Sommar i Gröna Lund*

I was sifting through mementos in my travel shoebox when I saw this:

Gröna Lund Ticket

It reminded me of that summer four years ago when a mixed bunch of us (I, together with Philippine Embassy kids CPM and JPM, fellow exchange student RGI and DLSU exchange professors TG and AN) welcomed the sunshine and warm bright day after several grey, chilly and snowy months in Stockholm. So off we went to Gröna Lund, Stockholm's oldest theme park (built in the 1880s) by the sea located on Djurgarden island.

We were greeted with plastic leis for that summer feel inside the park. Ladies on stilts garbed in colorful gowns hovered above us. Then we explored the amusement park. It isn't humongous but it's manageable to be enjoyed in one day.

Just like any park, it has booths where you either shoot small figurines or play ball or some other games, and prizes such as large stuffed toys are at stake. There are rides for both the adrenaline junkies and the faint-hearted. And of course, what's a park without the korv (sausage) with mustard and fries, blasting music, energetic kids all over the place as well as tricks and treats for people of all ages?

Extreme Ride

And my memorable favorites in Gröna Lund?

1. Lustiga Huset (Fun House): True to its name, I really had fun inside the house. Entering the house made me sweat as I had to sync my feet with the quick, tricky moving steps of the house. There were challenges along the way as we explored every nook and cranny, just like being Alice in Wonderland. A fitting finale for the adventure in the Fun House was the carpet ride. This is definitely the place for the kids and the young at heart.

Carpet Ride inside the Fun House.

2. Fritt Fall (Free Fall) and Katapulten (Catapult):

Fritt Fall

We wanted to try the Free Fall Tilt but it wasn't open to the public at that time. So we rode the Fritt Fall instead, twice. First, to experience the drop and the second time, to have a nice, decent photo on our souvenir key chain.

So four of us strapped ourselves to the quadseat which slowly inched its way to the top. On the first try, I was anxious, imagining how it would feel to fall from a point approximately 80 meters above the ground. Finally, the moment came. We descended...so fast! I wanted to scream but I never even managed to vocalize it. All that energy for one big scream got stuck in my throat.

On the second ride, I wasn't scared or anxious. I simply enjoyed the sun on my face and the view of the sea. When we reached the top, we all flashed our smiles and V-signs before the camera. In a split second, we were speeding down. Still I couldn't manage a scream because by the time I could shout, we have already landed safely.

Souvenir Key Chain

Katapulten

Don't be deceived by the tower that is just 55 meters tall, lower than that of the Fritt Fall. Or how slow the rise and fall motion of the seats seems to the eyes. Katapulten was a crazy and puke-prone ride. We went up and down several times at the speed of 60 km/hr. Our hearts lurched. Our tummies twisted. And in the middle of the ride we wanted for it to stop and just get off but we can't. And so we endured that one helluva ride.

3. Kvasten: This is not your ordinary roller coaster. Make sure that your shoelaces are tied so tight and that your shoes snugly fit your feet because you'll find your legs dangling all throughout those loops, twists and turns.

Gröna Lund is definitely one happy place to welcome summer. It also brings out the kid in you even for just one season.

For more info on Gröna Lund, visit their website: www.gronalund.com

*Summer in Gröna Lund (Green Grove).