Magic Forest

Today we used a glorious sunny summer afternoon to go to a Märchenpark. "Magic forest theme park" doesn't even begin to describe the true nature of a Märchenpark, which is something utterly anachronistic and very German.



Basically it's a very faint shadow of anything that might come to mind when you think "theme park" Florida style. Of course there's topcial animatronics, labyrinthic fun houses and some quaint rides. Only on a more Pyönyang kinda style template. No branded comic figures, no Disney glitz, just basic Grimm's fairy tales and some generic kiddie stuff like giant squirrels, politically very incorrect Ali Baba figures, cowboys and indians plus some playground things assembled into big activity landscapes. The fairy tale animatronics actually were so old-fashioned and crude that they coulb be ironically rescued artifacts from the Soviet Days of the parts of Europe (that are actually just a short car ride away). It's all authentic though. Had I mentioned old-fashioned? I vaguely remember a Märchenpark from my childhood, but I didn't get to go more than once or twice, because those parks were considered declasee. Main target group still seems to be the "Konsumproletariat" (as they call white trash families who stuff their social housing apartments with discount electronics around here). There was one more "used to be cool now we got kids and don't really care if there's porridge on our collar"-kinda couple. Turned out he was a genuine movie star (and one of the very few German comedians who are actually funny).
Didn't take pictures (because of our last shreds of coolness and also because if you take pictures of celebrities' kids in Germany there are some hefty fines). Seeing the celebrated comedian in front of the cheesy animatronics was actually the only really campy thing about the trip. Otherwise the park really hits the mark with the one to three demographics. Most of the rides are available somewhere else as well - they got cars on rails at the zoo, the big slide at a museum etc. - the big difference is that you pay a modest entrance fee and can use everything as often as you want. Karl on the car-ride must have felt like I did when I used Napster for the first time. "So I can go again?" ... "Can I really go aGAIN?!" ... "One more... really three more times?!" Until he finally caved in. "Alright. Let's try something else." And there is always something else at the Märchenpark.




Yup, that's us on a choo choo train enjoying ourselves immensely.



And why should I be the only one looking silly on a huge paper mache rabbit? Here's Fred on a pig. The very pig that Henri wanted to go on again and again and... so yes, there's also photos of me on it.



We will return to look silly soon. Select photos might be posted.