Efteling Theme Park--Tilburg, The Netherlands

Marika:  I think this place may be more awesome than Disney World

Rio: I was just thinking that.

Okay, you really have to know just how very, very much our family loves all things Disney and most especially the parks to understand the enormity of the above conversation.  And this about a theme park we would have never even heard of had it not partnered with our local park to offer a free admittance to annual passholders of Tripsdrill.  Wow.

Okay, some perspective.  Efteling is only one park and there is no parade and no huge night time show.  But for a one day visit--if you did not have a week to spend, and if (like us) parades are not the end all be all to you, Disney has nothing on Efteling.  This park is as lovely and as well themed, as clean, as professional, as efficient.  It was rather stunning for us all to stumble on this.

After parking, we headed up to one of the ticket windows with our Tripsdrill passes.  The worker there said she had never heard of the reciprocity  but that the office probably knew and directed us to a warm little building off to one side.     We were a bit nervous, but as soon as we spoke to the manager in the office he knew and was very nice in telling us about the park, getting us English maps, etc.  So, y 10:10 we were heading into the main gates and telling Rio to pick something he wanted to see and guide the way.

Being a seasoned theme park visitor, he pinpointed the area of the park that contains 3 of 4 coasters and headed straight for that which was most likely to have long lines later in the day (the parking lot was not even a quarter full, but there were more people at the gates than we would have expected given the cold temperatures--we did not have any idea how the crowds might be or how the park handled them; as it turned out we only waited in about 3 lines all day, all under 15 minutes).

Coming around from behind, the large wooden coaster themed after George and the Dragon came into view and we walked right past the fabulous adioanimitronic dragon.  We had already been oohing and ahhing and the intricate themeing--every light post and every walking surface is themed and full of detail, and then all of the sudden here he was--such a cool dragon, breathing smoke and turning to look at us.

Wow!  As appealing as the big wooden coaster with its racing trains of cars was, we decided to by pass it momentarily and ride something we could all enjoy (Dave has problems with wooden coasters because of his back), and headed for the viking coaster ride called De Vliegende Hollander):

What a way to start!  I am not one to rank things and have one all time favourite--I like different things for different reasons and what I love can change with my mood--but this is definitely one of my favourite rides ever, from any thempark any where.  

None of my photos of the interior came out, but I will try to describe a bit anyway.  Let's start with the queue--which, once again, is as elaborately themed as the best of Disney rides.  You walk into a Scandanavian manor home and through a bot of a nice home, them turn and walk through a "town panting" into a back alley, past seedy bars and cracked walls hiding treasure before finally coming out in a little fishing village (the two story tall indoor loading area designed to look a like a Scandinavia village by night.  For those of you familiar with EPCOT--the loading are is similar to that of Maelstorm only larger and not in the least bit dated or hokey.  

Passengers are loaded into boats which seat 14 in rows of three and four.  In the front row you are greeted by this guy:

Also, a minor but important detail for those who are tall.  Dave is 6'5" (195 cm) and most of his height is in his legs.  Look at how well his legs fit on the ride!  This was the nest of them all--but overall he had substantially fewer leg room issues at Efteling than he ever has had anywhere else:

Okay, so the ride starts and it is like a combination of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean and Maelstom, but (again) not at all dated or campy.  Your boat takes you sailing into a deep fog, then a heavy storm in which you see a large ship which is going down.  Finally, you are faced with the cursed ghost ship, which sends you spiraling out of control--and your slow moving boat ride suddenly turns into a full fledged roller coaster, wit  several nice twists and turns and a final splash down into the lake (you do not get wet).

Every single one of us loved this ride.  It is really jut about perfect.

Next up, the kids and I headed to Joris en de Draak (George and the Dragon).  This is a big wooden roller coaster with two tracks and two trains which run simultaneously.  

There was no line so the kids rushed through the queue so fast I didn't manage to get any photos.  I was sad because when we went back later they had shut down most of the queue so I never got my pictures.  Suffice to say that this one was also very well themed (right down to a mid queue vending machine that looked so much like a gypsy caravan that I almost didn't realize that it was anything other than a prop).  Towards the end of the line area, guests can choose to ride either the red or blue train (so it is easy to be sure you get to try both).

The one queue photos I got were of one of the lights along the route into the "castle" and one of the many chandeliers of torches right above the loading zone:

The trains load across from one another and always take off at the exact same moment (to the many cheers or several armored knights on the sidelines).  The trains race off against each other, first going side by side, then going around twin curves so that you almost have the feeling you will crash into one another, and then race over and under and around each other and the dragon.  

The two trains are neck and neck coming in for the finish on parallel tracks and the winning train's flag unfurls overhead (so far as I can tell, the train with the heaviest group of passengers wins).  As you pull into the unloading station, you are greeting by your flags and banners dropping down and either cheers or boos from your knights depending on if you were on the winning or loosing train.  

Yet, again, a fantastic ride.  

I apologize for cutting this entry short.  It is already 11:00 here and I need to pack and get some sleep before heading out on a Girl Scout trip tomorrow (no rest for the weary! lol).  I will be back with more by Wednesday at the lastest, but in the morning if I can wake myself up early enough to get it done before leaving.

Happy Easter,

Hadley

#efteling

It's Good Friday-let's drive to Belgium!

If you have been following along on the blog, then you know we spent this weekend in Belgium and Holland so that we could visit Efteling Amusement Park (more on that in the next entry).

 The park is about 4 hours from us, so we did not want to just do a day trip, and we had a long weekend, so I searched for a reasonably priced hotel.  Nothing right nearby came up at a price we wanted to pay, but there was what seemed to be a good price at a vacation resort about an hour from the park in Belgium.  For 100 Euro a night we could book a 3 bedroom bungalow with a kitchen at Sunparks Kempense Meren in Mol Belgium.  From reading the website, it appeared this vacation resort had a nice indoor pool area that was free for guests as well as lots of other interesting on site things to do.  So we booked it for Friday and Saturday nights with a plan to visit Efteling on Saturday.

It was a nice treat for us to be going somewhere only three and a half hours from home.  We enjoyed sleeping in and not leaving until about 10 o 'clock.  We had plenty of time (check in begins at 3:00 at Sunparks), so we stopped for a longish lunch at a Subway along the road (yes, we have Subways all over here!) and stopped a couple of times for drinks or ice cream and to stretch our legs.

Belgium is where the "French Fry" was invented (why don;t we call them Belgian Fries?) and we no sooner crossed the border than we began to see shack after shack selling paper cones full of the freshly fried treat.  We thought this guy was funny--the "evil fry guy" Not the most appetizing:

We arrived at the resort about 2:30ish, parked in the large outer lot and headed into the main entry to check in (it looks like a suburban American school built in the 50s, doesn't it?) :

The resort is "car free" and only allows people to drive onto the main property two times a day--near check in and check out times for loading and unloading purposes.  3:00 is the earliest time to access bungalows and the time the gate to the road opens.  Being the start of a holiday week, many people were waiting lined up in their cars to head in and unload--we joined the queue and by 3:05 were at our little house, #147:

We were lucky to have a location not too far from the car park and the main building.  The bunglow was cute, in good repair and a lot roomier than just a hotel room.  The two upstairs bedroom (one was the master) had  slanted ceilings, but the main sections were full height so it wasn't hard to maneuver.  Here are a few photos of the interior:

We went out exploring the property a bit.  The resort is located on the shores of the largest lake in Belgium.  There was swimming beaches, however the immediate resort area is signed as not for swimming (not that it was warm enough anyway).  The lake was very pretty though, with lots of wild ducks, geese and other water birds and many trails for biking and hiking around it.

We also looked around the mini gold course.  An 18 hole course.  Inside the main building you can rent equipment for 5 Euro a person--something I am sure Rio would have to do if it were just a smidge warmer.  As was, we just walked around the deserted course to check it out for future reference (we had already fallen in love with this little corner of Flanders and decided we need to go back for a few days in the warmer months).  

Finally, we headed into the main common building.  It was pretty impressive.  There was a medium sized grocery store with half way decent prices, a full service restaurant as well as a pizzeria and diner.

There was a small arcade, pool tables, a bowling alley, many seating areas to use while surfing (there is free wi-fi in the common building), a big indoor play are for young kids:

and a fantastic pool complex (that did not allow photos to be taken).  Use of the play area and the pool is free for guests.

The pool closed at 8:00 and it was about 5:30 by then.  We decided to grab a baguette and some cheese and have a quick snack, then swim and have a late dinner.  

It was a good call.  The pool was really a big attraction in and of itself, with three big slides, a wave pool, a small lazy river, and indoor outdoor pool, etc.  I think this would be sort of like Belgium's version of the American Great Wolf Lodge perhaps.

So, we ended Friday with a late dinner, cooked in out little bungalow and plans to be up and out by 9:00 the next morning so as to arrive at Efteling for the 10:00 opening.  

--Hadley

   

It's All Dutch to Me

Short post today. . .

So, last week at Dave's conference there was a magic show in the evening (no, this is not typical in Germany--it was a completely random and unusual occurrence .  I ended up being pulled on stage for a rather long time.

The next day, a few people asked Dave about his wife from The Netherlands.  Apparently I speak German with a Dutch accent!  At least, a few people that night thought so.

Today the kids and I went shopping (Rio had pretty much outgrown every stitch of clothing he owned).  One of the shop keepers asked if we were from South Africa!?!  When we told her we were from the US she said she couldn't believe it, that we didn't sound at all American.

I am not really quite sure what to make of all this.  I think I am going to take it as a compliment though.  Dutch is actually pretty close to German, so I figure that if I can sound Dutch my accent must be getting close to correct.  I am pretty sure Afrikaans also evolved from Dutch--so there may be a similar sound there in accents?

Anyway, just a little interesting tidbit from today to share.  Sorry for the lack of any interesting photos :)

Happy Wednesday,
--Hadley

Tripsdrill Part 2

Lest you have gotten the idea that Tripsdrill is only for young kids, there are some more thrilling rides (and another coaster with loops is currently under construction).  While this is NOT the park to go to if you are all about the adrenalin rush, there are a few rides that take a bit more bravery (and still manage to have quite a bit of whimsy to boot).

heading towards the newer, thrill filled section, you will first walk past the raft ride (similar to those at about every theme park these days).  At Tripsdrill, the ride has a laundry theme--you ride about in a large washtub--and the line goes through a museum of sorts on the history of washing machines.

You'll remember that it was only about 35 when we were there, so a water ride was NOT happening.  Here is a photo from afar though:

Further out you can see a classic, old German manor house:

Two rides work their way through the manor house.  One is a mousecoaster.  Rio LOVES this coaster.  I am generally a big fan of the mouse coaster, but this particular one does a number on me, so I no longer ride it.  I think coaster enthusiasts would really enjoy it--it has a very "interesting" drop with a twist that really exerts some G-forces and is quite a different movement than anything I have ridden elsewhere.

The flume ride also goes through the manor house.  Once again, I have no recent photos--since it was too cold to ride.  However, it is so funny and whimsical that I have to share some photos from last spring and show it to you anyway.  The ride is meant to be a trip to the Fountain of Youth--which, for some odd reason,  you visit by riding around in an old fashioned bathtub.

You ride about in the castle for a bit and then arrive at the fountain of youth.  I never did get a good photo of the first side of the fountain that you come to--the side in which many old woman are bathing.  There is even a woman being wheeled to the fountain in a wheel barrow by her husband.  The women are all bathing topless by the way---so NOT an American themepark--lest you have forgotten for some reason.  Here is a photo from Tripdrill's website:

And no need to worry, your view is not limited to saggy breasted women!  They are nice and young by the time you get to the other side:

Shortly after this you are on an outside track which runs nearly parallel to the mouse-coaster for about 30 seconds or so--we have actually had three of us on the flume ride and Rio on the mouse-coaster and made plans of where to meet up afterwards while chatting between the rides!

After splashing down, you can head over to one more big attraction -the saw mill themed wooden roller coaster: Mamut.  

This is actually one of my favourite roller coasters of all time.  It is an extremely smooth ride--remarkably so for a wood coaster, the theming (you are a log going through the mill) is a lot of fun and well done, and the ride itself s not the fastest or the tallest, but it is a KICK!  Lots of good "floating" moments, fun hills an banked turns--just good old fashioned fun--not boring but not pushing you to the edge either.  

Here's a photo of the kids on about their 4th loop through.  They're the last two people in that bunch of people sitting in the front portion:

So, that is it for the thrills.  Heading back into the older parts of the park, one of our favourite areas is the silly bikes.  About 30 bicycles with a variety of oddly placed pedals (notice where Rio's feet are?), or wheels meant to give you a bumpy ride, etc are there for the taking,  There is a figure 8 shaped loop with some wavy areas to ride around on.  There is no worker there--it is just a free for all--which works well here and we have never once witnessed people being unsafe, running into others, not stopping after a few laps if there is await, etc.  Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if Disney tried this?!

Near this area are also some smaller rides, two rides only for young children, duck boats and animals to ride around on a track, as well as a slow moving elevated pedal ride themed as butterflies and another slow moving elevated ride, not pedal powered though, in which guests ride in rocking cradles.  Or, you can more into the REALLY old section of the park--which we happen to find hysterical--but then again we have rather warped senses of humor.  

You can see Adam and Eve (how they fit in with anything else, we have no idea!  Well, other than the topless women theme, of course lol).  Be careful not to be spit upon by the serpent while you check out the first couple to fall in love (maybe that is the storyline!)

Couples can visit the "love doctor" to find out if they are really meant to be:

You can stop by the "chapel" and see some very early animitronic action--the preacher leans out and waves his arm about and goes on at length coaxing everyone to the wedding--after which the wedding processions moves past (all just dummies on a track--no animitronics) and afterwards head off for a honeymoon ride past  farm houses complete with live chickens and goats:

Once you have been married a while, you may want to have a baby.  So take your chances pulling one out of the well!

(BABY PHOTOS COMING SOON--they are at work with David on his phone!)

After acquiring your baby in that freaksih manor, lol, you can visit your neighbors.  All you have to do is climb the ladders conveniently left outside of their windows, and they will come over and talk to you.  This is yet another thing I could never see at a park in the US--climbing ladders, over a concrete surface, no supervision.  

We had probably been in the park at least a dozen times before we realized we could go around the corner and INTO the house.  This is quite possibly the most bizarre attraction at the park.  We find it wildly hysterical--but, again, we are a bit odd in out humor.  The interior of the house consists of a dark, twisted hallway.  At various points there is a lit button to push.  Pushing the button activates an older audioanimatronic behind glass, which you can then watch.  There are about 10-12 of these.  Most seem to be discussing possible career choices.  A couple of our favourites--the oh so 60s and oh so "off" attempt at diversity Daycare Teacher:

The drunken door to door notions salesman (do you see his big, empty bottle on the floor?):

and last, but not least earning plenty of dollars and pounds from the occupying soldiers (so it would seem), a prostitute!

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Disney anymore" lol  

I told you it was weird!  It is also easily avoidable, and actually not noticeable at all (thus are failure to see it for months).  We love the humor both intended and unintentional though---t cracks us up every time (and it was WARM in there).  

I hope you are encouraged to visit this very unique, very German and utterly quirky theme park if you are ever in the are.

--Hadley

#tripsdrill

Tripsdrill Opening Weekend 2013

When we were new in Germany and people would learn that we like Disney and Legoland, they would inevitably tell us we should visit the themepark they grew up attending, Tripsdrill.  We'd ask for some details, what it was like, what kinds of rides they had, and people were oddly unable to give much of any specifics, but it seemed unanimous that people who grew up in our area went there as children, loved it, and now take their own children.  Many of today's grandparents grew up with a summer visit to Tripsdrill every year as well.

So, last spring Dave, Rio and I (Marika was visiting family in the states at the time) took the plunge and tried Tripsdrill and promptly fell in love--so much so that we walked out of the park that day with annual passes.

Tripsdrill always opens for the season the weekend before Easter.  So, our passes from last year are good until the 31st of this month--which allowed us to stop by this weekend for one last trip (and use them at a sister park in Holland next Saturday).  It was pretty cold this weekend, temps hovered in the mid 30s F, and there was a nasty breeze, so we spent about two and a half hours yesterday and another two and a half today rather than one long day out--and it is a little less lovable when you are chilled and the flowers are not blooming yet--but Tripsdrill is still a kick.  It is a beautiful, and quirky and unique little park and I hope I can adequately convey some of that through my photos and descriptions today.

The park is themed to be all about rural, traditional German life.  This is a theme which works surprisingly well and is often really charming and, especially with some of the older attractions that have been left open (pretty much everything that ever was from what we can tell!) at times downright odd and funny in that way that only German humor can be (you'll see . . .).

The park has many nests available for wild storks, and many, MANY wild storks nest there and can be seen flying overhead, etc.  In their honor, there is a statue at the front entrance:

Being so cold, they weren't flying much today--but here is the one shot I could get of a nest:

Once past the front statue, the entry way into the park is up the little German street (note the laundry lines over the street--laundry is a recurring theme at Tripsdrill).  The building on the left houses a small cafe and a shop.  The one on the left houses the newest attraction---an indoor ball and play area (air powered balls, etc) with a classic "hopper" type ride for little kids which is charmingly themed as a wooden ball and ramp toy.  The maypole ride at the top of the street is a gentle ride that affords some nice views of the park.

The path forces everyone to turn left at the top of the street.  If you're not inclined to ride the maypole, you can get a taste of odd ball German humor y watching the man in the nearby outhouse.  He'll cuss you out for intruding and even spit at you if you're not careful!

Moving on, the first couple of attractions you come to are the original one from when the "park" was just an amusement to go along with a restaurant: a good old fashioned, sit on a burlap sack and go, slide, inside an old mill building, and a funhouse.  Here is David walking towards the mill/slide:

And a few of the funhouse (and, yes, I have to sing "The One That I Want" every time I am in there!) (and, again, yes, if you are old and uncoordinated and fall on those rolling slides, it hurts):

Next to the slides are what we refer to as the "drunken boats."  A simple little boat ride in which boats must steer through the zigzag lanes but are not on a rack, so once in a while someone causes a roadblock (canal block?).  Riders not steering can try to squirt other boats with water shooting out of the watering can, tea kettle and wine bottle that each boat is equipped with.  A little boy successfully squirted me today!  Brrrrrrrrr!

Just behind the boats is the Treehouse themed drop ride (which the kids must have ridden 10 times yesterday and another ten today.  I am good for 1-2 rides max):

Those not up for a drop, can stay on the ground and pet the goats:

Or head over to the calmer Soap Box racers (which I think are the most adorable of any kiddie car ride I have seen--though perhaps this kid is a little past the adorable stage himself):

There is also a mill themed kiddie flume ride in this area--in which the kids ride in sacks of flour.  No one was crazy enough to go on water rides in these temperatures and I did not take a photo.  If anyone is dying to see it, let me know and I will dig up a photo from last year.

Throughout the park there are also little mill themed water areas like the one below.  In warm weather children are encouraged to play in them to their heart's content:

That is it for the section straight ahead after the forced turn at the top of the street by the maypole.  Heading back, you actually pass above the maypole and then onto the other, larger side of the street where you see both the oldest and newest sections of the park.  

You start with some of the oldest, passing into wine country (as a note--Tripsdrill is in the middle of nowhere, a good 30 minutes of driving from any highway, and surrounded by vineyards (a hillside full of them is in view from most of the park).  This is truly the heart of wine country. Tripsdrill itself grows its own grapes and makes its own, fairly decent wine.  The wine barrel ride involves sitting in a spinning wine cask while the cask follows a track through the vineyards.  You'll feel drunk when you get off:

The large building in the background houses a museum with old wine making equipment, including many old and truly lovely wooden presses, and the basement is a tasting room where the adults can hang out and sample wine; your park admission even includes a tasting glass you get to keep (but the samples will run you about 1.50 Euro a piece).  Along the edge of the ride there are also a series of older animitronics which show the process of turning grapes into delightful beverages:

Moving on, there is a section that Dave calls "vomit alley" since pretty much every ride spins.  The tilt a whirl style ride is themed after ran old style bakery in which you spin about in bundt cakes:

You can sore above everyone as you swing from a giant mushroom:

Take a spin in a flying laundry basket:

Ride forwards and backwards around a track in a pair of house shoes (sorry, no photo), spin about in a Dreseden coffee service:

or in a soup pot:

If, after all of that, you can still walk; amble over to the gentle but fun caterpillar coaster, which runs so low at points that you can run your fingertips along the grass (and all the kids do--and no one seems worried about liability):

So, that is about half the park.  It is late, I am tired, and you have probably seen far too many photos already.  I'll come back tomorrow with the newer and more big kid rides as well as the oldest and oddest ones ;)

Happy Sunday to you all,

--Hadley

#tripsdrill