Going Home to Hogwarts

"The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home." –J.K. Rowling

A young boy named Harry Potter will always hold a special place in my heart.  We grew up together, learning magical spells, encountering fantastic beasts, and defeating dark wizards along the way.  The Harry Potter books taught me how to read, and in many ways, J.K. Rowling taught me how to write.  That series of books (and later on, the films) played a large role into shaping me into the person that I am today.  They were my favorite books growing up, and they still remain to be so.  My love for books stemmed from loving Harry Potter, and I give them quite a bit of credit for the path that I am on today, studying literature and writing, hoping to make a career out of that love and passion.

When my family and I visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour just outside of London, I couldn't be more excited.  I had the opportunity to visit some of the sets that made the words become real, to see the world that I had read about and seen on the screen in real life.  No amount of anticipation or excitement could have prepared me for such an experience.  When the tour began, and the doors to the Great Hall were opened, I cried.  I had not been prepared for the amount of emotion that I felt in that moment.  It was pure magic.  I was finally at Hogwarts, a place that had been in my life since I was just beginning to learn how to read.

The Great Hall and Harry's first Hogwarts robes

I eventually contained my emotions and got to see much more than just the Great Hall.  I saw the Gryffindor Common Room, Hagrid's Hut, The Burrow, costumes, props, the secrets behind Quidditch, and so much more that this post could go on forever if I tried to explain it all.  I was so happy to be in a world where everyone around me loved these books and films just as much as I do and to be surrounded by all of the aspects that made it come to life.  It all really was quite magical.

The cupboard under the stairs

Gryffindor Common Room

The Burrow

Hagrid's Hut

Dumbledore's Office

Umbridge's Office

Diagon Alley

The Knight Bus

Severus Snape

Horace Slughorn

Lord Voldemort

Bellatrix Lestrange

Even though it wasn't part of the studio tour, I thought I would include Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station.

Needless to say, this was one of my favorite places during our time in London.  There truly was magic at work, and I thank Rowling and all involved in making the films for creating such a wonderful world that will always be special to me.  Rowling was certainly right: Hogwarts will always be there to welcome me home. 

Adventuring with the Family

Well, I am finally back in the U.S. after an absolute whirlwind of a semester, and I am struggling with how to sum up my experience and get back to normal life at home.  My last couple of weeks across the pond were so much fun, and I got to travel to some great places with my family that I am sure we will all cherish forever.

My family met me in St. Andrews, and I got to show them the town that I fell in love with.  It was so nice to be able to talk to my family in person rather than through Skype which never seemed to want to work properly.  It was a bit strange though to leave St. Andrews at the end of that day not knowing when I will be able to go back.

After leaving St. Andrews, we stayed in Edinburgh for a couple of days.  We spent the majority of our time on the Royal Mile, sampling some of the pubs, attending a scotch whisky tasting, and exploring the castle at the top of the hill.

Edinburgh Castle

The Scotch Whisky Experience

We also spent a day to take a tour of the Highlands.  I was so excited for my family to see the Highlands, and even though we didn't go to some of my favorite places, we still had a good time and got to see some castles and take in the beauty of Highlands.  We even got to visit some Highland cows and got to feed them (I think this was one of my mom and sister's favorite parts of the trip!).  We saw Stirling Castle but unfortunately weren't able to go inside, although I have heard that it is really beautiful.  We also stopped at Doune Castle which is famous for being a set for Monty Python and Game of Thrones.

Highland Cow

Next, it was off to France!  We stayed in Paris, not far from the Eiffel Tower, but spent our first full day in Normandy touring the famous D-day beaches.  This year is the 70th anniversary of D-day, so there was a lot of preparation going on for the big celebrations later on in the week.

For the other days that we were in Paris, we spent the majority of our time visiting all of the typical tourist attractions like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Versailles.  Versailles is one of my favorite places in France; it is absolutely stunning, and even though I had been there before, there is still so much to see that I was glad we were able to go back.  The Louvre is also really cool, and we were able to get there right after the museum opened for the day, so it wasn't too crowded.  It is definitely a place that you could spend all day in, especially if you are very knowledgable and appreciative of art.  We didn't spend all day, and saw only a very small portion of the museum, but it was neat to see such a wide collection of art.

Notre Dame, The Palace of Versailles, and The Louvre

After France, it was back to the U.K. to spend a few days in London.  For me, it was interesting to see the differences between England and Scotland.  Even though they exist on the same island, the two countries are quite different while also having a lot of similarities.  London has a much faster pace and is a lot busier than Edinburgh and the people are less friendly.  Yet, London does have its charm and is a really neat place.  It has always been one of my favorite places that I have traveled to, and that didn't change.

Again, we spent a good amount of our time going to a lot of the tourist destinations.  London has such a long and complicated history, and it was so interesting to see places that have been involved in it all.  My favorite part of London was actually going to the Harry Potter Studio Tour, but I will save that for a post of its own.  (Yes, it was that amazing).

Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge, The London Eye

Being a fan of Shakespeare as you may have gathered from the account of my trip to Stratford-upon-Avon in an earlier post, I was excited to go to the Globe.  It is not the original theater that Shakespeare used, because it burned down (twice), but it is an exact replica.  I wish that we could have seen a production at the Globe, but it was still a lot of fun to tour the theater and imagine seeing a play there nearly 400 years ago.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

I was sad to leave London.  I could have spent so much more time there, but I was also looking forward to getting away from the crowds and heading back to Scotland for our last couple of days.  I was immediately relieved to be back in the slower pace with fewer people, but I was also sad, because I knew that my adventures were almost over.  We spent our last full day in Scotland exploring Glasgow which was such a neat city that I wish I had traveled there more earlier in the year.  The people were all so nice and friendly, and it was so nice to explore one of Scotland's big cities other than Edinburgh.

Even though I am glad to be home and be with my family and friends again, I am sad that my adventures are now over.  I had such an amazing time, and I don't regret a single second of it.  I am going to attempt to create a finale post in which I sum up my experiences and try to put all that I have learned into words.  For now though, I am not ready for it all to be over, so how about a final adventure with a boy who lived in a cupboard under the stairs and a bit of magic?  Harry Potter is up next!