Photo TR - Julie and Kevin Go to Spain! ~The Coastery bits~

[PhishyBrewer]

That awesome Julie! Glad you and Kevin had an great time. I do miss stick figure Kevin though.

[USRoadTripper]

PortAventura!

May 17th, 2006

 

We ended up taking an overnight train from Granada to Tarragona, which meant that I didn't get too much sound sleep the night before hitting PortAventura. I assumed I could sleep on a train much better than I actually did!

 

We arrived at Tarragona, then purchased tickets to the PortAventura train station. By the time our train got there, we had lots of time before the park opened. First, we wandered through Hotel El Paso, which seemed very nice! Then we stored our backpacks in a locker (only 4E for two huge backpacks, two smaller day packs plus a merchandise bag) and got our park tickets. We were able to get well into the park before reaching a blocked off area, and within about 15 minutes, the park was open.

 

Our first stop was Sea Odyssea since we didn't really know what it was. I was hoping that it would be a *real* submarine adventure, but of course it wasn't. It ended up just being a simulator, and what's worse is that it was one of those simulators where the room is stationary but just the seats move. Ugh...I was happy when it was over since those type of simulators border on making me motion sick. A good part of it was in English though, so I was able to at least piece together the story line.

 

Heading further into the park, we stopped for our Tami Tami credit, and admired the exquisite theming and landscaping. You can definitely tell that it used to be a Universal park.

 

From there, we went back into the China themed area to ride Dragon Khan. The entire way there, we didn't see it cycle at all, so we were worried that it was closed, but it wasn't. When we got to the station, they were just about to dispatch, so we only had to wait through one train, and snagged seats in the front row. Then the ride op did something I'd never seen...two people came up and stood behind Kevin and I, wanting to wait one more train so they could ride in the front row...and the ride op absolutely refused to let them wait while there were still empty seats elsewhere in the train! Their arguement was in Spanish, so I only caught bits and pieces, but the couple wasn't very happy about it. I'm not sure what the big deal is about letting people wait??

 

Anyway, the ride was really intense! It was a great ride, but bordered on too intense for me in places. It shook around a bit, and while Kevin said he thought it was rough, I wouldn't exactly say it was that rough. My ears got boxed a tad, but not too badly. Inversion after inversion was awesome, but by about inversion number 5 or 6, I was just really wanting a nice bunny hill or something hehe. The coaster kept it's speed really well though, flying through the MCBR without so much as a graze.

 

Kevin got some popcorn at that point, but when we tried to go into the wild west themed area of the park, it was still closed for another 15 minutes or so. So, starving from not having had any breakfast on the train, I decided to get a egg and potato bocadillo thingie...ugh, Spanish food sucks so bad. It was soggy from ketchup, and was cold, just like every other egg dish I saw in the whole country. I managed to choke down a little over half of it before offering the rest to Kevin.

 

Soon the entire park was open, so we rode El Diablo Tren de la Mina next. We waited FOR EVER to get a couple of action shots of the coaster, then managed to ride it twice in a row, once in the front, once in the back (the back was light years better).

 

Passing on the one-of-a-kind drop tower (that looked pretty much like any other drop tower to us), Serpiente Emplumada caught our eye. It was some evil looking spinning flat ride that had colorful theming on every square inch of it, so we decided to ride. It was fun, but Kevin was very ready for it to be over by about halfway through the ride!

 

Finally we made it back to the wild west area, where the first ride we came to was Tomahawk. This was a fun little woodie with some sort of painful laterals. Nothing to write home about, but it was nice. They also only allow one person per car, so I am surprised that the wait wasn't horrific for it. After Tomahawk, we wandered around enjoying the theming (such as tombstones with interersting epitaphs, a playground with a wooden train, and a walk through western village). We also had some fun in one of the gift shops, which should be no surprise to anyone who reads my TRs!

 

Next up were the last yet most anticipated credits on the trip, Stampida! What can I say except that I thought it was CCI just about at their absolute finest! We both ended up loving this set of coasters! They had great airtime, felt crazy and out of control, but stayed well paced through the whole ride. And the way that the trains split, then duel, then race again was a great touch! Why do these coasters have to be halfway across the world from me?! It's not fair! haha

 

Afterwards, we wandered around the western area some more, noting that it looked more like Frontierland than Frontierland does! It was definitely my favorite of the themed areas, and I believe it was Kevin's favorite too. We popped into an arcade and got a "Gogh's Workshop" sketch done, then we played with the characters. Kevin spotted some milti-colored popcorn so he decided to try that, then we both took advantage of a photo op with a cowboy and a can can dancer.

 

When we were done, we walked back towards the Chinese area in hopes of having the all-you-can-eat chinese buffet for lunch. Alas it was closed when we got there, so we opted for the quick service chinese place instead. I had a noodle dish, some bread, some Jello and a chocolate chip muffin, and I also purchased a refillable PortAventura sipper cup since I have a small collection of them, and it was only about a Euro more than the drink alone. The lunch was really good...the best meal I'd had in days, at that point. The seating area was within ear shot of Dragon Khan, which I only heard cycle twice during our 45 minute meal. Not sure what is up with not cycling that coaster more.

 

The last thing on the agenda was Templo del Fuego, which was sort of like a toned down Poseidon's Fury. The actress in the show spoke mostly in Spanish, but did say a few of the key plot points in English. There was a preshow very similar to Poseidon where there is a lock on a door, and when you turn it, an emblem is revealed and it's opened. Then in the main show, there were tons of special effects...there were stunts, there was fire, there were pop-up skeletons...it was really really great! But then I really love Poseidon's Fury, so it was no surprise that I loved this one too. The only thing missing was a water portal

 

We decided that, to end out the day, we'd take the train round trip, then head on into Barcelona for the night. On the way, we spotted a sign that said "Armadillos -->" so we went to investigate...and found another bouncing horse ride!! Yes!!! We ended up being three for three with bouncing animal rides in Spanish parks! This was actually the lamest of the three though, since the bouncing wasn't as violent as at Parque de Atracciones, and they weren't llamas like Isla Magica They were fun nonetheless though.

 

Finally, we boarded the train. but once it got to the next stop, every other person on the train got off! I guess European's aren't big on round trip train rides?? We got off near the main entrance, so we headed out, claimed our backpacks, then hiked it back out to the train station. The night ended with us arriving in Barcelona as their futbol team won the European championships, which caused hundreds of thousands of people to flood into the streets and celebrate...it was so awesome!!

 

So yeah, PortAventura is really a fantastic park! You can tell that it is a world class park in basically every aspect, from rides to theming to food to merchandise. I found it quite strange that they don't cycle Dragon Khan more, but I assume they have their reasons. I think that Stampida was the hands down winner of this park as far as we were concerned. Since I didn't get to spend much time at all in Barcelona, chances are good that I will make it back to this park at some point, and I am already looking forward to riding their accelerator (which no, I didn't notice any construction for yet, but I wasn't really looking for it).

 

So that's all for the Spanish parks. Looks for my "Julie and Kevin go to Spain" non-coaster TR in the Random forum in the coming days.

 

-Julie

Mmmm! Time for a ketchup soaked cold egg and potato sandwhich!

So after waiting around for ages and never being able to get an action shot of Dragon Khan, I figured that this photo of a postcard with an action shot was as close as I was gonna get!

From this angle, Dragon Khan appears to love me. Or maybe it's vertical loops are forming a heart to say it loves Derek instead??

Wow...8 inversions. Wonder if anyone ever stopped to think if 8 G-filled inversions is really the best thing in a coaster?

Time for the only B&M credit for us in Spain...Dragon Khan!

Next, we head up to the China themed area. This area was a little more thinly themed than the others, but still included nicely themed rides like these Chinese teacups.

Please, do not take off your shirt while at PortAventura. Thank you.

And one final Tami Tami onride...cuz I'm on TPR, and that's just what you're supposed to do.

Ok, here we go up the lift. (I really like this picture for some reason!)

Tami Tami with a couple of happy riders

Moving onto some real rides, we headed for our Tami Tami credit next.

%&@#!!!

Hmm, got lots of nice theming...I hope it's not a crappy simulator or something...

Ok, first up, Sea Odyssey!

...or welcome to Universal Mediterranea, which ever name you prefer!

Welcome to PortAventura!

An interesting light fixture in the Hotel El Paso lobby.

We made a bathroom pit stop in the Hotel El Paso, and it looked really nice! As nice as any Florida parks resort.

Woody Woodpecker greets you as you arrive at PortAventura from the train station.

[dandaman]

Despite the fact that it's cold egg, anything tastes better when it has ketchup!

 

Thanks.

[USRoadTripper]

More photos

Awww, look at Kevin's face! It's as though he's thinking "I wish I lived on Sesamstrasse so Bert and Ernie could be my best friends forever!" (We watched German Sesame Street almost every day of the trip!)

Good thing that the Spanish don't still play out that whole "colorful headdress" stereotype of native Americans!

Thinking of you Erik, all the way in PortAventura!

"We're sorry, but this is the only place in Spain that does not let you smoke while eating bocadillos and drinking wine."

For a country that speaks Spanish as their primary language, they've done pretty well with their southern dialect!

There were lots of tombstones in the area too...not as clever as the Haunted Mansion, but funny regardless!

One thing we noticed was that near Barcelona, there was a LOT of graffiti, like this that we found on a plant! Who the hell puts graffiti on a plant???

In the playground of the schoolyard, they had lots of cute old fashioned wooden toys, like a swingset and this kid sized train.

Moving further into the wild west area, we both thought that having their information desk be the teacher's desk in a one room schoolhouse was so adorable!

And these are the kinds of pictures you get when you put your onride photo on the brake run.

They will also only let one person sit in each seat, which I'm sure causes hellishly long lines during busy times (WFT is up with three people biting their nails at the same time??)

As you can see, Tomahawk's lift goes up directly next to one of Stampida's turns, making it difficult to tell what track belongs to which coaster in some places!

Time for some junior woodie goodness...Tomahawk!

"Ok ride, you can stop aaaaaaany time now..."

Serpiente Emplumada (Feathered Serpent), with it's native American chief and motion sickness inducing spinning!

Moving on, we passed the "one of a kind" drop tower, which from my photo appears to be named Hurakan Condo! What is so one of a kind about this ride? Anyone?

This was actually a very nice mine train. It had quite a bit of air in the back, and was nicely themed.

One for the lift hill enthusiasts

One cool thing is that El Diablo intertwines with the park's railroad right here. Would be a great shot with the parks train and a coaster train together.

El Diablo exclusive shot. You certainly won't see this picture on RCDB, in other PortAventura TRs, and definitely not in the parks promo stuff.

After choking down as much of my sandwich as I could, we headed for El Diablo, Tren de la Mina.

[zaneymon]

JULIE Looks like you had an awesome time in spa in and if there is any more photos WHERE ARE THEY?

[USRoadTripper]

Last set of photos

In conclusion, this empty train symbolizes the emptiness in my heart as I had to leave this wonderful park.

Thanks for reading!

As we prepare to say goodbye to PortAventura, we take a final round trip ride on the train.

The last bouncing horse ride of the trip. These rides are awesome because nothing is keeping you on the horse except gravity and your own common sense! Hence why there aren't any in the US!

If this picture doesn't make you want to get your ass to PortAventura, I don't know what will!

Kevin presents Templo del Fuego!

Kevin also had a staredown with a cowboy who tried to steal his French popcorn.

Before leaving the wild west, I had a very interesting conversation with a can can dancer.

"Hi, I'm Kevin. I'm from Canada, eating French popcorn in a Spanish park with an American chick. Wanna have Chinese food for lunch?"

I'd never quite seen rainbow popcorn before, but it was cool! Too bad it was sweet, Kevin enjoyed it though!

Once Fiona was done getting her own credits, I managed to get a nice picture with them.

When I went to have my picture taken with Shrek and Fiona, Kevin got this shot of Fiona grabbing her boobs! Anyone wanna bet that the person inside that costume is a dude?

They also had sme characters out. Kevin met Chilly Willy!

Man, they don't mess around...someone accused me of stealin' something, and I got hanged!

They had a nice looking shooting gallery, but it was one of those that you just collect points for and don't get gags when you hit the targets, so we didn't play.

This makes sketch #4 for me, so I guess that makes it an official collection, huh?

The Long Branch Saloon, featuring Kevin's backside.

In the wild west area, even the directional signs were nicely themed.

Why Stampida...why must you be across an ocean from me? :*-(

Mmm...if a ride on a coaster could taste good, this one would taste awesome!

My favorite lift hill of the trip.

"You've chosen good luck as gay!" Fabulous graffiti artists strike again.

After successfully winning the race on the red side, we choose blue the second time around.

The ride is themed to a wagon race, with red racing against blue.

Oh yes...Stampida...CCI at it's finest.

Chicken stampede!!! Run for your lives!!!

[rollermonkey]

Julie, I am sad you didn't ride the Hurakan Condor to tell us what stunts / effects are up there under the box at the top. (I have heard it's like a little show in there, and that's why it's the only one like it!)

 

On my ride on Tomahawk, it timed out exactly right to pass between the racing trains on Stampida. This one moment maked that monstrous pile of wood my favorite multitrack wood coaster in all of Spain, too!

[Jon Sabo]

Unless I'm drinking too many Mai Tai's here, but wasn't P-A co-owned by Busch for a small period of time and then sold it to its original owners?

Great photo's! How is the weather is Spain-does it get hot/humid there?

[the sound]

^ I believe Tussauds owned it, then Universal.

 

BTW, Universal still owns it, i think they just dropped Universal from there name.

 

Looks like you guys had as much fun as we did! But it looked like you didn't go on the super wet water rides.

[shesaidboom]

I didn't have access to a computer when this was posted, which is my excuse for commenting two weeks late I had to read this thread after looking at your TR in the random section. These parks look like a lot of fun. I wish we had the bouncing horse rides here, they look amusing..I can see why you guys liked them. Too bad I wont be getting to Spain any time soon. Lots of Canada love in this TR..well, in the form of clothing anyway.

[Watson]

Then the ride op did something I'd never seen...two people came up and stood behind Kevin and I, wanting to wait one more train so they could ride in the front row...and the ride op absolutely refused to let them wait while there were still empty seats elsewhere in the train! Their arguement was in Spanish, so I only caught bits and pieces, but the couple wasn't very happy about it. I'm not sure what the big deal is about letting people wait??

This is something extremely annoying in Spain which we encountered at terra Mítica and Parque Warner Madrid as well. They all feel they just HAVE to fill the trains and this in the most illogical way as possible.

 

In Spain they more then often delay Q's just because the trains doesn't get filled properly.

 

At PortAventura, we were the first in line for El Diablo.

We had to go and sit in the middle. Can we go in the back please?

No, you have to go in the middle...???!!!???

On the other hand, Spain is the worst country ever if it comes to line jumping. TERRIBLY annoying. And the worst thing is, the operators just endow it. That's the most frustrating part of all. Wait, there is something even more frustrating... non-Spanish people who clim under railings so they don't have to go along all the empty lines of the Q are fiercefully reprimanded while at the same time a group of at least 20 Spanish teenagers who jump the line big time are greeted with a smile. Dis-gus-ting!

 

Spanish parks should learn to get rid of that illogical-train-filler-operator (and have people just fill the station and the train) and assign it to do something against line jumping.

 

And indeed, they explain everything in Spanish. Knowledge of English or French in Spain is close to nil. Especially with the young people which is very weird. PortAventura receives almost as much foreign tourists as it does Spanish folk, though they speak little or no English and some are even proud of that.

 

ugh, Spanish food sucks so bad.

It certainly does. That's why we visited quite some McDonalds during our trip. Most hilaric part was us visiting a McDonalds in Madrid (which seems to be at least more than just a village) and asking for a "hamburger". The answer you get is "Qué"? There are big and shiny pictures of hamburgers everywhere and we didn't want some special sandwich, we just wanted a plain hamburger. "Qué?" Even pointing at the pictures seemed to be a Qué?-inducing action. Then finally, the guy seemed to have seen the light and said... AAAAh! Un Hamburgesa!

Don't you sometimes just feel you HAVE to slap someone in the face?

I had the feeling I had met Fawlty Towers' inspiration for Manuel. Qué?

 

They also only allow one person per car, so I am surprised that the wait wasn't horrific for it.

It is designed as a kiddie coaster and the trains are also desgined to be one-seaters.