Port Aventura Amusement Park: Dragon Khan Attraction, Salou, Tarragona

The eight-inversion-ride roller coaster called Dragon Khan designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) is Port Aventura Amusement Park's major attraction. Although the Furious Baco, a recent addition, is following closely, the impressive mountain of steel and its red silhouette visible from miles away still draws thousands of visitors. When you talk about amusement parks in Spain (I don't know in Europe) it is common stuff to boast about how many times you rode on Dragon Khan as if that was some sort exploit, you know. My personal record, is three times. Of course I am getting too old for this. My stomach was OK this weekend when I last tried the famous attraction, but my cervical bones ached all along. Not because of the initial 148 ft lift hill or the following 118 ft tall vertical loop but because of the roller coaster elements coming next: the diving loop, zero-G roll, cobra roll, etc. I posted this image so you had an idea although you may find it repeated hundred of times on the web since it is the classic spot you stop to point and shoot. About the other attraction, Furious Bako, I have to say, it is not fit for cardiacs. The speed is so huge that your head shakes and you look like having an epilepsy spell. In this case you don't need any height to fall and gain acceleration, you are literally fired at an almost unbearable speed: Top speed: 84 mph in just 3.5 seconds, G-Force: 4.7 G's.

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Tibidabo Amusement Park: Hurricane Thrill

Hurricane attraction at Tibidabo Amusement Park

I will be out of Barcelona city for the weekend cause we are going to visit Port Aventura amusement park in Tarragona. I hope I bring many pictures of the park although heavy rains were forecast. In the meantime to introduce the topic, I leave you with one of the most thrilling attractions in Tibidabo: Huracan (Hurricane).

The ride is short but as you see they turn you upside down for a while and then move you down towards a fountain that sprinkles some water on your face. The block of seats spins around its axis, swinging dizzily every time the big arms go up and down.

Salvador Dali and Disney Studios

Surrealist elephants standing on impossible legs that remind you of Don Quixote's famelic horse Rocinante or ghostly Dumbo's pink elephants could only be imagined by the twisted and brilliant mind of the most peculiar painter of modern times, Salvador Dalí. In this shop at carrer Ferran you may buy yourself an exclusive souvenir, a Dalinian symbol to impress your friends at home. In case they ask, tell them that you bought it because you are an expert on Dali and somebody stole your "The Elephants" (1948), "the Temptation of St Anthony" (1946), "Atomica Melancholica" (1945) and/or "Triumph of Dionysus" (1953) and you miss them so much that you need a keepsake to mitigate your grief. Now that you are at it, show them the melting clock too, and suggest it helps with The Persistence of Memory (1931).

Note: I found this video: Destino (Disney/Dali) (and I thought that comparing Disney elephants with Dali's was odd and daring!)