Tag: River Splash

About the Freischütz and other roller coasters

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Bayern Park

Bayern Park is one of the more highly praised amusement parks in Germany, and has attracted the attention of roller coaster enthusiasts since the construction of the Freischütz. We arrived at the park just in time for the opening, after all we only had about 6km to drive that day, and the first impressions were quite positive, although the weather wasn’t quite as good as the day before.

As most of the rides hadn’t opened by this time, we enjoyed the Heege Comet Swings, which offered plenty of airtime. Unfortunately we missed the whole upper part of the park where the wave swinger, an arcade with a butterfly in space optics and the second butterfly were located. So we did not visit this part of the park until the end of our visit.

Froschbahn

The main part of Bayern Park is located further down the hill anyway and can offer the first coaster ride of the day in the form of the Froschbahn. This small coaster from Zierer opened a little late, as it had to do some test rides. Thanks to a small group of young people, the train was packed and took a few laps around the small oval layout in a great atmosphere.

Achterbahn

Lovers of extra-long coasters trains will find something to their liking on Zierer’s New Tivoli roller coaster, with the incredibly original name of Achterbahn. This coaster is identical in construction to the Green Scream at Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea.

After the train has left the station, it climbs the lift hill after a left turn and the train shows its full glory for the first time. The first descent is very flat, but quickly gains speed in a right turn. This is followed by a left helix, so that the layout becomes a figure of eight. Above the station building, the ride picks up speed again and the next valley is a powerful one. Another helix follows, this time clockwise, and circles the lift just before it takes the shortest route to the end of the ride.

The coaster has a very neat layout and makes a good impression due to the strong forces, if it weren’t for the totally incompetent staff. It’s a big mystery to me why, despite the covered station that the train was completely wet. The staff standing at the other end of the station did not even think to clean the train before the first guests arrived. Funnily enough, even Karlo’s taxi in Denmark’s Djurs Sommerland was cleaned by an elderly gentleman before our ride. But as the day went on, it became clear that this competence was lacking everywhere in the park.

Schmetterlingstanz and the luge of the game park

After a meandering ride on the HUSS Airboat Schmetterlingstanz, we crossed a bridge to a part of the park with little significance. Not every park can afford a completely filthy lake with a steamboat ride and an artificial Bavarian castle at its edge. A small boat ride through its visually appealing garden takes you to a grotto where a fountain of youth awaits – the hottest temptation for Americans since the dawn of Europe.

In this corner you will also find the entrance to Bayern Park’s game park, which is probably the only reason why it is worth making the long way round. Lovers of luges may disagree, but charging extra for compulsory rides in a theme park where even the Heege rides are free seems a bit cheeky. There is also another luge in the upper part of the park doing the same. 

Thalon

Back in civilisation, we were able to watch the first test runs of the Freischütz, but it didn’t look like the ride was going to open any time soon. So we climbed up the mountain parallel to the track, because at the top of this way is the indoor drop ride Thalon.

The ride inside the former observation tower is a Zierer Family Freefall Tower, the best examples of which are Tikal at Phantasialand or Majas Blumenturm at Holiday Park. In contrast to these ingenious rides, however, Bayern-Park has tried to enhance the ride with an irrelevant backstory and illuminated scenes at different heights without any animatronics. The concept itself could be good, but the ride should be more dynamic and not run in toddler mode. The interior scenes make no sense at all and could be omitted, which would make the ride even better and also improve the look of the tower, as the extensions for the interior scenes do not make the tower very attractive, even if the ugly colour scheme has already retouched some of it.

Next to the tower is a Zierer Kontiki with a stone-like appearance, which doesn’t really have much to offer apart from the queue, where you’d better watch your head if you’re an adult. But admittedly, it fits in nicely with the Thalonia theme.

Wildwasser-Rafting

Below these attractions is one of the highlights of Bayern Park: the abc rides Rapid River Splash Wildwasser-Rafting. At first glance, this beautifully designed ride does not look much different from the smaller rides from the same manufacturer, but the ride features a longer section before the lift hill and even a waterfall. Once you reach the top of the lift, the boat slowly but surely picks up speed and after the first combination of turns you will be spinning like crazy. The boats also have a very pronounced upswing, which makes the descent very entertaining. At the end of the slide, the obligatory splash awaits the passengers and, depending on the load of the boat, at least one person will get wet.

Freischütz

The second highlight of the park is right next to the rafting ride, but unfortunately the entrance is on the other side, so you have to walk a long way up and down again. Beautifully designed waiting areas have their charms, and the opera rollercoaster Der Freischütz certainly has one. A path under the inside tophat leads through two buildings with zigzagging paths to an open square before entering a maze. This is followed by a larger square before a series of smaller paths with various obstacles, but here only one path was open. At the end, visitors find themselves in a very modern station.

As soon as we board the train, the ride begins. After leaving the station we are launched into the first inversion. In the following valley we are pushed into the car with a lot of force, but we are also shaken quite a bit. The looping that follows is as intense as a looping can get. This is followed by an insanely intense bavarian curve with an equally intense heartline roll. This is followed by a more leisurely steep turn before the final inversion. Another right-hander later, we head through the station and, with a bit of luck, are sent on a second lap of the track. Most of the time the train is braked and brought back to its starting position.

The Freischütz is a very good roller coaster by the Munich coaster manufacturer Maurer Söhne, but it is notorious for its pronounced rocking of the cars, which is more pronounced at the front of the train than at the rear.

Pictures Bayern Park

Conclusion Bayern Park

Bayern Park is a well-kept amusement park with some good rides and good value for money, both in terms of admission and food. However, a park loses a lot of sympathy points if the staff turn out to be incompetent, unfriendly and, above all, unenthusiastic. Apparently this is quite normal in this area, as the staff at the premium partner hotel Schlappinger Hof were the same. Sure, Bayern-Park attracts tourists and you don’t have to like them, but elsewhere you’d at least get a smile or two on your face while serving your guests professionally and without grumbling – why they don’t do that here is highly questionable, even though it was only one day in the off-season.

 

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Bayern Park

On an expedition in Bellewaerde

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Bellewaerde Park

The Bellewaerde Park is located in the Belgian province of West-Vlaanderen, which can certainly be declared by the city of Bruges as the most beautiful part of Belgium. Also, the roads are not as modest as in the rest of the country and the proximity to the French region Nord-Pas-de-Calais gives the park a more pleasant audience than for example at Walibi.

Tour of the park

Bengal Rapid River

If you enter Bellewaerde Park through the entrance A and go immediately to the left you will find the entrance to the Vekoma rafting ride Bengal Rapid River, which is located in the Indian themed area. The ride in the rafting boats, which most of you already have tested in the sister park Walibi Holland, is quite nice to look at. Unfortunately, due to the warm weather, it was very well visited. In the morning the queue just barely moved. Later the day, I had to get the ferry in the nearby Dunkirk…

Bengal Express

The second attraction in this area is the Bengal Express, a train ride in closed wagons in which you drive through the spacious tiger and lion enclosures. At the second turnaround the water treatment plant of the park is a highlight to admire – after all, this is even advertised via speakers. Overall a great ride, which should not be missed. Due to the nature of the ride, I would only recommend a ride if the train is still waiting in the station, as the ride duration is quite long. The generously-sized waiting area highlights the popularity of the ride.

Screaming Eagle

Located on the shores of a large lake is the theme area of Canada, which is home of the only visible attraction from outside of Bellewaerde Park: the Shot ‘n’ Drop Screaming Eagle, one of HUSS’ rare park versions. In contrast to the Space Shot towers of the manufacturer S&S Worldwide, which can be found quite frequently around the world, the system can shoot you upwards from a standstill position. In contrast to the rides, which could be found ages ago on the German fair circuit, the acceleration was very surprising as there was no hint whatsoever by the ride operator. Located in the Belgian wilds – without any houses surrounding – the ride’s noise level is quite low. Even through you can be of a different opinion as one of the riders. Overall the ride is rather tame compared with the S&S Towers, as there are basically no negative forces. The only big plus of the ride is its high capacity and the better launch.

Niagara

Next door, the Shoot the Chutes Niagara by the manufacturer Interlink shines in all its glory. This type of flume is characterised mainly by its large boats and the resulting wave at the end of the shoot. This one however has only a limited effect on the riders, as it does not get you as wet as Cataratas Salvajes from the Spanish theme park Parque Warner or as Tidal Wave from the English Thorpe Park. At least, it did not disappoint as Isla Magicas Iguazu. On the bridge, which strangely does not lead from the exit of the ride to the other side of the lake, many school kids had their fun by letting the boats soak them on a regular basis.

The other attractions in this area are a Mack rides cog ride, a wet-looking dinghy slide, and the somewhat strange pirate boat from Huss. From 1 pm to 4 pm, you could visit the squirrel monkeys located on a small island, as a path runs right through their enclosures.

On the right side of the park entrance A is the Kidspark theme area, which consists of a medieval designed area, some traditional rides and a mysterious mansion, as well as a large climbing and slide complex.

Maison Magique d’Houdini

I don’t know why this mansion belongs to the children’s area, as as the preshow is not necessarily made for anxious persons even through the actual topic is not scary. After entering the Maison Magique d’Houdini you can find some exhibits. A film about his youth is shown, which burns away after a short while accompanied by a nasty laugh. After some effects and some tricks were shown, you will be invited to attend the biggest tricks of them all.

Where the preshow room is designed in great detail, the main room is surprisingly empty. Compared to other mad houses of the same manufacturer, there is actually nothing located in the middle of the room. This of course makes it easier for the ride operators, but it is not as beautiful to look at. On the sides of the room there are some fixed mirrors, which later reveal another function.

The actual ride takes a while until the fake rollover happens. The music does not remain in your memory for a long time after the trip. However, Houdini is well remembered, as his trick was not yet finished even after begging for a liberation. Despite the statement that we are in our worst nightmare, Houdini recalls himself and after the words “Ce que vous pensez que vous voyez n’est pas ce qu’il semblait. “C’est ce qu’on appelle l’ illusion” you finally get freed. The mirrors show an animated key.

Jungle Mission

Passing by some very generous animal enclosures, which mainly showed African species, we are entering the jungle section of the park. The main attraction of this area and one of the main attractions of Bellewaerde Park is the Towboat Safari Cruise Jungle Mission, where you cruise past some animal enclosures (quite similar to boat ride at the Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover). Not long ago, the ride system was completely renewed, which is why the Jungle Missions looks quite new for such an old ride. While driving, some water effects are activated, only a few of them refresh visitors directly. The African theme features some vintage animatronics, which alone does makes this attractions quite exotic and as nice as La Jungla of the Spanish amusement park Parque de Atracciones de Madrid.

Coccinelle

The coaster with the longest queue on this day was the classic Zierer tivoli coaster Coccinelle, or Keverbaan in Dutch. Interestingly, the ride did not sounded like a starting jet, nor was it as slow that it needed additional friction wheels on the track as some other rides of this kind do. In fact, you could neither hear this ride, nor the air launched free fall tower tower from far. The design of the ride as the wildest ride of the wilderness is a rather strange choice for such a roller coaster, but it somehow works out perfectly. The surrounding walls and the roof over the lifthill are a nice feature.

River Splash, El Toro and El Volador

Next to the log flume River Splash and a bison enclosure there is the entrance to the Mexican section of the Bellewaerde Park. Here you can watch the movie Sammy’s great adventure in Dutch or French in the park’s 4D cinema or do a spin on the El Toro Break Dance. You can also find the only working HUSS Topple Tower outside of Scandinavia, named El Volador.

A Topple Tower of the manufacturer HUSS is a strange device, as it seems to be spectacular from the outside and the technology seems elaborate but the ride itself is rather boring. At least, the ride is not such a flop as the King Kong ride of Bobbejaanland, where neither the ride nor the appearance are particularly interesting.  The ride with El Volador resembles somehow a wave swinger when you drive it sideways, just way slower and with less degrees of freedom. You are secured by over the shoulder restraints as you tilt forwards. The best part of the ride are the synchronised water fountains, which unfortunately do not even wet your shoes.

Boomerang

A few meters from the ride, you can pay tribute to the first Boomerang ever opened. It’s actually a really good one and a worthy representative of this funny shuttle roller coaster build by the Dutch company Vekoma. Everything at this ride is build more suitable, as the ride station is not just a tent, it’s a Mexican temple. The ride in the 2nd generation Vekoma trains was surprisingly good, even through the sister ride in Walibi Belgium even runs a little bit smoother.

Huracan

This year’s novelty is the indoor coaster Huracan, which has replaced the old pirate themed dark ride within the same building. From the outside you can see a small part of the coaster and you wonder why they did not added some more track to actually come down to the ground. After all, the ride is quite high above the ground. If you enter the waiting area, it does not take long until you arrive in the beautifully designed station.

The journey begins with a small dark ride section, guided by the elements of fire, water and wind. Afterwards, the lift helps to reach the maximum height of the course and after a short straight, the curvy first drop follows. After a small climb the curve leads you back into the building. Now follows a surprisingly wild and at the same time very smooth ride. One turn is followed by the next one. After a handful of curvy goodness, you slam into the brakes where a laser show is being held.

Huracan is a great indoor roller coaster. The pace as well as the forces during the ride a just awesome. The dark ride part at the beginning of the ride is well done and features some great music and light effects.

Pictures Bellewaerde Park

Conclusion Bellewaerde Park

The Bellewaerde Park is one of the most beautiful parks in Europe. Since I could only stay for 3.5 hours, I could not admire the whole package, but I’m sure I’ll come back someday.

 

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Bellewaerde

A tour through Steinwasen Park

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Steinwasen Park

Since 1974, Steinwasen Park has been attracting its guests with some wild animals to the vicinity of the village of Oberried in the Black Forest. With two parallel running summer toboggan runs they offered relatively early another attraction for their park guests. After the new entrance building was constructed, a Mack Powered Coaster and a Wiegand bobkart track were stationed in the basement shortly afterwards. Since the construction of the spinning raft ride by ABC Rides in 2008 at the latest, the park has also become better known nationwide.

After you have paid the price for the wristband you will first of all be confronted with the local patriotism of the park. Those who haven’t noticed it before know that they are in the Black Forest and that the whole thing is designed so lovingly and in such detail that one might think they are not in a small park.  Besides a dark ride and several small cinemas, there is also the park gastronomy on this floor.

Via a staircase you can make your way up to the ice world, which once again was too original and professional for such a park. Unfortunately, the entrance to the two attractions that drive through the ice world is at a completely different place in the park. So instead of on our way to the attractions we found ourselves in one of the helices of the Powered Coaster.

River Splash

In the outer area of Steinwasen Park there are wildlife enclosures and the above mentioned spinning raft ride River Splash. To reach it you have to leave behind an unconventional path with a helix and numerous serpentines. In order to give the onlookers an impression of the ride, there is a platform on the first helix of the water ride. The highlight of the ride is surely the impressive vertical lift, the following curves manage to make the boat turn well, but the purpose of a rafting ride is, as always, not reached with this type of attraction, as one does not get wet.

Space Runner and Gletscherblitz

When you finally reach the entrance to the attractions in the basement of the main building you have to choose between the Space Runner or the Gletscherblitz. While the Space Runner bobsled run offers a nice, fast, if somewhat jerky ride, the Powered Coaster Gletscherblitz scores with an interesting track and great effects.

The Berg Rodelbahn luges

The cable car takes you up to the entrance of the luges, which features a rather strange sled. As it had no real stiffness when folded out, the ride was a bit worrying, even though this was most likely an unfounded feeling, but it prevented me from going full throttle. Should there be bad weather, there is the possibility to arrive dry on the roofed side of the double layout.

Game Park and Suspended Bridge

If you are afraid of heights, there is the possibility to walk to the starting point of the luge through the game park, but since the way down is easier, it is recommended to take the chair lift and to walk down the zoo from top to bottom. The enclosures are quite large, although it may take some time to discover the animals due to the mountainous terrain. At about half way there is the possibility to walk on the longest adventure bridge in the world and enjoy the view.

 

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Steinwasen Park