The Efteling is the biggest and most popular theme park in the Netherlands, and we went to visit last Saturday. I'd been looking forward to this for quite some time, since, like Boyfriend likes to point out, I'm really just a little kid (in some areas anyway). It is really a park made with children in mind, but it's nice for grown-up children as well. And some of the rides are dead scary!...
We set out on a grey Saturday morning, after not having had much sleep, and when we were over half way, ready to get on the bus for the final 30 minutes, we discovered there was a bus strike. Luckily for us we found a couple of other people heading in the same direction that we were able to split a taxi with both ways. Nevertheless, this day became a much more expensive pleasure than we'd expected. It was a pleasure though. And it didn't start raining till we were on the train on our way home.
When we entered the 'magic kingdom' my feet were tingling with anticipation, as we first made our way towards the fairytale forest. This area basically shows situations from lots of different fairytales, while there is often a voice telling some of the story (in Dutch) that goes along with each scene. If you know fairytales, like I do, you don't really need the explanations, because you will immediately recognise Rapunzel throwing her braided hair down from the window, Hansel & Gretel outside the gingerbread house, and Vrouw Holle's well. Some of this stuff is really well made, and the whole wandering through the forest seeing all these different fairytale scenarios was an enjoyable experience. I'd particularly like to draw attention to the display from H.C. Andersen's "The Little Match Girl", which I found most impressive (and which I unfortunately don't have a picture of, since it was dark and behind glass). Here are some fairytale pictures:
From here we wandered on the Droomvlucht (dream flight), which had a looooooong line,
but it moved pretty quickly. The dream flight takes you on a ride through several imaginary kingdoms, with fairies, wood elves, floating castles and more.
Next stop Villa Volta, where everything spins around, till you think you've been upside down, but have you really?
On we went to the half moon pirate ship, where Boyfriend claimed there were no "seat belts", which was one of the reasons I didn't get on it with him. Turns out you are quite securely fastened, and it didn't actually look as scary as I had imagined, which is of course easy to say having never been on it. Here is boyfriend waving nicely for the camera:
So, to one of the rides I'd been anticipating the most, and one of the newer attractions: The Flying Dutchman. This ride of course is built around the legend of the cursed ship. You enter it through an old fortress-looking building with a tower, and the ride itself starts off from the shores of the Dutch golden age, which is where you get on board your boat. Your boat then takes you on a roller coaster ride, before it all ends with a big splash into the lake. We actually didn't get very wet though, but the ride was definitely one of the most entertaining ones (and I found it quite scary for a while). But be warned - the line was ridiculously long, and most of it goes on inside the building. So once you get in the doors, don't expect to be getting on the ride immediately.
Another watery ride I wanted to try was the Pirana, which has its moments, and the potential to absolutely drench you in water, but all in all this is probably a ride best suited for the younger children. As is the ghost house, which couldn't even scare me a tiny little bit (and anyone who knows me will tell you that scaring me is a pretty easy job).
The last "ride" we got around to was actually one of the best ones. It was a 3-D animated movie of animals around our planet, located inside something called the Pandadroom. Now, if you have actually seen 3-D film before, like I have, and you're thinking "so what's the big deal about this then?", well I don't want to spoil it for potential visitors, but trust me - once those glasses come on, everything seems to become quite real. Lots of fun here!
The pagoda that lifts you 45 metres above the ground and provides you with a view of the whole park (which for the most part means looking at the tops of trees), is also nice to get an overview.
Boyfriend was disappointed that he couldn't convince me to go on the Python roller coaster which you can see parts of here next to the Flying Dutchman,
but I think it might be a little too scary for me... I don't like going upside down. But maaaaybe next time I will work up the courage. Because there must be a next time, there's still stuff we haven't seen or done.
For instance we never got around to seeing what was inside this building. It sure looks pretty though.
TIPS:
* The park is BIG. So don't expect to be able to have time to do everything in one day. If you want to get the most out of it you might want to do some planning beforehand, and you should arrive early. You can also buy tickets in advance, so you avoid some of the lines you may get at the entrance. Tickets can be bought via the Efteling web page, or at a AH store, as well as a few other places.
* Like mentioned, this park is primarily for children, even though there are rides that can be scary, where you have to be over 120 cm tall. But this is a nice day out with kids (both big and small..), as you're sure to find something here they'll like. Several times throughout the day I thought that this would be a nice place to visit with my 6 year old little sister.
* Be prepared to stand in line a lot. We waited for The Flying Dutchman for at least 45 minutes. I don't know if that is a lot, as amusement parks go, since I've never really been in a big one before, but it seemed like a small eternity to me. The fact that we stood right behind a group of noisy drunken lads probably didn't add to my enjoyment (I'm sensitive to loud noises). Once you get there the rides are usually good though. If you are bringing children, you might want to bring something for them to keep themselves busy with while waiting. You may also do well to avoid the busiest days if your schedule allows. You can find a list of which days are the busiest on the Efteling web page.
* The food leaves something to be desired (though still perfectly edible), so you might want to bring some nibbles yourself if you have the opportunity.
Of course, most importantly: have fun!
I'll leave you with this picture of a real live peacock (that didn't bite us).
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