Growing Up Troppo – October
Did you know that LEGO comes from Denmark – the happiest country in the world, according to the UN World Happiness Report. So, you’d figure then that the original Legoland Theme Park in Denmark must be one happy place – correct!
By Libby Larsen.
LEGO beat poor old Barbie, Action Man and the humble Teddy Bear to be named “Toy of the Century” in 2000 by Fortune Magazine. A mind-boggling 20 billion LEGO bricks are made every year, enough to circle the earth more than 9 times, according to National Geographic. That’s a lot of plastic and I shudder to think about the land fill should any pre-loved pieces find their way there.
With boys aged four and seven, we are smack bang in the LEGO peak of their childhood. I know I’m not the only parent who has spent hours on their hands and knees picking up the stuff, only to have the incredibly painful experience of treading barefoot on that one piece you missed! Ugh.
So, we knew that our mid year holiday to Denmark for a family reunion would involve a pilgrimage to the home of LEGO. Not a place I thought I would love pre-kids – but I’m a convert – Legoland is cool and not just for kids. Sure, it’s the kind of place you need to embrace which means staying at the Legoland Hotel with its pirate and ninja themed rooms. Thank goodness the beds aren’t made of LEGO.
It’s pure heaven for little blonde Scandi kids. There’s LEGOREDO Town with gun-slinging cowboys and Adventure Land with wild jungle beasts and villains. Pirate Land is a hoot. There’s a cool boat trip that takes you past dastardly LEGO pirates, cackling parrots and sinister shipwrecks where you are red upon with water cannons by other ships – and if you don’t fire first, you’ll be shot at!
We were all mesmerized by Miniland with its Lilliputian models of the Danish Royal Palace, Amsterdam canals, German villages and a Scottish castle and loch. The boys loved the mini-jeep safari through an African wildlife park with lions, zebras and giraffes all built from LEGO, of course, and a boat ride past LEGO landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Acropolis, Taj Mahal and Abu Simbel Egyptian temple.
But hands-down the highlight for the boys was NINJAGO World where we had to complete Lloyd’s Master Maze, and Jay’s Lightning Drill. The 3D ride is awesome – we had to master the elements of fire, earth, lightning and ice by putting on our 3D glasses to fight the great serpent and archenemy of the ninjas.
Without a doubt Legoland was the highlight of the boys’ holiday and honestly for me it was up there with window shopping in the Danish design stores and exploring the quirky cobbled streets in Copenhagen.
Travel is, and has always been, Libby’s passion and she believes that this shouldn’t stop when you have kids. Libby knows that the best travel advice and tips come from other parents and so she started Growing up Troppo. It has loads of inspiration about hip places to stay, play andeat with kids that importantly parents love too.
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