A Georgia Girl in Germany

Shortly before school let out for the summer, Zachary and MacKenzie had been getting antsy to go somewhere, so we loaded up and went to Legoland Deutschland. It’s not terribly far from here--just over an hour away--so it made for an easy day trip.
Zachary was really interested in the rides, and they all seemed to enjoy having a carefree day to spend surrounded by Lego creations of all sizes. The Harbour Cruise boat ride was fun for all of us. Zachary and MacKenzie managed to navigate the waters well, but Benjamin took our boat a little off course allowing a couple other boats to pass us before we ended our circuit.

We all liked the aerial view from the Pedal-A-Car ride. Yup, you guessed it, we had to pedal our own Lego car above the park. Actually, Zachary and MacKenzie chauffeured Benjamin and me since the pedals were only in the front seat.

But, I think Zachary and MacKenzie most enjoyed the Jungle X-pedition (aka Log Ride). They had to go solo since Benjamin wasn’t tall enough to ride, but you can see by these photos that, while they had looks of sheer terror on their faces as they came down that last plume, they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
If you couldn't see their faces very clearly, here are the close-ups...

MacKenzie was worried about getting too wet on the ride, so Zachary was a very considerate big brother…he let her wear his waterproof jacket since his poly shirt would dry quicker than her cotton one. What a gentleman!

Another highlight was the Build and Test Center, where we saw a mock-up of a Lego factory and assembly line. There was a display of MANY of the Lego people--from Star Wars and medieval to Harry Potter and everything in between. We even were able to see how they stamp the decals on Lego pieces…then got souvenir pieces for ourselves (and one for Uncle Bubba too since he’s still a Lego kid at heart).

After touring the “factory,” we came to the gift shop (what a marketing ploy!). They had bins after bins of different colors and sizes of Lego pieces. I gave each of the kids a bag and let them select a few individual pieces. MacKenzie chose mostly outdoor pieces (flowers, trees and bushes), while I helped Benjamin select a variety of individual pieces in some of the less commonly-used colors. He caught on quickly that he was supposed to get two of each, and began selecting two from each bin as we walked down the aisle! Zachary begged me to get either the Star Wars Death Star or Star Destroyer for him, but they were 370-Euros each (about $480)!! Still didn’t stop him from drooling though!

What amazed me throughout the park though, was the sheer magnitude of Legos everywhere we turned. I know, I know…what else would you expect from Legoland!?!! But, still, it was amazing to see the level of detail in all the wonderful creations. Such as Scloss Neuschwanstein (see our “Castle Weekend” post to see the real castle to compare to the Lego version here made with more than 300,000 Lego bricks)…
The skyscrapers of Frankfurt am Main, with 925,000 Legos (although not to scale as the buildings would have had to have been SIGNIFICANTLY taller)…











Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) and the Campanile in Venice (keep checking back for future blog updates…if all goes well, the Venice blog update will appear in early September)…Zachary and MacKenzie on the other side of the Netherlands…

The world’s largest Lego building, the Allianz Arena in Munich, with more than a million Legos, including specially-made translucent pieces that glow red, blue and white just like the original soccer stadium, and more than 30,000 mini Lego-fans…

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (see the “Berlin!” post) for a photo of the real-life comparison…














The Brandenburg Gate and its surrounding plaza (again, see the “Berlin!” post)…

The Berliner Cathedral and nearby TV tower (although the Lego version wasn't identical to the soccer ball-painted version I saw in Berlin in the midst of World Cup fever)…

Downtown Berlin…
Siegessaule, the “Victory Column” with the figure of Winged Victory, and the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in the background (in Berlin)…


And the kids enjoying themselves with some of the kid-friendly sculptures.

Finally, we topped off the day with pretzels and ice cream for supper. I know, it’s not the most nutritious supper, but we rarely do that…besides, it makes for a memorable end to the day for the kids, and that's what the day was all about.
I think even Albert would have approved of making an exception that evening (BTW, his eyes moved as if he were watching us!).

And on the way out of the park, Zachary and MacKenzie were good sports and posed for a variation on the flower field photos that I so enjoy taking…

Labels: Benjamin, Germany, MacKenzie, Travel, Zachary