Day 126: De Efteling

Friday, May 21, 2010: De Efteling, Netherlands

The morning after the Gala, I got up early to meet up with Daniel to head to de Efteling, the Dutch theme park  housed in the outskirts of Tilburg. We had been talking about going to de Efteling all semester and hoped we would get a big group together to go. However, since it was exam time and everyone was busy with finals and preparations to leave, it ended up being just Daniel and I that went. Nonetheless, I was super excited to visit a Dutch theme park!

We boarded the bus near Verbs that took us down the street a ways to another bus stop where we had to switch to the bus in the direction of 's-Hertogenbosch. This bus would stop shortly before its final destination at the entrance to the theme park, according to 9292, the online Dutch transportation planning guide. We boarded the second bus and rode for about half an hour before arriving at de Efteling. Daniel had been here twice before in the previous semester, including one day when it had snowed. But this was my first time and I was prepared for a great day!

We got off the bus and walked up to the entrance. We had already bought our tickets at Albert Heijn a few days before since the store had a promotion going on where you got a 8 euro discount if you presented a special coupon filled with stickers received with your purchases in the store. As this is where we did the majority of our shopping in the Netherlands, we each received the discount! We checked in at the park and entered. I was impressed by the quality of the park. It was very well done and extremely clean! It reminded me of a combination Islands of Adventure and Disney, but all in Dutch and much smaller!

So it was a typical theme park day. We rode almost every ride the park had to offer, including rollercoasters, water rides, tea cups, kiddie rides, the swinging ship, the carousel, and the swings. My favorite ride we went on was the swinging ship. I had never been on one before, and to be honest, I was terrified of it! But Daniel, being the law student he is, convinced me to go on the thing, and what do you know, I had a blast! In fact, I insisted we go on it again! I think we went on it 2-3 times total! It was great!

We also played some of the fair games, including one in which we had to throw a tennis ball into a jar with a hole at the top just big enough for the ball to fit in. Daniel said he was going to win me a giant cow stuffed animal they had at the tent, but I proved him wrong. He threw a few shots and missed all of them. I threw one and made it in! What a shocker! I have no sense of aim and am usually horrible at such things! So I won a stuffed cow, which we promptly named "Cowie" after our favorite Southpark cartoon character, Towlie!

We carried Cowie around with us on several rides and to lunch. We chose a small pavilion at which to have lunch. Here they sold a typical Dutch meal, kibling. Daniel was in heaven, as kibling is fried fish served with french fries. I ordered the child's meal which came with kibling, fruit and juice! I wasn't too hungry and wanted to eat light since we were riding rides.

After lunch, we continued venturing through the park, riding more coasters and some more children's rides. I was disappointed, because we were not allowed on one children's ride that was for kids 12 and younger. I pretended to be 12, but did not pass. We were left to watch the ride and merely take pictures. Bummer, cause it was a super cute train ride that had a little windmill and other typically Dutch things. I just wanted to get up close and take a picture.

Next we road the river boat that took us all through the park on a quiet secluded boat. It was a very peaceful and relaxing ride. We were able to sit back and enjoy the scenery of the park without all the mobs of people and children running about.

After the boat ride, Daniel and I bumped into the famous character (a kind of elf-looking creature) of de Efteling and had our picture taken with him. Afterward, we made our way to the other side of the park, Arabian Nights,  where we relaxed for a bit and enjoyed some ice cream. We were going to do the paddle boats in the nearby lake, but they decided to close just as we came over. So we went on one last ride, a kind of roller coaster bobsled ride, and then called it a day!

We headed out of the park, worn out and fatigued from all the rides. It was a great day, and I got to spend some quality time with a good friend from the Netherlands. I absolutely loved all of the rides and was so glad I got this experience while in the Netherlands,  especially coming from Florida where the theme parks are abundant! I would recommend this attraction to anyone visiting Holland....worth the euros!