Tour Europe in 50 Rides (Leg 3) Quiz

Answer: Germany

From the start, the Adventureland area featured the pictured elephant display, but it didn't receive a formal name or setting until the 2000s. Today, it is firmly located in Africa and the new name of the ride, African Queen, reflects that. It still uses the Mississippi river boats however; they have just been redecorated from white to brown and given some African flavor.

The boat driver actually has some ability to steer and a good driver will make an attempt to actually control the boat. Lazy ones will not do anything and let the underwater metal rails do their job - if you notice some crunching sounds throughout the ride, you got the latter kind.

Tip: Don't bother with the water cannons. Unlike the ones on Whale Tours, these don't reach any targets regardless of how hard you try. Leave the frustration to the kids.

Answer: Africa

If you go by park geography, Africa is not only a part of Europe but its very center. The raft ride originally just circled one half of the lake without any additional sights, but the park first added a dark ride tunnel element near the end and then later built an African village into the water, while also re-theming the tunnel to fit the continent.

In spite of being a water-based ride, it actually operates during the winter season with a few of the rafts being blocked by holiday scenes mounted on them. There are also some floating islands with snow and holiday decor during that time.

Answer: The middle rows

The thrill (or nausea, depending on your constitution) effect of a swinging ship is derived from the near weightless moments at the end of each swing with the effect being more intense the higher you go. While sitting at the end of the ship will give you a very low turning point on one side, it gives you the maximum effect on the other while the middle is an overall gentler, symmetrical experience. Your place within the row has no effect, although, if you get seasick really easily, you might want to sit on the exit side for the benefit of all other riders and waiting guests!

Answer: Norway

Norway is the dominant influence in the design of the Scandinavian area although the Andersen fairy tale tower adds a Danish touch. Sweden and Finland aren't very well represented in this section that also features a pretty large selection of midway games.

Like Atlantica, Fjord Rafting can adjust its level of wetness - in this case by activating or shutting off various contraptions that drop water on (un)lucky riders from above.

If you manage to ride this after dusk (which is pretty much only possible in October), the chasm section with waterfalls on both sides is illuminated in blue - a rare and beautiful sight.

Answer: Both of these are possible

During the Whale Tours ride, you can hit a total of eleven targets on each side of the boat, several of which activate water effects that will hit the people on the other side. However the majority of water hitting people on this ride will come from a water cannon strategically located on the sidewalk next to it and riders can retaliate in kind if they are seated on the left side.

During the winter, the water effects are deactivated, but the ride is available and targets still light up when hit.

Answer: Inversions

Any roller coaster element turning the rider completely upside down is called an inversion. Loops and rolls are specific such elements - in a loop, the ride vehicle goes up and down vertically (like a somersault) while in a roll, the rotation is mostly sideways.

The four inversions on Blue Fire are, in order, a vertical loop, two corkscrews (in opposite directions, separated by a 180° turn) and finally a heartline roll. The last element's name is derived from the fact that an average rider's heart will actually continue move in a straight line while the body is turned sideways around it. During this element, riders are suspended from their thighs, held in place only by the ride restraint. Coaster enthusiasts call this experience "hangtime" and it's considered a very desirable feature in every inverting design.

Tip: If you want to have a chance at riding in the front row without a really long wait and want to ride several times anyway, use the single rider line. There's always a small chance an opening might present itself due to a three-rider group at the front. You might get lucky, but no guarantees!

Another tip: The park's web site states that Blue Fire and Silver Star do not run in the winter season, but if temperatures are sufficient, they will actually open (Silver Star does this for the first time in the 17/18 season). Pick a day with highs of at least 5°C / 41°F for your visit and you may get some rides with little or no wait.

Answer: Nidhogg

Before you get to ride the excellent Wodan coaster built in the typical style of manufacturer Great Coasters International with many tight turns and small hills, you can visit key sights of Norse mythology: First, you pass Svartálfaheimr, home of the Dwarves, then the twin realms of Niflheim, world of ice and Muspelheim, world of fire. The sea serpent Nidhogg is next, followed by the forging of Thor's hammer and Mimir's well before you get to ascend to Valhalla and board the coaster.

Tip: If you want to see the queue line, look for a wait time of about 20 to 25 minutes; that is the approximate amount that will fill the underground section. If the wait is shorter, the section might be closed off while longer waits will just make you stand outside. The usually very fast single rider line on this coaster bypasses the underground section completely.

For Wodan addicts, the last two hours of a quiet winter season day are heaven - wait times range from two minutes to "let's send the train around again, no one is waiting to ride".

Answer: It is an actual consecrated chapel used for weddings

Europa-Park has several chapels available for guests who wish to marry at the park; the stave church is the largest of them. If not in use for a ceremony, it is open to visitors of all faiths who wish to take a few minutes for prayer or meditation. The Freiburg diocese of the Catholic church also offers short services and prayer meetings at the church on major holidays.

Tip: Of course the park offers an app with wait times, show schedules and other data, but you'll probably enjoy it more if you leave your mobile at home and avoid the urge to update your social media after every ride. Wait times are posted at the rides as well as on central boards located in Luxembourg square and Spain.

Answer: Peter Pan

During the expansion years in the 1980s, Europa-Park copied a several major Disneyland or Walt Disney World rides which, along with the Euro-mouse mascot, gave it an "almost Disney" feeling. The most obvious parallels are the Ghost Castle (Haunted Mansion), Pirates at Batavia (Pirates of the Caribbean), Universe of Energy (Ellen's Energy Adventure) and Eurosat (the building resembles Spaceship Earth while the ride is comparable to Space Mountain).

This changed in the mid-1990s when Disneyland Paris started to gain popularity. New rides built after that time avoided any similarity to Disney rides and the Peter Pan ride was quietly renamed to avoid any association with Disney.

Tip: Holland also features a musical show primarily aimed at children but fun for all ages and a performance by the Chinese National circus. For the latter, pick a late afternoon performance - the show venue is the park's Asian restaurant and the tables are reserved with priority for restaurant patrons, making it almost impossible to find even standing room for the earlier shows unless you intend to eat there.

Answer: False

While Europa-Park uses a lot of real fire effects, those are mostly found at outdoor locations. The initial battle scene in Batavia however does use small gas torches to simulate the firing of the cannons.

For the large-scale fire effects of the city - several buildings are shown in full blaze - real flames would be far too dangerous; the effect is instead generated by red and yellow lights projected onto white drapes that are moved by fans to create a very realistic flickering and burning effect if you look at it from the correct angles.

Tip: Unlike its Disney cousin, this ride usually has very short lines, so it makes for a good choice during the busy part of the day. It doesn't get you wet, so you can ride it during the winter to warm up a bit.