The Wizarding World of the KRH

My love of Harry Potter is no secret, so it will come as no surprise that when Mr AN handed me my letter to Hogwarts I may have done a little happy dance and screamed a little loudly. I knew Dumbledore hadn't forgotten me! 

We donned our robes/ spider suits/ phoenix wings and round moon-shaped glasses and hopped on the Hogwarts express to show the wizarding world how to throw a party.

Not a bad turn out for a few muggles! 

Everybody was present, including the giant squid from the lake and the Whomping Willow. It is always  sign of a great party when Dobby is dancing with Voldemort and when Moaning Mrytle is kissing a unicorn. 

We entered through platform 9 and 3/4 into Diagon Alley and stopped in at the Three Broomsticks for a quick butterbeer before disappearing into the Great Hall for dinner. 

My heart literally stopped beating for a second when I walked into the hall and saw the four long tables piled high with flagons of wine and platters of food. I looked up and saw that the ceiling did indeed reflect the night sky and was adorned with thousands of floating candles. The result and attention to detail was truly mesmerising. 

After feasting on steak and lobster, salmon and prawns we had a little room for the dessert platter and a couple of pesky chocolate frogs. 

The start of term feast over, we headed through the forbidden forest and on to the Quidditch pitch for a good old knees-up. The band were amazing and kept everyone dancing until the sun started to rise, when we all headed into the Gryffindor common room. 

No words can describe how much fun I had escaping to the wizarding world and meeting some of my favourite characters. 

All too soon it was over and I woke up in a sadly all too familiar muggle hungover-state with a little streak of glitter on my cheek. 

Thanks VN for letting me steal your photos! 

Thanks AN for a wonderful night and to VN, HW, MB, CS and TR for being the best company. 

Mood - magic 

Pin It Now!

A Trip To Hogwarts - Part 2

You already know by now that my visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour was the best day of my life (near-enough), so much so, in fact, that I needed to split it into two posts! 

Having visited the Weasley's kitchen and the Ministry of Magic we found ourselves in Malfoy Manner and face to face with Voldemort himself. Pretty scary stuff, but not as scary as Professor Umbridge's pink office! Even for me, the pink hue was rather shocking. 

We moved onto the large outdoor set installations after a quick pit stop for some Butterbeer. I had been very excited to try this delicacy and had high expectations. AN was not a fan but I loved it, although we both agreed that it was not how we imagined it. With Butterbeer moustaches we headed to where is all began; Private Drive. 

AN couldn't resist a quick trip on the Knight bus, complete with snow cascading down, putting the final touches to an already perfect moment. 

Around the next turn we can face to face with some pretty scary creatures, and some not so scary. It really is amazing how much imagination and creativity goes into making a fantasy a reality, which has become completely realistic in the minds of so many. 

Without a doubt, the highlight of my visit was our walk along Diagon Alley. We popped in to get our robes, our wands and stack of school books before checking our account at Gringotts. AN was completely absorbed choosing his Quiddich supplies and checking out the new Nimbus 2000, typical boy! 

The final room, however, was possibly the most enchanting and was filled with scale models of the Hogwarts castle, each bigger than the next. I knew I would be impressed but the detail, scale and believability of the models was truly outstanding. It was the prefect way to finish our tour, leaving us completely enchanted by the magical world of Potter once again. 

HP even manage to find its way into my stocking, meaning that I spend Christmas day in the most glorious way possible; snuggled up on the sofa with some Bertie Bott's and a great read. 

To quote JK Rowling - "All was well" 

Mood - planning my next visit! 

Pin It Now!

A trip to Hogwarts- Part 1

The 22nd December was the best day of my life....for many reasons. Firstly, I had the day off work, secondly, it marked my anniversary with Mr AN and thirdly, I went to Hogwarts! Mama T very kindly gave me two tickets to the Harry Potter studio tour experience almost a year ago, so I finally managed to find a day free to go. 

My fellow muggle AN and I hopped aboard the Hogwarts express and made our way toward the most magical place on earth, yes, Watford. 

From the moment the doors to the great hall opened I became well and truly immersed in all things Potter. The crowds gasped as the door was pushed open and we were welcomed to Hogwarts, just as Harry Potter was. 

The main reason I waited until December to visit was because the great hall was set up for Christmas, with tables loaded with goodies made by the house elves in the kitchen and garlands adorning the statues and mantels. Snow fell from the magical ceiling and fires flicked in the grate, everything was perfect and helped to completely transport me to Hogwarts. 

I couldn't stop taking pictures of every little thing, so please excuse the photo overload in this post! 

I loved that even the Christmas puddings had been set alight, it really was the minute details that really make this magical world so special and so real to all those who believe in Harry. 

We wondered slowly through the maze of sets, props and costumes finding ourselves in the Weasley's kitchen, Dumbledore's office and the Gryffindor corridor. 

Every little thing had been remembered, with sweet wrappers littering the common room and Chudley cannon posters in the dorm. This of course meant that I took twice as long as everyone else, trying to take everything in and spotting all the details. 

The mound of props was my favourite as I was able to spot bits from each film and even things that were impossible to notice on the films but all helped to fully create this wonderfully believable world. It was a little like being in my own personal heaven, which closely resembled the room of requirement. Perfect.

Just a quick stop in the chamber of secrets....good job I am fluent in Parseltongue.

Archie decided to test the special effects and put his hand in the fire, only to discover it was all a fake! There is no smoke without fire! 

Couldn't resist a quick look in the mirror of Erised to see what my heart truly desires! You know what they say, nothing is hotter than a boy who likes Potter! 

Of course, any trip to Hogwarts would not be complete without a visit to the main man himself, so we popped into Dumbledore's office for a catch-up and sherbert lemon. 

The best start to the most incredible day! More to come soon! 

Mood - completely potty for Potter! 

Pin It Now!