coaster. and yes, it IS painted the same color as Salama (the Maurer spinner) and Taiga (the Intamin LIM launch) that are right next to it - so it make a massive area of blue track. Speaking of Taiga - you can see how close it is, as it zooms by while you're in the queue for Tulireki Pine Cone creatures sculptures just wandering among the coaster supports. still from the Tulireki queue. Taiga zooming by, and Salama's lift hill as noted, the ride was enjoyable enough, but not anything really special (it certainly didn't live up to the "e-motion" promise. so moved on to another coaster I'd yet to go on: Pikajuna - a custom built Mack powered coaster themed to a mine train (it's a really long train too. . so very high capacity) the rides here all are built next to each other, but the fun part is the queues are all interacting with the rides next door (like the Vuoristorata queue showing off the monorail) and this one here, that wraps around the Rapids ride. a good view of the trains for Tulireki - the bob sled style train is cool. . just wish the "tilt" had been more pronounced long train! (this coaster's track is the grey on the left) I chose to ride in the back. . . not that it makes much difference for a powered coaster. still, a fun ride. exiting Pikajuna, you have a wonderful view of the rapids ride. and this turn around not only has water, but fire features. Kewl! and no, the water does NOT turn off..they want you wet. another we'd yet to go on, Salama, the Maurer Spinner. a look at the train (4 per, back to back). This one was on the transfer track - wasn't busy enough to have all trains running I suppose. the monorail track, and where I wanted to head to next - the giant Ferris Wheel. Andrew, Erik & sMisty had the same idea, and were getting off, as we got in line so many things in this park give you wonderful opportunities for great pics. Overlooking Helsinki a mass of tracks and rides. . .LOL. .tho the only train on any of these tracks in this pic is Salama (one lone spinning car) there we go! a little further left, and got a train from both Tulireki and Taiga in the shot howdy Big Mike, and Jon (who again, is not a fan of Ferris Wheels, but came on this with us) sadly the rainbow Enterprise was not working today. . but thought it was a rather amazing location for it (it's on the roof of a restaurant) a couple more shots of the BrakeMan on the Scenic Railway. I was still iffy on riding Kirnu, but was leaning towards giving it a shot. but first, we were gonna take a ride on Linnunrata eXtra, the indoor Zierer coaster. the little train was circling the building, so snapped a pic as we headed up the stairs. it's a very "Space" coaster type queue, which makes sense, as the name translates to "Milky Way" and like very other "Space" coaster I've ever been on? the queue felt like it was *miles* long. finally go to the loading station. A pic thru the glass at the train loading. I can't really recall anything about this ride. no, really. . I can't even recall if I did the VR or rode it without. but I DO know I rode it - how's that for a sparkling review? I wonder if these lips indicate this is a tunnel of love, or a kissing tunnel. and I wonder if these two guys noticed that? again. . just a lovely park. that concrete slab apparently used to be a Top Spin, and it's going to be the park's new for 2023/24 ride. If recalling, it's a star flyer? another themed bathroom. . this one was apparently "Steampunk Harry Potter" some of the gears in here moved, and there was a "moaning Myrtle" type sound piped in. it was almost time to meet up for the goodbye dinner. . so we hung around the front of the park area - near where the restaurant we were meeting up at was. decided to check out the SeaLife Aquarium, but decided against it, as it wasn't included here (and seemed smaller than the others I'd seen, so decided to save the money). . but for some reason - which I never understood, and no one could explain - out front? is a statue of three naked men eating Ice Cream. I don't understand it, but yeah, it's worth a few pics while we were relaxing and killing time until dinner, Robb shared the below pic of Taiga from the observation tower. (it's a great pic, isn't' it?) I took one look at it, and decided I needed to ride that and get some pics too, so we headed over that way. seated (ahhhhh) in the air conditioned gondola, we started our ascent - and I got a wave from a monorail driver oh! we're right next to the pony ride!! I had forgotten about that, we need to do that next - since we had gained time before dinner by not doing the aquarium. got a pic of all three "blue" coasters this one is from, I believe Robb as well (based on the sharper quality of the pic, and the rounded horizon). tho it could be Andy or Brad. . but I'm thinking Robb. it always is rather neat to see the Brakeman standing on the back of a moving coaster. a better view of that ride pad where the Top Spin was, and where the new ride is going (again, based on the "swing" text on the walls, I believe it's a Star Flyer) getting off the observation tower, immediately tracked down the entrance to the pony ride. Yay! but I waited and let some go ahead of me, as I wanted to ride the Zebra no seatbelt, and it really does go right along the edge of a steep drop. never in America, but I guess the Finnish folks don't do as many stupid things, so they can be trusted with this kind of exposure. whee! it's a fairly long course, crammed into a smallish space. you DID IT, Jon whee! High Five from Big Mike (or is that "Low Five?") look at that face. . . shenanigans! it was just about now that the sky opened up and it started to pour for about 20 minutes. We hung out and played pinball in one of the arcades, and once the rain stopped, we made our way back towards the restaurant at the front of the park. but found these really impressive wire sculptures. the aforementioned arcade and absolutely no idea. reminds me of a Japanese Anime Character (the teacher from "Assassination Classroom") we did manage to stumble across some costumed characters out and about. she was Princess Pink, and Cotton Candy Girl (and no, not sure why Princess Pink was all in Orange. . . . unless she's "Cotton Candy Girl". .but that didn't make any sense either) back to the Witch Hotel. this time managed to get a pic of the ride vehicles. Thought they were rather neat. there were wire sculptures, so why not some Wicker sculptures? it was really well done. as you can see, once the rain passed? everything immediately opened back up. I believe I took another spin on the Monorail (this seems to be from that queue. . this time looking over at the coaster, instead of the other way around) and I had been convinced to give Kirnu a try - I believe the deciding chat was with Chuck (CFC) who told me he liked it. so I did end up riding it, after getting off the monorail. pics got out of order, but here's Jon and I riding it. They put two tiny little girls (employees) on the opposite side of us, which had us off balance the whole ride and we got a number of flips. but we were all laughing the whole time. i do believe these are courtesy of Brad. back on the monorail pics - got the whole train for Pikajuna as we passed by. but no trains on the tracks for Salama or Tulireki (tho there MIGHT be a Salama car on there behind the tree. . I see some pink) and got the angle correct this time to see both the round drop tower (in back) and Observation tower. shudder. . . . ride a painted pony, let the monorail turn. . . .. . or something like that. Ukko doing it's thing from the Monorail. post monorail ride, time for Carousel, and then bathroom break. we ended up back at the one themed to Pit Stop. . and I noticed that they do have a little sign up top giving away the themes. looks like the Women's restroom had the Princess Character I had seen walking around. but since no ladies with us at the moment (Erik and sMisty had gone to the Aquarium I think), I just have to imagine what it looked like in the ladies room. empty ride pad where the Top Spin used to be. heading to the restaurant for the farewell dinner, I noticed just now that the Kirnu sign moves back and forth, so snapped a pic of it) the farewell dinner was an all you can eat Indian feast. . and it was really good! not just as far as "theme park food" is concerned. . it was actually quite tasty! it was the last night together for most of us, so I made sure to thank Robb & Elissa for inviting me along on their trip and got some pics. Robb and I being excited, with a bonus Shane photobomb Elissa and I being happy, and bonus Barry butt. after dinner, we still had an hour or so in the park, and I had ridden pretty much everything I wanted to (and had firmly decided I was not going to ride "Ukko" - I just don't like Skyloops). . . so headed back to the observation tower for another cycle. and, of COURSE back to the Witch Hotel (think I also did Sirkus again) ha! hadn't noticed these guys earlier. They were animatronic and were just chatting away (in Finnish, so no idea what they were saying) but were interacting with each other, and - i assume - talking about the people beneath them in the queue. and then it was time to go. . it had been a really great day. these pics of Ukko are from the front entrance, as we were walking down to the bus to take us back to the hotel. and with that, we climbed back on the bus, and headed back to our final hotel in the heart of Helsinki. it had been a fantastic trip - and tho I didn't want it to be over? it was almost time to go home.

Delayed due to so much going on in real life, but I've finally gotten up to the last park of the trip - in Helsinki, Finland, Linnanmäki ! Part 1 This was an absolutely charming park, and it won me over almost immediately. Even tho there are a lot of "smaller" rides mixed in, for the most part, adults were allowed to ride anything they could fit on. I took well over 400 pics, so this will be more than one part (but don't worry, wont' share ALL of em) we arrived early in the morning - before the park opened. walking up the hill, to the main gates, the charm of the park is evident. Looming over the main gate is Ukko, a Maurer Skyloop (I did NOT ride this at all today, but many in the group did. and I'll admit it's very picturesque. just not really for me). speaking of the main gate. . . as I noted, just charming! cute little statues and scenes everywhere. So much theming, even if a lot of it was very oddball. these are the front gates - apparently there is at least 2 other gates, but those were not open this early, and they seemed to be there just to allow folks to enter from the back and side, as the park IS on top of a hill. I'll have a park map pic coming up shortly. the main entry way was adorable (and yes, charming) and at the very end before you curve left into the park, is a SeaLife Aquarium here in this park as well. Group shot, courtesy of Robb. and some pics of the (still closed as it was before park open) storefronts on the main street I honestly cannot recall if we did rides on Vuoristorata, the park's scenic railway, wooden coaster - that also includes a Breakman (or should I say Brakeperson, as there were two women filling that role along with the men). But our way into the park this morning was the back way, and thru the coaster, which made for some very cool picture opportunities. I loved they had this "history of Vuoristorata" billboard up. . tho oddly it was in the center of the coaster. when I rode again later in the day, you can see the billboard from the queue, but you don't really get close enough to read it. Still, it was cool they have it. Group shots in the bowels of Vuoristorata, courtesy of Robb! Good Morning. (Mr Muscle on the left there was our guide this am - can you tell we were in Finland? ) one more, with FEELING! as noted, I don't think we rode it this am, but it was a cool behind the scenes tour of the coaster, and soon we were in the park, and headed towards the coaster we were going to have some ERT on this am. but it's not like I'll pass a Carousel and NOT take a picture of it. for a park that seems very small on paper, it's got a lot of sections. and TONS of awesome details and adorable things theming everywhere. this is Kirnu, the park's Intamin Zac Spin. I did not intend to ride it - having memories of Insane at Grona Lund - but so many folks told me this was a much smoother ride, that I did end up riding it, and liked it. I can't recall if this is the park's drop tower, or Observation tower. . I think it's the drop tower tho. here's what we were headed to tho. Taiga - the park's newest coaster, an Intamin LIM Launch coaster. I heard it described by many on the trip as being similar-ish to Velocicoaster, but having no ridden that one, I can't make the comparison myself. I can say tho, it's quite intense. even the height checking bars here are adorable. I did like this coaster a lot, but being honest? it was a little bit too intense for me. I think I rode 3 times (and once again later in the day), but after my few rides, I stepped out via the gift shop, and snapped pics of it. It's really awesome looking. This pic is thru the window in the gift shop! next door to Taiga is one of the park's multiple Dark Rides. as near as I can figure? this is a Witch Hotel, that an evil wizard decides to stay in, and they do battle. or something. It didn't make a lot of sense, but I loved the scenes in it, and the animatronics and scares were fun. I ended up riding this a lot today once the park opened. That's a witch in the window upstairs that peeks out at you from behind the curtain ok, back to pics of Taiga: the shorter blue track here, actually isn't Taiga - it's Salama - a Maurer spinning coaster. yup, similar to Power Park, Linnanmäki painted coasters next to each other the same color, resulting in a mass of track. Looks kinda cool, I admit. the trains are wonderfully quirky as is the theming in the station. (this pic is from when I went back to ride once more later in the day, hence general public in the station) turned loose after our ERT, the group spread out among the park. We still had a little time before the park actually opened to the public as we made our way towards the back section of the park (start there - and there was another dark ride back over there - and then work our way forwards), I snapped pics of sculptures as we passed by there's a mini-circus train that goes around the outside of this round building - hence the theming. The building is an old water tower, that the park has hollowed out, and put a coaster inside. So yeah, this is actually a picture of Linnunrata eXtra (the Milky Way) a Zierer "Force" model coaster. "eXtra" because you could put on Virtual reality goggles if so chose. so many rides, mainly carnival type, scattered all over this park. And again, adults able to ride almost all of them. Nice placement for a SeaLife Aquarium ad - on the turnaround for the park's rapids ride as noted, the park is on a hill. . so there were all these "never in the USA" play areas to allow ways to traverse the levels of the park. sure, there are stairs, but why do that when you can break your leg in this?? Nightmare fuel ! Ok, so THIS is the observation tower, and hiding behind it (I angled the picture badly) is the drop tower. this park *does* have a very weird fixation with clowns. . . creepy clowns! here's that mini train I mentioned, that goes around the outside of the Linnunrata eXtra building. it was adorable, but no way would my fat ass fit in there. So instead I rode the Monorail to get some overall pics later in the day. still headed towards the back of the park, but the park had now officially opened, and the Drop Tower was running as we passed it. and it's themed to Medieval Royal . . . Lions ? I guess ? all I know, is that it had a throne out front, and I love me a throne picture more cute areas. . and I really loved how they incorporated the cut down tree into the restaurant seating area. this seemed to be a haunted walk thru, but we'd hit it on the way back by. GAHHHH. . more clowns - in "Sirkus" - a suspended Dark Ride. again, we'd hit it on the way back by, as we had to come back thru this section after starting at the back. there was also a walk thru Fun House - tho strangely, it seemed to be a traveling carnival type. Perhaps not so strange, since many of the flat rides, seemed to be of the traveling carnival variety. It was just weird that it was plopped down in the middle on Astroturf with not a lot of theming, when the park has so much theming. ok, heading down ito the back section, I believe this might be one of the other gates, but it was not open at this time. here's that park map. you can see from the "you are here" that we are now at the back of the park headed into the section that's kind of off by itself at the lower left. A SeaLife Aquarium photo op? dont' mind if I do.. tho it looks like a whale hugging an octopus. adorable creatures in the fountains over here. and completely dead still, as it was so early. this was a weird one - it was like a mini trabant, themed to a space chipmonk? I dont' remember if I rode it. . but I think maybe I tried, and there was no way that lap bar was gonna close on my gut. but Andrew and sMisty fit on it. the steam punk octopus ride was very deceiving. it looked so peaceful, but that thing just HAULED. Once I saw it cycle, I decided to ride too. this one really caught my eye, and I LOVED the look of it. is it a coaster? it's got a lift hill, and it's powered. So I'd call it a coaster, but it looked like a Kiddie ride. So I asked the operator, and she said "sure! you folks can ride". . so we all lined up to ride the planes "Pilotti" I mean. . . just LOOK how stupidly thrilled I am, that I got to ride this. whee! even Erik was having fun! all the rides in the back section knocked out. . we headed back to Sirkus - not knowing what to expect. OMG. .it's a side-moving suspended dark ride about CLOWNS! YAYYYYYYY! Sleepy lion. . . (and a blurry Giraffe - sorry) and clowns. oh my. . SO. MANY. CLOWNS. moving, and spinning, and laughing. as you hover in your little "cage" among them. BOOM! why yes, that IS a clown sweeping up all the Elephant poop. so bizarre. . . loved it. I didn't ride it as much as I did the Witch Hotel, but really loved this one too. to be continued. . . .