Busch Gardens Europe

[darkridedan]

I speak philly /jersey

I towk the jug handle aftrr I ast my mutha if it was cleah in her mira. But she was winding about somethn.  I have no idear what her problem was. Somethn about funiture.

[AV Matt]

Danny, clean yar room!

[Robert T Ackerman]

Even though Robb W calls me the grammar hammer for correcting MOST of the misspelled words and grammar mistakes on this site *cough* not mentioning any names* cough*

I'm leaving this one alone for it's humor value.

1,000. I'm done. Good night everyone. It's been real.

[Dubya91]

My name is Robb W... I like boys.

[darkridedan]

Apollo's Chariot.

     The subject of debate and comparison with Nitro among some coaster enthusiasts.

    Apollo's layout differers from Nitro in that its helix comes sooner in its sequence of elements. The diameter of the lower portion of Apollo's helix is much wider than Nitro's; The second half is much tighter. It seems to go through the helix much faster due to a bigger decline in elevation at the start. There isn't much of a grey out sensation like on Nitro.




    Nitro's hills gradually decline in size allowing for a more consistent ride. Apollo's hills are staggered in height and allow for more suprises. (The 2nd hill is 131', the 3rd hill 144', the fourth is 102', the fifth is 48', the sixth is 87', etc.)

     Apollo's Chariot and Nitro are fun rides. They offer allot of floater air and speed on good days; They can be sluggish and contain no air on a bad day. The ride that Apollo offered today was more average. I can't wait to ride it again in warmer weather and without a popcorn in my pouch.
   




We spotted Emily and Kevin riding the rails.


We were off to ride Griffon but, it was down for opening day jitters so we headed to Alpengeist.



 
Many people love Alpengeist. I love most inverts.



I.B. Lye Ing if I said I was a fan of Alpe.

     It's drop and first few elements are too large for me to enjoy.  They come one after another without enough run track inbetween. I prefer inverts like Batman and Talon with elements that come at you with surprise and shock. Alpengeist feels over-engineered by commitee. Its elements take too long to go through while forcing my head forward through the restraint. I would rather sit back and enjoy a ride.

     The second half of the ride is a little fun for me. The coaster is themed like a skier on steroids. The park has placed snow and slopes for the ride to run its last leg to the brake run.

[darkridedan]

Hey. I hear Big Bad Wolf!


      Big Bad Wolf is the signature ride at Busch Gardens for all of us on the trip. It's an ARROW suspended coaster that swings through a village, terrifying all passers-by. The course uses the hilly terrain of Busch Gardens Europe to it's advantage. It has cars big enough for riders of any size. Its height restriction is 42'', low enough for a rider as young as 4 (when accompanied by another rider over the age of 14.) Big Bad Wolf is celebrating it's 25th year of operation.
   
     Matt and I went for the front line stall. After a few minutes, Matt decided to bypass the seven or eight train wait in the front, for a one train wait in the second row. Off we went, meandering through the woods to the first climb. At the top of the hill, it lets loose with a quick burst of speed. We're swinging close to buildings in the village and swooping through a helix. We climb a second hill to the last drop. It begins at the top of a wooded hill and swoops towards the Rhine River to a swinging finale.




     We enjoyed it! We had a really long conversation about it. It was a breakdown!

Matt was loving this.


I kept asking, How long is this going to be?!"


After about 20 minutes, our train returned to the station. We received an exit pass for 4 (sweet) which we could use any day this season (sick.) Matt called Emily and Kevin to come ride! We hung around the gift shop while they made their way from France.











Here they are.


The ride is difficult to capture, so here's a doll that says it all.

[Bubba Z]

^^^ LOL to the 3rd . Did you leave them there when you left?  That's awesome!   Maybe you should get a Job at the gift shop, excellent placement of the stuff animals.

[darkridedan]

^We left them. I saw the guy taking them down when we passed through to leave!

Our day at Busch Gardens wrapped up after one last ride on DarKastle. I was poopped.


It took a minute for Matt to realize that the park was closed.


It was a really fun trip. Ok Matt, help me up.


The weather was perfect for the season. We started our day in England and Scotland, where it was cold and damp. We made our way through France and Germany when the sun peeked through the woods and, when we came to Italy, it was warm.





It was a water and flat-ride free day. On my next trip to Williamsburg, I will be doing the whole park...shows and all.



Thank you Matt, Kevin and Emily for the invite!

It was nice meeting you Dennis and Brooke!

Thank you for reading!

[darkridedan]

Here is a link to the album. http://www.darkridedan.smugmug.com/gallery/4541734_2R6yi#267537640

[Robert T Ackerman]

Looks like you all had just as good of a time as we did the following week. My pictures are online on my webshtos page, and I will try to write up a TR sometime by mid-week next week.

I think Dan's got me beat picture wise though, I only took a small handful.