Bert gets his Viking on with the TPR 2023 Scandi Tour (no Pillaging, but some Humping occured)

[bert425]

Day 6, June 8th part 2:  rest of the day at the incredible Hansa Park

 

making our way towards the front area with the big restaurant (which seemed the best bet as they had lots of options), we stumbled across a section in the middle of the park that seemed to be themed to Africa.

and, of course, they had a Jungle Safari ride.

it looked rather silly - basically an antique taxi kind of ride, but there was no line, and the ride op said we could each take our own "jeep'. . so we hopped on.

turned out to be a great decision, as this was not only stupid long and relaxing, but full of some amazing (and amazingly bad) animatronic animals.    absolutely loved this, and posted about it to the group thread the moment we got off, so folks knew it was there.

come along with me and enjoy "Africa" !

 

the snake hissed, made an attempt to strike at you, and spit water. . LOL

 

just like the Lion King. . .'zactly!

look on the left over there. . it's the backside of Hippo

 

 

 

and then they apparently decided:  Enough with the realistic animals. . let's stick in one that looks like a pinata.

Big Mike loved it.

as did Doug

Hawk just gave up. . .

and out front.. a Giraffe apparently named "Akira". . . I mean. . .

 

gotta climb up and hump (I mean Hug) it. .

after our safari, it was time to eat, and the restaurant up front was like a cafeteria with a lot of options.

and this neat little kids play area in the corner, so the adults could eat in peace while the kids are distracted.  (we weren't there exactly at a meal time, so wasn't busy at all, but did see many other TPR folks in there too).

can't remember what I got.. but I do recall the desert was very sweet, and what looks like Schnitzel there (probably was) was pretty good, but too much gravy on it.

oddly, the restaurants here don't have the restrooms attached.. so had to go outside and down the way to wash my hands before eating.

while outside tho, get a wonderful view of Nessie, so stopped to snap a pic or three

again, not patient enough to sit and wait for the shot (hey, I was hungry), but Royal Scotsman *did* come thru Nessie's loop about 2 seconds later

food eaten, and some shopping done (magnet and T-shirt purchased. .but sadly no Nessie merch as mentioned in part 1), we headed towards the train.  Planning to take a calm, relaxing ride after a meal.

the park also has an observation tower, but unfortunately was down today as it was being painted.

the train takes you all the way around the park, and it's a really nice ride, with lots to enjoy.

here's some nature, part of Flucht von Novgorod's track (in the background behind it is track from Schwur des Kärnan). and on the left is I THINK a Starflyer (tho it could be Highlander?).

yup. .it's Highlander

the train weaves in and out, and under, some rides.   allowing for some really cool pictures.

another of the little play areas. . this one with self operating teeter-totters (kinda)

called "Buffalo Rodeo"   LOL

Schwur des Kärnan & Crazy Mine from the train.

THEMING!

our lil group enjoying the train. . and yes, those are the same two girls from way earlier. . who spotted Jonathan and really wanted to share a seat with him on the train

totally forgot the park has a Troika. . . it's kinda tucked off by itself behind that building on the left - which is indoor, disco, bumper cars.  (no, really)

this space here is where a Carousel is supposed to be.   They had a temporary (cheapie) one set up across the way I didn't bother with. .but the sign says they are refurbishing a classic carousel and will put it in that spot, across from the observation tower on the right.

after the train ride, we were settled enough it was time to hit the water rides (and it had gotten warm enough).

over by the flume, they have some animatronic bears (I think they are bears?) that play in the clock-tower.

got more than a little moist on the flume, but it felt good!

and just outside?  a photo op.

i can ride a bear?  yes please

and over here in this section they do have a classic merry-go-round (similar to several I saw on last year's Europe Trip).

so made a point to ride this one. . and Big Mike rode with me.

look how happy!
and yeah, of course I chose a bear to ride again.
(think I have Hawk to thank for this pic)

 

another photo op, going towards the park's Supersplash, you can lower the helmet to pose.

prolly was stupid to do, but at least didn't get sick from anyone else's germs while posing.

 

the park has a few big water rides, spread out at the edges.

tho we didn't get SOAKED on the flume, some in the group were wary about getting on something called a Super Splash.

so I ended up riding it alone.

because it wasn't busy over here on this side of the park, the ride ops had no problem letting me go in my own car.   it helped keep me a bit drier than it would have.
(think these pics are courtesy of Big Mike)

then we all headed back over towards Flucht von Novgorod. . and although we got in the Single Rider line (and there was a pretty big line). . it just happened to work out that Hawk, Doug, and I all ended up on the same train.

so Big Mike was able to get this great picture!

what's this section. . had we been thru here yet?   I see Western theme, and American flags?

and scales for some reason.    but a great photo op!

I feel so skinny!

and the store was selling "Horse Bubbles". . .

it's EXACTLY as gay as you'd imagine it would be from the sign

oh. . oh. . .I LOVE these, and they have one.

and not only is it just a pony ride. . it's a SHOOTING pony ride, and the ride keeps score!

I got to ride "Fury"

the targets were a bit hard to hit, but when you did?  they reacted like the old Disney Shooting Gallery.. ended up being a lot of fun.

and of course, had to take this pic.

across the way was the kiddie canoe ride (the operator for the ponies was also running this one).. but the canoes were clearly not for adults, so didn't even try those.

a statue of someone. . for something.  Zooming in on the sign, perhaps he was the King of Denmark?

but they had those ice creams I loved in Paris here.  the ones Kristen got me hooked on.

not exactly the same, but close enough.

oo. . sexy. . .

we had made our way to the other side of the park, and the other "big" water ride. .the rafting.

nobody getting off looked wet, so we all rode, and even tho it was fun?  yeah. . didn't even get spritzed with water.. . so a dry water ride.

But again, it was fun, and we got a lot of spinning during the ride.

like the canoes, they also have a kiddie log flume.

also like the canoes, this one clearly looked like there was no way an adult would fit in these barrels .. so I just took a picture of it.

David was over at the "Planes on a Trebuchet" getting his flip on (and I think he did end up on the scoreboard). . so went over to watch that for a bit.

and across the way from it (in the shadow of Schwur des Kärnan) is the Hupfberge - the giant bouncy playground.

it was getting close to time that we had to meet the bus, so Big Mike and I made our way around the far end of the park. (while some others ran back to get more rides on some of the coasters) and we stumbled across yet ANOTHER flume.

this one had ride vehicles shaped like viking boats.   and upon observation, it appeared to be a family version - with one adult seat and two kids seats in each boat.

there were adults and older teens riding, so we joined the line.

it's not Dumbo, nor Shamu. . . Shumbo ?    from the mini-flume ride.

and yeah. .while not all that tall, or steep?   this thing gave off a big splash.

very refreshing

and for some reason, themed with Penguins, and Vikings buried up to their necks in the ground watching you on the ride.

kinda creepy, kinda cool.

 

I don't ride bumper cars - can mess up my back. . but as we made our way to the front gate for the bus, we just had to pop into the Disco Bumper Cars so I could take a look at them.

you enter thru a spinning walkway - apparently going to outer space.

and the ride looked like a lot of fun - and was blasting music.

but no. .didn't ride.   Just took a couple of pics.

 

and then we headed to the gate to meet up with the group and the bus.   We had a drive tonight, as we were headed back to Denmark - specifically to Aarhus, as tomorrow was a park that has a one of a kind in the world (now remaining) thrill.


but yeah, Hansa was a really fantastic park with a lot to do for anyone who is any "thrill level"

loved my time here.

[bert425]

Hansa Swag . . . tho you can see me wearing the shirt in the afternoon pics

T-shirt

 

Magnets:

 

the soundtrack to the Karnan coaster

 

and the picture I bought

[Nrthwnd]

Mmmmmmm, I do love getting park soundtracks, etc. And I listen to them all, too! Good set of swag, Bert!

[bert425]

Day 6, June 8th, post park evening. .

so back on the bus, and we headed off to Aarhus, Denmark. . which would be our basecamp hotel for the next4 parks.

I don't recall how long the drive was, but I don't have many pics out the window, so I have a feeling I napped. . LOL

but eventually we did a "food stop" for dinner in a town who's name I can't recall. . . but they had this interesting sculpture in the middle of the roundabout.

there were multiple food options here, and the group scattered for dinner, but many of us ended up here:   Sunset Boulevard - which I guess is best compared to Burger King or McDonald's in Denmark?

a peek at the menu:  (lots and lots of options. . too many, really, LOL. .I had a hard time choosing what to eat)

and tho it was not really memorable as great.. I do remember it didn't thrill me with how MESSY everything was.  
(seriously, I *hate* being sticky - hence my fixation with always having napkins - and this was a multiple napkin meal)

 

yeah. . I recall it did taste better than it looked. . but. . . ewwwww.

the fries were pretty good tho.

and I did like the Chili Cheese bites (at least I think that's what these were advertised as), in a chipotle mayo dip.

back on the bus and onwards to Aarhus where we checked into the Zleep Hotel - another kinda funky hotel that I really liked.

this one looked like it was intended to be an office building, but it never got completed, and they just turned it into a Hotel.

very "industrial" with exposed concrete walls, and sleek/bare furnishings, but I liked it.

we had a nice view of the town too. .

pic of Nick (and saline for contacts) on the side table - and a quick recon of the area (and found out a Starbucks in a 24 hour gas station just up the street. . . self serve, but the Starbucks machine. . so was happy - and then turned in for the night.

 

another GREAT day in the books, and so much more to come on this trip.

 

 

[teacherkim]

Just got all caught up on this hot, so hot, afternoon here in the Lou. The look on that kids face on the little ladybug coaster is hilarious. He is totally trying to figure out why he is surrounded by a bunch of adult American men, lol.

[redfoot12]

Great pics, Bert!

It's with a bit of a forlorn heart that I look at these trip reports as I had plans this summer to visit friends who moved to Denmark in 2021. I was going to spend a week with them and another week visiting some Scandinavian parks (and maybe a couple of German ones). My job was supposed to go from contract to permanent (it didn't) and I was counting on that sweet sweet PTO...

[JK]

Great trip report!

Nice to see Schwur des Kärnan with all of its theming.  When I rode it, it was very bare bones.  They did have the row selection room but all the other rooms, corridors and outside was plain concrete.

Space Race (indoor bumper cars) brings back happy memories.  Our small group would takes turns at singing "Space Race!" in a crescendo. 

[bert425]

 

I KNEW we had posed for a picture at Hansa!

found it as working on my next update.. it got filed in with the Tivoli Friheden pics.

here it is. . . the group of us starting our day at Hansa Park.

enjoy!   next update coming soon.

 

 

[bert425]

Day 7, June 9th part 1:  Tivoli Friheden.

getting up early, I took advantage of the nearby Starbucks machine in the gas station and walked over to get coffee, snapping a pic of the front of our hotel.
(it looks like an office building outside too. . . . I liked it, very no frills, but comfortable)

ok.. NOW I'm ready for the day.

I was psyching myself up.  why?  you'll see.

very quiet in the morning in Arhus . .

with a lovely church closeby - tho the one time I tried to go take some pics of it, as Big Mike and I got closer to it, we discovered that there was a Casket being unloaded and seemed tacky to take pics during a funeral.   (I think I might have some closer shots of it on another day tho).

walking back to the Hotel, to get ready for the bus this morning. .

we were headed to a smaller park today, Tivoli Friheden, in Arhus Denmark.

the "big" reason we were coming here?  that tower in the background of the prior pic, and this one below.

the last operating SCAD tower in the world.

SCAD = Suspended Catch Air Device Tower.

and I'm terrified of Heights.   yeah.  hence the need for coffee this morning.

for a smaller park, they do have a lot of rides, tho other than the SCAD tower, nothing really "extreme". . more family thrill stuff.

very cute logo tho.

Us, along with some school kids (I think?) got entry early and we headed directly for the tower.

passing a very nice two tier carousel

and a decent ferris wheel.

for some reason the Pizza place (called PIT.sa - yeah. .I dunno, but it works, LOL) had Carousel Horses on it's sign.  
Wasn't super crowded when we went there to eat lunch later.  A surprise, as the park was full of school kids.  but it made for a nice quiet meal later.

Standing at the base of the tower, I started to have some doubts.

not everyone was going to ride it.. so there was no shame in backing out.   But I had PROMISED myself that I was going to do things I'd be scared to do.   My spouse dying suddenly showed me life is short, and there are no guarantees. . so I was determined to ride it - if I could.

you see, they have a weight limit - minimum AND a maximum.  and they put you on a scale to make sure you fall in that range.

I had an out if I was too heavy. . but I actually was a good amount below the top weight. . so I was gonna force myself.

tho probably shouldn't have watched the first couple of folks go. . . .

when it was my turn, we got suited up - complete with a hard "shell" attached to our backs.

here's Steve and I. . . yeah. . look how "confident" I am.

(think these pics are courtesy of AJ ?)

then they put you into a tiny elevator, and bring you all the way up to the top.

here's Jon watching us up there.. he stayed on the ground.   smart man.

 

thanks to Elissa (this video) and Robb (the next video). . . my turn is documented from the bottom of the tower, and the top.

yes. . I'm quiet.   I honestly, was too terrified to scream.

I think some folks lost money, if they bet I was gonna be loud.

 

but I did it.. my legs were shaky, but I managed to "gracefully" get out of the net at the bottom.

and was shocked that I did it.

and then immediately broke down crying the moment I had all the gear off. . . .

 

yeah.

 

but I DID it!

once i got myself all composed again?  I rewarded myself with Ice Cream while watching everyone else who wanted to go, take a turn (the elevator only carries 5-6 people at a time, so it was small groups).

and then we were given lunch vouchers, and let loose to do what we wished in the park.

as not a huge park, with no really extreme coasters, it was an excellent opportunity to spend just half a day here, and then take in some local sights/museums. . as there are lovely canals and architecture here in the city.

this is one of the 3 coasters in the park: Tyfonen - a spinning wild mouse.  (or is it called Spiseriet ?  I didn't see the Tyfonen naming on the outside of this ride)

(the park used to have a Suspended looping coaster - extreme - but after some injuries / deaths, the park removed it last year. . tho the ride pad is still there, now with some "jumping" playground stuff there.    and they did just announce a decent sized new coaster will be coming in 2024. . I'd assume in that spot)

Here's Jonathan, myself and Ian after we finished spinning. . pic, I think, courtesy of Jon?

 

you are EVIL. . I did you once. . never again. . . . well. . not in the same way, I guess. . .

 

Somehow I didn't get a pic of the outside of this ride, but it just cracked me up.

at one point it clearly was a haunted house ride thru.

then they apparently decided to make it like Resident Evil with Zombies among the haunted house. . oh, and make it a shooting ride.   in 3D - which didn't work that well (think un-maintained Six Flags Level).  

I mean, if you're going to SHOOT, might as well be fully immersive and make the riders cops.

well. . we can slap "Police" on the side of the ride vehicle.. that makes it fully immersive, right?

 

it was so hysterically awful. . with the vast majority of the 4 3D screens being blurry messes, even with the glasses on - that made everything else so dark, so the remaining practical effects that were NOT part of the shooting became really hard to see.  

and for some reason the "scorboard" at the load station, not at the exit.  

very pointless. . but funny to ride (once) for the "what the F did I just ride?" quality.

I mean. . look at the front of that vehicle.  

It's a POLICE CAR, I tell ya!!!

 

this is another of the rides I forced myself to get on. . I was terrified of it, and this is really the only other "thrill ride" in the park. 

heck..it's in the park logo, showing it going almost upside-down with free spinning seats.     

But I took a deep breath and got on it.

and it ran a SUPER gentle program.

these pics are really as high as it went, and the seats did not free spin (I asked the op about it when he was uncuffing us, and he said the seats hadn't flipped in a while, they stopped doing that).     I have to wonder if it ran a more gentle program because of all the kids here today for the school event?

so I rode it, but then was a little embarrassed I had been afraid of it.

they also have a smallish drop tower next door. . but I skipped that, having had enough "freefall" today.

a low to the ground air-race (not Zamperla tho). . got some of the TPR folks excited. . and David (and Jonathan) had the kids in awe by how much flipping they got during their cycle. . . tho if I recall, the operator cut the cycle a little short to protect the record that someone had on the flips for the year.

and yes... with only 3 coasters, I rode all 3.

here's Dragen - the park's wacky worm. . that went around, I think, five times?   All I recall is the transitions weren't super smooth and I was ready for it to stop, and we kept going!!

 

something that got repeated on the park's 3rd coaster: Bisværmen (Bee Swarm) - a spinning coaster.

look at me. .all smiles.    Happy we're riding a spinning coaster BEFORE we eat lunch.

not super intense..but it spun, a LOT.   and we were unbalanced, because of the two kids on the back of our car.

who BEGGED the operator to send us thru on another cycle (after it had gone around 4 times in the 1st cycle). . so she did.   yeah. .8 laps was a lot of spinning.

but was fun, I'll admit.

even tho we knew we were having Pizza Buffets at the next two parks.. . the Pizza place really did look to be the best choice - it was quiet, and the food looked decent.

so here was lunch:

complete with yet another of the same scary clown.

I guess he must be a famous "clown type" in Denmark. 

at least he was in Black and White and not with a blood red mouth this time!

right next to the Pizza place was the Ferris Wheel. . so that seemed to be a good place to go next - a calm ride.

with an animatronic George Ferris in the queue.

do I know why?  no, I don't.   Was George Ferris Danish?

Myself, Hawk, Doug, and Big Mike riding the wheel

wait wait wait.. .what is that coming off the tower??  is that a zip line???

Oh, HELL no.

but it doesn't LOOK like a zip-line. . it looks like they are riding a bike?    

and it spins as it goes up? 

hmmmmmmmm

and oh. . look how close we are to the Carousel!   I know what I'm doing next

overlooking more of the park. . there's a whole other section (more park, with only some smaller rides) on the left - that my pic of came out blurry)

I was proud of myself for waiting, but now it was time for carousel.

and as I got closer to it, I saw it really was an older carousel that was very well maintained, rather than a newer version with plastic figures.

there were no other takers - you can see the operator just hanging out on the horse.   he was amused the grown men wanted to ride.

of course, we headed upstairs to the upper deck

where Hawk and Doug rode in a suspended "balloon" over the lower deck

and myself and Big Mike rode in Separate "tubs"

some really nice design work up here. . even if the color palate was a bit ugly (too much repainting, I think)

but as usual. . in my happy place.

and I got to be a 4 year old, giggling at how the flower above me looks kinda like a butt-hole.

tee-hee

I have ZERO memory of this. . but apparently Tivoli Friheden has a shooting "theater" type attraction

and Big Mike won, and was "Legendary!" from our die on "Neon Ninja"

I was only "Awesome!"

this I DO recall.. it was an "Illusions" house, that also was a fun house.

not as good as the ship themed one at Bakken (or the one that tried to kill me later at Grona Lund). . but I liked it.

remember that "Zip Line" thing that was attached to the SCAD Tower? 

well, it turned out it was an upcharge (something insane like only $3.50 per ticket) to ride this spinning "bike" thing up to the top of the tower.

you had to have two people to ride, so Hawk volunteered to go with me, and I again - fear of heights and all - headed back up to the top of the tower.

here we are looking all Motorcycle-y badass as we're about to launch into space

and by "launch". . I mean, slowly get pulleyed up to the top of the tower.

they dont' wanna take ANY chances on things (or you) falling off the "bike". . so well secured with belts and chains (oh Daddy!) and NO loose articles allowed.

I'm King of the World, Hawk!!!!

whee.. .

'

tho fear of heights, I really wasn't scared here, because we were so well secured in.

in this pic you get a good view of the tiny elevator they bring you to the top of the SCAD tower in.

 

and then I discovered we could spin via the "steering wheel"

yeah, we still look like we're sitting on a flying toilet, but at least it made it a bit more fun.
 

whee!

after the fun, a few folks wanted to ride the swings, and Big Mike wanted to do bumper cars.

I just wanted to sit.. so plopped down for a cycle on "Bench: the Ride" and took some pics of them enjoying.

 

love the look this woman shoots Big Mike when she realizes she's got an American driver right behind her. . .LOL

and he's pretty aggressive in the bumper cars.. . going after folks to ram them!

 

oh. .I have to *thank* Big Mike for these pics of me from the Funhouse.

whee. . . .?

 

(THIS one is a posed pic. . I wasn't about to go down this damn slide after falling in the barrel)

enough rides we decided to head over to the "garden" side of the park.

there are a lot of "questionable" art installations over here, and the park was really starting to get crowded as it got into the afternoon.
(turns out there's a weekly concert at the park, and they have been getting really big crowds for each concert).

I asked who was playing, and was told just someone local, but everyone comes out to enjoy the music and fill the park.

one of those  art installations:

some of the stages set up for the concert (and a playground in the back)

a kiddie bumper cars is over here

as is a kiddie plane ride.

and further back is a lake with swan boats.

and oh. . and obstacle course - which didn't open until the afternoon, so I think most of the TPR folks who love this kind of thing, missed it, as it was closed earlier.

it's a pretty long course too. . as you can see here, it goes over the lake on rope bridges.

it was open. . there's a kid on the platform up top (just behind the grey support on the left)

and here's one of the bands that was playing. .they sounded pretty good from what we heard.

really loved these deco light fixtures. .

after checking the times of the Museum in downtown - and really was excited and wanted to go by the museum tonight - I believe we headed out from Tivoli Friheden around 3:30 pm. . as more and more people poured into the park.

a look at the bike parking, as we went around the corner to the Taxi/Lyft/Uber stand.. yah. .was getting busy.

 

and with that, we grabbed an Uber, and headed to the Arhus Museum to check it out, as they were open for a few hours still.

to be continued. . .

[bert425]

unfortunately, Tivoli Friheden did not offer really anything in terms of branded souvenirs. . certainly not magnets.

but I did pick up this (they also had a hat, but I tend not to wear many hats, and have a ton of them that I inherited from Nick. . so went with the pin).

I'm proud of myself for doing it. . . so I'm glad I got the pin, and might make it a magnet, as I'm doing with the Bakken keychain.

 

[bert425]

hahaha. .and forgot I had this video too!

 

 

 

[bert425]

Day 7, June 9th part 2 (of 3): afternoon/evening:  How about some Culture?  

 

the group I had ended up closing out Tivoli Friedhen with wasn't he only group that also wanted to check out some of the stuff in Aarhus

- in particular the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum (which was open until 9pm).

but i think we might be the only group that looked at a map, said "nope, that's too far to walk" and Uber-ed it

not exactly sure what this building was across the street from the museum, but I thought the architecture was interesting, and so snapped a couple of pics.

here is the main entrance to ARoS. . . with a glimpse of the permanent installation on the roof, that made this a "must stop" when I was in town: "Your Rainbow Panorama" by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson.

once up the long steps into the main entrance to the museum, one is greeted by this stunning circular staircase - very reminiscent of the Guggenheim in Manhattan.

I didn't check, but would venture a guess that this museum is by the same designer.

In addition to the "rainbow bridge" installation, what sold the museum for me, was this special exhibit that took the entire 5th floor.

basically Propaganda Images as seen thru the lens of Pop Art.

as a huge fan of Pop Art, I was very excited for this (and as a comics fan, seeing characters I know in the art is a huge burst of excitement).

but first we were headed to the roof (at the recommendation of the security guard by the elevator, who VERY RIGHTLY pointed out that the "Your Rainbow Panorama" gets very humid as it absorbs the sun, so do that one first and then enjoy the rest of the cooler museum.

up on the top floor, this installation is very, very cool.   it's a 150 metre long circular walkway that gives fantastic views of the city, thru panels that are shaded in the colors of the rainbow.

looking out thru the one clear panel, at the walkway around the roof.

this is construction for a new wing of the museum. . I believe they said it's going to be a planetarium.

this pic is courtesy of Andy - who had walked to the museum with his group and was out on the roof itself taking pictures of the city and the port.  
He saw me in the exhibit and waved and took a pic

it really was rather hot in the artwork, so I stepped down to the roof, proper, to get some pics of the city.

and some birds, just hanging out.

it really is a lovely city. . with lots and lots of really neat architecture.

I really love how with the correct angle of the sun, the rainbow from the installation shows up on the surrounding buildings.

floor 10 done, we went to Floor 8, for the "Human Nature" works from the museum collection:

very very interesting. . a tree made from leaves pressed between panes of glass then hung as a mobile.

 

that this neon is in a museum made me giggle. . .I think most everyone snapped a pic of this.

we then headed down to floor 6, titled "Far From Home II" more works from the museum collection - including the piece that the museum is most well known for: 

Boy - by Australian artist Ron Mueck

this is a huge, and VERY realistic sculpture, and has an entire space (mirrored) in the gallery to itself.

 

down on this floor was more my type of "pop art" stuff, and I started taking more pictures - tho not as many as I'd take of the actual Propoganda as Pop Art on level 5

regardless, I didn't understand this one at all. . but I found it beautiful and disturbing at the same time.

and I just adored this 5 pic sculpture progression of "Melt"

they even had one piece of Proper "Pop Art" on display up here, using Jack Kirby Panels from Captain America.

not quite as successful as what Lichetenstein was doing with the comic panels. . but I do like it. . .

 

then going down to the main Exhibit I was interested in, the very first thing greeted by is a huge canvas titled "Fucky-Strike Bureau of propoganda". .and I already knew I was gonna love this exhibit, and spend more time here than Doug, Hawk, or Big Mike cared to  (I was correct. . eventually Doug and Hawk split off to get food and Big Mike hung in there with me to finish the museum and do a few other things).

 

this multimedia piece against stark walls, in a dead end - was very much like watching a classic Nine Inch Nails video.

fantastic. .    as a temporary exhibition they didn't really have any magnets avail with these (only some prints).  lucky me, as I saved a ton of $$.
(no wall space for prints unless I simply MUST have them. . and was able to pass on these, as much a I loved some of them)

 

hey. . I recognize that Chipmunk with Santa!

seriously. . all of these are just amazing.  (and full of easter eggs for a comic book/ comic strip nerd like myself)

 

this was one of my favorite pieces, mixing war with the Kama Sutra. . . I have the original pic, but for sharing here, I've edited.

HUGE multi panel mural. . featuring many comic book character likenesses blended in

 

I'll say again. . luckily I dont' have much wall space (and wasn't gonna spend a bunch of $$ on prints to schlep around for the rest of the trip). . so I just enjoyed here and took lots of pics

heavy R. Crumb influence/borrowing in these. . .

even the Powerpuff Girls showed up!

 

to be concluded. . .

[bert425]

Hawk and Doug had split off to find food, and Big Mike was wandering, so I headed down to 3 where there was a lecture about LGBTQ (didn't stay to listen to it, but there were some exhibits on the topic sprinkled around this floor.

the exhibits on floor 1 are exhibitions from the artist: Annette Messager - called "Desirs desordonnes"  (Disordered desires)

creepy!

 

in the trip chat, some of the others had posted not to miss the basement because it was very strange (I think perhaps that was Andy or Steve). . and I had thought they were talking about this exhibit, which was rather Fv@ked up. . .

imagine my surprise when I went down to the zero level for a winding batch of rooms in a Permanent Installation that would give Meow Wolf a run for it's money!

 

 

very retro room. .

a fully stocked dorm/apartment. . .

complete with a stocked mini-mart

 

 

and down another hallway, this creepy very Japanese room. . that had a perpetual rainstorm going on. . .complete with lightning, rain falling on the windows, and dripping water into buckets.

So freaking cool.

and an endless stairwell. . .reflecting into infinity.

another retro room.. . complete with accessories one could interact with.

and a room that just had a giant, glowing, vibrator in the center of it.

which, honestly, was a bit mesmerizing!

a quick perusal of the gift shop. . where I picked up this magnet:

 

and then we were on our way.

I stopped and asked a guard the directions to Aarhus Domkirke (the well known Cathedral), and she assured us it's an easy walk, up some of the beautiful canals. . . so with her directions, big Mike and I headed out on foot to check out the Cathedral (and the close to it Viking Museum, and Museum of Gender - if either were still open).

to her credit, it WAS a lovely walk. . and past the university and entertainment area. . . so lots and lots of folks out and about (we even passed Doug & Hawk eating in a cafe and said hello as we walked by)

so many interesting stores here!

'

is it a clothing store?

 

or a shoe store?

 

or a nudist colony money laundering front?    

I'm confused!

around the corner was the Cathedral. . .

it really is beautiful. . especially in the late afternoon.

didn't stick around to take too many pics of this statue, as behind it, there were probably 5 guys pissing on those trees.

so . . yeah. . .kept to this side of the statue

a look around the "square" where the Cathedral is in the center. .

I thought this was the Viking Museum. . . sadly was closed (they closed at 6 I think).. but looking at the pics, perhaps it's a theater?

they seem to be advertising some shows (King Lear)

 

the Gender Studies museum was also closed. . but they had this interactive display out front encouraging you to see if you fit in the gender shape.

for "Male". . check!

for Female:  Also "Check". . if I tuck

shame they were closed, but we decided to wander up the side streets to the port area, and just enjoy the scenery.

Charlie Brown in Lucy's dress. . . awesome!

a big building by the port. . perhaps an amphitheater for music/shows?

and I had seen this graffiti on flyers around town. . . so I think it might be a well known one (or artist). . but it was kinda neat, so snapped a pic of it.

 

and at this point, my feet were hurting. . so I said to Big Mike, "I'm gonna flag down a cab, and cab it back to the hotel". . .

so we did, and had a nice driver who told us all about the city while taking us back to the zleep in. . . where I crashed hard from a full day.

but was excited, as tomorrow was Djurs Sommerland. . . a park I had very much been looking forwards to.     I was worried I wouldn't be able to sleep due to the excitement, but I was out immediately  (and probably kept AJ up with snoring, since I was so exhausted).

hope you've enjoyed this update!

[teacherkim]

Ha, ha.......just like I noted on FB in the pic before the drop on the tower you totally look like you just shit yourself and are trying not to let on. Proud of you for doing it though!!

 

They must have just been honoring Ferris because he was American and his original wheel debuted at the Chicago World's Fair in the 1890's. Maybe of Danish descent? If I remember correctly he didn't get fully compensated for the wheel and was involved in a lengthy court litigation and I think died prematurely. It wasn't a happy ending.

[bert425]

Day 8: Sat, June 10th part 1 (of 2): Djurs Sommerland

Elissa had mentioned this one was among her favorite parks, and I totally understand!   a wonderful combination of park, playground, and Amusement park, I absolutely loved this park (and the next Sommerland, Farup, we went to the next day for similar reasons)

 

It really did feel a bit like we were out in the Countryside in Denmark. . but before I knew it, we were turning off the main road into Djurs Sommerland parking lot.

walking up to the main gate from the lot we parked in, really felt like we were at Summer Camp

group photo before we start off our day (courtesy of Robb)

soon enough we were met by the park rep, and they brought us in for a walk back to the first of two coasters we were going to have ERT on before the park opened: Juvelen

the park is just beautiful. . and i was very impressed with the theming in and around the kids area (or at least one of them - where many kids rides were centered)

Park Map

large open areas of park, for picnics, and yes, those are all trampolines!  dozens of them all over this park.

I believe this coaster we passed is Vilde Hønsejagt (Wild Chicken Hunt). . one of a couple of Junior/kiddie coasters in the park.

and before we knew it (tho it was a bit of a walk - this is a very large park), we were standing in "MexicoLand" in front of Juvelen (Jewel)

my impression of the logo. . . LOL

for some reason, I don't seem to have ANY pics of this coaster itself - hopefully either Chuck or Erik got some of the ride itself - which is an Intamin multi-launch "straddle" coaster, where you're riding on 4x4's low and fast to the ground.

it also had a pre-ride / dark ride show section before the first launch with some tribal chiefs sending you off on the search thru the jungle for the jewel (if I'm remembering correctly).

I rode this multiple times during ERT this morning, but don't think I ever went back to ride it again - regardless of how good it was, as there is just too much to do at this park to do a lot of re-rides during the day.   That might be why I never got a pic of the coaster itself?   

anyways. .here's a jewel from the queue line. .

and the group picture (courtesy of Robb - tho yay, he's in this one, so the park rep must have taken it) before we moved on to the next coaster.

before we headed across the park for the other morning ride, I snapped a pic of this "flying carpet" type flat in front of Juvelen

I didn't ride this today, because - yes, those "idols" on the sides?  got everyone wet!

ah. .here, in this pic you can see SOME of Juvelen's green track. ..

walking back across the park to the "Wild Asia" section. . . snapping pics as we walked.

that's the giant pendulum type ride that replaced the Topple Tower this park used to have.. it's HUGE. . .

Never in America. . no crossing arms, just a sign noting to look out for the train.

this is where we were headed in "Wild Asia":   DrageKongen (Dragon King), and Intamin suspended coaster

tons of really cool theming over here in this section of the park.

on the right here, is another Junior/Kiddie coaster, Jungle Rally (a Zierer)

 

even the queue line here in the "Wild Asia" is heavily themed. .

a fun ride, but not the most exciting in the park.   I did enjoy it tho, and rode it a couple of times.

a "Crazy Bus" type ride with Asian theming. .

our two morning ERTs done, we were about to get cut loose in the park, when the rep offered to walk us over to "TIgeren" - the giant pendulum for a couple of rides if we wanted.

of course!   so most of us went to ride it - while the "non swinging/spinning" ride folks watched or took pics.

the detailed theming continued over here, and I loved it.

these pics are courtesy of Elissa (who stood under one side of the pendulum and took pictures straight up, while the group rode twice)

 

man. .the arc of this is REALLY extreme. . nearly upside-down!    LOVED this.

on our 2nd cycle, the park had been opened, and so there were park guests joining us on the ride.

cut loose to enjoy the park until lunch time, a good chunk of folks headed right next door to the log flume, called "Long Cun Expedition"

oh. . did I mention I have a VERY juvenile sense of humor?   

tee-hee.

Caroline & Barry

Myself & Big Mike

Daniel,  Barry & Collin

Didier - who was driving the TPR bus. . he had a blast too!

Andy & Steve

these pics, I think are courtesy of AJ ?  (really appreciate that he captured these, it's great)

the group I was walking around with then headed back a little bit to get a ride on Jungle Rally. .

and found some other happy TPR-ers had also made that call

hey. . no judgement!   we rode it too

since we were already "moist" from the flume - well. . most of us were. . .we decided to go ahead and ride the park's rapids ride, which is located in "WesternLand"

not too wet for a rapids ride, but pretty heavily themed which was adorable..

little playgrounds litter this park too. . .

the loading station is full of "animatronics" . . .so it's sorta a "dark ride" ?

and they wore cute little "western" outfits. . . .(the staff styling was a little weird. .some sections of the park? the uniforms fit that section and were full on "costume". . but in other parts?  the employees wore khakis and polos. . as noted, it was a little weird.   Maybe in the middle of switching things up).

he was thrilled I asked if I could take a pic of his outfit

a bit young, but wow, look at the size of that gun!. . .LOL  

he was having a blast staying in "western" character. . .made the interaction with him so much more fun than just "how many?" and being seated.

um. . ok.  . only slightly ethnically insensitive. . . (and from what I understand, a pretty big improvement over some of the attractions that used to be in the park section called "AfricaLand")

as you can tell. . we had fun riding . .

staying in WesternLand. .they have this little set up where you can buy supplies, and either buy bread balls or makings of a Smore, and sit on the little horses around the campfire and cook them!    We made note of this to come back later when it was opened.

the section of the park that used to be called "AfricaLand" is now redone into "Dinosaurland"!  

home to several flats, and a new powered family coaster by Mack - "T-Rex Family Coaster"

the Disc-O rides along the back of a Dinosaur skeleton. . . great theming.

a large kiddie playground here too

the T-Rex Coaster has a really long train, and although not exactly "thrilling". . it was fun, and it goes around twice.

the queue line is pretty heavily themed with Animatronic Dinosaurs too. . so that was pretty neat.

and next to it is Dino X-pedition - which looks like just a powered jeep ride, but has a dark ride section, and lots of animatronics too, and is worth a ride.

queue line for the T-rex coaster

and then next door the queue and some onride pics from Dino Xpedition

oh look. . I managed to get a pic of the T-rex coaster train. . LOL. . .

SPOILER!!! ----

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

 

Kong shows up in the DinosaurLand Jeep ride. . . I was told he was leftover from the "problematic" dark ride they used to have here when this area was AfricaLand.

heh. . .got a pic of Robb filming on T-Rex Family coaster. 

Dino Eggs. . ready to hatch!

to be continued. . .

 

[bert425]

Day 8: Sat, June 10th part 2 (of 2): Djurs Sommerland

we headed over to "Vikingeland" section of the park, for the next coaster on our hitlist:   Thor's Hammer - a Gerstlauer Bobsled coaster

some nice ride theming here, but this was one of the sections where the operators were wearing kahkis   (I was hoping for heavy fur vests. . LOL)

Don't forget. . Thor died on the cross for you. . . or something. .what do I know? I'm Jewish

|

as mentioned. . great theming thruout the park. . .

even if the trains scream "traveling carnival"

(and you can catch the bottom half of an operator's Viking Khakis in this pic)

a really fun bobsled tho. . with some of it over the water - and thru a house!

in the lake there on the left, one can go around the island in either a canoe or a paddle boat.

it was hilarious, because they apparently just put the people in them and let them go - regardless if they know how to paddle (or steer).

there was a canoe with four little kids in it, stuck on this turn here for a good 15 minutes as we watched them panic and try to paddle with their hands to move  (someone finally came along in a boat and helped them)

a self operating "pulley" ride

that are "poles with helmets on them". . that's ALL they are.  

get your minds out of the gutter!

here's the station where you can get either a canoe or paddleboat.

Didier and I sat on a bench and watched as brave folks decided they wanted to paddle the lake.

no shade, but I think David paddled for all. . .

it wasn't quite time for lunch yet, so we passed back thru DinosaurLand (where lunch was to be) hence another pic of the Disc-O
(the park also has a decent sized waterpark area called "VandLand". . but I'm not sure if any of the folks on the trip went to the waterpark here)

and back into Westernland. .the theming on the outside of the Bumper Cars building

I didn't actually look at them to see if the cars themselves were themed to Buffalo or not.. .but thought it was rather cool that the kiddie version is in the same building as the adult version.

not a Bumper Cars rider. . but a Pony Espressen?   Yes please!

whee!

the park also has a wave swinger called "Wild West Carousel". . . I don't typically ride these, but this one ran forwards, and then backwards, which looked like a unique ride experience (and it was).

oh, it also shoots water up at you to try and get you wet.

heading back for lunch, some I was with wanted to ride the Disc-O.

these always make me a bit nauseous, and I certainly didn't want that right before lunch. .so I passed.

tho managed to get pics of them on it.   Can you tell which pic is before they noticed me with the phone up, and which is after?  

Lunch was a PACKED Pizza buffet.

I recall it had some really weird stuff on it - such as corn pizza ??   but it certainly wasn't the worst pizza I had, and I recall enjoying it.

the table I saw with.

at first I thought I had misfiled this, as I don't recall them having one of these (at all). . but I see the dino in the background, so it must still be at Djurs Sommerland, and I just don't remember.  

this style of ride seems to have gotten popular tho, as I saw it at many parks in Scandinavia on this trip.

Universal Denmark?  

after eating way too much pizza (as you can probably tell from the belly in this pic), needed something calming.    So I suggested we ride the train.

it's not a full size train like you'd see in USA.. but similar to a lot of the trains in the parks I'd been to in Europe.     a lovely route, and gave a great view of the park.

Thor's Hammer

Juvelen

Piraten

playground full of ways to injure oneself. . .

more playgrounds and trampolines.    all really full too!

Jonathan and David were eager to try out the King of the Mountain

and made it up easily.

I watched.

oh. .there was plenty to look at. . . .

 

while they attempted to make a hospital visit in a foreign country. . .

yeah. . getting up was easy.  do you want me to call the fire department to get down now?

all played out, we headed into the "kiddie" area, which did have some adult rides.

we were ready to ride: Vilde Hønsejagt (the wild chicken hunt) - another Zierer family coaster

with lots of chicken theming. .

and a fox at the front of the train trying to eat said chicken (I think?)

hey. . TPR folks here too!  Howdy!

Pic courtesy of Didier I believe

this was absolutely adorable. . a frog hopper, but themed to pigs in slop.

I didn't ride it, but I really wanted to just to say I did

I DID ride the classic carousel type ride tho (of course). . with Big Mike and Jonathan

and I can't recall if we rode the tractors or not, but I think we did ride a couple of things over here in this section.

 

a wet/dry slide. . . 

 

for some reason called Speedy Gonzales. . .hmmmmm. .

there was a band playing music, that some folks were hanging out listening to.

and we headed over to the one big section of the park we hadn't been in yet:  Piratland

this was a kiddie flume ride, Piratefisken, but it looked like there were adults riding with their kids, so got in line to ask.

gaaa. . . lots of photo ops where you can get bitten here

and a great view of Skatteøen (Treasure Island), the park's Mack Water Coaster from the kiddie flume queue

the "boats" (or more realistically, barrels) are tiny, but after bonding with the operator over ABBA (I caught him singing along to "gimme gimme gimme" and joined in with him), he said OF COURSE you can ride, and let us each take a barrel.

Said operator. . in a section that is participating in "full immersive costume"

he

he even let me hold his sword (get your mind out of the gutter!!) for a pic

and them offered to take a pic of those of us who were riding before sending us on our way. . .

whee!!!   (pic courtesy of Andy, I think?)

no. . I'm not embarrassed at all. . this was a fun flume!  and got me a bit wet too.

they also have this really weird "Sword ride over here called Sablen (the Saber) that's kind of a drop ride, but it also sways back and forth kinda like a topple tower.

regardless, we got on it and it kinda broke, and we got stuck on it for a good 15 minutes while it kept cycling over and over. . . . it was funny, and I'm glad it wasn't anything too extreme.  they had to call maintenance to come get it to stop cycling.  but yeah, when it finally stopped, I was ready to get off.

after we got off. .

but smiling happily before we started our ride. . .

and then we headed over to Skatteøen

a Skull!   theming

love this pic because it caught a bird in it. . .

from the Skatteøen line, you can see Piraten cycling (that's the park's incredible Intamin Mega-Lite). . we had ERT on it after park close, so hadn't been over to that yet.

 

 

Treasure Island theming in the station.

an onride pic snapped by Big Mike as we left the station

and the official onride pic, that I loved, so bought for the memory.

I think we headed over to Piraten to get a ride on it (just in case. . ya never know what might happen before end of day). 
I don't remember doing that, but these pics seem to be from Piraten's queue line, so we must have.

we still had an hour or so before the park closed, so we went back to hit things we still wanted to ride, or just to wander.

i went back over to Wild Asia to grab some pics of DrageKongen

and Tigeren. . . dang. . look at the height this thing gets to!

sadly, the bread/smores place was out of packets, and so we weren't able to cook our own over the fire.

but I got to sit on a horse and pretend I did!

and then hit some souvenir shops for Magnets, and, of course, ice cream!

while enjoying our ice cream towards the front of the park, we watched the kiddos play in the water play area up here. . .

and I spotted the park Mascots, Karlo & Karoline. . . (and Karoline's pet duck Anden Palle (Second Pallet??)). . so of course got in line for a pic

it was close to end of day for the park, so we made our way over to Piraten square. . .

and discovered Soulken (the Soul?). . a pretty intense octopus flat. . so we took a spin on that - it was great!

and in the shadow of Piraten

one of the many reasons I love TPR trips. . the ERT.    Look at this (lack of) line. . as they were cycling thru the remaining guests for us.

ok. .I took this pic so I would remember where we were.. .

see???   a reminder. . 

ok, ok. . maybe that wasn't the ONLY reason I wanted to remember. . . ..   (hey, I'm single, and looking is just fine)

after several wonderful rides on Piraten. . whee!!!!

It was decided that it was time to play "Pass the Sword" !!!

we did great, and didn't lose it even once. . . what a great time, everyone just had a blast on this coaster

and then we all posed with the fantastic crew at Djurs Sommerland for ending on a great day with us!

and with that, we said goodnight to Djurs Sommerland, and headed back to the hotel.

what a fantastic day!

[Nrthwnd]

Djurs is a wonderful park. And I see a number of new rides there, too.

I did manage a ride on the Topple Tower (in a past tour) before they axed it. It was cool for what it was, and did.

Great TR of everything, Bert! (and as for Piraten ...... mmmmmm)

[bert425]

Swag from Djurs Sommerland. . . just magnets (as no shirts that were large enough, or I liked):

 

 

 

 

[bert425]

Day 9: Sun, June 11th part 1 (of 2): Farup Sommerland

after such a great day prior at Djurs Sommerland, I was really looking forwards to today.  This was also noted as one of Elissa's favorite parks, and after experiencing it? 

I absolutely agree!

the Countryside in Denmark on the way to the park is just as beautiful as one would expect:

but soon enough, we see the flags, and are turning into the main lot for Farup Sommerland - which seems to be in the middle of the wilderness

this is the parking lot?  it must be a HUGE park - it IS. . very, very big park.  with lots of nature, and some really fun rides & a world class coaster.

similar to driving into the peninsula at CP, you pass right by the wooden coaster Falcen (the blue track is the suspended coaster Orkanen (Hurricane)

bus parked, and the front gates

Group pic, courtesy of Robb:

and an excellent welcome:  here's the toilet!
(I'm being serious. . really needed to pee)

as noted, this is a large outdoors park, with a waterpark section, some large coasters, big playgrounds, a big obstacle course, multiple lakes (where one can paddleboat or row a boat), and even a mini-golf course.     They have a hotel on site, and if you're coming for the first time, you could do with an overnight stay/2 days to ensure you can do everything!

signage!

the park reps walked us back over to the park's wooden coaster, Falken

along the way, we passed the mini-golf - on an island in one of the lakes!  
(didn't have time to check it out this visit, but it seemed to be pretty popular every time I passed the entrance)

here's a better look at Orkanen - and the onsite resort back there behind it - as we're headed into Falken's queue.

Pic courtesy of Elissa, I believe.

this was a fun, mostly smooth family coaster.   

we did have a little bit of a mishap where the train stopped on the lift hill for a few minutes, while the folks from the hotel watched us and wondered what was going on.    benefit is that we got to see the park mascots riding out on golf carts towards the front gate, as they were getting ready to open the gates

this is the maintenance guy who came to our rescue, in a golf cart (LOL) to get the lift chain going and start our ride.

he zoomed by us as we were walking across the park, since the reps asked us if we'd like to get the first rides of the day on the park's newest coaster - a Vekoma wildcat called Fonix.   of course, the group response was "yes please!"

passing by the Spinning Mouse, called Flagermusen (Bat)

made note of this, as we walked by. . as this unassuming building, with that sign "rævens hule" (the Fox's Den) was a funhouse.

I don't even recall what this was supposed to be!  LOL. . one of the park's mascots?

passing under the family boomerang - themed to a sawmill, "Saven"

two coasters in this pic as we are still headed thru the woods to Fonix.

neon green diving into the tunnel is the boomerang, "Saven"
the elevated green track is the park's Vekoma junior coaster, "Mine Expressen"

scary spider in one of the playground areas sprinkled about the park.   as it got to evening, the eyes light up.

coming into the new area of the park:  Fonix plaza

who am I to pass up a photo op?

wow. .this thing looks impressive.

and it truly is.   This is an amazing Vekoma. . a true world class coaster.  

Multiple inversions, including a heartline roll thru the station house!  (overhead while the 2nd train is loading)

after finding out we had ERT on Fonix to close out the day, we were turned loose into the park. . many of us headed to the two coasters over near this area of the park.

I went with much of the group to Mine Expressen

not sure who this pic is courtesy of. . possibly Brad, as I don't see him on the train.  or maybe Didier, as he was taking some pics too.

that was a fun ride, not super exciting, but fun.

so we headed over to Saven, the Vekoma family Boomerang.

love the Sawmill theming here. .

and the ride operator was very happy to take a pic for us (and be in it too).

as the park had just opened, there wasn't much of a line, and they were running the ride with two cycles.    

Well. . sort of!   they made you stand up between cycles and do either a song (we got this one. . and he MADE us all do it, to the delight of the kiddos on the train with us):

 

or those that did NOT want to do the "dance" had to do Calisthenics (LOL) .. . we saw the folks behind us doing Jumping Jacks.

 

these onride pics are courtesy of Didier, as we saw him on a picnic table taking pics of the group as we cycled thru Saven

having knocked out the coasters over here (at least one ride on each), we decided to hop on the train to get a better look at this large, and beautiful park.

 

absolutely NO idea what we're all staring so intently at. . . LOL. . maybe a child stuck in a rowboat in the middle of the lake?

one of the larger playground areas in the park (there were at least 3 this size)

it really is a very large park.   felt like we were on a train out in the woods.

passing underneath Saven's exit from underground

'

and into the "spike"

the train ride/tracks are so long, they run two trains at the same time, and at one point you pass each other and can wave.

one of the lakes where you can paddleboat.

off in the distance is the waterpark section, and the minigolf island.

after a loop around the park, I noticed on the map they had a Carousel.   So without too much complaining from those I was hanging out with today, we headed over to that area, which had several younger kids attractions.   

this area looked fairly new too, and the ride operator confirmed for me that although the carousel looked older, it was a relatively new one.

I still loved the choices for riding. . .

the guys crammed into a "spinner" seat..

and I was in my happy place on a galloping horse.

upper level had some really tiny options for babies.

Jon decided to watch us on the Carousel, rather than ride with

even Didier rode!  (tho he rode a "tractor" - that was basically a glorified bench. . .LOL).

thanks to Jon for this pic.l

ooo. . . we'd come back to this later, but this is an interesting layout for a rapids ride. (you can see it comes from up above, passing under the skull before coming back by)

we were headed to the wild mouse tho. . not realizing it was a spinner yet.

yeah. . now we realize it spins. . .
 

it spun a lot. . and was fun.   Thanks to Big Mike for this pic.

the butt of the bat!

yargh!!!    this place has the foam swords too. . that most of the ride ops were poking riders with (or high-5ing with) as they went by.

looking at a park map, we realized we had missed the small section where they have another "extreme" coaster (and that crazy flipping ride on the left).

this is a Gerstlauer launch coaster called "Lynet" (Lightning)

also a little playground area. . with some fun spinning/springing seats

David enjoyed it more than I

how was it? 

well. . .. 

ow, ow, ow.. . . holy crap. . ow. . . .ow . . . ow!

yeah, LOL. . one and done.

 

since over here, we jumped on this one too - not Big Mike tho (he doesn't do spinning rides).  so got this pic out of  it.

this wasn't near as intense as I was expecting it to be, but had some really fun moments.

heading back into the main part of the park, we passed one of those "never in America" train crossings. .   

such a lovely park!

and headed to the fun house  (tho we weren't sure it WAS a funhouse.  it seemed to be an attraction, so we gave it a shot).

this was the clincher - the warning that there may be passages where it is "important" to hold on to smaller children. . LOL

 

it's a wacky shack on acid. . with some really steep funhouse gags included

fight your way thru the giant sausages!

and the spinning tunnel room

a really disorienting hall of mirrors

and watch your step!  (tho I appreciated the "coward" / klutz path offered too)

I'm flying, Jack !!!!!

they are not kidding around. . . very steep.

 

to be continued. . .

 

 

[bert425]

Day 9: Sun, June 11th part 2 (of 2): Farup Sommerland

after the funhouse, we headed to the whitewater rafting ride we had seen earlier.

yeah. . we were gonna get a bit "moist"

another of the larger playground areas (and another of the "never in America" attractions.

since were already wet from the rapids, decided to just head to the flume next. . .

it's one of those "European" style, where the lift hills and drops criss cross each other.   no backwards section that I recall tho.

ready to get more wet!

"Bags and the like". . LOL

guess this coffee counts as "the like"

it was a fun flume tho, at least I recall it was fun.

another lake area, that's over near the obstacle course. . in this one, you can paddle a rowboat as an option

that ship & fort are part of the obstacle course!

it was time for the kiddie coaster credit.    Wasn't too sure about riding this, but gave in as this cute Zamperla coaster is called Pindsvinet (Hedgehog), and has an adorable hedgehog mascot on the front of the train.

we even tried to let little kids go ahead of us, and they were TERRIFIED of passing in front of the grown white men - even with the attendant kneeling down and trying to get them to pass us to ride first.   LOL

so when we got on, he took a selfie with us

 

look how cute that Hedgehog is!

I think these pics might be from Andy?  (or could be Big Mike)

we were on the side of the park housing the only coaster we hadn't ridden yet:   Orkanen, the Vekoma suspended, so we headed over to it.

Robb was here filming. . hey Robb!

no inversions, but this coaster does have some fun airtime, and a dive under the lake.

I wanted to ride Falken again, so we headed right next door for another ride.

front row!

this is a pic Robb got from over by Orkanen, and shared with the group.

great shot!

I was *not* thrilled about this. . . as has been noted, I'm a big ol klutz. . but it was time to brave the Obstacle Course.

"suattejacten" = "the Treasure Hunt"

you start off with a pretty good maze, made up of black painted panels.  

but when you find the correct way thru, you come across this:

don't I look thrilled?

a look down at the maze, once up those "stairs"

several of the obstacles DO have "chicken" options. . .  but I did do some of them.

not these tho!

 

this one was ONLY an option to do either Raft, or monkeybars over the waterway.

yeah.. .  i took the raft.

and am very happy, don't care if I'm the only one.  

and yes, that's part of the course above in the trees!

(thanks to Jason for the pic)

across the water and into that fort/ship area

nice views of some of the coasters peeking out from the course.

and a very confused young lady wondering what I'm taking a picture of.

oh no. . . the only way down was in the slide??

great. . .

 

ANOTHER one ???

ok. .I've had enough of this. . LOL. . . I had to go to the bathroom anyways.  Luckily, I heard a man yelling for his son that they had to leave, NOW (I'm assuming that's what he was yelling, as the kid made a beeline to him), so I followed him thru some bushes, and out past a playground and found one of the main pathways in the park.

liked the theming on this, tho wasn't sure if it was closed, or just nobody wanting to ride, as it was tucked away among the trees.

I browsed a shop/restaurant, and relaxed while waiting for folks to finish up the obstacle course and meet up.

loved these skull stools in the Pirate themed shop.

and treated myself to ice cream for at least trying some of the obstacles.

tho I think this was the place where I was TRICKED. .and those wonderful candy colored sprinkles were licorice. . ewwwwww

after I wiped the nasty fake sprinkles off (that's why I always carry extra napkins. . never know when there will be an emergency need!). . I shared my cone with the Hedgehog.

(no, not Ron Jeremy. . THIS one)

Speaking of Licorice. . I don't understand the obsession with it over here in Denmark.

everywhere sells it, and it appears to be VERY popular.    just never has been my thing.

just look at all these "flavors" available.

meeting up again, we found this log themed Himalaya!

wheeeeee!!!

I think we split off at this point, to get some things in before we had to meet for ERT.

i believe I had bumped into sMisty/Erik and they told me about a slow moving "tractor ride" that I hadn't seen.  

right up my alley, so Big Mike and I headed over in the direction they pointed to go ride us some tractors.

ohhhh.. this ride might be themed to the Bunny mascot. . .

front seat definitely made for smaller butts. . ..   didn't stop us tho.

gonna be fun "driving"

they really do such a great job.. it's like you're not in a theme park.

heading over towards Fonix for our ERT times, managed to catch Saven going up the spike. .

we had some time still and had forgotten that the park had a 4D film. .

what you can't see in this pic, is the lady in front of us that brought her little dog in.   and the animated feature was about animals falling thru portals and changing into other animals.   and that little doggo went NUTS any time an animal that even looked like a dog showed up on the screen.   I was far too amused to be annoyed by it.

it made the film 5D !!

Exit thru the (themed) gift shop!

what are these?  foam crowns?????

 

Gimme!

it was just about time for our ERT session, so we relaxed by a playground near Fonix. .

and I thought this was rather amazing.   loved it.

and one of these "break your neck" king of the mountain things (along with dozens of other trampolines) too.

they are cycling thru the remainder of the crowd. . . I'm ready for you, Fonix

there's a nice "viewing area" they built next to it.. so took advantage to watch it cycle for a bit.

and then it was our time to ride.

this coaster is absolutely amazing, and ranks way up there among my favorites of the trip.   So re-rideable. . and insanely fun.

queue theming.

that heartline roll thru the station I mentioned.

and now some pics from Robb's Rider-Cam. .

 

you can tell I loved it. . rode at least 10 times during our ERT.

and then it was time to head back to the Zleep hotel.

after all, this was only day NINE!!  tons more to do, and we had to get some rest.

but this guy was in the playground as we passed.

headed back to the front gate, got a clearer pic of the park signs.

and I found this odd. . yes, I know I got a dogfart head icecream at BonBonLand, but it just struck me as odd, that you could eat icecream out of a Fonix head or the other two mascots

'

tho I did find it rather cool that they have a map of the coast, and things of interest to do in the area of the Country right at the exits.

 

had a great time here. . .it's easily in my top 5 parks. . probably a very strong 3rd place!

hope you've enjoyed the pics.

 

 

 

 

[bert425]

Swag from Fårup Sommerland

Magnet:

 

 

and two T-shirts:

 

[Nrthwnd]

^ That t-shirt looks great! I got a "Farup Hits' CD and a fridge magnet from the park, when I was last there.

Farup's a great park, and very spread out, so you get plenty of 'exercise,' walking through the place.

[teacherkim]

Looks fun!! I love sweets but cannot stand licorice, blecchh.

[bert425]

taken me a bit of time to get back to this, but hopefully worth the wait.

my first EVER Legoland, and it's the biggie. . so took a LOT of pics, and will have to split this report up.

Day 10: Mon, June 12th part 1 : Legoland Billund

 

so we got up fairly early from the Zleep in and piled onto the bus for the drive.

where were we headed?

oh my. . .getting giddy!

 

strangely located across the street from a functioning airport - tho it didn't seem to be a commercial airport, so must be mainly for freight (tho I'd guess used for executives coming to Lego headquarters?) - is the biggest and best Legoland (so I've heard. . this is my first one ever)

even across the street in the parking lot, there's some theming going on. . . but this was nothing compared to what we'd see when we got to the actual park.

it really is a full assault on your senses, with sounds and things to look at EVERYWHERE.

this is still outside the front gates!

Lego flag of Denmark?   Modern Art?   I dunno. . but I liked it.

the lil Lego guys n gals hard at work building over the actual main gate.

TPR Group Pic (courtesy of Robb) before heading into the park with out guide.

and because he had on this AWESOME shirt, a pic (also courtesy of Robb) with Erik as the *STAR* - may we all burn so brightly some day!

 

ah. . a bit more like it- as we're heading into the park.  a more themed Trash can.

wow. .this place is a lot bigger than it looks like on the maps!

and that we were in before it officially opened, meant I could get lots of clear pics of many of the amazing Lego art all around the park as we headed to our first ride of the day: a ride on one of the park's 4 family coasters:  Flying Eagle.

Pizza pizza!

. . and now I want a Coke!
 

dang, this park is absolutely beautiful.

I'd always heard and seen pics of some of the Legoland "Minilands". . but I was super impressed with how immersive this is!   and so many of the parts are moving parts!   cars, trucks, planes, trains, ships, even drawbridges. . . all work with the push of a button.

a famous Legoland attraction - the boats.    Oh yes, I was coming back for this once park opened.

and the Lego safari.

 

I didn't ever get to ride the Lego Catipillar. . and I'm wondering since in the pic I took, there's a maintenance guy there working on it, if it ever actually opened on the day we were there?

but look how ADORABLE it is !!!

 

and what's this?   "Ghost". . . this Legoland has a haunted house walk thru?    yup. . . + a surprise ending.

naked hairy-chested Lego man in the Western section is making me have "feelings" that I'm not quite sure what to make of them.

and adorbs Carousel. . . that I figured wasn't going to be allowed to ride, since it's so tiny (and I was correct.. . don't recall riding it, so must have been told no).

ooo. . a log flume too over here.

but this is what we had trekked back over here for.. Flying Eagle.

since in the Western section, lots of "old West" Lego animals about.. such as this Buffalo

and this Bald Eagle.

some nice "Lego" theming on the coaster train itself

tho the front car had a nice Lego Eagle piece attached.

Here's Robb filming in the front row.

whee!!

the workers in this section were really getting into character.   

I loved his painted nails, so asked for a pic.

whee!!!

this wasn't operating yet (remember, we were there, I think, a good hour before park open), but this seemed to be a "Pirates" themed boat Dark Ride.

Princess Garden?   hmmmmmm. . .

we bypassed Dragen (a Mack powered coaster) on our way to the next coaster. . .but I think everyone made a note to come back to this as soon as morning ride time is over, since apparently Dragen at all the Legoland Parks tends to be a slow mover.

(wasn't the case here, as not only were they running two trains on this powered coaster / Dark Ride - having never been before I had no idea what to expect, but I LOVED the dark ride section it starts out with - but also because it was a Monday, so never really got super crowded).

and outdoor theater for, I think, a Pirate vs Medieval Knights show?   not 100% sure, as didn't make time to go see it.

the castle that Dragen is located in really is a looming centerpiece here, and it's very cool how they keep the theming all the way around it.

with lots of nooks and crannies to explore in.

this is where we were headed tho:  X-treme Racers  (a Mack wild mouse)

they weren't quite ready for us, and were testing to get it up and going, so I explored the area a bit.

further down this way is the 4th coaster in the park - Polar X-plorer  - we'd head there next.

aw. . a cute lil dragon for checking heights

me being a child.. . put your empty bottles in da butthole.

it's a Llego Llama!

this was intriguing. . .  turns out it's a shooting dark ride.

and peeking in the side of a gaming area. . all kinds of large stuffed toys one can win. 

the blue Koala looks kinda like Stitch to me (and the pink?  kinda like Elmo) . . never noticed that.

got the call back that it was time to ride X-treme Racers, so headed back that way.

being in the front row means Elissa & Robb won, right?  they beat those in the 2nd row? 

Big Mike and Bert going Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

(I think this pic is from Andy. . thanks!)

 

Big Mike and Caroline are ready to race. .  . but what I think makes this pic?  is how thrilled Kristen looks that she's next on

and then we headed over to Polar X-Plorer. . . the parks other "big" coaster.  It's still a mostly mild family coaster, but this one has a very surprising center section!    You break thru the "Ice" when you stop in a show building. . you hear all the ice cracking around you, and then suddenly?   a drop track!   

absolutely thrilling for those few seconds, and the adrenaline keeps you tingling for the remainder of the ride.

Someone told me there used to be live penguins around the coaster - or maybe you just ended up in a penguin encounter area?   But I only recall seeing Lego Penguins (and Walruses) on this, and I rode it a few times.

I think this tied with Dragen as my favorite coaster here, as both had elements that make them a bit more thrilling than just a family coaster.

which is NOT to say that Legoland doesn't have rides for thrillseeking adults - oh, they most certainly DO.  But the coasters are targeted towards those that prefer rides with no inversions or "extreme" elements.

I don't seem to have any pics on Polar X-lorer. . but it was fun.

before cutting us loose, our park guides asked Robb if the group would like to head into Movie World and get an opening ride on Emmet's Flying Couch. . . so we followed them next door into Lego Movie World

I LOVED this area. . and not just because of the photo ops.

but of COURSE I had to be "Banana Man"

and Bunny.

Kitty had two smaller drop towers. .

group pic before going into Flying Couch. . which is a "Soarin" type ride with three stacked couches in each section instead of three rows of "seats"   it's actually some pretty perfect synergy, and makes total sense!

i did get a little bit motion sick from it - but that could have been as I hadn't really eaten yet that day, or maybe was just too close to the side of the screen.

regardless, it was Awesome!!   (or as they say in Denmark:   "Super Duper!")
 

getting instructions on where to meet for lunch, and planned leaving time. . and then cut loose to enjoy the park on our own, as it was now open.

not everything opens at park open, so tho they have a "flipping Plane" type ride, it wasn't open yet.

Iit was by a different manufacturer that typically makes air-race, and the folks that were going to be operating it told us the number of flips they have as the record is hard to beat (tho it was fairly low).  we knew some in the TPR group could probably beat the flip record, so made plans to come back once open

but for now, most of the group headed to Dragen.

 

everything that would be breathing in this pic, is actually Lego.. even the ducks!

lovely attention to detail in the large ride queue inside the castle gates.

and many of these vignettes sprinkled thruout the queue-line. 

you pushed a button and they activated, causing song, and some movement.

LOL.. I noticed the measuring system for the kiddos here on Dragen for the first time.

LOVE it.

the outfits for the workers here were cute too - and again with the foam sword.

this operator was very into it as well, when I asked for a pic

 

taken *with* permission from the photo booth person, as the machine was down and they couldn't print it out (otherwise would have bought it for a magnet)

what is this?  let's check it out!

hmm. . looks like it's supposed to "mist" or "squirt". . . no harm that it didn't on us. . LOL

ooooooohhhhhh. . it's this thing!    

I saw these last year at Klotten - where it seemed the point was to swing out under a waterfall and get soaked.

tho here it didn't seem quite as wet. . and the riders were getting quite a bit of "whip" motion.

so we stayed in line  (pic courtesy of Big Mike)

it was more fun than I had been expecting, and didn't end up wet at all.

don't think I rode this again. . . probably just snagging pics as we walked back over to Movie World for the planes.   but interesting they are launching the cars much closer together than would be done in the USA.

hi David! this is who we figured would beat the flip record here. . and I'm pretty sure he did.  

actually, I'm positive he did. . even tho the ride plays dirty, and if you flip too many times, it slows you down so you can't get yourself too dizzy (at least that's what the ride op told me).

and Jason and Jon giving it a go as well.

me too. .tho I'm not really good at getting these things to flip.

but whatdda ya know?  on this version, I was pretty able to do it.

oh, not a LOT of flips, but at least proof I did it a couple of times.

 

 

to be continued. . .

[bert425]

Day 10: Mon, June 12th part 2 : Legoland Billund continued

the folks I was hanging out with today kept talking about "Ice Piolts School" and how we had to do that before it filled up.

I didn't know what they were talking about (not putting two and two together).   So we headed back over to Polar X-plorer, and I was even more confused, when they went to the side of the coaster entrance then up a short path into a warehouse.

oh. . this thing.

yeah.. this is that INSANE "robot arm" ride, where you can program it yourself, and then the robot does what you've asked it to do.

You have to pair with someone, as it's teams of two, and I was feeling rather brave (realize that you can't see the actual Robot Arms. .they're behind the walls), so I told David, yeah, I'll ride with you - after everyone else passed on riding with him because he wanted to ride in *extreme* setting.

here are the screens where you pic what actions you want the robot arm to do.

then it spits out a card, that you take around the corner to give to the operator - who feeds the card into the Robot, and it does what you've programmed it to do for your "ride"

oh my!   well, that doesn't look too bad!  looks like fun.

and then I watched someone ride who had apparently chosen "Extreme" as well. . ..seriously, it looked like the Robot Arm was bashing them against rocks, like a cavewoman doing laundry!    LOL 

too late to turn back now!

yeah. .there are people on that arm (in that blur)

our turn. .here's David an I !

and I believe I have Elissa to thank for capturing this. . . . 

 

can't really remember, but I *think* we hopped on Polar X-plorer, since it's right next door.

before heading over to that Egyptian themed ride I had seen earlier. 

I wasn't exactly sure what this ride was, but I prayed it was more gentle than Ice Pilots School. . .it HAD to be. . lots of littler kids in this queue.

Turns out it was a shooting dark ride.

i don't recall much about it, so I guess it wasn't a super exciting shooting ride, but was cool to see all the stuff made out of legos.

it was almost time for lunch, so we headed back towards the park entrance.    That observation tower - while not super tall - was tall enough for my liking and wanted to try it out post lunch, as hadn't been on that side of the park yet.

lunch was in the Pizza Buffet. . which had some wonderfully strange pizzas (as Erik pointed out in his report), as well as seafood salad, and that wonderful tasting "Not Butter, Not Chicken"  - which actually WAS butter chicken, and was one of the best things I had at any of the parks we visited.

the fountains weren't working, so we got bottles with lunch.    hmm. .maybe those Lego polar bears on the way into the park WERE Coke cross promotion?

David happy with his small cup of Ice Cream, Me pleased with my larger (not as messy cup) and Jason upset he didn't think to use the drinking cup for Ice Cream.  

Letting the food settle a big, we wandered towards the observation tower, but stopped to browse in the giant Lego Store at the front of the park on the way.

so soft!!!

Bwaaa-haaaa-haaaa!

I'm a rebel!

see??   grrrrrr

 

map of the park. . .it seems SO much bigger when you're walking around in it.  it's very spread out.

LOVED the Lego store.  Even if you're not really into the blocks..it's still amazing just to see what they have on display in there!

I went back and forth on if I should get Banana or Hot Dog.   

it was so hard to decide.

Luckily no KISS ones. . or would have been schlepping big things back with me!

 

 

exclusive to this store?

after too much $$ spent, was time to head back into the park

and up in the observation tower!  We'd be heading back this way shortly, because the Aquarium and the NinjaGo section is back there behind Mini-land.

on the left is one of the Legoland HOtels, and I believe way back over there is the Lego Campus (with the yellow brick on top)

looking down at part of Mini-land as we head up.

that's Lego House in the back with the giant window on top.   not sure what the castle is. . possibly one of the Legoland hotels?  (one is called the Castle Hotel)

better view of the spread out park - that's polar X-plorer way back center right. . . and a better view of Lego campus on the left.

and catching planes landing in the airport across the street.

back at ground level, checking out some of the awesome mini-land as we walked by.

i wanted to spend a lot of time here, but there were other things on my list I wanted to knock out first to be sure I did them.

these planes taxiied. . and pulled into the terminals!   so freaking cool.

Safari time!

I might be mis-remembering, but I think it was this line where a park goer got into an argument with the operator because the operator wouldn't let him ride without a shirt.

So he threatened to put his shorts on over his head so he could ride, because the rules only said "Shirt and shoes must be worn" but nothing about pants.

after he stormed off, we laughed with the operator about it.   Pretty sure that happened in this queue.

myself and Jonathan shared a jeep on this safari.

a picture of Jason and David, taking pictures of us as we passed them on the "Savannah"

Big Mike scores his own Jeep!

we found our way back!

and perfect timing too. . the train pulled into the station right next to the Safari ride.

it's a rather tiny/cute train tho. . can a bunch of TPR guys fit in it???

you betcha!!

a little "snug". . but a nice slow ride, that goes around the park a bit, tho mainly by Miniland.

watch out for Robbers!!

Traffic School. . . LOL. .   loved this, but was for the littler kids.

I could have done the Fire Brigade one, as that's for adults/families. . but the line for it was a bit long, and as mentioned, I still had some "must dos" on my list.

some lovely picnic areas sprinkled about the park too.

 

off the train, and we headed across the walkway for one of the most classic Legoland rides (at least one I'd always heard about) the boats!

a nice slow moving ride, that you don't actually have to steer, that brings you among the world's greatest wonders.  all made out of Lego of course.

I recall you COULD sorta "steer". . but it really didn't make much difference where you went.

hey, I know that!!

I've been referring the Sphinx as "Sfinx" ever since I saw this. . . it's rotted my brain and stuck in it. . LOL

I imagine it's what a cat sneezing and farting at the same time sounds like:   Sfinx     ("bless you")

ta-daaaa!

what can I say?  it's a classic.

next up?  the Haunted Mansion. . I mean. . . . "Ghost" the Haunted House.
 

which, I will admit up front. .I absolutely loved.

doggie ghost?   

uh-oh. . Frankie's on the Juice again!

parts of the walkthru are interactive - say you pick up a flashlight and shine it on something, and the figure moves.

or pull a book out of the book case, and a fart noise happens.

same thing if you step in the wrong spot on the steps - loud fart sound.

yes, juvenile, but funny.

and there's a mirror maze in the center of the house!

with some mirrors hiding ghosts that appear out of nowhere.

but the biggest "whaaaa?" is at the end of the house, when they move you into a room and load you into a small drop tower (think mini version of Mystery Castle at Phantasialand). . where you face across from another row of guests, also about to be dropped.

not a huge drop, but fun and had us laughing.   and the operator was kind enough to take this picture for us before the lap bar came down over our heads.

creepy ass giant spider made of Lego greets you at the exit.

 

to be concluded. . .