I have a few activities on my list, like day trips or holidays. One of them is to visit the Dutch fairy tale themed park, the Efteling. It’s one of the busiest attraction in The Netherlands, mostly with people from neighbouring countries. Disneyland in Paris is a direct competitor. The atmosphere is completely different from a Disney park, but adorable nonetheless.
I’ve visited the Efteling half a dozen of times since I was a kid and always had fun. I’ve also learned not to go when it’s summer vacation or on weekends. Queue times will be insanely long for most popular rides. There will also be significantly more children running around. Not the best way to spend your time in a high priced theme park. So for my next visit I’ll have to go on a week day when it’s dry, when schools are in session.
There is one big downside to going. I’ll need about three days to recover. My body isn’t in perfect condition so doing something that requires a full day of physical activity, it will need to heal. Especially going on rollercoaster rides (my favourite) tend to shake up my joints. I won’t notice the immediate strain it puts on my body since I’ll have an adrenaline rush and I’m just happy to be there. I’ll feel it the next morning. And the morning after that.
It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make though. Even when your body isn’t cooperating, that’s no reason to not do something you enjoy doing. I always try to weigh the pros against the cons, see if I can switch some cons to pros, find a way to get rid of the cons and then make my decision. I still have to see how I can make the few days after a bit more pleasant, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out. Then I need to decide when we go.