PixTR: "The 3 Credits Tour" Walibi Holland - Disney Paris

[Nrthwnd]

After I got the two main credits I needed, and checked out the new coaster's location, it was time to ride some other rides, etc. Naturally, I headed over to Goliath and got two rides on it one after the other, and the second one was in the back row, which made for some amazing 'pull' over the hills and through the helixes. It was great! I did ride Robin Hood just once, and found it was as rough as I remember it, several years ago. And I totally passed on the SLC there, having remembered it bashing me about, side to side. That still seemed to be the case, as when I was on a pathway near it, I was hearing sudden cries of pain from riders roaring by. So, no great loss to me.

 

In time, I decided it was time to check out what eats the park had. Very limited selection I found out. There was a buffet of some kind being offered over near Speed of Sound, but I didn't want to deal with that much food available. So I settled for one of their burgers, one that apparently was in keeping with their current slogan, Live Fast! or so the translation goes. The burger was fine, but the fries tasted much better.

 

(A little bit more to come...)

I went on a few flats, including this unusual one.

And it was really fun, tipping and spinning back and forth.

This wave swinger was INSANE, running Very Fast, faster than I remember any swings going. (o:

Goliath still has it, and ran great.

Heading back to the station.

Another reason to come to this park. One of my favourite haunted swing rides was here.

Robin Hood. Eh, it was okay, but not worth repeating.

The rapids ride was busy.

In the Mexico section of the park there was this. After watching it, I decided it wasn't really that thrilling.

And THIS was definitely given a pass. It also had down time, throughout the day, for whatever reason(s).

A nifty idea for measuring kids' height for riding, etc.

The car ride was there, slow going as before.

Time for food! Be there turkey legs here? Beef stew perhaps? Maybe fish and chips?

Nope. Same menu that was all over the park.

I tried this one.

Not bad. Not great, either. And again, the fries WIN!

[Nrthwnd]

After the meal, the rest of my visit was spent wandering around the park, catching a few flat rides that weren't too busy.

Got one more ride each on Goliath and Express, even though lines were a bit longer than first riding them, but that was okay.

And then, headed back to Amsterdam, back to the hotel room, and then later on, some more wandering through the city,

and eventually, dinner!

I met up with (2 of the 3) mascots of Walibi Holland. I later found out, that

the female mascot is actually very new, since there was no "female character"

available to the young girls that visit the park up to a few years ago. I forget

her name, as well as the furry guys, but --- here She is! (o;

The splash battle ride was going, but I had more fun in their tower (upper left of photo),

blasting everybody with a water cannon. It was great fun. (o;

And yes, these are condoms being sold at the park.

Somebody ready to go flying.

And my visit to Walibi Holland ended with a simple, tranquil photo shot.

Back to Amsterdam's busy canal traffic. And the black one in front was a floating casino, I believe.

Big boats, small boats, all boats.

OMG! Locker on the loose, in Amsterdam!

"All the pretty signs in a row..."

The indoor sign said "I love Kebab", but me and David loved another indoor sign, at....

Burger Bar!!!

David ordering, again.

Our table numbers. Mmmm, camembert.

Burger Bar's indoor sign. This part said "BURGER"...

..and this said "BAR."

They look just perfect, don't they? And this is Burger #2 for me. And our sharing fries and a drink, still worked for us.

Back to the Queen's Head for a evening drink.

We find our first cat in Amsterdam. This unfortunately, was NOT a happy kitty.

Took a swipe at David, when he tried to pet it. Growled a little. We stopped trying.

Chuck, I believe this cat would definitely give Angus McNasty a run for his money, lol.

Depp turned up on a men's cologne poster. Sauvage was actually a fave cologne I wore,

back in my younger, partying days, lol.

View from our room, later on. The Red Light District is up and running.

The Walibi Holland On-Ride photo! And one of the few things that actually has "Holland" on it.

On Goliath. Great coaster, still.

[Nrthwnd]

Here. Something to satisfy, until the next posting....

 

"daily minced..."

Not a lot to choose from - but what a LOT to choose from!

[Nrthwnd]

Day 4 in Amsterdam

 

Most of this day was spent doing a lot of window shopping, picking up some souvenirs

to take home, and just enjoying being outdoors in the city that day.

Good Morning, Oude Kerk.

Oude Kerk is over 800 years old, and is Amsterdam's oldest building and parish church.

This area won't be very busy until into the afternoon. Or earlier. (o;

Obvious.

Food here can be either incredible looking or just 'too much'. This was too much, to us.

We find another cat! And this one is very friendly...

But alas, it's behind glass. )o:

Cute kitty.

Open air market in another church square.

All the heads were....bobbing. Looked creepy.

Um.......no.

And for all the candy freaks.... Candy Freaks!

Definitely a toy shop.

So many things in one window.

Jon, this one's for you.

Too subtle?

Back to the room for a rest, under Art.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[Philrad71]

Is Irish beef meat soaked in Guinness and Jameson?

 

If so, count me in!

[Nrthwnd]

^ This is all I got, Phil...

No mention about Guinness and/or Jameson in there. (o;

[Philrad71]

^ Guess that I would have to try the Wagyu then...being that I have never had it!

[Nrthwnd]

^ You know, between the three of them, I found the Waygu beef 'nothing special' and the other two were just as good, IMhO.

The difference of course is Waygu being double the cost of the Irish beef. So I tried it once, found it was alright,

but would easily go back to Irish or Angus beef... when we're there again.

 

To add, at 12 Euros for a 200gm Waygu burger...that's over $18 Cdn for it. Quite the investment for a burger, lol.

[Nrthwnd]

The rest of our day was spent at the hotel, lounging around, checking out the window to see

what or who was new in the area. Then, I saw the small couple of boats filled with "well wishers"

in the middle of "something". Turned out to be connected to this banner that had been draped

over one of the canal bridges close by.

 

Into the evening, we went for another late afternoon drink at the Queen's Head, and then

headed to Burger bar, but for take away only! And ONLY fries! We had seen some other

food displayed in a cheese/deli shop practically beside the hotel. So we got the

fries as a side dish, lol. And ate everything back at the hotel.

 

So, as non-busy as this day was, here's the run down of the Burger Bar's menu and what I

had in the first couple of burger meals...

Looking out the window, I see this "party boat" (right) in the canal.

Champagne (?) is popped.

A 'toast' is given.

And right there....

...is The proposal! And a small boat underneath, with it's BBQ going. (o;

Right after that, I saw this red boat getting ticketed!

So yes, there are Police Boats in the canals of Amsterdam.

A Segway tour couple. The guide was ahead of them, and without a helmet on! Tsk tsk.

One of The Most Popular Outdoor Urinals in the city!

A few of the guys staying at our hotel. Hi guys!

If you look real close up there - he's got a MOHAWK!

Back of the Queen's head bar.

Not sure why I posed like this. Eh, it was a photo spot, right?

Back to the Burger Bar.

But only for Take Away Fries!

This is the Burger Bar's little menu card.

There are the four burger meats to choose from. For us, chicken was not

going to be one of them. The numbers apply to the order (and the 3 nights)

I had a burger. And like I said before, the Waygu beef didn't taste all that

different to me, than the other two did.

This was Burger #1 on our Arrival Day. I OD'd on adding grilled onions, mushrooms,

bacon, and this new Amsterdam Cheese that was a nice creamy tasting gouda. But

we split the fries and the soft drink, and saved some $ in the process. (o:

Toppings. #1 Had onions, mushrooms, bason and Amsterdam Cheese on it.

Burger #2 had just mushrooms and cheese (blue) on it. Which was enough.

Burger #2, eaten our 3rd day in Amsterdam. Nice Irish beef, there.

Fries. Fantastic. Plentiful. And they had malt vinegar on the table too!

Descriptions of the meat choices.

[Philrad71]

That is interesting about the Wagyu beef. Looks like you made the right choices though as those burgers look amazing....and the fries. Oh man...I love me some Belgian fries!

 

I forgot about those public urinals...had to admit that they were quite handy though!

[Nrthwnd]

^ The funniest thing I saw with that urinal, was entire bike tours stopping, to let one guy use it!

Or walking groups too - then, there would be a small lineup of guys, waiting. Fun to watch from

our room. That's why we've always gotten Room #22 at this hotel. Perfect view of life, by a church.

 

Also, I really believe, that if presented with the same three choices of burger to have, and have

the days to do them all, I would likely do it all the same way again, heh. Thankfully there were

only three choices to choose from. Were there a LOT more, like in other burger places (where they

present you with combination burgers, already), I might have eaten there once, then find another place to go.

 

But - I didn't, yum.

[Nrthwnd]

Since we're going to be in Amsterdam one more day, here's one of my many

(MANY) balloon shots, taken of The Panaramagique at DLPR, day and/or night.

[Nrthwnd]

Day 5 in Amsterdam

 

Our last day in Amsterdam was another easy day for us. I decided we should take a visit back to the Amsterdam Dungeon,

since we had a coupon for a couple of Euros off the main ticket price. And there was "The Reaper: Drop of Doom" to enjoy

too...or so I thought. Seems I totally forgot that the coaster was taken out some years back. So although all of the

scenes had some good actors playing their parts... no coaster for us.

 

It was also our first really wet day, with the rain coming down from time to time.

But that was fine. Things (and streets) needed washing off.

 

Also sadly, it was our final day to enjoy a meal from The Burger Bar. And drinks at the Queens Head.

 

(To be continued...)

Yep, it's raining today. But it stopped just enough for us to get to The Dungeon.

Along the way, we saw this. Tango!

Masks for Tango!

Interesting window displays.

Tussauds - we've never been in this one. Don't know why.

Hi Johnny.

Our discount tickets.

Sadly, Drop Of Doom is still shown on one of the outside banners

hanging around the Dungeon building.

Slight tilt. With the city flag on it.

Whatever happened to "Got Milk?"

Even the seagulls weren't flying.

[Nrthwnd]

Decided to post what I got about The Amsterdam Dungeon and The Reaper: Drop Ride To Doom that used to be in it.

 

I posted a thread when announcements were made about it's being installed in this closed church. And since it

was part the "Dungeons of..." chain, at the time there was always a 'main attraction' within each Dungeon, to

make it just a bit more....real. And this was I believe, the first time a coaster was being installed

inside a church building.

 

Here's the thread, which has construction photos of the coaster in the building:

 

http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19427&hilit=amsterdam+dungeon

 

So, the Amsterdam Dungeon still operates. Only, without it's (then) main scare attraction.

And it's just wierd to see this franchise attraction lose it's individuality, with the

city name taken off the souvenirs and only "the Dungeons" there. Period. It was the same

with Walibi Holland (no 'Holland' on most souvenirs). Hmmmph

 

And here's the stuff I got from my first (of two) visit to The Dungeon. First visit was on Halloween Day 2005,

the month (literally) it opened. The second one was with David in April of 2007, our "35th Anniversary Tour".

 

A third time visit was going to be possible, through the (then) TPR 2008 Tour of Europe. But on the way to Amsterdam

in our tour bus, Robb and Elissa made a phone call to check and see how "things were" with the attraction. And that

they were ready for us, etc...

 

Bad news.

 

The whole thing was down (and closed) for a maintenance problem, I remember. But, good that they found out

then, instead of "at the front door" of it. So - several of us stayed in our hotel and enjoyed the time not touring.

And the others....went immediately to the Red Light District in Amsterdam.

 

And what happened in Amsterdam, did NOT stay in Amsterdam, lol!

The old photo card, with the coaster car on it.

I don't look impressed, do I? Taken October 31, 2005. With an original TPR t-shirt on, too.

I did like this photo though. I think the actress got a kick out of my enthusiasm, too. (o;

The Dungeon Haul, including a nice coffee mug, and a great t-shirt I still have.

My first view of The Dungeon on Oct.31, 2005. The whole area was being dug up for new underground

transit in Amsterdam. A bit difficult to find, but that red sign was there above the canopy so... found it!

On our fridge at home. Sure it's a nice souvenir, but without "Amsterdam" on it as well.... well, it's ok.

THIS is what a souvenir from an attraction should look like! (o;

Me and David, April 2007. OMGggggggggggggggg....

[Nrthwnd]

After we'd spent time back at our hotel room, the rain let up for a bit, so we got out and over to

The Queen's Head (where the rain picked up again) for a final couple of drinks, then back to

Burger Bar for One Final Burger.

 

Tomorrow morning, we leave Amsterdam and head to Paris on the Thalys train!

The sky lets up with the rain, for awhile.

Yes we do!

Back to the Head.

A very nice sized bar, for afternoon drinks.

One can never have too many ornate, be-glassed, chandeliers.

One of two swans that hang around this part of the canal, we were told.

Same swan. Swan #2 never showed up. )o:

Yay! One more burger!

David is ready for it.

Theming.

David's burger.

And mine. #3 was the Wagyu Beef burger, with avacado and Old Amsterdam cheese on it.

Another fine mess to enjoy. Waygu beef was good, but the others I tried were just as good

too (Angus and Irish beef). And way less expensive, too.

Our photo from the Amsterdam Dungeon.

What we got to put the photo into.

Back of the book.

[Nrthwnd]

Amsterdam To Paris Day!

 

Taking the train to Paris was great. We rode 1st Class, and had a nice meal with free drinks to enjoy.

And like the Bullet Train in Japan, this Thalys train was smooth and speedy, making everything

fly by. I loved it.

 

We got to Paris, got our week's Decouverte Card (locals AND visitors can use it) and headed to the offices that

we rented our apartment from. Signed all the papers, took our stuff over to our little apt. ... and found that

both of our keys didn't work in the lock! Eeep. Thankfully, the hired service was still there, cleaning up for our

arrival. She spoke no English, but we re-connected with the rental office on her phone, got somebody over and

they then got a locksmith to come by and either repair the current lock, or replace it entirely. With new keys for us.

 

 

Next day, we went out on an art gallery visit (next posting), with the promise that the lock would be changed, AND

that we would have new keys, put into the post box (I had that key) for us to pick up. We got back late afternoon,

got upstairs and immediately saw a new lock in place. Went back downstairs, opened the post box....no keys inside.

 

 

Finally, and with the help of a very nice local who spoke English AND had her phone with her, we called the offices back,

told them what was (not) going on, and then they sent one of their workers over to us, with the correct keys to use.

 

Life. More as it happens....

On the train, to Paris.

What's that I see, in Brussels? A World's Fair remainder from....1958?

Lunch on the Thalys. It was great, including free wines!

Classy dessert.

One of the many mini-bikes we'll see in Paris. This was just

outside our rental apartment.

Basically, it's one room, with a sofa bed, and lots of closet space. That's a Mens Wear Shop across from us. Very $$$$.

(L to r) Stove top (no oven), fridge underneath; washer (microwave above); sink w/cupboard; bathroom to the right.

We decided to check out food spots, supermarkets, etc. And we came across this place.

Looked good enough for take away, for our first night there.

A few slices, and some deli food from another shop. We've arrived! (o:

[Nrthwnd]

Gratuitous Eiffel Tower shot, during the stay in Paris.

Sept.19, 2015 ~ Taken through a subway train window, on a bridge crossing The Seine.

[PKI Jizzman]

Great photos, Bill! Really enjoy the photos that paint the 'daily vacation life' picture. You sure know how to plan a trip! I'll be taking notes..

-Zach

[Nrthwnd]

^Thanks! The trip had been a couple of years in the planning, so by the time we actually went, everything was

pretty much organized, reserved, paid for... with lots of time and space available for those unexpected things that

happen during a trip, good and bad. And, they did...

 

Day 2 in Paris ~ Musee d'Orsay

 

When we originally planned this trip, David wanted us to get to at least two art museums in Paris. I generally don't go for what's

in a building, but rather the architecture of it. Still, I agreed to two of them. And David got to repeat one favourite museum

(this one), and go to a new one (Musee De L'Orangerie), which was fine with me. And the Eiffel Tower, of course.

 

There was "some art work" I recognized in Musee d'Orsay, but not very much. We did an "English tour" with one of the locals

working there. The woman was a wealth of art information, usually ending with "Voila" at the end of most sentences, lol. But

some times she went on way too fast for me. And all the "information" she gave us was eventually forgotten by me, too.

 

But that was okay. The rain had started up outside, there was lots of space there to just sit and chill out. Which I did.

Passing the Saint-Jacques Tower, on our way to the subway station, to the museum.

The Tower just begs for photos to be taken of it, from every angle and time of day.

Outside the Musee d'Orsay Thankfully, this queue hadn't filled up....yet.

Now, if she had a camera in her hand...World's First Selfie? (o;

Top right symbol = No Losers Allowed.

The museum was originally a train station in Paris.

Beautiful clock.

Looking back, where we entered the museum.

Looking the other way, the other end of the museum.

Wall patterns. Pretty cool.

And what's a museum without it's many, many statues?

Model of the Paris Opera House.

So this is where The Phantom lived, huh?

Paris Opera House set designs on display.

I believe this one was from a prodction of "Hamlet." And that's the ghost of 'Dad' in front. (o;

Another model.

I forgot to look at the card, on what it was. Oops.

David, being 'artsy.' (To be continued...)

Edited November 4, 2015 by Nrthwnd

[Nrthwnd]

Another Tower shot.

Can't get enough of it.

C'est magnifique.

Sept.18, 2015.

[Nrthwnd]

Here is more of our visit to Musee d'Orsay. Pardon that I don't remember all the names of the

paintings, or the artists who painted them. So many paintings, so little brain time to remember, lol.

 

This is also the day we returned back to our apartment, to find that no new keys had been left for us

by the rental office, for the new lock in our door. It had started raining again, we didn't have a phone

on us, so things looked a bit bleak. But, we found a nice woman in a nearby cafe who spoke English

and had her phone with her, so we were able to contact the rental office, explain our "problem,"

and they got someone to come over with new keys. The end.

Small model of a much MUCH larger ceiling design.

And Gollum was here, too. (o;

The blue in this painting looked like it was painted with reflective paint.

Model of the renovation of the train station, into Musee d'Orsay.

Outside of it.

A Monet painting, with his wife portraying ALL of the women in it.

Oooooo, big clock to look out of!

Looking across The Seine.

Towards where The Louvre is.

Looking to The Tulleries gardens and mall.

There was a "rule" about size of paintings back in the day, so this artist painted two separate pieces

which 'magically' formed a larger painting when placed together. This was cool to see and hear about it.

A snow scene.

Our Guide there, pointing out 'stuff' about the painting.

Degas' "Little Dancer".

Back of it.

A painting by Toulouse-Lautrec.

Close up.

Another view, beyond the museum. And that's the Sacre-Coeur Basilica in the distance, there.

A smaller piece by Monet. (To be continued...)

Edited December 17, 2017 by Nrthwnd

[Philrad71]

At first I thought that your 2nd photo was the statue that Bono stood on in the 'Stay (Faraway So Close') video. But I Googled it and see that statue from that video was shot in Berlin. That one sure looked a bit like it though!

 

Paris is on our bucket list...hope to do it within the next couple of years.

LOVE this U2 video.....one of my favorites!

[Nrthwnd]

^ Oh well, it's a nice connection, lol.

 

This has been our fourth visit to Amsterdam and Paris and Disney. We weren't very sure (the first time 2002) about our getting around,

and seeing what we wanted to see, especially in Paris. But it all worked out pretty good, with the unexpected 'stuff,' included. All told,

we fell in love with Paris, me with all of it's architecture, David with everything inside the architecture, LOL. And at night, for our

first time, it was just amazing walking beside the Seine and seeing so many buildings, churches, and The glorious Eiffel Tower, lit up.

 

At our age now, we're not too keen on going for new city experiences, although the TPR Tours have certainly broadened my travels.

But we liked what we liked, as well as Tokyo and Disney there, so you guys just might get hooked on the Paris and everything about it.

 

Also, being away from here for eight years probably endeared Paris and Amsterdam and Disney to us, even more. We definitely

want to return... and a lot sooner than 8 years, too.

 

 

Hope you are able to plan a good trip there, eventually. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Buzz and me, just hangin'. WDS ~ Sept.23, 2015.

[Nrthwnd]

Our visit finished up at the Musee d'Orsay, then rain stopped long enough for us to get back to our apartment,

the "problem with the keys" happened and was solved. And then David and I went grocery shopping...

 

 

Which was the reaction of a friend at the bar, after we returned home. I told him David liked to cook wherever he was,

Paris included, and I thought he was having a heart attack, lol! He couldn't understand that we did want to save some Eruos

here and there. And cooking actually tested our interaction with this "kitchen" we had to deal with. First of all, there were

absolutely no cooking utensils to be found. No spatulas, long forks, tongs...nothing. And no larger pans for using on

the stove (there was no oven - fridge was in it's place). So David improvised using the knives and forks we did have there.

 

Along with the food, we had to go out and shop for spices including good old salt and pepper, too. But that was okay. We

did find a small grocery store that all the locals were using, and we found it easy to figure out what was what and how

much, etc. Minimal in fresh produce, but the store did supply us with our "cutting board" for the stay.

 

Also, in Paris, I happened to find what has become a traditional thing of our trips to Paris and Amsterdam. That being,

finding creme brulee' (or pudding or yogurt) in glass containers. Very rare in these times of plastic and

recycling. So we buy them, and then clean and save the containers, bring them back home, adn use them for

every thing from individual dipping cups, spices for recipes, etc. Very useful and another neat set of what I like to call

"useful souvenirs" from our trip.

 

 

Here's the rest of our day...

From a balcony.

If you look closely at this one...

You see something... familiar. (o;

The polar bear statue is a well-known statue. That's all I got.

Busts.

This is "Agony."

We're out of the museum and back to the apt., past Notre Dame.

I like the way they do wheeled vehicles here.

Not many tour boats here, compared to Amsterdam's traffic jams on water.

Peeking out.

Looked interesting. (o;

Everywhere in Paris you can easily find a drug store by the GREEN NEON CROSSES... every where!

The department store we walk back to the apt. by, has vendors out on the sidewalk demo-ing and

hawking stuff you can buy inside the store itself. Reminded me of the vendors at our annual fair, The PNE.

In the upscale men's wear store. Not my body.

I noticed the wierd sandals. Then David noticed the snake.

David begins prepping for dinner.

Veggies all diced. Check.

Our "cutting board". Created by unfolding the carton the mushrooms came in. Easy!

Dinner is served. We bought the salt and pepper, too.

Dessert. The vanilla yogurt came in two of these great terra cotta 'jars.'

All the glass containers we've aquired in Amsterdam and brought home.

So, now we got something from Paris to add to the collection. (o:

[Nrthwnd]

Super Sunday Balloon Shot! (What I'm calling it)

One of the (very) many shots I took of Disney Paris Resort's Panoramagique balloon.

Only this (and a couple of others) shot was taken near 10pm, when I couldn't get

to sleep. Got out of bed, went to the window, opened the curtain, and there it was!

 

Not the greatest lighting (or focus) on it, but I tried my best....

10 pm on Sept.23, 2015. From our hotel room.