Hello everyone,
This blog post is somewhat a change of pace from what I usually post here, but I wanted to share a recent experience with you that I know some of you will appreciate.
Ever since I was very young I have been fascinated with LEGO. I would spend all my time playing with it, building what I thought were fantastical creations; shaping my own play and building an ideal world from thousands of tiny bricks. My dream was to be a LEGO Master Builder (think Imagineer), and to some day go to Billund, the home of LEGO.
Today, as an adult, I am still very much into LEGO, and collect all the latest, coolest releases, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (if I'd had that one as a kid, I think would've died and gone to heaven!), Lord of the Rings, Stars Wars, and many others that I like.
Jon and I together have attended two LEGO conventions, and I have to say, some of the things that people create are mind blowing. Adults and children alike take LEGO very seriously, and for good reason. It presents endless opportunities for your imagination, it develops fine motor skills, and it helps aide positive play - even therapists use it.
Unfortunately I don't think I'm ever likely to become a LEGO Brick Master at this stage now, but, just two weeks ago I did fulfil one of my dreams. Finally, I got to go to Billund. You have to understand that Billund isn't just a small Danish town that happens to be where LEGO was founded, it is where The LEGO Group are headquartered and have their first and original theme park, LEGOLAND Billund, which opened in 1968. LEGO and Billund are intertwined in a way that I've not experienced before, and it's fascinating.
Before we get to the LEGOLAND part of this report, and our stay at the LEGOLAND Hotel let's take a look at the town of Billund, and its relationship with LEGO. I won't bore you with the history of the company, because if you really want to know more, the official LEGO Group website has a very good timeline of their history, but I do want to share with you our own experience of this small town. All I will say for now is, they are a family owned company founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen in the 1930's. The company is still family owned today.
If you visit LEGOLAND from nearly anywhere, you'll probably fly into Billund airport. You'll soon discover that everything here is all about LEGO! The airport is literally a couple minutes on a bus from the park, and nearly every bus that stops at the airport also stops at LEGOLAND. In the airport you may find some interesting LEGO creations...
On your departure back through the airport you will even find a LEGO store and more LEGO creations throughout the departures area.
Arriving at the airport and passing customs and immigration was very easy, as the airport is so small. Coming back again, security was easy and the gates are very close by, however, I have to say I don't think the food service places were very efficient. With very limited options and a lot more people than they could obviously handle, don't expect to grab a quick bite to eat!
Of course, no trip anywhere would be complete without finding something related to Disney...
Anyway, once you take the bus from the airport (which cost us 20 Krone per person, about $4 or £2) you cannot miss the park. The bus stops right at the main entrance.
We aren't going to proceed into the park right at this moment though, as I said I would share our experiences of the town. If you're at the park entrance, approach the entrance and head to the left. You'll find a little pathway that takes you past a statue of some children playing with LEGO.
Once past the statue, you'll find yourself on a street that runs along side the park, and where you'll find the street entrance to the LEGOLAND Hotel (you can also go into the LEGOLAND Hotel from the park and head out the main entrance, and you'll find yourself on the same street). Walking literally about two minutes down this street you will find yourself at a long building with a very distinct entrance. This is the home and headquarters of the LEGO Group (also known as LEGO System A/S).
In the main entrance lobby there is a plaque to the founder of the company, Ole Kirk Christiansen. Unfortunately we visited at the weekend and the building was closed. If it had been a weekday I would most certainly have gone inside to look around and pick up any information.
Walking further along the same street, you find yourself arriving in the centre of the town of Billund. There are a few small stores and cafes, as you would expect, but in the middle of the town, where the old town hall once stood, something quite amazing is happening...
Ole Kirk Christiansen's business really picked up in the 1930's and so he built a small red brick building that today is known as LEGO House. The original cottage still stands, and in the windows you can see displays of some really old LEGO products, including one of the original wooden duck toys produced in the 1930's.
This house has now been added to and extended over time, and if you follow it all the way around the back, all the while following a long window display timeline of the LEGO history, you'll find yourself at the current entrance to LEGO House and a vast complex of other buildings that go on further down the street.
This is a building that I'd love to be able to go inside, but alas, it's for LEGO employees only. Of course, LEGO have long realised this, and we discovered a small room on the street that you could walk into that housed a display of something brand new that is coming to Billund in 2016; a brand new LEGO House designed specifically for the purpose of showcasing LEGO history, education and fun. The new project looks amazing, and something which I will definitely want to go back to when it opens.
Along the street going back and forth to LEGOLAND and the main town you will find other LEGO references such as statues that have been placed over the years. This town really is built from LEGO!
Back at LEGOLAND, and time to check into the hotel. Let's see what that was like!
When we had booked our room, the cheapest we could get was an executive room, which meant it wasn't one of the themed rooms. I was fine with that as I was getting to stay there, so I was happy anyway. The hotel was definitely nice, and the room was well appointed. Breakfast - which was buffet style and really good - was in the vast convention centre complex at the back of the hotel, which in itself was quite the experience to see. Apparently the LEGOLAND Hotel conference centre is the number one convention space in Northern Europe, according to the signs.
The hotel had its own private entrance into the park, which was really useful. Both the main entrance to the park and the hotel park entrance bring you out near Miniland, which is one of the main highlights of the park, especially for Jon and I.
Vast and sprawling towns made of millions of LEGO bricks, representing cities from all over the world. The work and detail that have gone into these models is astounding, and I could spend hours looking at them.
Yes, this is Neuschwanstein Castle - the inspiration for the original Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland!
There is even a Star Wars Miniland, with scenes from all the movies in the series.
Besides these remarkable models, the rest of the park is virtually covered in LEGO statues, buildings and more. Every attraction has LEGO sets and scenery, made from tens of thousands of real LEGO pieces.
The park, like any good theme park, is divided up into themed lands. There is of course Miniland, then there is Duplo Land, LEGOREDO Town, Imagination Zone, Adventureland, Pirate Land, Polar Land and Knight's Kingdom.
We experienced a number of attractions, including the Miniboats, the LEGO Train, the Polar X-Plorer, The Temple, Ghost - The Haunted House, The Dragon, the Monorail, Atlantis by Sea Life and the Pirate Boats. There were a bunch more attractions, with many being for small children, but also several thrilling water rides and another roller coaster we didn't try. I would definitely say that the park has some fun experiences for guests of all ages, especially with the likes of the Polar X-Plorer coaster and the Xtreme Racers. However, there are many attractions that are solely for very young children, which is something that Disney are good at avoiding. I never feel like anything is specifically designed only for 5 year olds at the Disney Parks, but at LEGOLAND there were things that we simply couldn't try because we were adults (such as the Frog Hopper and the Traffic School).
Let's take a look at the park, the attractions, and some of the amazing models found throughout. Note that they aren't just statues either, a lot of these models move, talk and sing, just like Disney Animatronics!
Of course, no trip to any theme park would be complete without meeting characters! LEGOLAND didn't have many out on our visit, however they did have some, which made us very happy! Meet the Crazy Scientist, Dracula, Olli the LEGO Dragon and Princess Anastasia!
Dining at LEGOLAND is pretty easy if you do not have any special dietary requirements, as there are many places around the park that have everything from buffets to burgers and hotdogs. Jon and I though are vegetarian, and in continental Europe that usually proves a little challenging, and Denmark was no different, sadly. We were pretty limited to a couple of restaurants that had one single veggie dish, or buffets, which by all accounts were pretty expensive. Denmark as a whole, we found, was quite expensive, with prices being well over what you would pay anywhere else. One buffet we went to in the park did have some really awesome looking fries though...
Also, if you're paying by debit or credit card and your home country hasn't adopted the chip 'n' pin system yet (yes, I'm looking at you, US!) then this also presents some interesting encounters. Whenever we travel in Europe it's usually pretty easy to explain that US credit cards don't have a chip or pin, and the cashier or server usually knows how to swipe the card and check the signature instead. I guess they don't get many US tourists in Denmark because this seemed to baffle most staff at the resort, and in an odd system setup, they even have to press a special button in order to be able to use the archaic swipe system they apparently never knew they had! If you're gong to Denmark, I'd suggest cash or if you have to use credit cards, use American Express, as those cards don't usually require a pin even in some European countries, which may present less of a challenge to the Danish.
Overall we had a really nice time at the LEGOLAND Resort in Billund. The park is very clean, very pretty and well maintained. Despite being expensive and few food options for us, we definitely want to visit again in a couple of years to see the completed LEGO House in the town.
Well, that was our trip. I fulfilled my dream and I can't wait to go back some day to see the brand new LEGO House. But, for now, my 10 year old inner self is very happy.
Dan. |