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July 5th, 2008
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Child's Play

Alice in Legoland

May 14th, 2008 issue

LEGOLAND Deutschland


89312 Günzburg
Germany
Web: www.legoland.de/?lc=en
Tel: +49 (0) 8221 700 700
E-mail: info@legoland.de

A child’s creativity flourishes with the right tools. Give him a bunch of blocks, and you’ll see how your child becomes engrossed in the process of constructing his view of the world around him.
Or take the four-hour drive from Prague to Günzburg, Germany, where the Legoland amusement park showcases the endless possibilities of creating worlds using Lego blocks. It’s the closest major amusement park outside the Czech Republic, comparable in size and scope to places like Europark and EuroDisney. Though largely a promotional venture for Lego products, it’s a dramatic and entertaining demonstration that anything can be created using the very same blocks that your child has at home.
Upon entering the park, miniature-size versions of popular cities in Europe will welcome you, all made entirely of Lego blocks. Replicas of major landmarks are circled by little boats and buses that cruise along the tiny rivers and roads.  
Further inside the park, the rides range from roller coasters to boat trips. All of them have height requirements. If your children are under 80 cm tall, it’s best to wait until they grow a bit before you bring them here.  
Certain rides are designed for parent-child teams. One of them is the Hafen Rundfahrt, a boat ride through a winding port that lets your child drive the boat and decide on its speed. Another ride for smaller children is the Safari Tour. It’s a jeep with a steering wheel that does nothing but gives your child the illusion of driving through a jungle. Lego sculptures of elephants, gorillas and lions pepper the route.
For children above 100 cm, a good parent-child activity is the Power Tower, essentially a pulley that takes you high up on a seat. The seat drops very quickly, creating the sensation of falling. For smaller children, there’s the Fire Dragon coaster ride in the Knight’s Kingdom, where you’ll also find the Royal Joust horse ride, which allows children as small as 90 cm to gallop on their own life-size Lego horses around a track.
If you need a coffee break, there are several playgrounds near restaurants. The Explore Playground is like a little town of barns, hospitals and houses that are actually slides and activity areas. A crepe and coffee shop is located right beside it, so your child can have fun while you slow down. This is also a good stop if you have a baby with you, as it’s right beside the baby service center, which offers baby food products, rooms for breastfeeding and diaper-changing mats.
Another good activity for slowing down is the Gold Rush. A fake mine lets you sift through sand for little pebbles of fake gold, which you later weigh and buy for 4 euros per bag. They’re interesting keepsakes. Many parents help their children pan for the gold pebbles, and look like they’re enjoying it themselves.
One of the highlights of the park is the water ride in Pirate Land, where you go through a dark cave on a boat and end up dropping down a three-story waterfall. Other water activities in this area include Captain Nick’s Splash Battle, where you and your family can get on a Lego battleship and shoot other ships with water cannons.
A whole day may be more than enough stimulation for children. But you can take advantage of package deals that include overnight stays and admission tickets for two days.
May is a good time to go, before the weather gets too hot. But be forewarned that from May 26 to June 11 the park is only open Thursdays through Sundays. For more information on admission prices, opening hours and overnight stays, check the park’s Web site. And remember to save some money for souvenirs ... and Lego blocks.
Cecilia Sanchez Beltran can be reached at features@praguepost.com


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