#14 going to busch gardens

i went to busch gardens for the first time on saturday with jeff, arabella, and shep (and other fun friends for parts of the day). here are some highlights, many of which were firsts: 

• griffon: this is one of only two floorless diving machines in the united states and one of only six in the world. (i am not a roller coaster junkie, i just appreciate good trivia.) a diving machine is characterized by wide rows - the griffon has three rows of ten - and a vertical drop. it amazes me that these rides don't scare me at all (they tend to make me giggle uncontrollably), but you put me a few feet away from a strange man with a white face, painted smile, and oversized shoes and i freak out. 
• a bunch of other rides: none were quite as notable as griffon, though i do recommend alpengeist, which made me feel like i could fly and made shep feel like he was in a fighter jet. he even made sound effects. 
• celtic fyre: this show was like west side mamma mia story in ireland. it was a wedding reception in an irish pub, and then some american tap dancers showed up and they had a tap vs. irish dance battle. weird. but there were some good moments, and we had a snack break and air conditioning, so it was good.
• oktoberfest: we watched part of this show while we were eating our ridiculously overpriced lunch. i think i should have been german - i could totally tear up their dance floor. oy oy oy!
• more...pet shenanigans: well, we didn't make it to this show. but i'm certain it would have been a favorite and i am still bitter that we didn't see it. next time. next. time.
• sheep: there were sheep, and i heard one baa. i'm not sure i'd ever heard a sheep so distinctly say 'baa' before. thrilling. it was like 'babe: live' without the talking pig. 
• beer: i had one sip. i had never done that at an amusement park before. i do not understand the mix of alcohol and rides. it sounds pretty awful to me. 
• swings: this was neither new nor notable, but it was one of the only pictures we took. jeff is behind the camera, obviously. 

end scene.

soon: skateboarding and grape stomping and lying!