So I was going to wait until I got home to blog about London
and Paris together, but I think I'm going to have two posts because London was
just so amazing.
By the time I got into London, checked in at my hostel, and
got some food (the first thing I'd had since my yogurt and quiche at 9 in the
morning), it was already about 2:30 in the afternoon. Though I'd had grand
ideas about what I would do when I got to London, the threatening rain put a
hold on most of my plans, so I asked the guy working the hostel check-in desk
for suggestions.
I ended up going to The Monument. Yes, that is its name. No,
I'm not joking. I'm still not sure what it's a monument for (I have yet to read
the paper they gave me), but it's a 311-stair climb to the top, and then you
get a 360-degree panoramic view of the city. Luckily the rain held off and I
had a pretty spectacular view of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
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| Tower Bridge and the very tip top of the Tower of London on the left (behind some other building) |
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| Me and Tower Bridge |
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| 311 steps to do down. |
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| View from the ground. |
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| This isn't The Monument, it's another one, but I liked these lions. |
After The Monument, I wanted to head over to SOHO.
Naturally, I got a little distracted by the discount theatre ticket sellers. I
asked for the cheapest show they had, and ended up seeing Blood Brothers. Funny
story time. When they told me that I could see Blood Brothers I wasn't exactly
thrilled. I hadn't heard of it, but decided to give it a try as it had been
compared to Billy Elliot. About 20 minutes into the show, something hits
me--this story is familiar. Really familiar. Suddenly, I realize that I've seen
this play before. Not the whole play, mind you, but a shortened version of it
at MIFA my sophomore year. London has a habit of throwing bunches of
coincidences at me. (It's okay, London, I love you too!)
The show itself was SPECTACULAR. I cannot sing enough praise
for the actors who were spot on--not to mention the set, which was incredible.
I was totally blown away. Totally worth 23 quid (especially considering the
nostalgia factor).
Wednesday was Harry Potter Day. The morning was nice--it
rained all day, but I didn't mind. I wanted to head over to the Hard Rock Cafe.
Well, being me, I got lost. In the rain. No raincoat. Umbrella broken. Tant
pis. It was actually nice wandering around in the rain. I explored some pretty
posh neighborhoods, stumbled upon a statue celebrating Leonardo DaVinci, and generally
reflected on my time traveling. Traveling alone, I think, suits me.
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| Homage to DaVinci |
After Hard Rock, I decided to check out the train station I
would need to be at to get the train to Leavesden Studios. I ended up spending
the rest of the day there. I got a coffee and a tomato and cheese muffin
sandwich, did some sodoku puzzles, and people watched. After a bit, I decided
to go exploring to see if I could find a raincoat and/or umbrella.
I found the British Library instead. It was a pretty good
find. I spent some time wandering around, admiring the books and the
architecture, spent even more time in the gift shop refraining from buying even
MORE books (I got some games though...). Then my tummy told me it was time to
find some food. Then it was time to catch the train to Watford, England.
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| Statue at the British Library |
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| Entrance to the British Library courtyard |
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| MY VERY OWN HOGWARTS EXPRESS! (I was even standing on the platform between 9 and 10.) |
I'm not sure how many of you have seen Kristen Bell's sloth
excitement freakout, but that was nearly me on the way to The Making of Harry
Potter. On the train, I nearly got sick I was so nervous/excited. Then, when I
walked in the doors (into the lobby, not really anything terribly special), it
was all I could do to not burst out crying. I was just so excited. I got my
souvenir guidebook, my digital guide (which was freaking INCREDIBLE, by the
way), and checked my bags.
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| I was *thisclose* to this happening walking into The Making of Harry Potter (also, please go look up this video). |
I almost cried about 50 more times and had to just keep
telling myself that if I cry, I'll look horrible in all the pictures. I can't
even really describe how amazing this was. I just can't. The pictures don't do
it justice (especially since mine are pretty blurry because all I've got is my
iPhone camera (and a shaky hand)). If you are a Harry Potter fan, this is an
absolute must see. There is just nothing for it, I'm excited to go to Harry
Potter...World? Land? Whatever they call it in Florida, but I honestly doubt it
will compare to this. I really can't wait to go watch all the movies again, to
look for all the details I got to see.
The only thing that was a little disappointing was the
timing. My tour didn't start until 4. The last shuttle left the studio to go
back to the train station at 7:30. You'd think 3.5 hours would be enough. It's
not. Trust me. I feel like I missed quite a bit of stuff, kind of rushed
through some parts, and didn't get to explore the digital guide NEARLY enough
for my liking. If any of you are planning a trip here, book the first tour in
the morning. There is no time limit on how long you can spend in there. And you
could EASILY spend the entire day there looking at everything. They even have
sandwiches and butterbeer about halfway through.
I fully intend on coming back. Not before I leave France
this year for certain, but one day, I will be back. It was so incredible to
explore once, and I can't wait to explore it again.
As of right now, I'm on the train back to Paris. In a few
hours, I'll be back in my (other) beloved city and I have to say adieu to
London.
So long, London. Until next time... mischief managed!
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