Corkscrewed

VOLUME 2: AROUND SAINTES Okay, I lied. Last time, I said I wouldn't post another report until after the Paris/Netherlands trip, which starts next Monday. Well, I've had a few days to explore Saintes, and frankly, I am falling in love with this beautiful, charming town. Saintes was originally founded as a Roman settlement in I believe the 4th century B.C. During the Middle Ages, it took on a distinct medieval character that still exists today, and the small town charm has continued through the present time. Saintes is, quite simply, rich and alive with a tremendous sense of history. It's evident in the two iconic cathedrals of the city, St. Pierre and St. Eutrope. It's evident in the city's arch de triumphe, the Arch of Germanicus (which was rebuilt from the original stones after it was torn down in the late 19th century, during the French Revolution, when they tore down anything old). It's evident in the Roman amphitheater west of where I live. It's evident in the random ruins I might come across along the banks of the Charente River. It's evident from the tight, cozy houses packed tightly along narrow, winding roads paved in cobblestone and old gravel. There's a different culture here too. People walk. A lot. Cars make do with the narrow spaces. There are lots of dogs, and what's better, they're quite well behaved. There aren't as many ammenities as in the U.S., but people make do. In some ways, we're rather spoiled. Here, they have an ingenious (well, sort of; it'd be ingenious to us, but it's rather logical) system at supermarkets where you put a coin into a cart to take it out, then get the 1 euro piece back when you return the carts. You buy plastic bags, then reuse them when you go to the supermarket next time. You work to live, not the other way around, so it's no hassle that all the shops close at lunchtime, after 7:00 PM, and on Sundays. That American culture where everything is there to serve the consumer? Not here. Here, you work a little more. You give and take. Rather than blabber on, here are more pics: There's a history museum in Saintes that's been getting limited funding for the past six years, but they did open specially for us to allow us to learn the history of the town. Here's the garden courtyard in the back, which is simply lovely. From the top of the garden area, you can glimpse various rooftops in the town. The rooftop texture in Saintes is like something out of a storybook. A nice, huge [chestnut?] tree I saw and liked. Another view shows a fountain in the foreground. This is a view from our project site. The site is a hospital complex that will move in the near future. It is situated on a nice plateau that yields some breathtaking views of the town. The tall building is St. Pierre. Here's another view. St. Eutrope can be seen here. It's pretty cool that you can see the two town icons from the same spot. A closer view fo St. Eutrope. Some more neighborhood ambiance shots. I love the winding streets. They encourage exploration and have a sense of mystery. What's behind the corner? Another shot. Frankly, I could take a million of these and still not adequately document 1% of the city. I'm honest. The Arch of Germanicus, built in 20 A.D. There used to be a Roman bridge that crossed the river, but it was torn down in the 19th century to allow maritime traffic. Here are two pictures of the Charente River. I messed up the file naming system. Here's me by the Charente again! Isn't it lovely? A closer look at the triumphal arch. This is an example of how prominent the town churches are. St. Pierre rises up above the buildings even on the other side of the river. It has a very dominant presense on the town. Saintes isn't all medieval architecture. There are several commercial corridors, such as Cours Reverseaux, shown here. I liked this shot. It shows the terrain around our site, which rises dramatically on the east side. A courtyard in the municipal library... there are lots of little courtyard gardens in Saintes, although most of them are private residential ones. There's also a pretty big supermarket called E LeClerc (don't say the first 'E') that's basically like a Super Walmart, but with more emphasis on groceries. It has pretty much anything I'd need, though, so that's pretty awesome. Also, cooking for 16 people is really hard. Two other friends and I did that tonight. It took us an hour 45 minutes, and that's turned out to be the best time anyone's done this week. This semester promises to be a very intense one, with lots of work crammed into little time. I'll do my best to send more of these, since I think it's kind of nice to visit places vicariously. I'm definitely having a blast, however, and I definitely love France.

I'm spending the semester studying abroad in France (and we'll be vising Berlin, the Netherlands, and Spain as well), so I thought I'd share some of my excursions with you. I know this is technically for theme parks and roller coasters and donkeys, but I'll be going to Disneyland Paris in about 10 days, so this thread will be technically on topic soon enough. Anyway, here are the first two installments so far: VOLUME 1: ARRIVAL Hello everyone! As hopefully most of you know (but maybe not), I am studying in France this semester, doing a study abroad for about 16 weeks. We are situated in a small little town called Saintes, which is about 280 miles (451 km) southwest of Paris, in the west of France, on the southern half. We're relatively close to the coast, and the nearest major city is Bordeaux. This map might help you identify where we are. Despite the relative proximity of Bordeaux, we chose to fly into Paris first and spend a day there before meeting up with our professor and taking a train down to Saintes. There were eight of us USC architecture students on the same flight. My flight left LAX at 12:30 PM, Thursday, August 31. 11 hours later, we landed on Charles de Gaulle airport. The local time: 8:30 AM. I did not get much sleep on the plane, nor did most of the others. Nevertheless, we trekked on through baggage claim and found a shuttle that would take us to Paris. Two and a half hours later, we were on our way to the City of Lights. We got to the city itself around 11:00 AM, stopping at Montparnasse, a major train terminal. After depositing large luggage in a locker for overnight storage, we took the metro train through one transfer and arrived at our hotel, The Hotel Royal Bastille, at around 1:00 in the afternoon. Paris is utterly amazing. Having been born and raised in Southern California, and having not really travelled much, I've never really been to a city with such rich history and character. The streets and buildings and space are all utterly awesome. The shops on the ground level, the housing on top of that, the trees, the pedestrian friendly spaces, and the bustling, lively vitality of the city were simply entrancing. I loved how everything was so vibrant and just a joy to experience on foot. And that's only after one day! I'll be there again in one week for a ten day excursion. I can't wait! My friends and I were able to explore a small part of the city during the afternoon and evening. We are in the 11th district and only 1 km (about a 10 minute walk) north of the Seine River. We met up with our two professors that evening and had dinner at a nearby French restaurant, where unfortunately, I had a really bad steak. It wasn't that they cooked it badly; it was just a bad cut of meat. Oh well. The panini I'd had earlier in the day wasn't bad. And while we're on the topic of food, the croissants and baguettes are indeed quite good. The next day (Saturday) was a travel day. We had a bit of time in the morning to explore the city a little more, and then it was back to Montparnasse to catch a 2:10 PM train ride on board a TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse), one of France's high speed bullet trains that can go up to something like 200 mph (320 kph). We switched to a regular train at Angouleme after two hours and arrived in Saintes at 5:45 PM local time. So I've gotten settled in at my apartment now. It's really more like a dorm, with shared bathrooms. There's a kitchen downstairs and studio on the second floor. We will be living and dining and cooking and working together. Saintes is much more quiet than Paris and is very charming. It's a town founded by Romans, and it has a rich medieval and Romanesque character as well. The city is situated on the Charente River, and seems to be a fantastic place so far. So that's that. We have classes for a week before we take our first field trip to Paris, which will last 10 days. The next report will probably come after that, unless I somehow manage to get internet access during the stay in Paris. We should be staying in the same hotel, and I couldn't get my wireless to work there at all. Pictures: Here's a shot of our plane after we landed in Charles de Gaulle airport. We flew Air Tahiti Nui. A shot I took on board the airport bus shuttle that took us to the city. Here's the hotel we stayed in for a night in Paris. It's the Hotel Royal Bastille, a charming little boutique hotel. It's not fancy, but it'll do. When I look outside my hotel room, I see this: a plaza surrounding the Place Bastille, with cafes and shops along the street. Walking south from the hotel, we traced a waterway that led to the Seine River. It was pretty nice. We didn't venture toward the original center of the city, but along the Seine, we could see a glimpse of the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Walking back up, the waterway has a waterfront level people can use to take a nice stroll. This shot was some nice gardens alongside. I love the streets and how the buildings form a tight, urban space. The Haussman architecture looks great too. Another photo of the ambiance in the city. Here's the same view from my hotel, only at night. It's extremely vibrant and a very popular place for people to hang out at night. The above shot looked to the left. This is looking to the right. Proof that I exist: we went to some garden on Saturday morning, and I had someone take a picture of me because apparently, I take too many non-people pics. In Saintes, a view out the back of our apartment shows the rooftops of neighborning houses. Here's a view of the town. This is the street where our apartment is located. Another view of the town. Here's the kitchen. The stove is nice. Cooking should be fun. Here's a picture of my room. Or my half of the room. And should I look out my window, I see this. The building that looks like a church on the cliff in the "background" is actually part of our design site for this semester. Pretty darn cool!

WHOA!!! This ride looks sweet! I love that low barrel roll in the second half, and those "overbanks" look pretty sweet. This should be a very exciting, fun, enjoyable coaster. It looks like the type I'd ride over and over again, just because it's adventurous and just plain fun! Pretty effing sweet move here, as long as the LSM's don't have any maintenance issues.

Glad I wasn't the only one who thought that. Sounds like of the 3:20, only about 30 seconds will be actual ride time! The rest will be lift hill and turntables. Ah well, a ride's a ride. Enjoy your water silos! EDIT: Ok, Elissa already said the same thing a few posts above me.

Sex sells. --I mean, girls sell. So Derek should obviously be leading.... and is.

Less pics of guys on their knees and more pics of the--erm, nevermind the joke's dead. Nice TR there. I'm surprised you weren't in more pain after Psyclone, because that sonofab!tch HURTS. Seriously, like "I just got my ass kicked by Bruce Lee" hurts. Just looking at it hurts.

For shame! With OLC, I would have expected a radio-controlled hallway with holographic ghosts, expensive trim, layers upon layers of cobwebs, advanced LED and blacklighting, and random jets of fire.

If they all pay the same, I'd go for ride op, just because it's the most fun (IMO). Altho the other two provide shade during the hot summer months, so there's that. But I personally recommend ride op... as long as there's a good chance you get to work a decent attraction (i.e. not just little kiddie rides).

Since Richard Simmons crashed his super slimming bubble jet flyer into the sun, causing it to swell to epic proportions and somehow defy physics and go supernova, creating a blast so big it ripped the very fabric of space time itself. Which is just a really complicated and silly way of saying Robb DID used to work for Disney. Heck, in more than one position, if I remember correctly. EDIT: That's JOB position, guys.

Just stumbled to this thread today, but hmph.. didn't know you guys cut back on THAT much. But when you look at it that way, you can definitely juggle the cash towards trips instead of everything else.

Must be that abominable snowman behind you giving people bad vibes about you...

yeah you're right...

Less pictures of coasters and more pictures of that Hoffman girl in the shower. j/k Where's that kid anyway? Great PTR. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the party because of other plans, but it looks like you guys had a blast. Man, it's crazy how far some people will go for an Alvey party... Fresno? New York? Well, okay, Fresno I understand, since what's there to do in Fresno? (kidding! ...ok not really)

Yeah, that's the one. Details por favor!

[i admit I have not done a search for this topic, so forgive me if it's actually been answered; I can be lazy once in a while, right?] So Robb, do explain the circumstances that led to a certain HOTTEST. PHOTO. EVER! being taken and placed in your possession. You know, like how much you paid for it, how drunk they might have been, if they got any beads.... Those of you who know what picture I'm talking about, keep mum. Those who don't... well, this won't concern you will it? (just saying; you never know if Disney may suddenly decide this certain unnamed photo paints the company in a bad way and order it to be removed. )

Try to read, guys. Altho whoa! The long lost CP vid. Cool for fans of the vid, altho I doubt Robb would be happy to see this posted. Actually, I can't really speak for him, so nvm. Times may have changed since then.

Thanks for the tips and advice! I will definitely be careful around the park. Sounds like we should have a pretty relaxing and wonderful time!

WOOOOOOOOOOO!!! BURN THE FLASHBACK!!! I hope they hire Knott's to tear it down. If you saw what they did to Windjammer, you'll find that funny. *happy dance for Flashback's imminent demise* Well, yeah, I know it won't be taken down until the park itself is razed or they want to use it, but still. Each sign (or lack of sign in this case) is still a happy one. It is the only ride that I would not drag a friend onto (I've dragged friends onto Psyclone just to watch their expressions.

I don't go to enough parks to really judge. Disneyland's west side restaurants have some good clam chowder and cheesecake though! I would also like to nominate Six Flags Magic Mountain as the park with "Worst Overall Food." Seriously, until just last month, I could not find a restaurant with food that tasted even remotely good. Then I found out the Six Flags Cafe or whatever the restaurant right at the plaza is) has some decent sandwiches. That's about it.

The way you have that arrow pointed, it looks like your avatar wants to EAT the baby... Interesting pics. It basically looks like one big family fun center. But yeah, loads better than FantazyLand.

Cool! Good to know about being able to take it easy as well as what to expect in terms of public transportation. Thanks!

Excellent. Any idea on how much a round trip would cost me? (just a ballpark figure, since obviously I'm not sure where exactly I'm getting on) Thanks for the help!

I'm asking for general advice on visiting Disneyland Paris, but this is also aimed at Robb and Elissa, who've been there before. So I'm not sure if it goes here better or not. Anyhow, I'm going to France for study abroad this fall. I leave at the end of this month, and while we will be staying in Saintes (closer to Bordeaux, in southwest France), we will be making two trips to Paris. The first trip will be a week after we arrive in the country, making it the middle of September. There seems to be a relatively strong possibility that we will have a free day during one of our ten days in the City of Lights, and I'd like to use it to visit Disneyland Paris. I will be doing more research on my own, but I thought I could use this forum as a resource to aid my investigation. So here are the questions: Are there any discounts to admission into Disneyland Park? We'll be going only to the magic kingdom park, not the Studios. According to my research, regular admission is 43 euros, or around $55. If anyone knows of any discounts that foreigners (like us) would be able to take advantage of, can you tell me how to get them? Personally, I don't expect there to be, but it's always worth asking! What is the best form of transportation to the park? As of now, I cannot say where inside the city of Paris we'll be staying (I honestly don't know). So I guess I'm looking for general advice here. Is there a light train line that goes from the city directly to the park, or a bus line, or should we take a cab? Robb, if you didn't stay on property, how'd you get there? Park hours are 10 am to 8 pm that day. Do you think this is enough time to get all the major and moderate attractions done (I guess the equivalent of E and D tickets) while still being able to enjoy everything at a nice pace? I'm leaning towards yes based on what i know about the park, but alternate opinions are always welcome. Any suggestions or tips on what rides to go on in what order, what rides to use FastPass on (if they offer that over there), and what to generally try to catch and try to avoid? Any other suggestions would be greatly welcomed. Thanks for the help!

Use start using ____-friendly / ____-unfriendly with TPR member names as standard terms. (guilty) You've launched a personal crusade against RRC and/or CoasterBuzz. The idea of Kim Possible riding a donkey makes you hot--wait, that came out wrong. (Plus that's probably a "You Know You're a Guy T Koepp Maniac When..." topic.) You start using "acceptable amount of _____" regularly (yeah, I've been doing that). You love Aqua-style EuroPop. You feel compelled to make sweet sweet love with Japan, Sweden, and Norway.

TPR Coaster Expedition Volume 7 - Corkscrewed's Review Remember when Theme Park Review’s coaster season volumes used to actually come out once a year? Well, at the rate Robb and Elissa are going, they might have to start releasing them literally once every meteorological season! Indeed, fresh off their madly and gropingly successful first-ever TPR trip to the United Kingdom, Robb and Elissa have released Coaster Expedition Volume 7: Around the World with Theme Park Review! This wild and entertaining three-DVD set contains everything people have come to expect in a TPR DVD, taking viewers on a whirlwind trips across three continents and dozens of roller coasters, from the traditional to the cutting edge to the totally awesome to the downright bizarre. And throughout it all, Robb, Elissa, and the gang exhibit such an overwhelmingly enthusiastic sense of fun that you won’t be able to help but enjoy yourself as you watch each segment. It’s this uncanny ability to infect fans with this excitement that sets the TPR DVD’s apart from most of other coaster videos out there. Like the six sets before it, Volume 7 allows the audience to vicariously experience the adventure, comedy, and Dan-unapproved wetness that seem to follow Robb and Elissa around on all of their trips. Beyond being simple music videos set in theme parks and focused on roller coasters, these are elegantly produced home videos that capture the spirit and childlike glee that theme park visitors experience whenever they make a trip to a park. It’s the closest thing you can come to touring a park with the Alveys short of… well… touring a park with the Alveys! You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (okay, maybe not), you’ll laugh again, but mostly, you’ll be wishing you could join them around such exotic locales as Hong Kong Disneyland, Nasu Highland, Uminonakamichi Seaside Park (say that one time fast), Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Mount Olympus Theme park, and more! The main video (disc 1) kicks it off with Hong Kong Disneyland, aka Disneyland Lite, complete with the same small and repeatedly bashed Sleeping Beauty Castle. Mount Olympus Theme Park, in Wisconsin Dells, brings you face to face with Hades, home of… NINETY DEGREES!!!! —banked turning, that is. There’s an amazing Midwest conquest segment where the gang tackles seven parks in one day, a flurry of crazy Japanese parks (including Nasu Highland, in SNOW), and a plethora of European parks mixed in with parks from the “good ol’ U.S. of A. In a way, this is all six previous Coaster Expedition volumes now rolled into one, but Volume 7 is more than that. What stands out this time around, even more than before, is the effortless quality of each segment, so it goes without saying that the production values of Volume 7 are the best they’ve ever been. Having done these for pretty much half a decade now, Robb and Elissa have become excellent editors and cinematographers. As such, the quality of the footage, music synching, and spirit of each excursion are wonderfully refined and executed each and every time. In addition to the crisp editing and smooth shots, the lip-stick cam makes its return to capture clearer front seat POV footage than ever before. Furthermore, as usual, neither Robb nor Elissa rely on flash special effects to generate interest: they let the content speak for itself and edit it in a simple but eye-catching way that places you in the park, with them. Never does anything seem forced or artificial, which makes sense, because all Robb and Elissa have ever been is open and up front. That’s part of the charm, that two ordinary people (believe it or not, Robb and Elissa are regular people like you and me) can have such extraordinary times simply engaging in something they love. Now, it wouldn’t be a TPR video if it didn’t feature random hilarious moments totally unrelated to roller coasters or theme parks. The highlight this time around is a three part series featuring Japanese game shows—messed up, completely outrageous, totally unbelievable, and undoubtedly unfit for American viewing. I’d rather not spoil it, but I will say four words. MacGyver. Crotch. Dogs. Humping. And no, I don’t mean you see MacGyver humping a dog’s crotch. Close, though. You also get to witness regular TPR guest star Mark prove that Quakers are no better at traversing water than Jews, as evidenced by his struggle to cross a small stream by swinging over monkey bars. It’s a shame too. At least Joey had crossing a parted Red Sea to his heritage’s credit! Speaking of parted, don’t miss Robb’s hilarious race on Blackpool’s famed Steeplechase coaster. Scratch your head in confusion as Robb falls behind early on despite his weight and momentum advantage. Cheer with fervor as he overtakes his opponents in the second half. Laugh your bum off when a very abrupt brake combined with the “parted” seating position result in a very uncomfortable stop. Uncomfortable, to say the least (guys can grimace in anticipation now). The video concludes with the Alveys spending another holiday… not in the United States. Last year, it was July 4th in France. This year, it’s ringing in the New Year in Tokyo. And this is certainly an incredible sight. Imagine 100,000 people in one park, eagerly awaiting the new year, and nary any chaos in sight! Indeed, they remain orderly and patient as the countdown approaches! That would never happen in the U.S., but in Japan, it’s all gravy. The celebration is a perfect way to cap off yet another fantastic TPR production! As mentioned earlier, there are two other discs included with the set. Disc 2 features on and off ride footage of some of the roller coasters featured in the parks on Disc 1. Disc 3 features most of the rest of the TPR Coaster Contest 2005 placers. The top five are on here again, and unfortunately, a few of the finishers aren’t actually included due to technical problems. This doesn’t really detract, however (and I can say that because I’m one of the people whose video couldn’t be transferred to this disc for whatever reason), and it certainly allows you to see the skills of the TPR community as well! So, although it’s getting a little old to say, the crew at Theme Park Review has outdone itself again! Volume 7 is the best one yet, and I personally cannot wait until Volume 8 comes out. The scary thing is that it’s scheduled to be released later this year. Two Coaster Expedition DVD’s in one year? Well, I’m sure no one will complain.