https://www.legoland.co.uk/ Archives - Jim Murty’s TravelTravelTravel

And as we build for Halloween… let’s go Lego and Irish Ferries are in with the bricks for Halloween.

Bringing visitors across the Irish Sea.

With the culture and mores which we’ve all adopted in Britain in our calendar of festivities and celebrations.

Such as Samhain which the Brits and Yanks have repackaged as Halloween and claimed as their own.

Scaring up a treat

Now, of course, we’re all for cross-fertilisation especially when it adds to the enjoyment.

Which our friends at Lego have always done.

And where Irish Ferries are giving us a fresh incentive this Autumn to join in.

As part of their 10% savings on your theme park package break if you book before October 13.

Now we all have our favourites with some parks feeling like they’ve been around since the first Halloween.

Although they never feel old and are always freshening things up.

Particularly around Halloween, one of the biggest dates in the calendar.

On a theme

Thrill seekers can look forward to the return of award-winning Scarefest at Alton Towers,

While we’ve also been alerted to a fang-tastic Halloween at Chessington World of Adventures, HOWL’O’WEEN!

Both of which look frighteningly good and we’d encourage you to check out.

Gruff break: Gruffalo trail in Chessington

Still, we know that those of us who live in the earthly world are a little more limited in our mobility.

So we’re focusing on one theme park from our old stomping ground.

Brick or treat party

My own Scary One’s back yard of Berkshire in the south of England.

And Legoland Windsor which back in our time was a Safari Park.

But which is now the realm of our favourite blockheads.

And which will naturally be throwing a Brick or Treat party.

Cut us in

Best seat in the house: Legoland attractions

And so you can get your Legoland Windsor package at a cut-price €636, down from €706.

You’ll be treated to a return cruise ferry journey.

Stay for two nights at the Novotel Reading Centre

And enjoy a day at the theme park.

All for two adults and two children up to the age of 11.

And as we all aim to build back better (the official mantra) how about Lego building blocks for 2022?

With a prompt from my old pal Mr Orlando himself Kevin from Universal who has showcased his Lego Friends apartment.

Lego is the world’s favourite toy and there are ten LEGOLAND parks around the world.

Anyone for fussball? Joey and Chandler’s pad

But first our own sets, and as The Son and Heir drops in on on us (or rather drops his washing in on his Mum) a reminder of a time when he called them Talls.

And he spent hours building them.

While Daddy’s Little Girl spent her childhood watching Friends… now if only there had been an exam in that.

Kevin’s collection includes iconic moments from the series including when Joey put on his entire wardrobe, his and Chandler’s fussball table and screechy Janice.

Friends for ever

Friends for life: Kevin and his Friends apartment

The Seventh Friend, of course, is New York.

And while the show was filmed in LA the Big Apple is where the Super Six are set.

And Friendies will want to check out The Grand Army Plaza in Midtown West in Manhattan which is believed to be the inspiration for the opening credits dance.

While Bloomingdale’s where Rachel worked as an assistant and The American Museum of Natural History (Ross’s workplace, the Museum of Prehistoric History) are actual well-visited and much-celebrated landmarks.

As is the Friends’ apartment block, well the outside anyways, where you must get a selfie outside 90 Bedford Street, Greenwich Village.

A history of Lego

Lets’ go back to the start then with Leg Godt, as they say in Danish but which isn’t an exhortation to the Almighty but actually means ‘play well’.

And it is of course where the name derived.

Great Dane (and isn’t everyone from that peninsula and its islands thus named?) Ole Kirk Christiansen built his company in 1934 into what has become the most enduring toy on Earth.

And how he isn’t remembered with his own statue (made out of building bricks we’d expect) as Hans Christian Andersen is is an injustice which should be put right.

But there was a set of Ole Kirk’s house from his birthplace in Billund given to Lego employees in 2012.

The beauty of Lego

Petra lego: In fine detail of the Jordan landmark

And the beauty of Lego is obviously that you can build whichever world you like to live in around you.

That applies, of course, too time and history as we were treated too when we emerged out of the first lockdown to visit the Ancient Wonders of the World at the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian, near Edinburgh.

Mini-Grand Canyon: In East Fortune in Scotland

And also boarded a real Concorde interior and the next best thing got selfies next to a Lego version.

The world’s Legolands

Billund in Southern Denmark is the mothership and has its own hotel.

And although it is not made out of bricks it is a celebration of all things building blocks.

With plenty of surprises for adult and child alike.

My old stomping ground of Berkshire in the south of England is the home of Legoland in England where once I visited the Windsor Safari Park.

Carlsbad (significantly Scandinavian sounding) an hour south of Anaheim is Legoland Central in California, 51 miles from Tampa.

While go north-west of New York City and you’ll get to Goshen for the NY version which is rollercoaster happy.

A tall order: But not for The Son and Heir

Around the world between Stuttgart and Munich in Germany you’ll find der Legoland.

While in the land of the talls, Dubai, they celebrate all things Lego.

And in Asia where they love to celebrate the childish, you’ll find a LEGOLAND in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.

Now if you like the world in miniature, check out too the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg, the world’s biggest miniature railway museum.

And with that I’m back to dig out the talls for the Son and Heir.