Photo TR: Andy's 2019 European Adventure with TPR

[Sluggo77]

Wow such a great report.  Looks like a fun park to visit.  Seeing the TPR videos and reading your comments about Lech Coaster I really hope these start to pop up here in the states.  Thanks for sharing!

[MrSum1_55]

This brings back memories. I went to Legendia in 2018, when there was not that much about this park on the internet yet other than reviews of Lech Coaster. Lech really feels like a complete experience, with a fully themed queue and even some theming during the ride. However, the rest of the park looks exactly like you would expect a park in the Eastern Bloc to look. It is green and has a lake, but I remember the foliage being fairly overgrown and most of the rides had a carnival feel. (The area around the park is very "Eastern Blocky"). 

[The Great Zo]

On 12/7/2020 at 9:29 AM, Hilltopper39 said:

I never realized that this park was located in such an urban area so close to the city, very cool aesthetic. I love how Europe has so many parks like this.

On 12/7/2020 at 8:06 PM, MrSum1_55 said:

This brings back memories. I went to Legendia in 2018, when there was not that much about this park on the internet yet other than reviews of Lech Coaster. Lech really feels like a complete experience, with a fully themed queue and even some theming during the ride. However, the rest of the park looks exactly like you would expect a park in the Eastern Bloc to look. It is green and has a lake, but I remember the foliage being fairly overgrown and most of the rides had a carnival feel. (The area around the park is very "Eastern Blocky"). 

I always try to capture the aesthetic of not just the park, but where it's located. Most parks in the US have pretty homogeneous surroundings, though you'll find the occasional oddball -- the arid mountains around SFMM, the surrounded-by-water feel at Cedar Point, or (lol) the graveyard at Little Amerricka. But in Europe, it's so much more varied. I don't disagree with the Eastern Bloc comment -- I definitely got that feel from some parts of the park and some of the older buildings nearby. However, both the park and the area around it have quite a bit of new development too, so change is on the way.

On 12/7/2020 at 9:59 AM, grsupercity said:

A few years ago I was blown away by rides like Maverick and Lightning Run. Tiny rides that pack a crazy punch. From everything I have read on Lech says the same. Watching videos it seems to hold its speed so well. You took some great photos. It was a great read as well. Thank you for taking the time to post the report. Lech looks incredible 

Great point on Lightning Run -- that is a coaster that Lech also reminded me of, though Lech is obviously superior by a pretty good margin. But they both try to pack a lot into a small footprint, they're both very well designed, and they're both non-stop action the whole way. I'm still kind of surprised more Hyper GT-X coasters haven't been built, but hopefully Vekoma's got more Lech-like stuff up their sleeves.

On 12/7/2020 at 12:27 PM, SharkTums said:

Such a great report!!! I really loved this park and can't wait to see how it evolves the next 10 years. Lech Coaster is amazing and we need Vekoma to get back out there and sell as many of those as they did SLC's and Boomerangs!!!

That's a really tall order, but it's penance for their sins as far as I'm concerned.

Thanks for the comments everyone!

 

[DBru]

It's back!!!

Great report, per usual, Andy.

Lech Coaster truly is fantastic. It has everything I look for in a coaster. Of course I'd prefer no vests at all, but these are probably the best vest restraints on the market. Much thinner and more flexible than B&M's or even the one's Vekoma still seems to be using on their boomerang upgrades. Also, if you'd joined me for Särkänniemi, you'd know this isn't the first station fly-though inversion.

Legendia was a highlight of the trip for me. I loved it's small, local, city-park vibe. While I was definitely sad to miss out on many of the unique flats I had been looking forward to, the ones they did have available (especially the HUSS Rainbow ) were really fun. I think they're definitely headed in right direction with their recent investments and with a couple more modern coasters, Legendia will feel like a complete park that's worth traveling for.

[A.J.]

On 12/7/2020 at 12:05 AM, The Great Zo said:

Red hairtime.

Sigh.

[The Great Zo]

20 hours ago, DBru said:

Also, if you'd joined me for Särkänniemi, you'd know this isn't the first station fly-though inversion.

Ahh! You got me there

[larrygator]

If I remember correctly, Wonder Garden was as you assumed, but for kids only.

[Electerik]

Wait, the cups on the Ferris wheel spin? We didn't make it onto "Legendia Flower" as the line looked fairly long when we were on that side of the park and I was worried about time. And only now do I find this out...?!

I liked Hyperion more than most, I would say, but Lech is the real deal. It just kind of does everything.

Just a really neat park.

 

[The Great Zo]

On 12/13/2020 at 11:21 PM, Jakizle said:

Fantastic pictures and story telling as always Andy! Learned a lot from your report. Im sad this park was closed due to weather (while Energylandia stayed open) so I missed out on it. But Lech Coaster definitely looks worth the trip back. 

And while Tornado does the underground barrel roll through the station, this one looks a little more effective and visually pleasing! They are just European cousins 

Thanks! Lech is definitely worth a trip back at some point. And it does have the more photogenic of the two in-station inversions.

15 hours ago, Electerik said:

Wait, the cups on the Ferris wheel spin? We didn't make it onto "Legendia Flower" as the line looked fairly long when we were on that side of the park and I was worried about time. And only now do I find this out...?!

Oh, did they spin. I would have gotten a picture of the spinny thing in the middle of the cup, but yeah, other family in the cup with me so that was already awkward enough.

On 12/12/2020 at 11:51 PM, larrygator said:

If I remember correctly, Wonder Garden was as you assumed, but for kids only.

[The Great Zo]

This is a short two-part update to cover some odds and ends between theme parks -- so no roller coaster content this time around. The first part will cover the end of our time in Poland, and the second part will cover our travel day from Krakow to Gothenburg. Well, for most of us, anyway...

Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Day 13 Part 2: Poland, Continued

When we last left off, we had just finished a half-day at Legendia. About a quarter of the group stayed at Legendia a little longer, but about 3/4 went ahead to our next destination.

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum

If this doesn't seem like a normal stop on a TPR trip, it's because it's not. I believe it was Kristen's idea originally, then coordinated by Elissa. It's not far from Krakow, and for many of us, perhaps the only time we would ever get the opportunity to go there.

No, I'm not doing a full report of Auschwitz. I couldn't do it. And no one would want it anyway. So I'm going to share one picture.

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

We toured both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau. You can't really describe the feeling of being there. You wouldn't want to wish it on anybody. But to see it is to understand the magnitude of the atrocity, even if no reasonable human could ever understand the reason. And to understand that oppression and injustice aren't things locked in time, but things that can happen again. And that's something no functioning society should ever forget.

---

We returned to our hotel, and shortly thereafter, hopped in a couple Ubers for...

One Night In Krakow

(and the world's your credit card)

Truth be told, we didn't have a whole lot of time in central Krakow, but just enough for dinner on the main square (Rynek Główny) followed by some very quick sightseeing, and one specific photograph I'd made it my goal that evening to acquire.

First a few shots from our hotel, which I'd yet to cover.

The Hilton Garden Inn is directly across the street from the main entrance to the Krakow airport.

It's got a check-in desk, because it's a hotel.

It also had a free laundry room! Right in the middle of a TPR trip, that's a huge plus!

Ooooh, the fancy "L'atmosphere" hotel restaurant. Not bad.

This walkway leads from the hotel (left) to...

...the airport. You'll be seeing more of the airport soon.

So, we arrived in Old Town Krakow just as dusk was falling, making our way toward the main square along cobblestone streets.

I think we ended up with 10 or 11 of us at this Polish/Italian restaurant, which was not bad at all.

After dinner was done, the group split up. I had done very little night photography on this trip, and wanted to get some shots of central Krakow in what limited time I had available. We discussed meeting back up to share an Uber back to the hotel a little later, and after a quick stop for ice cream, I pulled out the mini-tripod and got started.

^ Saint Mary’s Basilica (Kościół Mariacki)

^ Kraków Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

^ another view of Kraków Cloth Hall (Sukiennice)

^ Town Hall Tower (Wieża ratuszowa)

^ Church of St. Wojciech (Kościół św. Wojciecha)

^ Saints Peter and Paul Church (Kościół ŚŚ Piotra i Pawła)

^ Wawel Castle (Zamek Królewski na Wawelu)

At this point, I headed out on a bridge over the Vistula River to get the one shot of Krakow I'd wanted more than all the others.

Wawel Castle, with its reflection on the waters of the Vistula River.

A classic shot. And I got one more, zoomed in.

I took this picture at 11:53 PM. Within a minute of that, I checked my phone and found a message from my friends. Some of them were going to stay out later, but the rest were getting an Uber and heading back to the hotel, so I had to meet up with them.

Problem: I was nowhere near their location, and the Uber was just about there.

So, that was the end of night photography -- I proceeded to jog through the streets of Krakow and cover 1.2 miles in 10 minutes, despite being exhausted as heck at the end of a long day, because I was not missing my ride back to the hotel!

(Maybe the hardest I've ever worked for two single pictures?)

Well, that wraps up our adventure in Krakow, and our adventure in Poland as a whole. Here's a map of our travels.

More to follow...

[The Great Zo]

Thursday, July 25, 2019
Day 14: Rhymes With Schiphol Part II

Yeah, we're gonna give Day 14 a title about Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport even though we didn't ever actually make it back to Schiphol. That was supposed to be our layover stop on the way to Sweden, but it was not meant to be. Probably because Schiphol is a ... well, if I just came out and said it, it would give away the joke. I know they don't rhyme exactly. It's close enough.

But here we are, ridiculously early on a Thursday morning, preparing for a transition day as we fly across Europe, hopefully to end with a fun evening at our next park: Liseberg. Most of us got just a few hours of sleep. Some didn't get any sleep at all. But bright and early, we were ready to head out of Krakow. Let's get to the pics!

A night scene of the entrance to the Krakow airport.

Heading into the check-in area at -- no joke -- 4:30 AM.

Yeah, it was still pretty quiet, and we had a little extra time.

So, of course, I found the Observation Deck.

I have never met an observation deck I didn't like, even if it charges you 2 złoty to enter.

A corridor lined with awesome airplane photographs...

...and a nice view of the small airport (though, unfortunately, behind glass).

Look at that lucky Lufthansa plane with a jet bridge. Like so many airports in Europe, there are a lot of bus gates here.

A few more airplanes on a misty morning, just before sunrise.

More time to kill, so a view outside the airport.

There's the hotel!

The walkway and drop-off area.

Krakow's airport is named for Pope John Paul II (Kraków Airport im. Jana Pawła II).

The main building has this really strange triangular prism shape.

Honestly, it's really cool for photography.

So, yeah, gonna share a few pics of it.

Everything is sideways.

Sunrise in Krakow!

Heading back inside, and almost time for our flight.

So, we'll head through the second level of the airport.

Waiting areas near some of the gates.

We had to head all the way down to Gate 1.

And here is our gate.

KLM Flight 1992 to Amsterdam, departing at 6:40 AM. We were through security. Our luggage was checked. We were standing in line to wait to head down to the airplane.

And then we were denied boarding.

Well, not just us, but everybody who was flying to Amsterdam for a connecting flight. Turns out Schiphol was having a little problem. The day before, the airport's main fuel supply system completely broke down. In case that sounds bad, well, it's hard to fly an aircraft if it doesn't have any fuel. So hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed, and people had to sleep at Schiphol airport overnight. The problems and delays cascaded into the next day -- our Thursday morning -- with severe attempts to limit the numbers of passengers flying into Schiphol for connecting flights.

So, our group of 24 or so people -- denied boarding for a flight that still took off without us -- was essentially stranded in Krakow.

Here's where you learn one very important key to traveling with TPR: if something gets screwed up, you want Elissa on your side.

We tried to find ways to help. I ran around and talked with hapless check-in agents, who through no fault of their own were unable to help us rebook. Others in the group started looking up alternate flight options, and even the possibility of traveling by rail to Warsaw, where additional flights might be available. But ultimately, after spending literally hours on the phone with Delta, Elissa began to announce the changes to our plans. There was no possible way to get all of us on the same flight, and it wasn't even going to be possible to get all of us to Gothenburg that day. But the morning malaise turned to excitement as our next agenda item became clear: we'd be splitting up, rebooked across multiple airports and multiple flights, eventually making our way to Gothenburg in small groups. Going alphabetically, we were essentially split into four parts. One group got out quickly, and actually had time to make it to Liseberg that evening. Two other groups headed out in the mid to late afternoon, eventually re-uniting in Munich for a flight to Gothenburg. The final group became the "Polish Princes" -- stuck with a flight the next morning, but choosing to wisely use the extra time to explore more of Krakow.

For those of us in the second group, including me, we had some time to spare. So at least a few of us headed back to the hotel to catch a little extra sleep, then ... back to the airport for Krakow Departure Day, Take Two.

Back at the airport for another go. Oh, and have you ever heard of obwarzanek krakowski? It's a rolled bread (sort of like a bagel or pretzel) that vendors were selling dirt cheap in the airport. Surprisingly good. Should have gotten more than one.

First ever airport credit named after a pope!

Yeah, back at the observation area again, because the hotel booted us out at noon.

Planes from Germany and Poland at this relatively small airport.

A Ryanair 737-800 lands.

Fly Dubai and Norwegian (both 737-800s).

Ryanair 737-800 again.

LOT Polish Airlines Dash-8.

Swiss A220-300. A very new plane.

To make up for the, uh, inconvenience ... the airport gifted us 42 złoty! That's about $11 US, but it went further than you'd think at this airport.

So, we got pizzas...

...at Boccone Trattoria...

...which was a pretty nice airport restaurant.

Perhaps you could kill some more time by reading Polish romance novels.

Or, let's face it, we're ready to head out. Lufthansa flight 1625 to Munich!

I even caught our plane -- a CRJ-900 -- on its way in.

So, it's back to the gate, and this time, we actually get on a bus that takes us to an airplane. Amazing.

Our ticket out of Krakow has arrived.

Boarding the flight to Munich.

Any fears about luggage getting misplaced during our travel issues were put to rest -- everyone's stuff made it.

And then we're up.

Goodbye Poland!

...and hello Germany!

Krakow's airport is small. Munich's airport is massive.

Those giant hangars that dominate this photograph? Those are for Lufthansa's A380s.

That pyramidal hill is actually a designated planespotting location for the Munich airport!

We passed some large planes (including this A350-900) as we taxied to...

...another bus gate.

Yeah, this is fun, driving around the outside of the airport.

Well, we got inside, and I tried to figure out the quickest way to get to our connecting gate -- as we didn't have a ton of spare time.

We went up...

...then back down to the tunnel that leads to the K/L gates.

An underground train goes from one side of the airport to the other.

POV shot! See, there's ride content in this post!

At our gate, if you're bored, you could play some virtual reality games.

...or just get ready to board Lufthansa flight 2432 on an A321 to Gothenburg, because we're all ready to get to Sweden.

Guten Flug.

The funny thing about this unexpected visit to the Munich airport is that my additional travels at the end of my trip were always planned to finish in Munich. It was always a part of my itinerary. I just got in an early visit.

Really interesting planespotting airport, too, even if you're just taxiing and looking out the window. Here's an Oman Air A330-300.

South African A330-200.

What are you looking at?

A rare Lufthansa A340-600. There aren't many left, and I think they might even be retired now due to the pandemic.

Turning onto the runway.

Goodbye, Munich, that was a fun couple hours.

That A380 in the picture really stands out, doesn't it.

Views of some small villages...

...and huge cities, as we went over Berlin.

This view really takes my breath away.

Finally, a sunset in Sweden.

Beautiful views over the Kattegat.

...and one more stinkin' bus gate!

Mad that I overexposed this shot, but I'm using it anyway.

That's a little better.

Hey, it's a Volvo. That must mean...

...we're in Gothenburg! Or Göteborg, if you'd prefer.

I flew out of this airport at the end of my 2016 trip, so it wasn't my first time here.

The Hotel Lorensberg, not far from Liseberg. It was too late for our group to get to the park, but I did get some dinner at the Stage Door restaurant across the street. They had just closed the kitchen, but made me a burger anyway, and it was fantastic. I tipped them well.

A 7-11 just down the street was also nice.

Oh, and we may have had some fun with Lorensberg's extremely old-fashioned elevator.

That brings an end to a long, extremely strange day of travel -- with the best group in the world to share a strange day of travel with!

And that means we've got a full day at Liseberg up next!

[SharkTums]

Great report of a crazy day!  I'm still quite mad at Amsterdam for that major outage!!! But I was happy to be traveling with such a great group that took it in stride and made the most of it.  I love your plane spotting photos as always. 

[A.J.]

Long live the Polish Princes.

[The Great Zo]

On 2/3/2021 at 2:25 PM, SharkTums said:

I love your plane spotting photos as always. 

Thanks, I figure they're not for everyone but at least I've got you and Garbles!

On 2/3/2021 at 5:20 PM, A.J. said:

Long live the Polish Princes.

Was just thinking that "Krakow Kings" would also have worked if we were trying to stick with alliteration.

[Nrthwnd]

Long Live the Lorensberg Hotel! As well as it's 'fancy-ful elevator' and a really great Breakfast spread every morning! (2006-09-14 visits)

Thanks for the nice TR reminder.....and damn, that was a lot of planes you know about! Colour me Impressed!

[DBru]

Thank you for sharing this recounting of your night in Krakow that looked exactly like mine... 

Actually though, I was shocked at how beautiful Krakow was, and Poland in general. I'd definitely like to visit again in a few years, politics (and roller coaster additions) pending.

Big thanks again to Elissa for all the work she put into getting us to Sweden! And also to my deadbeat grandpa who gave me the last name that got me into Group 1.  

[The Great Zo]

8 hours ago, DBru said:

Thank you for sharing this recounting of your night in Krakow that looked exactly like mine... 

Actually though, I was shocked at how beautiful Krakow was, and Poland in general. I'd definitely like to visit again in a few years, politics (and roller coaster additions) pending.

Yeah, how'd you sleep that night? Was it restful?

Poland seems like probably not an every-Europe-trip destination, but I bet I'll get back there at some point. I wouldn't mind seeing Krakow at a more leisurely pace, and Energylandia will probably have another 18 roller skaters to pad my numbers with, so...

[The Great Zo]

Friday, July 26, 2019
Day 15: Liseberg

I loved Sweden when we visited in 2016. I loved Sweden again when we visited in 2019. That's my way of saying I've got a whole lot of pictures from Sweden, so it's gonna take some time for this TR to get through all of them.

We're going to start with a two-parter at Liseberg. This post will cover the majority of our full day at the park, with pictures from all over the place. Part 2 will include photos from our special behind-the-scenes activities, as well as a throwback to my first visit to Liseberg and Gothenburg in 2016.

Of course, before we could make our visit in 2019, we had to get through the insane travel day detailed in my last post. Tired or not, Liseberg was worth the effort.

The Trip Report

Our guide for the day was Liseberg's Pontus Hallsberg, a long-time friend to many in TPR. This was truly a full day at at the park -- we walked through the front gate at 9 AM, started off with some filming and ERT on Valkyria and Balder, and stayed through ERT at the end of the night. In between, we had plenty of time to see the rest of the park, get the rest of the credits, and even enjoy a little live music.

After our morning filming session, my group got on two more rides -- Loki, the park's large frisbee, and Helix, a fantastic Mack coaster you've probably heard of. After that, I left the park, heading to a photo spot I'd always planned on visiting. While I took some pictures, some of the others from my group hit up attractions I wasn't as interested in. We regrouped and knocked out some of the flats at the top of the hill, then made our way to Balder to continue an important tradition -- signing our names to the coaster's wooden supports. You won't see that event in this trip report -- it will be added to the behind-the-scenes stuff in the next update.

After the tour and a stop for lunch, I couldn't miss the opportunity to get some pictures of my friends on Liseberg's kiddie credits. The fact that I was off-ride taking photos kind of betrays the fact that I already got the credits (by myself) in 2016, which might be more pathetic if I'm being honest. I broke off for more photography after that, focusing on the log flume and Valkyria, and then we met up for a group dinner at Stjärnornas Krog. Google says that translates roughly to "restaurant of the stars" which is probably giving us too much credit.

The rest of the night consisted of a little bit of everything -- some ice cream, some more photography, live music courtesy of Swedish musician Hurula, and a few more coaster rides, including a lap on Valkyria with Pontus. ERT began at 11 PM, and we shared the ERT with the Pleasure Beach Experience, another visiting coaster group from the UK. I got several rides on Balder, and two or three on Helix to close out the evening. We even got to see one of the Helix trains being put away for the night, but there were so many people crowding into the maintenance bay that I couldn't get any decent pictures of it.

9 AM to midnight is 15 hours by my count, although I sometimes screw up the math. That's a lot of time at Liseberg, but this is a park that's easily worth such a long day.

The Park

Liseberg is a beautiful, unique, fun, charming, energetic place. It was the final park I visited in Europe on my 2016 trip, and I thought it was a fantastic end to the vacation. It was one of the parks I was most looking forward to revisiting, and my opinion hasn't changed at all. It's a top park in Europe, and probably in my top 10 worldwide.

Liseberg is an urban park, but it's pretty big for an urban park -- quite a bit larger than Grona Lund or Tivoli Gardens. The western half of Liseberg is set on a hill, which has an elevation about 100 feet above the lower eastern half of the park (which is close to sea level). Some of the park's more thrilling attractions were installed on top of the hill, including AtmosFear (drop tower), Uppswinget (screamin' swing), AeroSpin (sky roller), and Helix. There's no question that these attractions -- plus the huge Ferris wheel atop the north end of the hill -- provide Liseberg's best views. Although escalators make for the easiest way up and down the hill, there are also less-obvious pathways and trails that lead through some landscaped / wooded areas. It's so nice that you'll forget you're in an amusement park for a few minutes. Just not the kind of thing you'd see at an American chain park.

Liseberg is also a really well-rounded park. Although the coaster collection is small, they cover a range of intensities. There's a mix of kiddie and family attractions, two water rides, a year-round haunt, several intense flats, and a new dark ride (Underland) set to open in 2021. There are several of the quirky/weird/unique games that Swedish parks are famous for, with giant candy bars awarded to the victors. There are no shortage of amazing views and peaceful places to take a break. The dining options are varied, and I enjoyed everything I had to eat on both of my visits to the park. Hard to beat good live entertainment, too, and Liseberg's huge main stage (Stora Scenen) brings in big acts from around the world.

Oh, and just about any park is fun at night, but Liseberg really comes alive in a way few parks do. It's Cedar Point tier in terms of night-time greatness.

I'm honestly having a hard time thinking of any legitimate criticisms of Liseberg that wouldn't require the park to flat-out steal a bunch of additional land. Liseberg is a little bit limited on space, but they've made outstanding use of what they've got. I guess I'm not a huge fan of the lockers on Valkyria. I guess some of the staggered ride opening times aren't ideal. Sure, I'd love another one or two high-end thrill coasters. But as I'm looking at a map of Liseberg while writing this post, I struggle to think of a way you could do much better than how the park's already built.

The Rides

Aerospin is a fun way to knock yourself dizzy for an hour. Loki is a fantastic Intamin frisbee -- far better than the Huss models I got used to at Cedar Point and Kings Island. The Log Flume looks fantastic, but I still haven't been on it because of how wet it looks! AtmosFear (which I rode in 2016) lacks a bit in intensity, but makes up for it with amazing views from far above Liseberg.

To focus on the big four coasters...

Helix -- Wow, did I love Helix after the 2016 trip. It instantly entered my Top 10 overall, and was one of my favorite rides on the entire trip.

I'm going to mostly remember Helix from that trip, because Helix was having an off-day during our 2019 visit. It ran OK in the morning, but was down for lengthy periods later in the day, and eventually opened again (including for ERT) running just one train. It was also a bit rough in spots, perhaps related to the maintenance issues ongoing. This sort of thing is going to happen, and I don't want to make too big a deal of it.

Instead, I'll describe how I felt on Helix in 2016. It's just such an interesting and sometimes weird mix of elements. It really does do a little bit of everything -- a drop right out of the station, two launches, a corkscrew, a barrel roll, a bunch of weird inversions I can't name, and two genuinely crazy airtime hills. It's also got one of my favorite coaster scores, courtesy of (who else) IMAScore. It's a great ride with nice views during the day, but at night, you'll see all of Gothenburg glistening below you. Or above you, or beside you, depending on what direction the coaster train happens to be oriented.

A night-time close-out-the-park marathon of Helix in 2016 is one of my favorite coaster memories of all time. Didn't quite get to replicate it in 2019, but did get two or three rides at the end of the night to re-live the experience a little bit. One not-so-great operating day aside, I absolutely love this coaster. I still have it ranked #14 overall, which puts it at #3 overall on the 2019 Europe trip, only behind the trip's two RMCs.

Balder -- The Balder hype machine is almost as legendary as the coaster itself. Would it live up to the expectations?

In 2016, it definitely did not. I visited on a cool day, and Balder was not running well. It was already starting to lose speed and shuffle around the turns after just the second run of airtime hills. I tried not to get too down on the ride, since basically everyone involved with TPR had told me it was better than that.

So, did Balder live up to the expectations on a hot July day in 2019? The answer is: almost. It was running much better than three years prior, keeping its speed up on all but maybe the last run of airtime hills, and delivering some pretty intense airtime especially on the first few. Balder definitely moved up my rankings after the 2019 visit, and I think it's a great coaster. I just can't quite put it in that absolute top-tier with rides like El Toro (SFGAdv) or even Colossos (Heide Park). What sets those rides apart, in my opinion, is prolonged extreme ejector airtime. Balder can't quite get there, but it does find a way to pack a ton of airtime into a relatively small footprint, and some of that airtime is briefly of the "rip you out of your seat" variety. So don't take this as a negative review -- it's a very positive review, I just can't go quite as far as others do with it.

Valkyria -- Valkyria is the newest coaster at Liseberg, opening in 2018 in place of Kanonen. It's a modern B&M dive coaster with six-across seating, so it's an easy comparison to a ride we'd been on just a week or so before: Baron 1898 at Efteling. I think both Valkyria and Baron are really good coasters, but not quite great coasters. Between the two I'll give the slight edge to Baron, in part because of that ride's remarkable theming, and in part because of the standard restraints (which give a little more freedom of movement). Valkyria uses B&M's vest restraints, which I'm not much a fan of, but I recall that they didn't lock like they do on some of the B&Ms in the US. Valkyria may not be a favorite, but I'll agree with Chuck: it's easily better than the forceless Valravn. Honestly, I just love taking pot-shots at Valravn. At the risk of enraging Elissa, I think Valkyria's a better fit for Liseberg than Kanonen was. Sorry! To apologize, I'll have some beautiful Kanonen pics from 2016 in the next update!

Lisebergbanan -- I forgot until I re-read Erik's trip report that we were going to start calling this Lisabanana. Whatever name we go with, it's a really good ride for all ages. It's not as intense as some of the other Schwarzkopf coasters (including Jetline at Grona Lund) but it's longer, and sports some fantastic views. The big triple helix is the ride's centerpiece, and you may even catch a glimpse of Helix running nearby along the way. This is just a solid family coaster, and one I'm glad the park sees fit to continue to invest in. Between my two visits in 2016 and 2019, Lisebergbanan received new trains and a complete makeover to the station and queue.

That's a lot of typing. The pictures are up next.

[The Great Zo]

Pictures from Liseberg!

We entered the park at around 9AM. Valkyria was warming up for us.

We had some ERT/filming on Valkyria and Balder. After that, here's one of the first Valkyria trains of the day.

Loki is the park's Intamin frisbee, and it's huge and it's awesome. 

This whole section of the park -- Loki, Balder, Valkyria -- has a loose mythological theme tying it all together. I like the attention to detail on decorative ornaments like this.

Oh, and who can forget Helix?

So, after a few early morning rides, I promptly ... left the park.

Cross under the freeway, head up these stairs...

Walk through some streets on the edge of a neighborhood...

Pretty soon you're climbing up a hill.

This is the summit of Påskberget -- a rocky hill standing opposite Liseberg from across the freeway. There were BBQ grills up at the top, so I'm guessing it's a spot where locals hang out and enjoy the view.

One of those locals is TPR user Lond, whose pictures in the Liseberg thread inspired me to find this spot and get some shots of my own.

Here's a panoramic view of the entire park as seen from the hill.

The reason I went so early in the day is for better lighting -- with the sun off to the left and the park largely un-shadowed.

Looking north from the hill.

The Gothia Towers, a higher-end hotel just steps from the park's front entrance. That's actually a pool hanging off the side of the middle tower.

The north end of Liseberg's hill -- with the Liseberg Wheel, AtmosFear, Helix, and Lisebergbanan.

The middle part of Liseberg, directly across the freeway.

The south end of Liseberg -- dominated by Balder and Valkyria.

Oh, and a whole load of traffic heading into the city.

Southbound to Malmö, anyone?

OK, pulling out the zoom lens. North of the park you can see the huge Ullevi stadium.

The Liseberg Wheel and AtmosFear -- both in operation.

It is a very large wheel! I did not ride in 2019, but I did in 2016.

AtmosFear was down for almost the entire day of our visit, but it ran at least a few cycles in the morning. I'm not sure anyone from our group was able to ride.

Putting the Fear in AtmosFear -- and capturing proof that it did actually operate!

Helix says hello.

Balder climbs the lift.

There is, arguably, hairtime on the lift hill. If there's enough of a breeze.

Comfortable Intamin trains, which is good, because the airtime is strong.

Balder cruises on past the Gothenburg cityscape.

Balder: going up.

Balder: going down.

A tight turn.

Having some fun with buildings in the background of coaster shots.

The hairtime is strong in this one.

Red train or blue train? I think one of them was supposed to be faster, but I can't recall which.

Balder and Valkyria together.

And again, a two-train shot, though it's slightly cheating if one of the two is on the lift hill.

Valkyria, Liseberg's newest coaster, stands tall over the south end of the park.

Ascending the lift. Some interesting art on the hotel behind it.

Hanging at the top.

The moment of release.

A quick descent.

One of several inversions.

Another double-ride shot, this time with Valkyria and Loki.

A pendulum with an interesting color scheme and a whole lot of airtime.

Way down below, the recently-refreshed Lisebergbanan station.

This was still early enough in the morning that some attractions (such as Uppswinget and AeroSpin) were not yet operating. Helix and Lisebergbanan, however, gave me plenty to shoot my camera at.

An early inversion on Helix.

Flipping around.

The big building in the background sits atop the hill, and houses the ride queues/stations for Helix and AtmosFear. There's also a restaurant and some other stuff.

If you want inversions, Helix has 7 of them.

Sometimes, you catch two coasters at once! And, out of pure dumb luck, John and Chris from our group on the Lisebergbanan train.

Sometimes, one of them goes upside down.

Just past the halfway point on Helix -- the second launch.

Which immediately goes up...

...into an inverted top hat.

This is a pretty cool element.

Nearby, Lisebergbanan pumps out the trains at an insane rate.

Helix says hello...

...while ripping through one hell of an airtime hill.

This one feels like it just keeps on going.

It might have taken some patience, but I timed out this sequence of trains on both Helix and Lisebergbanan.

More timing than skill, but either way.

That's it from the hill -- the photos continue below as I head back into the park.

[The Great Zo]

Pictures continued!

Heading south from the hill, a bike path crosses under the freeway.

Liseberg is waiting just on the other side.

You'll walk right past Balder's lift hill.

Liseberg's southern entrance is right over there.

On the way, a few more views of Valkyria, with more awesome Gothenburg backdrops.

Valkyria is not my favorite coaster in the world, but it's fantastic for pictures.

Happy coaster people!

More (generally) happy coaster people!

Arrival at the southern entrance, and heading back into the park for the rest of the day.

This is a lot like that shot I failed to get at Legendia, but I wasn't going to miss it here.

Heading up to the south end of Liseberg's hill, there is a carousel.

Blomsterkarusellen!

We have carousel fans here at TPR, so I always try to post a few carousel pictures.

But, I'm also going to post Helix pictures.

Crazy inversions!

Awesome green track!

Free advertising for grocery stores!

What's not to love about Helix?

Pseudo-artistic lighting fixture coaster shot, #1 of 2.

There are a lot of great camera angles from Liseberg's hill -- almost the entire park is visible to some degree. Here's Loki from almost straight-on.

Valkyria isn't that much higher either.

Lisabanana's lift climbs the hill near one of the best viewpoints.

Oh, and it's not just Lisebergbanan -- the log flume travels along the hillside up here also.

Meanwhile, across the way, there's the hill where I got all those pictures from earlier.

BBQ grills sold separately.

Jumping ahead in the day here!

I did not get a ton of pictures of Liseberg's flat rides. Honestly, this photo set doesn't quite cover every nook and cranny of the park. I'd definitely recommend checking out Chuck's and Erik/Smisty's trip reports, which fill out some of the other attractions and scenery at Liseberg.

But, I do have to talk about Högspänningen.

(above pic from 2016)

Högspänningen is one of those weird spinning teacup wheel tower things. They don't seem too common, but they should be. They're surprisingly fun.

Toverland has one, but it was not operating when we visited. This one was!

When you're done spinning your friends around and trying to make them sick, you can enjoy the view! Here's a good chunk of Liseberg's family/kids area.

Looking south, Valkyria looms in the distance. You can also see a Rockin' Tug and a monorail thing.

Rabalder -- a Zierer family coaster -- is nearby.

Can't miss Helix from here, either.

Big-time airtime.

So, Liseberg has two kiddie credits.

This is Rabalder. The front of the train has kids and families.

The back of the train is filled with TPR.

Who knew kiddie credits were so exciting?

Stampbanan is the other Liseberg kiddie credit.

It is a really, really tiny thing.

Admittedly, my friends are having a harder time faking the excitement on this one.

At least this coaster is very colorful -- as are its surroundings.

Barry and Daniel are giving it their all, and I respect that.

Honestly, though, I'm more with Colin on this one.

Oh, now we're getting thoughtful.

You'll notice I'm not riding.

As mentioned earlier, I already have the credits.

But that freed me up for photo duty, which is a trade-off I'll take.

What, nobody wanted to stick around to ride with the giant anthropomorphic rabbit?

Heading over to the Stora Scenen to see who's on stage.

It's Swedish musician Hurula, sound-checking for his band's show that evening.

Decent stuff, as soundchecks go.

Additional musicians, as needed.

Minimalist set design for hat guy.

Continuing a tour of Liseberg -- here's the plaza near the main entrance.

This is a really nice area of the park -- a manicured hillside where people just take a break.

Also, art. (photo from 2016)

In a way you'll really only find at European parks, you'll walk through a garden and quickly forget you're in a park at all.

There's a plaza full of handprints of famous people -- including this batch of four legendary musicians.

I've seen two of the four in concert, but you'll have to guess which two.

Of course, this legendary quartet is probably more what you're thinking of.

And I may have listened to a ton of their music while editing this photo set.

And I'm not even remotely ashamed of that, because ABBA is awesome.

Big landscaped fountain things!

A pleasant stream.

No roller coasters to be found.

Giant dinosaurs, on the other hand...

The trail actually pops out near the Universeum, a separate attraction adjacent to Liseberg.

You actually have to walk through all this landscaping and metalwork to finish the trail and get to the top of the Liseberg hill.

When you're done, you'll find yourself right underneath the big wheel.

You'll also find yourself adjacent to Helix's station, which, well...

...didn't have a lot of good news at this time of the day.

What type of plant is growing in here?

Ah, yes, that makes sense.

So, back to the ride photos now -- and we'll start with the log flume. The lift hill tops out near the Helix station building.

Whaddya mean Helix is down?

Extra splashyness.

This is an uncommon camera angle for a log flume -- there's a platform basically right next to the middle of the main drop.

The photo fun here is just about endless.

My goodness, I have seen the face of fear, and it is her.

And excitement!

And now, more thoughtfulness.

You can look down at the splash from the same spot.

It's a pretty big splash, and there's a wall on the right side that just makes it worse.

The amount of wetness is, perhaps, slightly unacceptable.

That's why, even though I love log flumes -- and this one looks fantastic -- I still have yet to ride.

Next time I'll suck it up.

A splash begins at the bottom of the drop.

The log disappears.

A mist falls on Liseberg.

The boat skips along.

Flume reactions are the best.

Good lighting doesn't hurt either.

Are we having fun?

Yes, I think we are.

If you can't have fun at Liseberg, you're doing something wrong.

That's it from the flume -- one more batch of photos to go.

[The Great Zo]

Dinner break!

Sorry, just one picture from the outside of the restaurant.

Just pretend we are eating delicious things.

And now, back to the rides.

Lisabanana!

The station, the queue, everything -- this was all re-done between my visits. It looked good before, but it looks fantastic now.

Looking up at the Lisebergbanan lift hill.

They were dispatching trains on this thing with a Knoebels-like efficiency.

These are new trains. Do you want to see what the old trains looked like? Stay tuned for the next TR segment.

Valkyria, you're up next.

B&Ms are often photogenic. This one is no exception.

You can pretty much get right underneath the Valkyria first drop, which is the place to be for photos of a dive coaster.

Mostly excitement here. Some fear.

Always interesting to see how people react to the holding brake giving way.

Coaster nerds of the type reading this post are probably a little bit desensitized to this kind of drop, but just look at the reactions. People love this stuff.

You may want to secure your jewelry.

Valkyria's first drop is 164 feet tall.

Definitely some outright terror in this shot.

Always some hairtime heading down the hill, too.

Just having fun with trees and photo composition.

Pseudo-artistic lighting fixture coaster shot, #2 of 2.

A ha, time for some Balder photos!

That's a different entrance sign than the one they had in 2016.

Balder at the top of the lift.

I think that wooden shield is there to muffle the screams from the neighborhoods across the freeway.

Right at the top and about to drop.

The trains on Balder move fast, and the railings make focusing a bit tricky, but there's some photo gold to be mined if you're quick with a shutter.

This is just plain fun. This is why we love coasters, isn't it?

Balder is an absolute hairtime machine.

Brave Balder riders who may have underestimated the airtime.

Ten bonus points to the dude with the IMAScore shirt!

I think this is the only picture of Mechanica -- a Zierer Star Shape -- that I have in this update. It's a weird one.

Also, there is a disk-o.

I don't love disk-os, but these folks do.

The big cranes behind the ride are a sign of future things to come at Liseberg...

Rounding out the big flats at the south end of the park, Loki flies high above Balder.

Oh, and we've got games!

And you can win giant packages of Toblerone and Kex and whatever else!

Which is awesome until you have to carry it around everywhere.

I'm not sure what Center is, but you can win some here!

Alright, it's golden hour now. Heading back up the hill for some nicely-lit shots of Valkyria...

...and Balder right behind it.

More airtime. Endless airtime.

The Intamin pre-fab prepares to rip another train's faces off.

Timing out some two-train shots -- that's the real fun from this view.

Airtime to the left, inversions to the right.

Valkyria goes nom nom nom on the red Balder train.

A very close encounter.

Because every European park photo set apparently needs a "really old church that is gonna show up in a picture anyway so you might as well do one intentionally" shot.

Meanwhile, far below Helix...

The Hurula concert has begun.

Cool stage lighting. Let's get a little closer.

A good crowd for the show.

Anyone in the park is able to attend -- though if you want to get up close, you probably have to stake out your spot pretty early.

Thankfully, I have a zoom lens.

I am completely unfamiliar with Hurula's music, but I enjoyed catching a few songs.

Read more about Hurula on the Swedish Wikipedia!

Other guitarist dude played half the show with his back to the audience. Probably for artistic reasons.

Dramatic spotlights.

One more picture from the concert, and then it was time for a few more rides.

With sunset nearing, the park lights up.

Windmills are not just for the Dutch.

Stacy and I made an attempt to get on the wheel at around sunset, but the queue was rather long. We ended up at Valkyria with Pontus, getting a nice view as the park was turning from day to night.

And then, ERT!

Given the issues with Helix, I spent most of the time on Balder, getting uninterrupted night rides for a solid half hour. Pretty awesome stuff.

Did head up to Helix closer to the end of ERT, and managed 2 or 3 cycles, taking in that amazing view of a sparkling Gothenburg from one of Mack's best creations.

...and it's just so green!

That ends this TR update. We'll go behind the scenes at Liseberg in the next edition!

[SharkTums]

LOL! Caroline does NOT look impressed by that kiddie coaster. Also did I miss anything or did you not mention that it was the HOTTEST DAY IN SWEDEN pretty much ever the day we were there?!!?  Yay Climate Change! Ugh, it was rough!

[The Great Zo]

On 2/22/2021 at 3:07 PM, SharkTums said:

LOL! Caroline does NOT look impressed by that kiddie coaster. Also did I miss anything or did you not mention that it was the HOTTEST DAY IN SWEDEN pretty much ever the day we were there?!!?  Yay Climate Change! Ugh, it was rough!

NO! She does not!

It's kind of crazy how I basically forgot how hot it was that day. 88°F at the airport on July 26, officially the hottest day in Gothenburg in 2019. Maybe I just like the heat.

[DBru]

Something about walking into Liseberg feels truly magical. Of all the parks on the trip, this is the one that I legitimately can't WAIT to visit again. To me, it kind of feels like the (urban) Silver Dollar City of Europe. What it lacks in quantity, it absolutely makes up for in quality. It's collection of rides is definitely world-class.

With that being said, Helix did leave me disappointed. While the layout and setting are spectacular, the train rattled and vibrated like crazy on every one of my 6-8 rides. Also, the lapbar tightens to an uncomfortable point throughout the ride. However, like you said, this was clearly rough day maintenance-wise for Helix, so I look forward to giving it another chance. I still have it ranked 36/<500, so clearly still a great coaster.

And while Valkyria may be a middle-of-the-road B&M with annoying vest restraints, it sure does look pretty. And when you pull out on the vests and utilize The MethodTM, the drop into the mist-and-laser-filled-tunnel is pretty freakin sweet. 

Loki is insane and was one of the biggest unexpected surprises of the trip. My Intamin fanboy-ism may be showing, but putting (basically) lapbar-only restraints on a giant frisbee was ingenious and every swing made me feel like I was going to die. Amazing.

Also the Jukebox-Octopus-flat ride was awesome, the haunted house was scary as f#@k, and I'm glad Caroline was unhappy riding the kiddie coaster cuz it's what she gets for being the reason I didn't get to ride AtmosFear. 

Okay, I'm done now.

[Electerik]

I did not know about the hill across the highway. Even though all I brought camera-wise was my phone, I would've liked to see that--if for no other reason than just to get a bit more of the flavor of the area. Then again, I'm not sure where the time or energy for me to do that would've come from, as the heat and lack of sleep from the previous day really kicked my butt that day.

I'm just not sure about Liseberg. Certainly, there's a lot to like. But a lot of its attractions didn't really hit for me--or maybe nothing was ever going to work for me that particular day. Tough to say. Guess I need to go back!