Legoland

Alex and Clutch Powers

Although the lines at Legoland were far, far shorter than any we endured at Disneyland (with even the worst waits no longer than a half-hour), lines are no fun with squiggly kids.  So we made an effort avoid the hotel's breakfast rush and then to be in line early for the 10:00 opening of the park.

Breakfast was pure fun, with kid-friendly croissants and chocolate spread and an appearance by Clutch Powers, the personality LEGO developed so that they could make some video games without having to negotiate trademark rights (as they did for Star Wars, Harry Potter, and so forth). Joey, although he loves the just-his-size lego statues, took one look at Clutch's giant claw hands and curled up in a ball, but Alex was more than happy to get a hug.

We did have enough time to play on the playgrounds for a little bit before queueing up for the park.  Particularly, the kids were drawn to a little tricycle park that had been swarmed yesterday. Joey found a particularly sweet ride.

Thanks, sis.

I haven't been feeling super
during this trip: I think I
have some sort of bug. When
I mentioned this to Ella, she
gave me a back rub. Thanks,
doll.

We got to the hotel's park entrance fifteen minutes before opening, but there was already a long line, and a slow one, for there was only one gate and attendant. But that gave the kids plenty of time to study the park map. So,w hen we finally got in, we made our dash to the kid's choice ride, the aerial peddle cars that wind around the park. From way up there, we could see that the line to enter the park had quadrupled, making us feel kinda-sorta smug.

Kid power

From there, Dennis took Ella and Alex on the kiddie roller coaster; Ella was more than content, but Alex's was looking for something bigger and better.  He and I partnered up to go on the real deal, the Dragon Hunt, a fun coaster that began with a tour through a medieval castle, with scenes of lego magicians and princesses.  It was incredibly appealing, but Alex told me "my favorite part was holding your hand and going crazy screaming." Me, too.

I love the icons

Joey picked a ride that was more his speed: he was utterly adorable, not even bothering to look back at me as his horse trotted away around a track, siting with his trademark perfect posture. Joey's a bold one.  He would totally have gone on that roller coaster if he could have.

Joey became rather emotionally involved with all of the lego statues--
because their size matched his, I'm guessing. He was awfully concerned
about this pig and did his best to help it out.

We slowed down a little after that, spending a lot of time in the castle-themed gift shop, where we let Ella and Alex each fill a little treasure box with tumbled rocks, figuring Ella, especially, had it owed to her after last month's Pirates of the Caribbean disappointment. 

We've purchased dozens of similar little sachets and chests of semi-precious rocks over the years; recently a friend reminded me that, when Ella was about three years old we used to pretend that they had magic powers: patience, bravery, and so forth. She always had a little bag of them in her pocket.  I'm not sure when we stopped doing that, but it was pretty effective for a time, appealing to Ella's fanciful streak, and distracting her from her woes as she pawed through her little bag of talismans, looking for just the right pebble.

This time, Ella painstakingly picked out all of the amethysts from the bin. I wish I remember what trait they stood for. Perhaps fortitude: this year requiring quite a lot of that.

Oh, and we got a little something extra for the boys: this was a seriously fun park for souvenirs. 

Names are different here...

We wandered off to lunch after all of that, finding chicken nuggets for the kiddos and something approximating wings for Dennis and me.  And Ella decompressed with her book for about an hour while Dennis and Alex waited in an excruciatingly long line for the little kiddie-car race track.  (There were only six cars running on the track, and each set of kids was allowed to drive for about five minutes.  Do the math and you end up with one impatient mommy.) 

Go Speed, go!

The one advantage of that long line was that it gave Dennis and Alex plenty of time to judge the cars and choose the fastest one. Alex decided to delay his turn on the cars for one round so that he could be first in line, giving him a better shot at getting the best ride, good old Race Car Number 6.  When it was his turn, he hunched in fierce concentration, hugging the turns and passing all the other, weaker-batteried cars. See ya!

Planning our next move

The kids were drawn to a playground for a while, and I did a little shopping of my own, visiting the Lego Factory, which sold, by the kilogram, any sort of Lego you'd care to buy. I amused myself assembling some mini-figs gifts for Joey, which kept him busy for the rest of the day.  

Making up stories while Ella and Alex strike it rich.

Our next stop was highly anticipated by both Ella and Alex. The park has a little gold-panning station, and for four euros your kid can sift pyrite out of sand as long as he or she cares to. When the child is done, park attendants weigh the findings with a little apothecary scale, making a big to-do about it, and then exchange the gold for a big, heavy golden medallion.

Ella with her medal: soaking
wet and highly satisfied

Yeah, so that was pretty appealing for the kids. Although Alex was reluctant to trade in his hard-earned gold dust: he prefers tiny things.

After lording over his riches for a little while, Alex decided it was time to take daddy on the dragon roller coaster.
And Ella, noticing Joey's new toys, begged to do a little mini-fig creating of her own. Joey fast asleep at some while Ella made mini-fig interpretations of the family.  She gave Alex and Joey rocket packs; Daddy got a tiny laptop.  My figure is clutching a coffee mug. Everyone gets his heart's desire.

Joey continued to snooze all through Miniland, the area in the center of the park holding models of prominent cities made out of Legos.  In case you haven't gathered already, Dennis and I really dig this sort of thing.

The Swiss city Lucerne, complete with
swans in the lake.

"If you think of Switzerland, what comes to mind? Milk,

cheese, yummy chocolate, watches, Heidi, William Tell

(the one with the apple) mountains, lakes...? All that is true,

but Switzerland is so much more. The Alpine nation has 26

cantons, and the capital is Bern. And although the country

is so small, we speak four languages: German, French, 

Italian. Above all, Switzerland is a wonderful holiday

destination with unlimited possibilities."  

So what are you waiting for? Come visit us!

Darth visits der Schweitz

Beer and Legos...Star Wars legos! We're
totally geeking out here.

"Trauben Rezepte" =
Pigeon Recipes" = yikes!

We let Ella and Alex run free through Miniland while we enjoyed a moment of peace. The park is having a special Star Wars promotion this summer, and someone hid seven little Darth Vaders inside the display. So that did nicely to keep the kiddos busy.

We responded to the siren song of the Schnitzel Depot (ah, Deutschland, ich liebe dich) for dinner and then let the kids play, just a little bit longer, on one of the playgrounds before going home and falling fast asleep.

Legoland, consider yourself conquered.