robinschroder Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hello / Hej TPR!! Last weekend, Ryan, Russ & Stacey, Anth, Dave & Amy, Hans, Nathan and I travelled to Sweden so that we could visit Gröna Lund in Stockholm and Liseberg in Göteborg / Gothenburg. We had an AMAZING time - what an incredible weekend!! And we took lots of pictures and a film for you all to enjoy! Gröna Lund Gröna Lund is right in the centre of Stockholm, located on the Djurgården island. After all meeting up in the morning, we travelled down to Slussen on the T-Bana (underground train) from where we took the Djurgårdsfärjan (Djurgården Ferry) across to the park (which is fun in itself!). We had an AMAZING day, and everyone at the park made us feel incredibly welcome, for which we're very grateful! There's such a wonderful atmosphere at the park, it's beautifully landscaped, there are amazing views over Stockholm and the surrounding water, and so many top class rides all layered on top of, and in-between each other! Book your ticket to Stockholm now - seriously!! I can't wait to get back there. Twister We absolutely loved the brand new woodie, Twister! Don't be deceived by its compact appearance - it's every bit as good as its larger wooden coaster counterparts. It's fast, smooth, forceful, TWISTY (!!), much longer than it appears, and has some great airtime opportunities, some great interactions with the tracks of the other coasters, some crazy headchoppers, a beautiful waterfront setting, and some fun surprises along the way too - a really really great addition for an amazing park! The trains are very comfortable, as well (with lots of really nice little aesthetic touches) - hopefully we'll see more Timberliners out there soon. Twister is definitely up there with the world's top woodies! It really is that good! Get yourself to Gröna Lund and ride it ASAP!! Insane Well, what can I say - the clue is in the title!! This was my first ever visit to Gröna Lund, so I was both excited and apprehensive about riding Insane, having heard the reports from TPR's Scandi '09 trip! Our first ride was insane enough (obviously in a good way!) and totally lived up to its name, but on our second ride, we had a slight weight imbalance on either side which caused the car to tip backwards slightly as it travelled up the lift... We then experienced what I can literally only describe as TOTALLY INSANE, in fact ABOVE AND BEYOND INSANE: this time we navigated the whole course largely upside-down - laughing all the way, and even eliciting a round of applause from the car in front as we struggled to turn the right way up on our return to the brake run! What an incredible ride - words alone cannot describe the experience! Now I completely understand the 'What just happened?!?!' captions from the TPR Scandi '09 trip photos! You NEED to ride this to fully understand!! Jetline So smooth, so fast, so forceful!! How can this ride have been built in 1988?! These Schwarzkopf coasters continually astonish me - what an incredible ride, made all the more amazing by the mass of track from the other coasters surrounding it and the incredible views. A great, great ride! Vilda Musen This Gerstlauer Bobsled is, again, completely intertwined with the other coasters - particularly Jetline. It's fast, there's lots to it, and it all takes place very high up - definitely one of the better Bobsled coasters out there! Kvasten This Vekoma Suspended Family Coaster was really fun too - and we loved the "Welcome to Kvasten" announcements in the queue! There was so much freedom of movement with these restraints too - which definitely added to the theme of flying on a Broomstick ('Kvasten') - and we got to fly over Twister and Jetline too! Blå Tåget This Ghost Train has recently been completely refurbished (due to the construction of Twister). Gröna Lund have done a great job in producing a new, very modern take on the old classic ghost train design - this was really fun! There really are so many top class rides in this park! Spökhuset The others will have to tell you about the haunted house walk-through because I was too afraid to do it but I will say that I loved the fact that the actors kept coming out of the house, climbing around in front of the entrance and sneaking up on and terrifying quite a lot of on-lookers! Ryan made good friends with a couple of them! Like I say, I can't wait to get back to Gröna Lund - if you've never been, add it to your list of places you HAVE to go to!! Liseberg Very early on Sunday morning, we all met up at Stockholm Central train station and took the SJ X2000 train over to Göteborg / Gothenburg Central. The journey is normally just over 3 hours, although due to planned engineering work, it took 4 hours. We then took a Spårvägen / Tram (hopping off to drop our luggage off at our hotel) down to the Korsvägen stop and walked the short distance to Liseberg's entrance. Although the weather wasn't necessarily in our favour, we again had an amazing day! Another city-centre park which, again, adds to the atmosphere, much of Liseberg is set on a steep hill, which has allowed for rides with really unique opportunities. And it has Balder!! Balder Our first ride was good, although we knew it was capable of so much more - the wind was pretty high, which I don't think helped. Thankfully (and maybe because of the rain and the high winds dying down) Balder reached closer to its true potential towards the end of the day, and we were able to maximise our airtime opportunities over and over and over again thanks to light crowds by that point! What an exceptional ride Balder is - I love it!! We only lament that there are still just 4 Intamin plug-and-play woodies in the world. A tragedy!! I'm still not sure which I prefer the most - GeForce or Balder; although I'll be able to tell you in 6 weeks' time when I ride GeForce again. Hans will also be able to compare it to El Toro very soon too! Atmosfear I will freely admit that I was absolutely terrified of this ride, right up until the moment it dropped - at which point, I loved it!! It's quite simple - take Europe's tallest drop tower, put it on the top of an already large hill, add in a (new-style Intamin) restraint which makes you feel incredibly vulnerable, hoist the riders up to the top and watch even the most seasoned coaster rider TOTALLY FREAK OUT!! But, oh - what a drop! If you've been to Liseberg before and ridden the observation tower, try to remember just how high up you felt at the top, and then you'll get the picture!! Lisebergbanan Again, so smooth, so fast and so forceful!! (Especially so in the rain - which made it all the more intense!) How can this have opened up in 1987? Anton Schwarzkopf's favourite, Lisebergbanan, makes excellent use of Liseberg's unique hill terrain. And I really like the theming to Liseberg Stop C! (Stops A and B are located outside the front of the park on Gothenburg's Spårvägen network) Although do look out for the 'Broms' (brakes) at the end!! Kanonen Incredibly compact, Kanonen has a fun launch and then speeds like a Knex coaster through its inversions, twists and bunny hills! They've certainly managed to pack a large number of elements into a very small space! Spök Hotell Gasten True to form, I didn't do Hotell Gasten this time - mainly because after having done it in 2009, I decided that I'm far too easily scared by these walk-throughs! Film I made a short film of our weekend using a couple of my funny Japanese toy cameras! Enjoy! Pictures from us all will follow shortly! All the best, and thanks to Ryan, Russ & Stacey, Anth, Dave & Amy, Hans, Nathan, Gröna Lund and Liseberg for a fantastic weekend! Tack!! Robin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fudgey Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Ok, so in the absence of Divv (who is the master of the Brit Crew trip report and photos), I have had the task of putting together photos from the trip. Thanks to Hans and Anth who contributed to these! The trip was excellent, the parks were excellent - IT WAS A GREAT WEEKEND!! First up, Grona Lund. Look who I've found... First morning, first day, and the madness begins... So we met everyone at Stockholm Central Station, and while waiting for Nathan, we decided to EAT, which for the Brit Crew is very important... Nathan arrived last via the BussGods! And so to the Grona Lund ferry port! Helpfully, the person who organised the date for this weekend (Divv, cough cough), picked the Stockholm Marathon weekend... Didn't affect us too much! YAY!! Grona Lund!!! Cool setting, right on the water's edge! Anth tries to deal with the Forkopta Biljetter... And he fails, and so has to join the queue... 3 hours later... (The rest of us managed to get in very quickly!!!) He finally made it! And so to the pictures you have been waiting for... That's right, TUFF TUFF TAGET! Sad, pathetic rollercoaster nerds - except Amy of course... Russ can sniff out a new credit anywhere - he can see them from 10 miles away! So anyway, new ride time - TWISTER!! 15mins - honestly!! Yes - Brit Crew members are all Iphone geeks... Lots of airtime, comfy new Timberliner trains, make Twister an EPIC WIN! Umm, please do not wipe your nose on the new trains... Curvy! Ryan is liking the curvy, twisty goodness! No, the headchopper on the lift hill did not survive Russ's head I'm afraid... We all love TWISTER! Hello you sexy beast!! (... the train BTW!) So next up was INSANE, which was INSANE!! It is INSANE! AS WAS THE VAFFEL BRUKET!!! The queue goes right underneath the final overhang and drop - great reactions and screams from all riders!! Russ and Stacey are going INSANE!! Robin is not INSANE yet, but slightly NERVOUS. Lets sit him and Ryan behind me and Hans and see what happens... So after INSANE, we needed some food! Food places a plenty, Amy and I went Mexican! No one, unfortunately went for Vaffel Bruket! Anth tried to build Grona Lund towers out of the cups and containers... I tried, to keep pushing them over... Then we tried to win some DAIM, but failed miserably... After food, more coasters!! How many are in this picture... Yay for JETLINE! Wooo! JETLINE is very, very good! We all liked Jetline! Then Russ went INSANE! Then we went on the Wild Mouse! Which one is INSANE??? Robin does not want any Spicy Sausage... YAY! What I love about this park is that everything runs around everything else. Space is used very well!! Anth had also gone INSANE, and bought another hoodie. Hey Anth - it's the same as the one you have got on... :S Next up was Kwasten, a very SMOOTH, not INSANE, Vekoma! Yay for Kwasten! I have no idea what this means... Next up, the live action Spook House. Loved that this character was running round the crowd, chasing people!! Vote for your scariest character... "I want to eat your eyes" Bla Taget is their old, newly refurbished, Ghost Train, Cool, very modern effects and cars inside this made it very cool!! TPR Quotes please... "I also want to eat your eyes!!!" TPR Quotes again please... Next up, the Fun House. I love Fun Houses, and this one was very good!!! Hans seems a little confused... Iphones do not have a fast shutter speed... Words which match people... A few more rides on Twister to end the day off nicely!!! Spot this in the TWISTER queue... It is INSANE!!! INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyhow, we had a absolutely great day. We were all shattered by the end of it - time to rest before the early start the next day. I'm not sure how Hans is going to fit in this bed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 How can this ride have been built in 1988?! The park told us that Jetline was subsequently modified. The lift hill was raised. I don't remember if other changes were made or not. Though I would guess they would have had to because of the increased speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I HATE YOU ALL!!! Seriously though, great stuff so far. I'm just so gutted I couldn't make it in the end. (Stupid accountancy!) Looks like you all had a great time despite TPDave not being there either. - Divv "Thanks for the postcard, it only made me MORE jealous" Walsh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fudgey Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Day 2 = Travel from Stockholm to Gothenburg, and then go to Liseberg... I think it's fair to say that some of us were still INSANE from the day before. We were all up early to catch a cross-country train (thanks Robin for organising this). Once in Gothenburg, we checked into our hotel and went straight to Liseberg for opening. Liseberg is a great park, in a great city. Atmosfear was a very good, and very tall drop tower! Balder, of course, is still excellent!! Thanks for the weekend everybody! Morning!! The train was very comfortable, ran right on schedule, and had WIFI!! Oh, Hi Robin!! Yes Robin, get on the train, its about to leave... Eeek, too late... So Robin did make it on after all... And then went INSANE!!! INSANE!!! Explaining to Amy about PANDAVISION 3D... So anyhow, we got to Gothenburg, dropped our things at the hotel and took a tram... My oh my that thing is big... YAY - Liseberg!! Thank goodness it is open today! A Liseberg 'Walk of Fame' - Albert Einstein = Legend! Whitney Houston - not so much... No Jokes Please... Getting money from Anth's wallet is like getting Eric to give up his Ice Cream... (HI ERIC!!!) After entrance, we went for our All Day Wristbands TPR = We Like BOOBS! And I like Rabbits! It was very quiet today = More time on... BALDER!!! We love BALDER!!! Who is that in the front row? Hmm, I recognise the red hoodie but I can't be sure... How did you get from 1st to 2nd row mid ride...? OMG, seriously... Is that red hooded guy in the front row again...? Ryan LOVES BALDER!!! Look at his glasses, no seriously, looker closer.... Closer.... Next up... Robin is excited for Kanonen Twisty goodness!!! Woooooooooo! Next up, Lisebergbanan, which we also love! Like seriously, how can anyone have that done on the back of their head? Then it is time for the big one... Atmosfear - The Tallest Drop Ride in Europe!! Firstly, take the escalator up the hillside... Anticipation makes people go INSANE! The queueline (Hi Lou!!!), has a very open, large window platform, so you can see everything going on. Mist swirls around the seats when the gondola rises! Very cool!! I think Robin is very scared... There is even a window on the restaurant level to see what is going on! Afterwards, Ben & Jerry's was very much needed!! Eat it Ryan, EAT IT!!! Back down to do a bit more riding! A very good Rapids ride!! Yes, I do love Rapids! BOOM! Anth tries to win some KEX! I try to win some big bags of Crisps, unfortunately not Dorito's though... (Hi Divv!!!) So the weather took a turn for the worse, and not many more photos were taken, but we stayed the course for the day... More Balder!! And I finish with my tribute to Robin, who basically organised us through the weekend, and made sure that we managed to pack everything in and got everything booked! Thanks Robin!! Robin, we LOVE YOU! Yes, it did rain quite alot! Great weekend everybody, thanks very much for your excellent company!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.A.B Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I really enjoyed this trip report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olov Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Yes, it's a very nice TR to read. And I loved the mood of the film Robin made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Robin, that vid of yours was so... atmospheric. Awesome! I guess 'toy cameras' some times pay off, hmmm? Oh yes, and the parks/rides/adventure looked excellent too - it looked like everybody had a great time together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I see Ryan is representing the US well and going for the 'American Size' Portion! Awesome report...the Swedish parks are awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Sigh . . . missing Grona Lund . . . missing Liseberg . . . must return someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryancrash Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I see Ryan is representing the US well and going for the 'American Size' Portion! I asked for a two-scoop sundae. Instead, I was given the Mondo-Behemoth-Ace Special-Hyper-Sundae-Surprise. The look on my face is an odd mix of shock, awe and horror. Though some of that expression may be left over from the shock, awe and horror I felt when I saw the size of AtmosFear and its massive shaft. I can't believe I ate the WHOLE thing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Sigh . . . missing Grona Lund . . . missing Liseberg . . . must return someday. Same as Chuck. Also Power Park and Bon Bon Land. Will repeat next TPR Scandi Tour, offered. (EDIT to add ~ Ryan, that was definitely a GI-normous amount of I-SCREAM for you, heh heh. I hope you enjoyed every last bit of it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryancrash Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Great TR Robin and Dave! As has already been mentioned, this was an incredibly awesome weekend - so glad I was able to join in on the fun. After the wonderful times we had at Gröna Lund and Liseberg on the 2009 TPR Scandinavia trip, I couldn't wait to get back to Sweden. The opening of TWISTER and an invitation from the Brit Crew was all I needed to convince me to buy an aeroplane ticket. I flew in a couple days early, skillfully dodged the wrath of Iceland's great volcanos, saw IRON MAIDEN's "Ed Force One" aeroplane on the tarmac in Reykjavík, then landed in Stockholm and spent a couple days of sightseeing, eating reindeer, drinking in Ice Bars. Then on Saturday the rest of the gang arrived... and we all went INSANE!! TWISTER lived up to the hype and then some, even landing on my Top Ten Woodie list. And it has made all of the other coasters even more cool than they already were, the way their tracks are so tightly interwoven. And I loved the revamped Blå Tåget, which had some fun surprises inside. (Scottish Steve, beware!) Gröna Lund is one of my favourite parks in the world, and this year's visit was just as much fun as we had there in 2009. (Which is saying A LOT!) And we had a blast at Liseberg too. BALDER is my #1 favourite woodie, and I was really stoked to get to ride it some more. We had some light drizzle later in the day, so we got to experience BALDER with a wet track - Wow!! And AtmosFear was breathtaking - the former observation tower has been converted into Europe's tallest drop tower. Terrifyingly high... but what a view! How about a few more photos... Getting ready for some twiiiiis-tease!! TWISTER is so exciting, it acts as an aphrodisiac. Hot young Swedish couples can't resist its power and have no choice but to make out in the queue. Genius at work! At lunch time, Anth set out to construct his own version of the great Swedish warship, Vasa. I think Anth's version may actually make it further into the harbour. Hanging out at Gröna Lund! One of my favourite parks in the world. Our visit was worthy of the fun we had there in 2009. Gröna Lund swept me off my feet - quite literally. I didn't know Spökhuset had been transformed into an "upside-down" ride. Wow!! In Great Britain it is a noble, time-honoured tradition for newlyweds to feed each other massive quantities of Candy Floss. You think Wills and Kate didn't do this on their honeymoon? Think again. Fun times in Gröna Lund's Lustige Huset! Time for some din-din... Pizzas and beers at Kaskad. YUMMERS!! "Summer Night City!" The end of a long, incredibly fun day at Gröna Lund. To Mattias and Johan I would like to say - “Tack så mycket!” We had such an awesome visit! On Sunday we took the train from Stockholm to Gothenburg, where we visited Liseberg. Inside the park I found... fluffy fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo! Looks like I've got a hot date for the night... Poor Robin and Hans got felt up by this pervey old man. Queueing for BALDER! My #1 favourite woodie! BALDER is BETTER!! Time for some Swedish meatballs with lingonberries... YUMMERS! And better than the ones at IKEA (which are also good). Now it's time to give all our friends a snack! On the escalator to AtmosFear and its massive shaft. "Up, up, up, up, up, up... Down, down, down, down, down, down..." After Liseberg, we hit the Gothenburg Hard Rock Cafe. They had Sid Vicious' leather jacket!! All in all, this was one hell of a fun trip! Short, but AWESOME. We crammed so much into the brief time we had. I want to thank Robin for all his hard work in organizing and arranging everything. Thanks also to Russ, Stacey, Dave, Amy, Hans, Anth and Nathan for sharing all the fun. Special thanks to Mattias, Johan and Robb. And... thanks to Divv for dreaming up this weekend in the first place (even though he wasn't able to join us in the end). Fun times... can't wait to return to Scandinavia once more!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nosferatu Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Nice trip report! We did the exact same trip two weeks ago, and had an amazing time. Twister was way better than I thought, and Insane was just Insane! You might have hit the weekend of the Stockholm marathon, but it wouldn't have helped going one week earlier because it was a marathon in Gothenburg then And Balder is still amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 ^^ Ryan, I love all the not-so-sly Gabba Gabba references! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryancrash Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 ^I'm doing a rather sad and pathetic version of a Brobee wave in one of the pics Dave posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hilltopper39 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 The ride entrance/station to Twister is one of the coolest I've ever seen! Both of these parks look amazing and I can't wait to get over there one of these days (hopefully). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdelhomez Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Wöw, åmåzing trip report! Really I loved it, pleasant to read. Thank you so much Robb gives us the envy to go ride at GL and you had more with Liseberg, Atmos Fear makes me anxious, I'm a little bit scared about drop towers but always fun to ride, first time I went to PortAventura, my friend and I looked each other when we saw Hurakan Condor from the highway, so I can easily imagine what it did on you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMorgan Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Awesome PTR! Great VIDEO, too. Not the typical coaster video. Do I understand it right that you also composed the music, Robin? Planning and organizing trips, filming, editing, and composing, when do you have time for your "normal job" as a professional rugby player? It's cool that you all uploaded different pics and we could see it through different eyes. We could also see it through different glasses, as well, which is a welcome bonus. I have never ridden any coaster in the new Timberliner Trains, but I'm curious: I've heard a lot of enthusiasts complain about wooden coasters with the fiberglass Morgan Trains, (cool name, BTW), because they are so different than traditional wooden coaster trains and take something away from the experience. Timberliners look so plasticy and fiberglassy, so what's the difference? They are also certainly very different than traditional wooden coaster trains, (like PTC's, for example). Anyone care to elaborate and discuss? And I'm confused. Divv, I thought you were the one who organized this whole trip in the beginning. Why didn't you go with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divv3k Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 And I'm confused. Divv, I thought you were the one who organized this whole trip in the beginning. Why didn't you go with? I was but I had to pull out because of work commitments. I had two weeks off before the trip for exams and then I'm off for another few weeks this month for Japan. In other words I ended up with WAY too much to do and not enough time to do it so Sweden just had to give. Hopefully I'll get back over to Sweden soon! Great photos Dave and Ryan - sorry for picking marathon weekend! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran1962 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 GREAT TR & Photos of what looks like must have been a GREAT Time. I used to like all of you, now just so jealous. SCANDINAVIA was just so AWESOME with TPR, can't wait to go back again. Really liked all the photos, captions and video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moose Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I used to like all of you, now just so jealous. Fraaaahn, I'll feel that way in a few weeks about you THough I agree, the mini Scandi looks like it was awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinschroder Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 I have never ridden any coaster in the new Timberliner Trains, but I'm curious: I've heard a lot of enthusiasts complain about wooden coasters with the fiberglass Morgan Trains, (cool name, BTW), because they are so different than traditional wooden coaster trains and take something away from the experience. Timberliners look so plasticy and fiberglassy, so what's the difference? They are also certainly very different than traditional wooden coaster trains, (like PTC's, for example). Anyone care to elaborate and discuss? I'm not really 'up' on my wooden coaster trains, I'm afraid - I'm sure someone with a lot more wooden coaster credits than me would be better able to answer this. However, I couldn't imagine anyone describing the Timberliners as anything but comfortable and roomy. I didn't think they looked too plasticy in person - in fact, I really liked the attention to detail on the trains. I don't know if this helps, but they felt as comfortable (maybe slightly more so) as the Millennium Flyer trains I've been on, with a slightly less weighty lapbar. That's not to say for one moment that the Millennium Flyer trains are bad!! And as for the Rugby playing - I think you might be thinking of another Robin Schroder... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Both these parks were already on my "must do" list, but Grona Lund has a scary dark ride and a scary walk-through AND a fun house?! MAXIMUM WANTAGE! Both Insane and AtmosFear make my berries shrivel just reading about them... Thanks so much for sharing all this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJ27 Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Cool TR makes me want to go to grona lund Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts