Day 2 - Legoland, Germany (2011)

Exciting day for the kids (and kids at heart). Today was lego heaven day. For the three of us (me, hubby and Kelvin) it's the 9th anniversary visit. We have been to Legoland USA when Kelvin was just 3 years old. Now it's Ira's turn (together with the rest of the relatives we were travelling with) to have fun at Legoland for the first time.

It was more than 300km drive to Legoland. 

our journey south-bound towards Legoland

We were warned by our hosts about the "no speed limit" rule in the German autobahn. My friends who have been to Germany also shared with us the same info. While driving on the road, we were wondering how far the cars really go. And boy do they really fly!

our first attempt at speeding up. A mere 120kph. Not bad for a starter.

once hubby was confident on the road, at the speed we were running, its pedal to the metal time. We wanted to see how fast we could go (of course, without beating any speed limits). Never imagined we could go as fast as 170! Take note we were not the fastest on the road at that speed.

Just a word of caution to wanna-be autobahn drivers, if you are not fast enough (either you're not a speed demon or others are really just way faster than you are), go to the right lane (extreme right if you are too slow, like 100kph). German drivers (or should I say people driving in Germany) give way to slow cars. They don't normally honk which is a good thing. But they do tailgate (and I mean REALLY that close) until you move away from the fast lane and let them through. After a few hours driving along the autobahn, I think you'll get the hang of it.

Ira enjoying the backseat ride with Ninang Malou

A good 300kms and around 3hrs of driving (or so), with the help of our trustee GPS, we arrived at our first major destination.

Welcome to Legoland Deutschland - where lego-building is taken to the extreme. Before I share our adventures let me first give a brief introduction of Legoland.

The park almost as big as 26 football fields (so be ready to walk, walk walk) and is divided into 8 themes areas:

1. Entrance Area - marked by waving flags and 2 towers (as seen from pic below). Definitely a stop for photo op
2. Miniland - see the world from Gulliver's perspective. This is the centre piece of every Legoland Park
3. Lego X-treme - everything is bigger, faster and even more action-packed
4. Adventureland - hidden in the jungle, surrounded by wild animals and fantastic creatures
5. Pirate Land - a must-see for anyone who has ever wanted to discover the world of pirates
6. Imagination - the place to be for all those who are fascinated by research and experimentation 
7. Knight's Kingdom - a suspension bridge takes you to the Knight's Castle
8. Lego City - air crafts and boats are waiting for your command here at the airport and harbour

And so we explored what Legoland has in store for us....

first, a family photo at the entrance. 

and one more....

does this one really turn???

Legoland tickets cost Euro 37 for adults and Euro 33 for children (ages 3-11). Book online and you'll get Euro2 discount per ticket. Get a family ticket (available only online) and you'll only pay Euro 109 for 4 persons (as of the the month we visited the park). Parking tickets can also be purchased online for Euro5. Our tickets were a combo of 2 family tickets and extra children's tickets (booked by our hosts in Brussels). Getting through the gates was a breeze cause we didn't have to queue up for the tickets. A good way to maximize time spent in the park itself is booking tickets online :)

Immediately after passing through the main gate, the kids ran to the nearest info station and grabbed one brochure each, only to find out that all were in German! Good thing we had my German bro-in-law with us who acted as our interpreter. Anyway the kids were more into the pictures and pointing out in the map where the interesting places/rides for them are. Of course, we had to go to those places first.

kids getting ready to explore while the adults were busy figuring out the most time efficient way to see the attractions. We arrived at Legoland late in the morning so we had to make use of the limited time to explore as much as we could.

the very first attraction/exhibition we saw

the children "mingling" with the "locals"

"interacting" with Lego creations proved to be challenging, but the kids didn't mind :)

coin press machine... but no coins this time, kids... There are better things to do and see around this park

two of our boys were very fond of trains so this was a good welcome treat

We decided to walk around the front ground first and see the Legoland miniature structures before we look for an eating place and have lunch.

The exhibits at Miniland.....

Ira amused by the Lego creations

a miniature of the Frankfurt Airport

barrel of children

making our way to have lunch at Pizza Mania, which was located at the back end of the park (Imagination area)

kids were hyped up even with an empty stomach

We had pizza and pasta for lunch. Good way to start an afternoon of activities. Then we continued walking around and visited the attractions/rides we have short-listed.

on our way back to Lego X-treme area to watch Bob the Builder show at the  Lego Studios 

passed by Lego Miniland on the way

Mr Einstein. They have the same exhibit in Legoland, USA :)

my bro-in-law with his idol

all ready to watch Bob der Baumeister (aka Bob the Builder)

there's Bob making his way into the theatre

Once Bob was inside, the visitors were allowed to enter the hall. Everyone was excited to watch the show, but at the same time we were wondering if it was going to be in German. Lo and behold, it was! We didn't understand a single thing during the show. We had to be contented experiencing the effects and "comprehending" based on the crowd's reaction.

After the show, Ira remembered the Monster Truck field just next door. Kids could drive their own monster truck for Euro2. Of course, we had no choice but to let them play, but only one game.

Ira and Shane racing?

now it's Kelvin's turn, while Lancey watched

last few seconds... the truck's still running...

That's enough for the kids for now. They've had their few minutes of Monster fun. Now moving on to the next attraction at Lego X-treme area....

Grilled Lego sausages, mushrooms and meat anyone?

queuing up at the Aquazone Wave Racers which was next to the Lego Studios

Everyone got his/her own ride, except for Ira and Shaney (who needed to be accompanied by adults), Mark and Ate (our official and unofficial photographers) and Lancey (who was too small to ride).

trying to steer while holding on to the railing

trying to get closer to Kelvin but the Aquazone Wave Racers can only move outwards / inwards not forward or faster. Too bad, Ira wanted to chase his brother so badly.

Ira was instructing me on what to do

ride's over for us... just like that.


Next in line was the rest of the gang....

attorney taking it easy...

Shaney taking the wheel from Tito Volker

I think my sis-in-law was the one who enjoyed this ride the most!

Lancey a bit sad because he was not able to ride. We just promised him we were going to take the boat ride next.

Waterworks

Next stop was the Techno Tea Cups (still at Lego X-treme area), specially requested by Shane as there was a similar ride that she likes in Disneyland.

the kids with Tito Volker

bracing themselves for a spin

Ira and I had to take a separate "tea cup"

The ride was fun. But not really for those who cannot take the spins and turns. If you don't do it right, you'll end up feeling dizzy.

photo op with "Grannie" on our way to Lego City

Observation Tower from afar

Stopped by the Airport for the kids to fly their Lego planes.

queuing up for the flight

2 persons per plane. The kids get to ride by themselves (except Lancey yet again).

pilot Ira and co-pilot Shane

up and down it goes, just like a real biplane

After going on a plane ride, it's time to explore the water with a boat ride next door.

queuing up again, this time for a Lego boat ride. It's a good thing the kids don't get tired of queuing up!

going on a Harbour Cruise

first up, Kelvin and Shane. I think they're talking about their game plan.

next, Lancey and dad... not really minding where the boat was going (notice no one's holding the steering wheel?)

not far behind was Ira and Tita Grace. Ira requested to ride with Tita Grace.

last were the love birds...

gridlock! Blocking other boats to get ahead of the pack. Kelvin and Shane still taking the lead.

Ira and Tita Grace slightly ahead of Lancey and dad. Squeezed in between were the lovebirds.

Hubby and I were on the green boat just behind number 5 :)

After 2 more turns, we reached the end of the line. Kelvin and Shane won the race. But the competition didn't end there.

The kids were raring to go to the next ride right after getting off the boats! So we headed to the Junior Driving School just beside Harbour Cruise (still in Lego City). Kelvin, on the other hand, wanted to try the Hyundai Driving School which was more appropriate for his age. Unfortunately, he still needed to attend a short briefing (which we assume would be in German) and there was a separate fee for this ride (Euro5 per child... such stingy parents hahaha). We convinced him to just try the Junior Driving School instead (although he was not within the age bracket anymore).

Junior Driving School - where the kids could drive a Lego car and get their license after!

Shane took the lead on the first lap. Trailing behind was Ira.

On the next lap, Ira took the inner lane, got the turn right and made his way to the first position. Lancey took the outer lane, slowly but surely, taking in second place. Shane struggled a bit making the turn. 

Kelvin finally joined in

Ira taking the pole position (on their Nth lap), while Lancey glanced back at the competition (Kelvin)

The look on Lancey's face showed how determined he was to win the race

we were just amazed at how these kids were good at driving :)

... and how competitive they were!

the smile on his face - - - -  PRICELESS!

He wasn't able to drive the Lego car back in the US when he was 3 years old. The wait was worth it, I guess.

All the twists and turns made the adults tired but the kids still had a lot of energy so they played at the Shipyard Playground. 

racing to the second level

fun's over. Time to walk again.

photo stop for the ladies on the way to the Observation Tower (at Imagination Area)

Observation Tower

view from the top

the gang on the right side 

the gang on the left side

The kids pointed out to the places we've been to for the past few hours. And told us where we should go next when we got down from the tower.

We're done with the easier rides, next stop was the more thrilling one - Jungle X-pedition. We watched as the others were making their way down this slope. Since the kids didn't appear to be frightened by it, we queued up and prepared ourselves for a ride of a lifetime.


At first, the boat moved slowly, passing thru a dark tunnel. Shane got scared of the dark and wanted to bail out. But there was no way anyone could go out at this point. Then the boat stopped in front of what appeared to be a wall. We thought that was it, that we were already taking the plunge. But we were wrong. The boat turned and moved backwards, taking us out to garden (now it was brighter), Shane was still crying. A few more seconds, we found ourselves at the top of the slope, waiting for the big splash. Ira was so excited, showing no fear at all, cheering us on. Lancey was indifferent, covered with his raincoat. Kelvin stayed focused, holding on to the railing. The adults were anticipating the big plunge. We had taken a ride in the Philippines (jungle log jam) that's almost the same as this one so we sort of had an idea how it would go. It was scary but exciting at the same time.

"Following the footsteps of our hero Johnny Thunder, the Jungle X-pedition leads you through an unexplored tract of rainforest right up to the peak of a big volcano. Along the way you will not only pass through dangerous places but discover fascinating LEGO® animals as well. The highlight of the trip is a steep 12-meter water slide leading from the peak of the volcano right down into the lagoon."

the different facial expressions tell the story :)

we made it.... 

we survived....

and we had great smiles on our faces! 

Ira loved the ride and wanted to go for another one. But the long queue prevented us from going for it. It's almost closing time and we still had some attractions in mind.

We stopped for a few minutes at the Duplo Playground to let the kids play while the adults rest.

Kelvin had the same picture at Legoland USA when he was 3 years old. Now he is 11.

Shaney eaten by the lion

sliding down the pole

some famous (but some unknown to us) people in Legostructure

We also visited the following attractions. I'll try to post the pictures later cause it's with my sis-in-law who was holding the other camera.

Kids Power Tower - Simply pull yourself up by hauling on the rope, and come down again when you have had enough of the beautiful view over the Park.

The kids also loved this one. It's a tandem ride (at least if the kid is still young). I took the ride with Ira. He put his muscle into action and pulled the rope as fast as he could so we could get to the top first. Then we would let go of the rope in order to get down. This was the harder part because it was quite scary. We felt like flying but sitting down.

PIRATE LAND is the place to be for young seafarers and future captains: Prove your courage and skill in Captain Nick’s Splash Battle – an exciting boat trip past shipwrecks and wild pirates.

Last few minutes before closing time and we were back near the entrance, looking at some of the Lego miniatures for the last time.

another glimpse at Einstein

so long for now... We've enjoyed a whole lot!

Though it's already late afternoon, and we still had to drive 300kms++ to get home, our day was not yet done. We still had one more place to visit before calling it a day.

It was en route to Gelnhausen, and a must-see for it's well-preserved medieval old town. Rothernburg ob der Tauber......

entrance tower

Rothenburg

medieval houses lining the street

the sun was still out although it was already past 8 or 9pm, I think

most of the shops were already closed

We decided we would have dinner at Rothenburg and ended up at this hotel restaurant.


Reichskuechenmeister

A glimpse of their menu...

after dinner, the kids were called to the kitchen for a surprise. They were each given an ice cream cone FREE OF CHARGE!! Lucky kids.

doing our final walk around Rothenburg before finally heading home

the side of the restaurant

Rothenburg's main square at almost midnight

empty streets.... a sign that we should be making our way home now.

Today was a combination of fun-filled adventures at Legoland and walking into medieval times at Rothenburg. We were taken into the future at the start of our day, and taken back into history towards the end. What a day it was. 

Germany, I'm loving you already!

Day 1 - Gelnhausen, Germany
Day 2 - Legoland, Germany 
Day 3 - Heidelberg, Germany 
Day 4 - Cologne, Germany 
Day 5 - Frankfurt, Germany 
Day  6 - Luxembourg then Brussels, Belgium 
Day 7 - Day trip to Amsterdam, Netherlands 
Day 8 - Brussels, Belgium 
Day 9 - Brugge, Belgium 
Day 10 - Paris, France 
Day 11 - Paris, France 
Day 12 - Paris, France 
Day 13 - Versailles, France 
Day 14 - Disneyland Paris, France 
Day 15 - La Vallee Village, France (outlet shops) then to hotel south of Lake Geneva 
Day 16 - Montreux, Switzerland 

Day 17 - Geneva / Lausanne / Bern / Thun, Switzerland
Day 18 - Interlaken, Switzerland (Jungfrau - top of Europe) 
Day 19 - Luzern / Zurich, Switzerland on the way to Sulz-Glatt, Germany 
Day 20 - Black Forest day trip