Europe with Kids. It's inevitable: A Theme Park
Let's get this straight: Alte Cocker hates theme parks. Why would an Alte Cocker want to go on a ride that made you, well, want to throw up? Alte Cocker has no idea. The carousel was always her speed--or she was the one stuck holding the bags and towels while the kids went on the death defying waterslide. Now that the kids are outta here, she never has to go again, but you might.
I have been threatening to write a guide to European amusement parks for years. This is not that guide. It is a look at European theme parks with an attitude. The details on prices, etc., you can find online. You don't need an Alte Cocker attitude to look them up yourselves. It will concentrate on those that Alte Cocker has actually visited. With kids, I guarantee you will end up at one. "If you quit kvetching about the 5 art galleries and 17 churches we are visiting, I'll take you to the amusement park at the end of the trip?"--a favorite parental ploy
France
The Mouse. In 1993, we home exchanged (Did you think maybe Alte Cocker didn't home exchange?) in Montmorency, France, a town north of Paris. With an 11 and 13 year old in tow, a visit to the Mouse was inevitable. Disneyland Paris is nothing like Florida--but did not have the crowds either. I can't say I remember it much--it sort of melts into the many visits to the one in Orlando (OK, we have family there) and the one trip to the one in Anaheim. I find the theme parks boring. What I do remember is the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show--and so do my kids. If you think there is anything funnier than French people, who eat nothing with their fingers, trying to cope with corn on the cob and yelling "yee haw" for their "team", you tell me. It would have been silly in Orlando. In France, we laughed our heads off. I checked the website and Disneyland Paris is still offering it. Look here. Much more appropriate for kids than the Moulin Rouge and they do it in a sort of Texas accented Franglais. You don't have to know French.
Parc Asterix. This one is northeast of Paris just past Charles DeGaulle Airport and is based on the Asterix cartoon characters. A basic amusement park with cartoon characters your kids will not understand. There is a nausea inducing roller coaster called "Le Grand Huit" which makes 8 loops. Neither I, nor the kids, opted for that one. What they have now, I have no clue. I went in 1993, remember?
The rides in the Bois de Boulogne. The area of the Bois with the rides is called "Le Jardin d'Acclimatation"(good to know the name of things in the language when you are looking). This is mostly for younger children, but, hey, if you happen to be there. . . . Most memorable event was my son injuring his wrist on the bumping cars necessitating a visit to the hospital for x-rays. It's on my list to skip next time.
Tuileries Gardens ferris wheel. No this is not an amusement paFurtrk, but, what the heck, it is a good way to amuse the kids for a few minutes after they have finished kvetching at The Louvre.
Futuroscope. This one is actually my favorite. I went when I home exchanged in Tours. It is located in Poitiers--southwest of Tours but doable as a day trip from there. It is full of computer special effects (or was when I went). If you are in the area with kids (or maybe without), this one is worth a look. It is a good change, moreover, from seeing 27 chateaus you will not be able to distinguish by the time you get home.
Germany
Europa Park Rust. This one is the second most visited amusement park in Europe and was used as a bribe for my son when I home exchanged in St. Georgen, Germany, in the nearby Black Forest area. The closest big city is Strasbourg, France. What I remember most is that they had a jousting show. Halfway through the show I realized that we had seen the jousters 3 years before in a weekend joust show in Provins east of Paris. By the way, should you see any joust show in Europe, look closely. The jousters do not wear armor. They wear American football pads spray painted different colors.
Great Britain
Thorpe Park. We went to this one in 1990 on our first home exchange. Kids were 8 and 10. This was mostly for the younger kids then, but, from the website it looks as if they have added more "exciting" rides since then. Park is located in Surrey approximately 20 miles from London.
Chessington World of Adventure. This one was also visited in 1990 and presumably has changed quite a bit since then. In 1990 it was geared to an older crowd than Thorpe Park.
End note
Please do not tell me that I "missed" this one and that. I know about others such as Alton Towers, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and Movie Park Germany. Children who know no foreign languages always can read the signs for the amusement parks! Movie Park Germany was the subject of a lot of kvetching by my son when we were in the Black Forest. I got out of it because it was nowhere near where we we were. I did not "miss" it. I was glad not to have to go.
I have been threatening to write a guide to European amusement parks for years. This is not that guide. It is a look at European theme parks with an attitude. The details on prices, etc., you can find online. You don't need an Alte Cocker attitude to look them up yourselves. It will concentrate on those that Alte Cocker has actually visited. With kids, I guarantee you will end up at one. "If you quit kvetching about the 5 art galleries and 17 churches we are visiting, I'll take you to the amusement park at the end of the trip?"--a favorite parental ploy
France
The Mouse. In 1993, we home exchanged (Did you think maybe Alte Cocker didn't home exchange?) in Montmorency, France, a town north of Paris. With an 11 and 13 year old in tow, a visit to the Mouse was inevitable. Disneyland Paris is nothing like Florida--but did not have the crowds either. I can't say I remember it much--it sort of melts into the many visits to the one in Orlando (OK, we have family there) and the one trip to the one in Anaheim. I find the theme parks boring. What I do remember is the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show--and so do my kids. If you think there is anything funnier than French people, who eat nothing with their fingers, trying to cope with corn on the cob and yelling "yee haw" for their "team", you tell me. It would have been silly in Orlando. In France, we laughed our heads off. I checked the website and Disneyland Paris is still offering it. Look here. Much more appropriate for kids than the Moulin Rouge and they do it in a sort of Texas accented Franglais. You don't have to know French.
Parc Asterix. This one is northeast of Paris just past Charles DeGaulle Airport and is based on the Asterix cartoon characters. A basic amusement park with cartoon characters your kids will not understand. There is a nausea inducing roller coaster called "Le Grand Huit" which makes 8 loops. Neither I, nor the kids, opted for that one. What they have now, I have no clue. I went in 1993, remember?
The rides in the Bois de Boulogne. The area of the Bois with the rides is called "Le Jardin d'Acclimatation"(good to know the name of things in the language when you are looking). This is mostly for younger children, but, hey, if you happen to be there. . . . Most memorable event was my son injuring his wrist on the bumping cars necessitating a visit to the hospital for x-rays. It's on my list to skip next time.
Tuileries Gardens ferris wheel. No this is not an amusement paFurtrk, but, what the heck, it is a good way to amuse the kids for a few minutes after they have finished kvetching at The Louvre.
Futuroscope. This one is actually my favorite. I went when I home exchanged in Tours. It is located in Poitiers--southwest of Tours but doable as a day trip from there. It is full of computer special effects (or was when I went). If you are in the area with kids (or maybe without), this one is worth a look. It is a good change, moreover, from seeing 27 chateaus you will not be able to distinguish by the time you get home.
Germany
Europa Park Rust. This one is the second most visited amusement park in Europe and was used as a bribe for my son when I home exchanged in St. Georgen, Germany, in the nearby Black Forest area. The closest big city is Strasbourg, France. What I remember most is that they had a jousting show. Halfway through the show I realized that we had seen the jousters 3 years before in a weekend joust show in Provins east of Paris. By the way, should you see any joust show in Europe, look closely. The jousters do not wear armor. They wear American football pads spray painted different colors.
Great Britain
Thorpe Park. We went to this one in 1990 on our first home exchange. Kids were 8 and 10. This was mostly for the younger kids then, but, from the website it looks as if they have added more "exciting" rides since then. Park is located in Surrey approximately 20 miles from London.
Chessington World of Adventure. This one was also visited in 1990 and presumably has changed quite a bit since then. In 1990 it was geared to an older crowd than Thorpe Park.
End note
Please do not tell me that I "missed" this one and that. I know about others such as Alton Towers, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and Movie Park Germany. Children who know no foreign languages always can read the signs for the amusement parks! Movie Park Germany was the subject of a lot of kvetching by my son when we were in the Black Forest. I got out of it because it was nowhere near where we we were. I did not "miss" it. I was glad not to have to go.