Harry Potter Studio Tour!

What do you associate with England? The Queen, sure. The Beatles and One Direction maybe. The origin of the punk scene and afternoon tea. Charles Dickens and J. R. R. Tolkien.
Oh, and Harry Potter.

The Harry Potter euphoria started in 1997 and is still going strong. Books, additional books, movies, wands, clothes, action figures, whatever you want can be bought somewhere. But sometimes, you have to leave your house to get to an important milestone in the life of a wizard or witch... I mean fan!

One of those places is for sure the Warner Bros studios in Leavesden near Watford. Just a train ride away from London (best via Euston) you can get on the Harry Potter studio tour bus that drops you off right in front of the doors of a rather ugly yellowish building. But be careful, you need to buy your ticket in advance online!
I've already been there in 2013 and didn't plan on going again simply because it costs 33 pounds and I didn't think there would be anything new. But another au pair invited the rest of our group as part of a group organized by her agency. In the end, we were four people going.

I'm not going into too much into details about the tour/exhibition. The Great Hall was the same except for a few Christmas trees and that the food displayed was different. They had the in Britain usual Christmas crackers for each house, plum pudding with inpressive fire effects and of course the clothes from the different houses as well as some professors in the front. As a bigger fan of the books than the movies I again was very happy about the house point hourglasses in the back counting the house points.

The rest of the tour is a mix of costumes, probs and explanations. They show you how the floating candles work, the different wigs for the characters and tricks to make hallways look way longer than they are. Every once in a while a mini TV and the wall shows short film sequences of the main actors, but mostly Daniel Radcliffe, and other important persons like the producers talking about their experience on set and behind the scenes. At one point hree interactive marauder maps show you behind pictures of different rooms and how they were re-used. They also show you examples to explain the difference between visual and special effects.

Throughout the tour you can visit the Hogwarts Main Gate from part 6, the Gryffindor common room, the Boys dormitory, Dumbledores office, the potion classroom, the dining room of Malfoy Manor, the Burrow and Hagrids hut. There are also small sections of the Ministry Hall, Umbridges office, Borgin & Burkes and the Yull Ball. Everywhere in between there are small sections for things like armor, books, signs, skulls, Lupins suitcase and Crouch Jr. box where he keeps Mad Eye alive.

The last part of this half of the tour is an interactive one. If you ever wanted to know what it's like to sit on a broomstick, this is your chance! You get a maybe 40 seconds movie playing and an employee telling you what you have to do and how to move. It's really comfortable and you even have a Hogwarts cloak on which makes really good pictures (even though they are really expensive - take your parents with you!).

This was the main tour you could say. Two years ago you went straight outside after that, but by now they added another feature: King's Cross plattform 9 3/4 with the Hogwarts Express!
And you can actually walk through it. With compartments dedicated to the different school years you feel like you are actually on your way to another year of dangerous potions and Quidditch matches. There are also three parts where you can take photos that look like you are halfway through the wall. Right next to it is a sweets shop with Harry Potter themed candy.

After a quick lunch in the cafeteria we went outside. There are only 4 things: The Night bus, the creaky wood bridge that collapses in the last movie and the houses of the Dursleys and the Potters. This time even with soup fake snow coming out of the sky!

Back inside you get a look into the mask department. There you have everything from goblins, the Fenrir, to animatronics like Lupin's werwolf, Hagrid's head and Buckbeak. And like always, the staff is more than happy to answer questions.

Through the next door you walk straight into Diagon Alley. With Gringotts on one end and multiple stores left and right until you come to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. I can't even discribe it, you actually have to see it yourself. You just feel like you are actually there to buy your wand or broom or just to get a few extra books.

Sadly, this was the last actual set. After this are only two more rooms with architecture sketches and small modells of different rooms and buildings like the Burrow or the Great Hall.
Talking about which, One last thing is there. And it's gigantic. And now, even covered in snow! A complete modell of Hogwarts that was actually used for flying and establishing shots. You can see small details like the telescope on the Astronomy tower, every little window and door (some even with light), trees and stones and connections you weren't aware of until now.

It is amazing. Now matter what, if you are a Harry Potter fan you are entitled to go and see this piece of art. It took us 6 hours to go through everything (Partly due to me taking too many pictures...) and I swear to god, you feel inspired and out of the world once you come out again. Maybe even with presents and souvenirs thanks to the fan shop in the end. Go and treat yourself with a bit of magic.

Fares and Markets

It's christmas time. And what comes with that? Markets!!

One of my au pair children had a christmas fare at her school last Thursday after school. She is in secondary school which means it goes beyond cute little sketches and cookies. They had popcorn, cupcake and fudge stands (a great christmas present I think) but also really interesting stuff for older people like cosmetics, clothes, shoes and one with fandom/book jewellery.

The Christmas markets in Kingston itself is rather small, just a few stands with mittens, christmas-y food and mulled wine, Surprisingly, there is always German beer somewhere. But lets be honest, German beer is just the best, even if I'm not much of a drinker.

There is at least one other market I want to check out when I have the time which is the one in Central London at the Southbank right next to the London Eye. It looks really lovely and even has a roller skates tent. Maybe next week I will visit.

Saturday

On Saturday we finally did a typical tourist activity again: visiting Westminster Abbey. As one of our four person group didn't buy an online ticket we had to stand in line but it didn't take long before we were in. I had a bit of a problem to be honest because I bought  student ticket but was only able to show my expired student card from secondary school. Mostly because I didn't think they would actually check it - they don't do it in cinemas! I got in anyways, even though I was warned to not use it again - oops...
WA is a lovely church that's even bigger than it looks from the outside. When you watch out, you see the graves of well-known personalities like Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and Sir Isaac Newton. The more prominent graves are the memorials for deceased Kings and Queens. It's where coronations and royal weedings take place and the famous Westminster Abbey Choir sings everyday apparently. It is definitely worth a visit.
Tip: buy the ticket online, it's cheaper and you can get in faster.

Sunday

On Sunday the British Street Food Festival took place in London right next to the O2 Arena. It was only 5 pound which is really cheap - even  though kinda ridiculous when you think about it; you pay just so you can buy food. At least a beer was included in the prize. And it was nice. There was a tent with live music and a gigantic deckchair. Outside there were food trucks for Italian pasta, pizza, meatballs, sushi, ribs, seafood...
They even had smaller portions just for trying which were cheaper and made it possible to try different things. Of course, the reason for that was that you got a chip in the beginning that you could use as a vote for your favorite dish. I have no idea who won it the end as we left early, but out of the two things I had (fried lasagna rolls vs ribs) I liked the lasagna better. It's just a new idea that not everyone had tried before.

The problem with the whole event is that no amongst of bonfires and heating mantles can fully warm you up. We wanted to sit down in a Costa before going back into Central London; however all the places were occupied which means we did manage to get warm on the inside thanks to coffe and hot chocolate but we were still colder than wanted because we had to sit outside on a bench. And it was getting darker and darker so we went back into the tub and drove into the city. There we limited our visit to a walk through the Oxford street before going home.
London during Christmas time is really magical. All the fairy lights and the fact that it gets dark rather quickly makes everything look so much more interesting than it is already. Of course it is entirely different from a small town or even village with snow and poeple running around with five layers of clothes, but it's a good kind of different. I really enjoy it and look forward to Christmas itself.

Hyde Park and Museum

One of the great things about London is the number of parks, gigantic parks, all around the city. When you live in a major city you just need that sometimes. I am lucky to live outside the city centre where it's a lot quieter and less touristy, but I still enjoy to go to these places.

For example Hyde Park! Of course there is Hyde Park Speaker's Corner where you can stand on a box etc. and talk about what concerns you. It also more or less marks the west end of Oxford Street which means most people are familiar with it in some way.

But did you ever see the rest of the park? Like, actually walked through it? It is amazing, I promise. Starting in the south east (tube station Hyde Park Corner) you have a few little gardens and memorials which all look very aesthetic. Between this spot and the Serpentine which is a very big lake you can actually try and feed the squirrels. They will come to you! They will climb up your leg, not kidding! It is so much fun, especially when you see little kids getting really excited about it and old couples sitting on benches giving out nuts. 

The Serpentine itself is really nice to look at when you walk by, or you can get a pedal boat if you like. There are also a few cafes if you want to sit down, watch the people walk by and maybe get a coffee and something to eat... if you can.

If you walk on the south side of the lake, you will get to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain eventually. It was closed when I was there due to autumn preparations, but normally you can just walk around there, put your feet  in the water, as long as you are not disrespectful. Walking a bit further you get to a really nice statue of Peter Pan with animals, mermaids and elfs swirling around the base. Then there are the Italian Gardens, a lovely place at the end of the lake. It has waterspout fountains and can also be visited by taking the Tube to the Lancaster Gate Station. This spot is almost the middle of the park all the way in the North because the Serpentine make a 90° turn that you barely notice when you concentrate on the landscape.

I then took a slightly different path down to the Speke Monument and south past the Physical Energy Statue to the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall. These is an amazing Memorial, with a lot of gold and statues representing the four continents Europe, America, Africa and Asia (using stereotypes of course) but also ideals like justice and bravery. I would have loved to see Kensington Palace but I already had other plans and had to leave. Another day I will come back to finish my journal (*dramatic music*).

Anyway, I took a bus towards Trafalgar Square ad walked to Covent Garden from there. I didn't really have a purpose except that I wasn't there for two years and I wanted to see what's different and new. For example, the last time I was here they didn't have any decoration hanging from the ceiling; at least I didn't remember it....

At this point I was getting slightly hungry and I knew some of the other au pairs were planning on meeting at Waterloo Station to go to a museum together. So I went down to the Southbank Centre behind which a small food market opens its doors every weekend including friday. I can absolutely recommand it, it is very nice, the atmosphere is good and there is so much to try from all around the world that everyone can find something to enjoy. I waited a few minutes for Nele and togethewe ate a cheeseburger before we walked to the next bus stop. As it turns out, most of the others didn't have time after all and Sarah was already at the museum.

Taking the bus to the British Museum we were a bit confused when we weren't able to find Sarah even though we called her and were standing at the tourist shop right at the beginning. Until we figured out: we were at the wrong museum!
Yep. We managed to confuse the British Museum with the National History Museum. Thanks google!
So, taking another two buses, we told her to stay were she is and that we would be there as fast as possible. Which means another 45 minutes, because of course we missed the bus right as it was driving by!

When we finally managed to get there it was already late, at least considering the time we wanted to be there in the first place, so we narrowed it down to the dinosaur exhibition and the human body exhibition. The first one is always my favorite: dinosaurs were a childhood obsession of mine and I still enjoy movies and documentations about them. It is really well done, with signs that explain everything without being boring, graphics and even pieces you can touch.

The human body one was ok, with interactive parts as well that show you how your muscles work etc, even though you know most of it from biology class anyway.

And that was basically the end of the day! We went straight to a pub afterwards to meet the others as usual. Next time, we really need to make clear were we want to go exactly.

(21.11.15)

birthday night

It is always the same: one of your friend's birthday is coming up and nobody knows what to get them. Especially when you don't know each other for very long.

It gets even funnier when not only one, but six birthdays are happening within two months. Oh, and Christmas. So money-shortage is another issue.

Sarah, one of the other au pairs at my kids school, turns 19 today, but we already started to celebrate on Saturday, meeting for a few hours in a pub. Wetherspoons is a really nice one, with a carpet that keeps your shoes from making too much sounds as you g o to the counter and a rather dark and old interior that makes it look really cozy. And it's a lot cheaper than a lot of other locations, so I can really understand why so many people come here to get tipsy before going to an actual club.

Anyway, we had something to eat and drink (the chicken breast burger is really good!) and left at around ten o'clock.

What came after that is starting to turn into a tradition of ours just like the pub night every Sunday: We got cupcakes at a cute little store just around the corner of the market that is still open at that time. Seriously, I would love to know when the guy sleeps!

Sitting at the Thames, we ate our pastries before trying to decide what to do. Kingston doesn't really have much of a party scene, and not all of us wanted to spend money on a club we might not even enjoy, including me. Good thing that there is one location that 'doesn't suck as much as the others' and has free entrance until 11pm called the Hippodrome Kingston. 

It was really funny. Of course it was still almost empty when we arrived at 10:30pm so we sat down for a bit before hitting the dancefloor. About an hour after we came it started to fill up which means it was less awkward to dance because you are not the only one there anymore. 

There isn't a lot to talk about the next drei hours, we danced the whole time and tried to stay away from weird guys as much as possible. After some time it filled up and got really cramped, but we managed to stay to the side which was a relieve especially to me. We even got a birthday message on the hugh TV thanks to a tweet! Not to forget a little countdown and a 'happy birthday to you' song in the middle of the dancefloor.

When we left we still had her birthday present that she opened in the middle of the street. This actually attracted  bunch of locals to come over and sing a song for her, too. And they told us what we already knew: the best clubs are in Central London, they are just on the more expensive side.

Anyways, Sarah got a feel-good-package for a lazy afternoon: a hot-water bottle in the form of an owl, fuzzy socks, three facemasks, blue nail polish, crisps and gummi bears, a cup with a slit for cookies, a pocket heater in the shape of a heart and a candle. This cost everyone 5 pound only which is the best thing about getting a present together as a group. And she really seemed to like it, so we did that right at least.

It was a great night, I really enjoyed it even if I'm not a big fan of clubs. Really looking forward to the next birthday (read: next week).

(15.11.15)

Hampton Court Palace

Do you know that feeling when you wake up, look outside and your brain just goes 'nah'?

That's what I was thinking today. The sky was grey, it was drizzling and the wind was blowing like crazy. I stood up anyways and after searching for my phone for half an hour without finding it I set out to meet up with two other au pairs, one of which was singing in a choir in Hampton Court Palace and invited the other two of us. We only had to pay 1 pound instead of 16 I think, which is a huge relieve.

It was still raining when we met in Kingston and got on a bus. Of course we got out a stop too early and had to walk, though we were actually there before the bus due to traffic. S. then left us at the entrance to meet the rest of her singing group for a warm up. N. and I decided to do a little tour of the place with audio guides. It was really interesting though we only saw about half of the rooms and had to rush through a lot of them to actually see our friend perform. We were in King Henry VIII's apartments, King William III's apartments and King Henry VIII's Kitchens. The people working there were all wearing red uniforms and were really nice and ready to answer questions. I would definitely recommand going there, though it is a bit expensive so big thanks to my friend for giving us the extra tickets!

The singing itself was really good! Apparently Hampton Court Palace was built 500 years ago and to celebrate this anniversary several small choirs joint together to sing a specially composed new song as well as sing there own selection of older songs on their own in the Cartoon Gallery that is part of Cumberland Art Gallery. S.'s choir finished their own performance at around 3pm which means we were all hungry, so we decided to leave and go to Kingston to grab a bite. And it actually stopped raining by the time we left the building.

We ended up in Costa for a drink and a shared panini. We talked for quite a bit, amongst other things about our plans once we go back to Germany. Turns out we could all end up in roughly the same region of Germany if everything goes as planned.

And now I'm sitting here in my room. I found my phone (behind my bed) but can't find my USB port which is just my typical bad luck, really. You would think I have my life figured out, but nah.

Anyways, a big thank you to S. and N., it was a great day with you guys!