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Four of the best theme parks
From Europe's second-biggest to the new ride at Universal Studios in Florida, Chris Carter takes a tour of four of the world's best theme parks.
Europa-Park in the Black Forest: the second biggest theme park in Europe
Europa-Park, Germany
Yet the theme park in Germany's Black Forest is the second biggest in Europe, packing 100 rides into 95 hectares, divided into zones with different national themes.
So in one park you can visit an English sports bar for a drink then pop next door to Russia's Mir space station. "I can't think of a more appropriate post-referendum attraction. A harmonious, fun Europe."
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Join more than 165,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with latest financial news, insights and expert analysis to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
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Universal studios in Orlando, Florida, has taken technical wizardry to a whole new level. Its new Skull Island: Reign of Kong attraction is a "dizzying combination" of 3D film, animatronic creatures and a theme-park ride that immerses you in King Kong's "terrifying world", says Lisa Minot in The Sun on Sunday. Even the queue is fun, snaking through caves and ancient temples, with "a few scares along the way".
The newly opened Cit du Vin "is an over-the-top, mega project with all the scope of a wine theme park for adults", says Mike MacEacheran in Cond Nast Traveller magazine. It takes a "Disneyland approach" to its 20 themed areas, complete with a multi-sensory "tasting experience". But wine drinking comes first. The Belvedere saloon bar offers panoramic views and there are expert-led tastings to hone your palate. This is Bordeaux, after all.
Disney opened its newest $5.5bn theme park in Shanghai last month. For two organisations that love synchronised dancing Disney and the Chinese Communist Party it's no surprise the opening ceremony was choreographed to perfection, says Charles Clover in the FT. Replete with speeches and fireworks, there was no room for subtlety. This is, after all, "the world's biggest entertainment company celebrating its beachhead into the world's fastest growing entertainment market".
The journey has been fraught, "underlining Beijing's schizophrenic relationship with mass American culture". Yet for now, not even the drizzle on the opening daywas enough to put off China's vice-premier, Wang Yang. The weather was a blessing, he insisted, representing "a rain of fortune, a rain of US dollars and renminbi".
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