No one's got a cross to bear

[austin_dern]

At Parc Festyland: the launch station for the roller coaster 1066. The train is designed to look like a battering ram. And yes, that's a replica of the Bayeux Tapestry along the top there. A sign by the station thanks the museum holding the Tapestry for their help and possibly permission in putting up this replica.

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Pirates! One of the major themes of Parc Festyland. These are in front of a Giant Water Slide that people were actually going down even though it was a chilly, rainy day. Also, all the doubts we ever had about the statuary and park decorations in Roller Coaster Tycoon games have been finally answered: however ridiculous a thing looks, it's something that actually exists in at least one Western European amusement park. (Barely visible in the background, at the end of the slides: the bathrooms, which are unisex but not one-person.)

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Also, Parc Festyland has sheep. There's several in this one enclosure. Why is not explained in ways obvious to English-speaking American tourists.

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Parc Festyland's other roller coaster, Drakkar Express. This one is Viking-themed. As mentioned it was a cool, rainy day. I include this picture to prove the existence of rain during our visit and why we called it short about 45 minutes earlier than we might otherwise have.

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I've got fewer mathematics posts the past week than have been common, but there's still plenty to read. Among the things put up there since last Sunday have been:

• Reading the Comics, July 12, 2015: Chuckling At Hart Edition, where things left off last Sunday.
• A Summer 2015 Mathematics A To Z: vertex (graph theory), giving me another chance to talk about graph theory.
• Fibonacci’s Biased Scarf, a mathematics crafts project for you!
• A Summer 2015 Mathematics A To Z: well-posed problem, something that only really hit me in differential equations.
• A Summer 2015 Mathematics A To Z: xor, the logic term, which maybe you've heard of before.
• Reading the Comics, July 19, 2015: Rerun Comics Edition, though I'm pretty sure I haven't highlighted any of these comics before.

Trivia: Nitric acid is used by the body to relax muscles, kill foreign cells, and reinforce memory. That it has any physiological benefits was unknown before 1991. Source: Molecules at an Exhibition: The Science of Everyday Life, John Emsley.

Currently Reading: Lewis Carroll in Numberland: His Fantastical Mathematical Logical Life, Robin Wilson.

Comments

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

I believe that should be nitric oxide (NO), not nitric acid (HNO3). The latter in small quantities would be converted to nitrate ions and neutralized by the body's buffering capacity (like bicarbonate).

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Yes, you're right. I made a transcription error.

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

What, they have sheep, but not rabbits? We need a better union. =:P

That pirate seems like he ought to be at De Efteling. Perhaps it's part of a cultural exchange program?

[austin-dern.livejournal.com]

Did you miss the rabbit statues? They're up near the front of the park. (http://austin-dern.livejournal.com/1075585.html) There's quite a few of them, mostly around the snails and the antique car ride, for some reason I don't quite get. Did not see any live rabbits, although given the landscaping I wouldn't be surprised if a good number made the place their home.

The sculptures were really good. I was impressed by the theming of the park. Pirates/Vikings/Knights/Dinosaurs/Belle Epoch seems like a weird blend, and it is, especially for how small the park is. But it's all so well done. It's made me better appreciate how important theming is to a park.