There are a couple of new attractions coming to the Fairy Tale Forest soon!
Firstly, a new talking tree (Babbelboom) will be installed in the forest between the Little Match Girl and the Emperor’s New Clothes.
Art by Robert-Jaap Jansen
This tree will speak directly to visitors in a similar way to the existing fairy tale tree, but the messages will be more personal. This works from the Efteling app, so visitors wishing to communicate with the tree will have to give permission on there first. I can’t wait to see it!
Another addition will be a whole new fairy tale! In fact, it will be the 30th fairy tale to be represented in the forest, with work starting on the construction this October, and the opening being in Autumn 2019. The Six Swans by the Brothers Grimm is what we have to look forward to, and it will be located between Snow White and Cinderella. A moat will surround the building, and small children will be able to take a ride on one of the six swans around the attraction, whilst larger guests can view a scene inside of the castle.
There’s some maintenance going on at Fata Morgana! The ride and it’s shop will be closed for renovations for 5 weeks (from September 3rd), although the changes will be more technical than cosmetic. The boats will undergo repairs, as well as the electricity and lighting being renewed and the plants in the first and last scenes being replaced.
One thing the guest will notice however, is the face-lift that the shop ‘De Bazaar’ is going to receive. The design coordinator Annette Vishers says:
“It will be a store that does justice to the theme of Fata Morgana. Not only because of the Arabic elements, but also because of the new thematic presentation of the souvenirs. With large objects as real eyecatchers. During this maintenance we immediately pick up the facade of the store. Everything is repainted in the original colors and we add extra decorative elements.”
Hopefully, the souvenirs will improve in the shop too! (I doubt it).
Here’s the artist’s impression of how the shop will look:
We’ve all been there, you head over to a ride in a theme park and once you get there, you find that the ride is closed, just temporarily. Breakdowns happen of course, but this downtime can cause unhappy visitors, which isn’t what a theme park wants.
The possible solution to this problem is an AI that can hear machine failure, such as that in a rollercoaster. It makes it easier to find the problem, as the machine locates exactly where the malfunction is, meaning less time spent by maintenance staff looking for the issue, and therefore less downtime for the ride.
Longer days, nighttime entertainment and lots of cool treats, it is Summer at Efteling! The park opens until 8pm every night except from Fridays and Saturdays, when you can stay and play until 11pm!
Oh, and speaking of treats, a delicacy has arrived at Ton van de Ven Plein: Ice Donuts (Ijsdonuts). It consists of a chunky donut stuffed with ice cream and a topping which you can choose yourself, all for €3.95. Yum!
It’s not something you would anticipate, but some magical telescopes have been installed next to the Gondoletta lake.
If you like magical beasties, this is the place to see them! When you look through the viewer on the telescope, you’ll get to see what you can’t see with the naked eye. I wonder how long they’ve been flying about up there without us knowing…
The Bridal Dress of Genoveva is not a fairy tale that springs to mind straight away when you think of Efteling, as you cannot always see it. That is because this fairy tale lives, in the form of a flock of multi-coloured birds.
Image from vijfzintuigen.nl
Well, not any more.
As from today, the birds will remain their natural white colour. The fairy tale is actually one of the original tales told in the park, opening back in 1952, when they decided to spray the pigeons in different colours. Part of the story includes the tower where the birds live, which is located behind the Snow White building. This could not always be clearly seen due to ivy, but after the recent renovation of Snow White, the ivy has been removed and it is much easier to see the birds flying in and out of their home.
Efteling have said in a Facebook comment that this change has nothing to do with how the birds were coloured, as that has always been done in a cruelty-free manner, but that they think that the white birds better represent the natural theme of the park. There have been comments online however, that questioned the dying of the birds for entertainment purposes.
To me, it isn’t necessarily a change for the better, as it was always fun to see the coloured birds, however I’m sure we can all learn to appreciate them in their natural form too!
Don’t know the story? Here it is:
Prince Arthur would marry the beautiful princess Genoveva.
Often the couple went out walking and then the prince said: “Look, the yellow of the buttercups and the blue of the cornflowers and ooh … That red of the poppies … All those beautiful colors should be in your wedding dress, dear Genoveva.” An old weaver lived in the land of Prince Arthur. Only she could make the princess’s wedding dress. Unfortunately, the old woman had become blind. “I can not help you prince, my hands can do it”, she said, “But … I can not see the colors anymore.”
The prince returned sadly to the palace and the old woman went to feed her pigeons. She cried with grief.
A wise owl heard of the story and said to the birds: “You know the colors right? Can not you do something back for the old woman? “The next day the old weaver was mourning at her loom. “Now I knew what green was,” she sighed, and immediately she felt that a little bit of hair pushed a strand of silk between her fingers. “And now the blue of the sky.” Together with all the birds, the woman worked on the carpet and shone with happiness. When the dress was ready, she let the prince come. He too was happy. “My bride will be the most beautiful in the country.” And the birds? They had been so busy with all the colors that their feathers had been colored.
Bobsleigh, The Bob or Bobbaan, whatever you like to call it, if you’re an Efteling fan, you’ve probably taken a ride on this Swiss sleigh ride. However, after 33 years in the park, there’s talk that The Bob might be leaving us.
In recent years, the attraction has had lots of downtime due to technical issues, and also has to be closed in the rain to prevent accidents. Efteling have said that they’re working on the future of the attraction, but that no concrete ideas are in place just yet.
I’m personally not a fan of The Bob, mostly because it is a very bumpy ride! Made smoother however, I could be converted. I suppose we will see what happens in the near future!
Although I realise that Spring has finally sprung (hooray!) and the Efteling tulips are almost in full bloom, I remembered that I had some wonderful Winter Efteling photos that I wanted to share.
Marianne sent me some photos back in January of a visit to Efteling on January 8th for her birthday. Better late than never to share them at least!
This year, Winter Efteling starts on November 12th, so maybe it is time to start planning a Winter trip now? These photos will surely inspire you…
If you’re a member of any social media platforms, such as Facebook, you will have probably seen a barrage of posts about the Python renovation. It was quite a short renovation, but a few days ago, the Python was back on track (literally!) and open to visitors. This great video by our friends at Vijfzintuigen shows the making of the new Python, and it even has English subtitles so we can all enjoy it at Efteling UK!
