Hogwarts - A Dream Come True

Be prepared for a long entry here. I'm far too excited about this subject.

If you've so much as met me, you're bound to know that I'm an extreme Harry Potter fan. One of my favorite sets of memories is listening to the audiobooks with my family while growing up and waiting eagerly for the next book or movie to come out. I really can't remember life before Harry Potter and it was an integral part of my childhood.
So of course, I not only jumped but leaped at the chance to go to the Warner Brother's Studio Tour with my school when the trip was offered. So the day after our Bath and Stonehenge tour, I leaped out of bed early again to get on the bus to see the Harry Potter sets in person. I was even more excited when I found that my friends Sara and Morgan had a seat saved for me. We were also next to Ashley who I think is in one of Sara's classes.
The ride to the Warner Brother's Studios was about 45 minutes but on a bus full of people excited about the same thing, that's no time at all. Pulling into the parking lot and seeing the sign was absolutely breathtaking even though it really was just a basic looking studio.

Inside, the lobby was lined with photos of the main cast throughout the movies and, of course, the flying Ford Anglia. We had a bit of time before our ticket times, so we wandered through the gift shop and picked up our audio guides. It turns out that Tom Felton, who plays Draco Malfoy in the movies, narrates the audio guide which was very exciting. It was really cool to hear his stories and just to have him talking to me in general! 

At about quarter of 1, which was our ticket time, we decided to get in line. The entrance to the tour was situated next to our first set piece, the cupboard under the stairs where Harry sleeps in the first movie. After only a short wait, they let us through into the first room. Immediately, Disney world came to mind and we decided to stand close to the next door to be first out of the room. Once everyone piled in, a short presentation began. It was primarily various movie premiere posters and a few comments from the producers. This presentation led us into the next room which was a very Disney style theater where we got to see a short film involving an introduction from Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who played Harry, Hermionie, and Ron in the movies. They shared some of their experiences from living on the sets for ten years. The film ended with them turning away and leaving through the Great Hall doors, leaving us pretty hyped up for the next thing. Then, the screen lifted in front of us revealing the actual Great Hall doors! 

So we got to enter Hogwarts through the actual Great Hall doors that were featured in the movie. We found ourselves in the Great Hall itself, set up for a feast! 

We were able to wander and explore for a few minutes before our guide spoke to us again, pointing out the details and sculptures around the walls as well as the costumes that were placed around the walls. There were student costumes from all four houses as well as many of the teacher costumes at the front of the hall. Interesting fact: the fans were generally displeased that the students stopped wearing hats after the first film. However, it wasn't the decision of the studio. In one of the last scenes of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, the students in the Great Hall all throw their hats into the air. When they shot this scene, many of the hats actually hit the candles and caught on fire! So health and safety shut that down and the hats were gone in subsequent films. 

After our time in the Great Hall, the self guided part of the tour began. Even beginning at the beginning, I don't know where to start here. There were so many little pieces and props and sets from the films. I was absolutely surrounded by the world I dreamed of throughout my childhood and I admit that I cried a bit from excitement. 

Though we initially stayed close, everyone had a slightly different pace with the tour and audio guides, so Sara, Ashley, Morgan and I eventually went our own ways so we each could get the individual experience we wanted. 

 Ron's Bed

The entrance to Dumbledore's Office. 

Dumbledore's Office 

Umbridge's rather distinctive costumes

I was really struck by the amount of detail in everything. Absolutely everything was thought out and created to give the most believable world possible for the films. Even the tiny details that would never be seen on screen are there and quite often hand created. Just walking through it was insanely clear that everyone involved in the process loved every minute of it. 

One of my favorite displays was a board the showed pictures of the animal actors used for some of the main animal characters in the films. As an animal lover, it was wonderful to see the animals involved and to hear about how much everyone involved loved the actors and some of the challenges faced by the trainers. Each animal had their own personality. For instance, one of the cats who played Crookshanks was particularly good at being carried around and being lazy, while one of the others loved to chase Scabbers the rat. Many of these animals were rescues and found wonderful homes after the filming was complete. 

According to Tom Felton, one of the most popular days on the set was the day that they created the plates for Umbridge's office. In case you don't remember, Professor Umbridge's office was decorated with plates that had kittens on them. So they had 40 kittens on set being filmed in front of the green screen, all wearing tiny hats and bows and all sorts of adorableness. 

Halfway through the tour, we moved from one soundstage to the other, by way of the backlot. The backlot is where the outdoor sets were constructed and filmed and many of the sets were still there. This was the one place on the tour we can eat and drink and they were selling Butterbeer!! I was far to excited about this and did spend the extra money to get a reusable tankard cup to take home. 

YUM!

We also had the chance to take pictures with a few of the set pieces (well, replicas). Hagrids Bike, the Knight Bus, and the Ford Anglia were all out there in addition to Tom Riddle Sr's grave and Number 4 Privet Drive. 

Sara and I in the Ford Anglia! 

I didn't take pictures with the Knight Bus because at that point I couldn't feel my fingers, so I moved on to the rest of the tour. The first stop in the next soundstage took us through their prosthetic displays. I never fail to be amazed by special effects make up and really would love to give it a shot sometime. 

One of the coolest things in there was the animatronic Hagrid head. Since Robbie Coltraine wasn't actual half giant, they actually wound up using a taller stunt double for some of the longer shots. They put an animatronic model of Hagrid's head on their shoulders so that they could keep the illusion that it was actually Robbie Coltraine. 

There was also some fantastic concept art on display that I really loved having the chance to examine. The creative minds behind so much of the magic astound me and I really loved having the chance to see how it began. 

The very final stop on the tour was probably my favorite - the scale model of Hogwarts itself that was used for all the exterior shots. Cue the tears again because it was Hogwarts and it was right in front of me. I can't even begin to describe how happy I was. Every detail was perfect and I felt like I could just dive right in and settle into Transfiguration class. 

Sadly, the tour was over too soon, but I'd made sure to leave myself enough time in the gift shop before the bus left. I wanted absolutely everything but I managed to boil it down to a few things. Sadly, they didn't have ANY shot glasses, so I was really glad I'd picked up the Butterbeer cup. I also couldn't resist the Death Eater Picture that my friends and I had taken at the beginning. 

After a quick bite of late lunch/early dinner, we all piled back on the bus for the trip home. I feel so blessed to have a chance to tour the studio that was such a part of my childhood. If I did nothing else in London, I think I'd go home satisfied (don't worry Mom, I'm still doing ALL THE THINGS!). If you have the chance, please, go do this tour if you love Harry Potter! 

Stonehenge and Bath

Prepare yourself for some crazy catch up! I've gotten behind on my blog but so much has happened this past week! So we're going to do it in order!

Starting from Saturday - not the one that was yesterday, the one before that! Our Professor took our entire class on a tour across the English countryside to Stonehenge and Bath. I was particularly excited because I had never been to Stonehenge but always wanted to go. We had to get up far too early, but the bus was thankfully comfortable and we were able to catch a few winks on the way to Stonehenge.

Recently, a new welcome center/museum was built to change the way visitors enter Stonehenge, so we had to take a short tram ride to the rocks themselves. It's hard to describe the feeling of stepping out of the door and seeing them in person for the first time. In a way, its a bit anti climactic because it really is just a relatively small collection of rocks. However, there's something about it that is so very powerful and worth the travel. It's a big place of Druidic worship and there is a definite energy that hangs around that I was very struck by. In addition, I'm fascinated by the mystery behind the site because no one really knows why or how they came to be there.

Despite being unfamiliar with Druidic Gods, I have to admit that I thoroughly believe in them. This is because we clearly angered them. Two students from our group will remain unnamed (because the Study Away office reads this!) decided to cross the ropes and touch one of the rocks. I don't think that security noticed, but the gods definitely did because it started hailing about two minutes later! At that point we had seen about enough of the rocks anyway and were able to head back to the tram without feeling disappointed, though we were now soaked and freezing!
We spent a while in the gift shop, of course, where I picked up a few post cards and a shot glass for my collection. In addition, there was hot chocolate and meat pasties for sale which was perfect after being soaked! After a trip around the small museum, I decided that I really wanted to read more about the history and theories behind Stonehenge so I picked up a book on the subject that I'm sure my father will want to borrow when I've finished.

Shortly after all this, we all piled on the bus and began the drive to Bath! I was a bit more awake this time and was able to enjoy the gorgeous countryside, particularly the sheep! Our tour guide told us a bit about the area and it's history, but one line particularly stood out - "In the Bronze Age, people were defined by their bling. In the Iron Age, people still had bling but they were going to hit you with it."

When we finally got to Bath, it was a bit dreary and cold, but we quickly got into the Roman Bath museum. Unfortunately, 2 hours wasn't really enough to explore much of the city, so I decided to really make the most of the museum and enjoyed the audio tour and the history. I did recognize a lot from my previous trip several years ago but loved it just as much this time around. It did make me want to have a spa treatment though, something that I don't say very often. Once we all finished the Bath tour, our professor did buy us lunch and I was able to pick up some postcards and, of course, another shot glass! 

Then, it was back on the bus for the trip home! 

The Roman Baths

The City of Lights

First of all, I would like to apologize to everyone, particularly my mother for the long delay between posts. Things got a little crazy this past week or so. However, I'm going to take the next few days to try to get caught up, starting with my adventure last weekend (not the one that just ended, the one before that)

It amazes me to be able to say it so casually, but I went to Paris! Yes, you heard me right, a few friends and I just went to Paris for the weekend. My roommate Sammie and our friends Olivia, Morgan and Sara all signed up to be part of the same tour to the magnificent City of Lights. So after our internships, we gathered and headed to Victoria station to meet the tour bus that would take us to Paris. Traveling to another country with just a purse and a backpack was the strangest sensation ever. I certainly had packed plenty for just a weekend but it still felt surreal.

Thankfully, Sammie and Olivia had traveled with this tour group the previous weekend, so they were familiar with the meeting point, so that part was relatively easy. Even better, it was right next to what felt like a gas station convenience store right in the station. So we were able to grab a bit of dinner and snacks for the trip.
We all piled onto the bus and Karleen, our tour guide ran down the plan - namely that we were going to drive to Brighton to pick up some more people for our tour before heading to France. I slept most of the way through that leg of the trip, despite the fact that the man in front of me had leaned his seat back pretty much in my lap.
From Brighton, we were finally on our way! I'd been wondering how the whole crossing the channel in a bus thing was going to work, so it was a bit mind blowing to find out that we would be going by train. As in our bus was going to get on a train and go under the channel. The train was huge! That was about as much as I established before falling asleep again because we were going to be traveling all night and jumping right into the tour when we got there at around 8:30.
When we eventually got to Paris, it was pretty much pouring. Thankfully, the first item on the itinerary was a guided coach tour, so we got to stay on board as we drove around central Paris.

Victory Arch in the rain! 

Finally, the bus dropped us off right at the base of the Eiffel Tower! It was still a little dreary, but the worst of the rain had stopped. Our walking tour began with breakfast! Though the main group went to one cafe, they were only offering two options because of the huge group. Therefore, our little group plus Emily, an American college student who was by herself on the tour, went next door to another cafe where we found some fantastic crepes with Nutella! Yum! I thought I liked crepes before but having them in France was something entirely new! 

After breakfast, our guide took us on a walking tour of some of the main sites of Paris. We hopped on the metro to Notre Dame! It was absolutely incredible to be there and walk around such a beautiful and influential site! 

For me, the appeal was of course the historical value and general majestic nature of the building. It amazes me just how huge it is, particularly because of how long ago it was created. I can't even begin to imagine what went into building it. We were given some free time to walk though the main floor which was incredibly powerful, even though I'm not religious. What was even more incredible was watching Morgan look around because she is actually Roman Catholic, so the experience was even more meaningful to her. 

From Notre Dame, we walked a bit further to the Louvre! They tell you that it's big, but until you get there and see this museum that covers so many buildings, you don't really believe them. Our free time for the rest of the day started there, so we were free to explore the museum as we chose. Of course, we had to go see the Mona Lisa. You hear about this piece of art your whole life and then all of a sudden it's right there in front of you! The crowd wasn't too bad, so I actually got to the front, about 5 feet away. While the painting itself is relatively small, looking at it and knowing the history it has seen and the many thousands of people who have passed by is incredibly powerful. 

Mona Lisa Selfies!

We spent a bit longer in the Louvre, walking around to Aphrodite, Cupid, and a few pieces in between, but with so much museum, we eventually had to call it a day and move on. Thankfully, the sun decided to put in an appearance and we began our exploration! In case you didn't know, Paris is HUGE! We were navigating with our map, but everything looked so much closer on the map than it actually was. So walking anywhere took a bit longer than we anticipated. By this point, we were hungry and somehow managed to wind up at a pizza place which may be a bit odd for Paris but it was INCREDIBLE pizza. I got one with seafood on it to try something a little different and didn't regret it for a moment! 

After lunch, our real adventure began! We had a few sites in mind that we wanted to get to, the first being Pompidou, a building designed to have the pipes and other generally exterior aspects on the outside. It was certainly far from pretty but a very interesting architectural design. 

Our next destination was the opera house that inspired the story of the Phantom of the Opera! Since that's one of my favorite shows, I was very excited to see it. Apparently, the idea for the story came when a crystal from the chandelier fell and killed an audience member. 

But before we could see that, we had to find our way. We found it on the map and had a good plan, but didn't quite anticipate the distances involved. We also made a few stops on the way to find French wine and macaroons! Yum. I didn't know what macaroons were before this trip but now I'm craving another. They're this great cookie-ish thing with a slightly crisp outside and chewy inside and is delicious! 

After we finally got to the opera house, we began the next leg of our trip to the Victory Arch, built by Napoleon. Sadly, it was getting late by this point so we had to rush a bit and exhaustion was starting to creep up on us. But we did make it to the arch without getting too lost. However, at this point we only had 15 minutes before meeting the tour group, so we decided to hail a cab. Thankfully, Sara speaks fluent French which had saved us a few times throughout the day and helped now. Between 5 of us, the fare wasn't too bad and we were perfectly on time. 

The Eiffel tower is absolutely gorgeous at night. 

After all that walking, getting back on the coach was an absolute blessing and we were all very excited to get to the hotel. Thankfully, we were only at that hotel one night because the rooms were about the size of an average dorm room and there were 3 of us in each one. But you can do anything for one night and we really were just there to sleep and recover for the next day. Emily, Morgan and I shared a room and had a bit to recover before we went and found dinner. 

The next morning came too early, but the hotel thankfully provided breakfast and more importantly, COFFEE. Their coffee machine was the fanciest I've ever seen in a hotel and had options for things like lattes and mochas. Plus more Nutella! 

I was very glad that day to have met Emily because the main tour portion of the day was an optional trip to Versailles that cost and extra 30 euros and my companions from FIE decided against it. However, I wanted to go and was very excited to have a friend to go with! So most of the tour group piled on to the bus for the ride. The best part was that we were able to doze off a bit on the way. 

The gardens of Versailles are absolutely incredible, even in January! I can't even begin to imagine what they would be like in spring or summer! Emily and I took a walk around, but couldn't even cover a tiny fraction! You really could spend a few days just exploring these beautiful gardens. 

I do have to admit that my favorite part was the fact that I met a cat in the garden! He was super sweet and actually let me pet him and seemed to really like me! I miss my kitty so much and meeting another one did help me a lot. 

From Versailles, we took a short walk to a local traditional food market. Emily and I bought a baguette and walked around eating it while looking at the various fruits and such. We found a stand selling French wine and each bought a bottle - I'm developing quite the taste for wine while over here! 

The final stop of the day was Montmartre, the very Bohemian area of Paris that contains the Moulin Rouge and was where they filmed the movie! We got some souvenir shopping done there before getting back on the bus to head home!