Today we were set free in the streets of Edinburgh! On the way into town I saw many lovely stores (unfortunately most of them chains, but still, its not everyday you go shopping in Scotland!) so Dad took me shopping! Aaand I didn't buy anything. :( I was too intimidated! Allsaints Spitalfields, Burberry, Superdry, Desigual, etc, are all super expensive, but even the affordable, like Monsoon and Apricot didn't make any money from us! :( I regret it now.
For lunch we sought out the Elephant House, the 'birthplace of Harry Potter.' Several of our tourmates were there as well. I had a delicious quiche and their classic elephant-shaped shortbread cookies! The shop had lots of pictures of Jo writing on one of their tables and newspaper clippings about her on the walls.
After we took our pictures in front of the cafe, we tried to find a graveyard we'd heard of. This particular graveyard has stones with the names McGonagall, Moody, Riddle, and others from Potter. Unfortunately, we couldn't find it so we went down an extremely Diagon Alley-esque street. It had plenty of interesting shops, including one that sold very fancy handmade hats. It started to rain, so we mailed off our latest postcards, bought a couple of candy bars, and returned to the hotel to nap before the big party in the castle tonight.
I tried curling my hair again today. My iron is working again! :D I didn't start early enough though, so I had to just straighten it again :( Now it looks super wonky. I am also wearing my uniform!
At Edinburgh Castle, Karen set us free to tour the place ourselves. She gave us little scavenger hunt papers that looked like the Marauders' Map. It was really a map of the castle, and the margins had history trivia questions to fill in answers. I found all of them while wandering the place. Pretty much what I was thinking about the whole time in this castle was not Harry Potter (nothing was filmed here, by the way) but all the history! The fact that I was walking the same floors as Queen Mary once did was almost overwhelming! I went in her room!!! It was like I stole the TARDIS or something! Dad was particularly engrossed by the Honours of Scotland, which are their crown jewels. We also went into the dungeons.
For dinner there was a ham dish that was the best I've ever had, along with some weird tasty meat that I didn't catch the name of. During dinner, Karen gave us all Alivan's wands and had us make little pouches full of plants that were supposed to be 'magical.' Dad and I threw ours away because we don't want our luggage opened when we go home.
When everybody finished eating, we moved into the Great Hall for a little-kid-style story time, and then a wild party. In a corridor near the Hall I found a group of children all decked out in robes and ties dueling with their new wands. I got a pretty good shot of them!
The shuttles were slated to pick everyone up at 11:00, which is ridiculous. They should have sent an earlier one for people who didn't want to party all night, like Dad and me, because after a while it just got ridiculous. Fat people were trying to congo...
*shudder*
30 November 2011
Day 13: Alnwick Castle (July 15th)
Today Karen let us sleep in until 10, because we got to bed at like 4:00 in the morning. :)
Today we visited Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. It's actually lived in by an actual duke or earl, I can't remember what he is. After we got ready (my straightener has stopped working!!!) we met up with our group and drove to Northumberland...
...and drove..
..and slept..
..and drove...
...and boy, did it take a long time!
I woke up when the coach pulled into the Alnwick driveway. Our tickets had been reserved for us, but Dad and I did some quick looking around the office and realised our particular tickets didn't allow garden access (which we really wanted to see), so we upgraded. :) There are a ton of cool and exotic gardens and fountains here! Nobody else upgraded though, plus Dad got in for next to nothing because I was his 'caretaker' since he's 'blind.' ;)
Karen took us on a walk around the grounds of the castle so we could see all the filming locations here. Most of the most memorable scenes from the first two films were shot here; Neville's mishap and the Remembrall chase, Quidditch lessons, Hagrid's Hut, and the mound of earth that Robbie Coltrane walked along to look taller while talking to the Trio about Nicholas Flamel!
Dad and I utilised our garden tickets and toured the Poison Garden while the others played a pathetic version of Quidditch. It was sweet! There were all sorts of poisonous plants, including mandrakes! Some plants were in cages so we couldn't touch them, and one we weren't allowed near because its smell would make you pass out. The point of the garden is drug awareness, so of course it housed several drug plants, such as poppies and cannabis and the like. The guide told us that their cocaine plant was stolen that morning! She said it was there the previous day, but it was missing today. I was one of the ones in a cage. There was nothing but a little pile of upturned earth. Scary!
Dad and I wandered through the other gardens, and got lost in the bamboo labrynth. :) But we got out in time for tea! We were served either tea, coffee, or juice (that's what I had), with an assortment of scones, little sandwiches, and tarts! It was very proper. ^_^
After tea Dad and I went to the Tree House. Its amazing! It's one of the neatest things ever! It took a while to explore, it was so big. It was full of staircases and balconies and a swinging rope bridge. Basically it was like an oversized playground for adults.
There is a small town next to the castle. Like Hogsmeade! It turned out to be extremely boring, so we just rested in the park after we strolled through the trail by the tree house.
When we arrived back at the hotel we were all so exhausted we didn't eat dinner. Straight to bed!
Today we visited Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. It's actually lived in by an actual duke or earl, I can't remember what he is. After we got ready (my straightener has stopped working!!!) we met up with our group and drove to Northumberland...
...and drove..
..and slept..
..and drove...
...and boy, did it take a long time!
I woke up when the coach pulled into the Alnwick driveway. Our tickets had been reserved for us, but Dad and I did some quick looking around the office and realised our particular tickets didn't allow garden access (which we really wanted to see), so we upgraded. :) There are a ton of cool and exotic gardens and fountains here! Nobody else upgraded though, plus Dad got in for next to nothing because I was his 'caretaker' since he's 'blind.' ;)
Karen took us on a walk around the grounds of the castle so we could see all the filming locations here. Most of the most memorable scenes from the first two films were shot here; Neville's mishap and the Remembrall chase, Quidditch lessons, Hagrid's Hut, and the mound of earth that Robbie Coltrane walked along to look taller while talking to the Trio about Nicholas Flamel!
Dad and I utilised our garden tickets and toured the Poison Garden while the others played a pathetic version of Quidditch. It was sweet! There were all sorts of poisonous plants, including mandrakes! Some plants were in cages so we couldn't touch them, and one we weren't allowed near because its smell would make you pass out. The point of the garden is drug awareness, so of course it housed several drug plants, such as poppies and cannabis and the like. The guide told us that their cocaine plant was stolen that morning! She said it was there the previous day, but it was missing today. I was one of the ones in a cage. There was nothing but a little pile of upturned earth. Scary!
Dad and I wandered through the other gardens, and got lost in the bamboo labrynth. :) But we got out in time for tea! We were served either tea, coffee, or juice (that's what I had), with an assortment of scones, little sandwiches, and tarts! It was very proper. ^_^
After tea Dad and I went to the Tree House. Its amazing! It's one of the neatest things ever! It took a while to explore, it was so big. It was full of staircases and balconies and a swinging rope bridge. Basically it was like an oversized playground for adults.
There is a small town next to the castle. Like Hogsmeade! It turned out to be extremely boring, so we just rested in the park after we strolled through the trail by the tree house.
When we arrived back at the hotel we were all so exhausted we didn't eat dinner. Straight to bed!
MOVIE REVIEW
Well...
...I may or may not be a tad disappointed...
...and I will now attempt to tell why in writing.
It was SO slowly paced! Also, I noticed all sorts of magic being used that was in contradiction to the rules of magic established in the books, so it never should have worked. And then there was an attempt at unnecessary comic relief every two seconds, and that just made the scene lame! Then someone started snoring at some point, and there was an uproar in the tiny theatre from everyone yelling at them to wake up.
Oh. And I won't even mention Neville and Luna. Okay, I actually will. Neville/Luna is a strictly fan only ship. You can't, repeat, CANNOT bring fan ships into a movie! It's not as if the movies were canon to begin with, but still...
...I may or may not be a tad disappointed...
...and I will now attempt to tell why in writing.
It was SO slowly paced! Also, I noticed all sorts of magic being used that was in contradiction to the rules of magic established in the books, so it never should have worked. And then there was an attempt at unnecessary comic relief every two seconds, and that just made the scene lame! Then someone started snoring at some point, and there was an uproar in the tiny theatre from everyone yelling at them to wake up.
Oh. And I won't even mention Neville and Luna. Okay, I actually will. Neville/Luna is a strictly fan only ship. You can't, repeat, CANNOT bring fan ships into a movie! It's not as if the movies were canon to begin with, but still...
Day 12: Glencoe to Edinburgh (July 14th)
This morning I dressed up in my Hogwarts uniform, and emerged forom our hotel room to find that many others in my group did the same, for today would be a great photo op; this is the day we ride the Hogwarts Express!! Gosh, it was so incredibly exciting!
After breakfast and packing, the nerds mingled in the lobby and took many pictures. Also, I have two ribs out of place from my tumble yesterday. I consider myself lucky though; usually when this happens its only one rib and I cannot breathe. Right now though its just a rather annoying stab in my back and boob - I can even yawn, which means I'll probably make it until we get home, then I can see the chiropractor.
After Karen shooed us into our coach, we left for the train station! The movie engine, Olton Hall, is in a museum so we will be taken by another engine, the Jacobite. We got special tickets! The train even still had its Hogwarts emblem on the side! AAhh it was so cool! There are no words...
We rode to this place called Mollaig on the regular cars. When we stopped at the station there Dad and I ate lunch at this nice seafood place and went into a gift shop, where I was approached by a Scottish kid. He asked if he could see my copy of Deathly Hallows (I had brought it along to read on the train), so I let him look at it. It was so funny! Only American versions have illustrations, and he wanted to see Mary GrandPre's artwork.
Dad and I rode back in the movie cars!! It was fun-I stuck my head out the window and got a face sprinkling of water. There might have been some soot too...When we were sitting in our car, I wondered if Dan, Rupert, and Emma had ever been in this car. I just kept thinking about all the cast members that could have possibly sat on those seats, and I imagined Luna passing out the Quibbler in the hall. We were visited by the trolley lady as well as dementors, which was pretty swell. The trolley lady gave us each little bags of 'magical' candy. It was quite disgusting (it was just el cheapo crap, not licensed HP stuff), except for the liquorice wand.
Aftter the train ride, I had a long coach ride ahead to read and sleep. After all, we were watching the movie in about ten hours! Gah! So excited!
We stopped again in Callender, and Dad and I went to the same sweet shop as before. This time we got a block of Scottish macaroon, which let me tell you, turned out to be very disappointing. Basically, itz a huge block of solidified sugar coated in roasted coconut. I wish we had gotten fudge. :/
Our Edinburgh hotel also turned out to be a disappointment; our room has a bed and a futon. Grand. Especially since two of my ribs dont need to stab me any harder.
Dad and I wanted to explore Edinburgh, but as it was 9:30, all the shops were closed. So we just ate a very small dinner in the hotel resaurant. We got the soup special, which was about 40% black pepper, and therefore absolutely disgusting. And in the case of my friend Rachel, deadly. But the waitress knocked half off our bill for complaining! Haha!
I finished my book and rested as we waited for 11:30; thats when we go see the movie!! I'm squealing!!! Jennifer has been emailing me during this whole trip so I wrote her back as I waited.
After breakfast and packing, the nerds mingled in the lobby and took many pictures. Also, I have two ribs out of place from my tumble yesterday. I consider myself lucky though; usually when this happens its only one rib and I cannot breathe. Right now though its just a rather annoying stab in my back and boob - I can even yawn, which means I'll probably make it until we get home, then I can see the chiropractor.
After Karen shooed us into our coach, we left for the train station! The movie engine, Olton Hall, is in a museum so we will be taken by another engine, the Jacobite. We got special tickets! The train even still had its Hogwarts emblem on the side! AAhh it was so cool! There are no words...
We rode to this place called Mollaig on the regular cars. When we stopped at the station there Dad and I ate lunch at this nice seafood place and went into a gift shop, where I was approached by a Scottish kid. He asked if he could see my copy of Deathly Hallows (I had brought it along to read on the train), so I let him look at it. It was so funny! Only American versions have illustrations, and he wanted to see Mary GrandPre's artwork.
Dad and I rode back in the movie cars!! It was fun-I stuck my head out the window and got a face sprinkling of water. There might have been some soot too...When we were sitting in our car, I wondered if Dan, Rupert, and Emma had ever been in this car. I just kept thinking about all the cast members that could have possibly sat on those seats, and I imagined Luna passing out the Quibbler in the hall. We were visited by the trolley lady as well as dementors, which was pretty swell. The trolley lady gave us each little bags of 'magical' candy. It was quite disgusting (it was just el cheapo crap, not licensed HP stuff), except for the liquorice wand.
Aftter the train ride, I had a long coach ride ahead to read and sleep. After all, we were watching the movie in about ten hours! Gah! So excited!
We stopped again in Callender, and Dad and I went to the same sweet shop as before. This time we got a block of Scottish macaroon, which let me tell you, turned out to be very disappointing. Basically, itz a huge block of solidified sugar coated in roasted coconut. I wish we had gotten fudge. :/
Our Edinburgh hotel also turned out to be a disappointment; our room has a bed and a futon. Grand. Especially since two of my ribs dont need to stab me any harder.
Dad and I wanted to explore Edinburgh, but as it was 9:30, all the shops were closed. So we just ate a very small dinner in the hotel resaurant. We got the soup special, which was about 40% black pepper, and therefore absolutely disgusting. And in the case of my friend Rachel, deadly. But the waitress knocked half off our bill for complaining! Haha!
I finished my book and rested as we waited for 11:30; thats when we go see the movie!! I'm squealing!!! Jennifer has been emailing me during this whole trip so I wrote her back as I waited.
Day 11: Steall Falls (July 13th)
This morning we departed after breakfast for our hike up to Steall Falls. There is an extremely attractive Russian waiter here, by the way.
We drove and drove into the mountains on our big coach, and stopped somewhere to see the Black Lake and the viaduct that the Hogwarts Express drives along! I even got a picture of it as a train was going!
We drove some more and stopped again at a little place to eat lunch. I had an Irn Bru, which I didnt really like. My uncle Derrick drank them all the time when he was in Scotland, and he absolutely loves it. He probably subscribes to it on Amazon. But I really didn't think it was all that great. Dad and i only ate half of our sandwiches and saved the other half for later.
We drove and drove some more, until our big coach couldnt go any furthur, so we transferred to a littler coach. At last we reached Steall Falls! Our hiking guide told us all about the trail. It's apparently really dangerous, and plenty of folks have even died on it! That just made me look forward to it all the more. And let. me. tell. you. That was the greatest hike ever. If I lived anywhere close to it, that trail would probably be my favourite way to spend a weekend with friends or a date or something. On the way, someone found a huge black slug. He was quite charming, and when we turned around he had gone a few feet along the trail. Most of the Americans had to stop super often for breaks. Dad and I, however, pressed on. I never even broke a sweat! Not that it would have been that easy to do, because it was so cool. I'm so glad it didn't rain!
We reached this little river that everyone took their shoes off to cross. I thought I could make my own way across by just stepping on rocks, but I soon regretted it. The other's wet feet dried in no time but my shoes were soggy until we got back to the hotel. :( Haha, it was pretty funny though. Around the falls, a few people pointed out tiny yellow frogs. Even Dad saw them! But I never did!
Somewhere around here we frolicked around on the hill the Hagrid's hut scenes (PoA thru DH) were filmed on. As we were leaving the location I tried jumping off this little hillock and ended up rolling down it instead, tearing a hole in my pant knee. It was so funny! I wish I could have gotten a recording of myself. I must have looked ridiculous. I mean, it was a very small hill, I don't know why I fell.
After we made our way back down the mountain, we hopped back into the coach. On the trip back to the hotel, we passed the real Black Lake and saw the island they filmed Dumbledore's tomb on.
At the hotel, I took a shower and tried drying, then curling my hair with my iron. I wanted to be pretty for the little party we were having later. It worked until I ran out of time, then i just had to straighten my 80% curled hair. :( Sigh. Oh well.
Before the party a hired storyteller told us stories. One I remember was quite interesting, but I don't remember anything about it anymore. For the 'party' there were a few 'magical' activities, like potion making and cool stuff, but it was like a 'first-come only-served' basis, so Dad and i went to bed instead of joining in.
It was worth it. ^_^
PS There's a girl in my group who has Kermit the Frog dressed as Eleven in the TARDIS tattooed on her underarm!
We drove and drove into the mountains on our big coach, and stopped somewhere to see the Black Lake and the viaduct that the Hogwarts Express drives along! I even got a picture of it as a train was going!
We drove some more and stopped again at a little place to eat lunch. I had an Irn Bru, which I didnt really like. My uncle Derrick drank them all the time when he was in Scotland, and he absolutely loves it. He probably subscribes to it on Amazon. But I really didn't think it was all that great. Dad and i only ate half of our sandwiches and saved the other half for later.
We drove and drove some more, until our big coach couldnt go any furthur, so we transferred to a littler coach. At last we reached Steall Falls! Our hiking guide told us all about the trail. It's apparently really dangerous, and plenty of folks have even died on it! That just made me look forward to it all the more. And let. me. tell. you. That was the greatest hike ever. If I lived anywhere close to it, that trail would probably be my favourite way to spend a weekend with friends or a date or something. On the way, someone found a huge black slug. He was quite charming, and when we turned around he had gone a few feet along the trail. Most of the Americans had to stop super often for breaks. Dad and I, however, pressed on. I never even broke a sweat! Not that it would have been that easy to do, because it was so cool. I'm so glad it didn't rain!
We reached this little river that everyone took their shoes off to cross. I thought I could make my own way across by just stepping on rocks, but I soon regretted it. The other's wet feet dried in no time but my shoes were soggy until we got back to the hotel. :( Haha, it was pretty funny though. Around the falls, a few people pointed out tiny yellow frogs. Even Dad saw them! But I never did!
Somewhere around here we frolicked around on the hill the Hagrid's hut scenes (PoA thru DH) were filmed on. As we were leaving the location I tried jumping off this little hillock and ended up rolling down it instead, tearing a hole in my pant knee. It was so funny! I wish I could have gotten a recording of myself. I must have looked ridiculous. I mean, it was a very small hill, I don't know why I fell.
After we made our way back down the mountain, we hopped back into the coach. On the trip back to the hotel, we passed the real Black Lake and saw the island they filmed Dumbledore's tomb on.
At the hotel, I took a shower and tried drying, then curling my hair with my iron. I wanted to be pretty for the little party we were having later. It worked until I ran out of time, then i just had to straighten my 80% curled hair. :( Sigh. Oh well.
Before the party a hired storyteller told us stories. One I remember was quite interesting, but I don't remember anything about it anymore. For the 'party' there were a few 'magical' activities, like potion making and cool stuff, but it was like a 'first-come only-served' basis, so Dad and i went to bed instead of joining in.
It was worth it. ^_^
PS There's a girl in my group who has Kermit the Frog dressed as Eleven in the TARDIS tattooed on her underarm!
Day 10: British Airlines (July 12th)
Today we are off to Glasgow! And we don't leave til 10:30 so we got to have a much-needed lie-in! :) I am wearing my new dress with my Hogwarts cardigan today, and I curled my hair (it's SO big!) so I look pretty swell.
We had the same thing for breakfast as yesterday (seriously, these mushrooms are the most amazing things in this world). After we ate, we packed up our luggage and took it downstairs ourselves. We don't really want to risk it with the caddies. I read until it was time to board the coach. I just got to Malfoy Manor, so I have a pretty good chance of finishing before the 15th.
It only took an hour to get to Heathrow, so I guess traffic is quite good today. Karen gave us a little history commentary as we drove. Did I mention while we were in Oxford there was this huge accident and like three of four lanes were closed? Yikes...
I got patted down in customs! It was so weird...now I've had my bag checked by hand AND I've been patted down. Right now I am basically just sitting here waiting for 2:15. Currently it is 12:38. :/ There really aren't any interesting shops in this airport, unless you've got a few quid to spend on something like an iPad or a designer sweater. Or cologne...
...
Eventually, we flew to Glasgow! And landed! In the hall that you walk through after you get out of your plane I overheard the conversation of two girls in my group. They were talking about a scene in Deathly Hallows where Snape jumps out of a window and appears to be flying away. They were convinced he had turned into a bat because of the wording Jo had used to describe him flying away. Just because you appear 'bat-like' does not mean you turned into a bat, geez...
We had to wait for what felt like DAYS for some people's luggage. I wish everyone would have the sense to pack like Dad and me: one carry-on, and one 'personal item.' That way you can pack quite a lot, actually, without having to check a tandem coffin.
Back in the coach, we had a pit stop in a little town called Callender. We were given a chunk of time to roam its streets. Dad and I found this little Honeydukes-esque fudge shop where we purchased a large slab of honeycomb fudge. It was soooo good!
We left Callender and made it to the Isles of Glencoe, where we'll be staying for the next bit. The new hotel is simply adorable (I wish I had taken a picture!) and has the best view I've ever seen. The foliage here in Scotland is impossibly lush, and from our room window I can see plenty of it, including a loch that resembles the Black Lake. It feels like I'm on Hogwarts campus! The weather is also great. It's the perfect temperature all the time. I just hope it doesn't rain on our hike tomorrow. :0 I didn't bring my raincoat. :(
The hotel served us dinner. This place may look nice, but the food really wasn't that praiseworthy, and the service just sucked.
I'm in chapter 23!
We had the same thing for breakfast as yesterday (seriously, these mushrooms are the most amazing things in this world). After we ate, we packed up our luggage and took it downstairs ourselves. We don't really want to risk it with the caddies. I read until it was time to board the coach. I just got to Malfoy Manor, so I have a pretty good chance of finishing before the 15th.
It only took an hour to get to Heathrow, so I guess traffic is quite good today. Karen gave us a little history commentary as we drove. Did I mention while we were in Oxford there was this huge accident and like three of four lanes were closed? Yikes...
I got patted down in customs! It was so weird...now I've had my bag checked by hand AND I've been patted down. Right now I am basically just sitting here waiting for 2:15. Currently it is 12:38. :/ There really aren't any interesting shops in this airport, unless you've got a few quid to spend on something like an iPad or a designer sweater. Or cologne...
...
Eventually, we flew to Glasgow! And landed! In the hall that you walk through after you get out of your plane I overheard the conversation of two girls in my group. They were talking about a scene in Deathly Hallows where Snape jumps out of a window and appears to be flying away. They were convinced he had turned into a bat because of the wording Jo had used to describe him flying away. Just because you appear 'bat-like' does not mean you turned into a bat, geez...
We had to wait for what felt like DAYS for some people's luggage. I wish everyone would have the sense to pack like Dad and me: one carry-on, and one 'personal item.' That way you can pack quite a lot, actually, without having to check a tandem coffin.
Back in the coach, we had a pit stop in a little town called Callender. We were given a chunk of time to roam its streets. Dad and I found this little Honeydukes-esque fudge shop where we purchased a large slab of honeycomb fudge. It was soooo good!
We left Callender and made it to the Isles of Glencoe, where we'll be staying for the next bit. The new hotel is simply adorable (I wish I had taken a picture!) and has the best view I've ever seen. The foliage here in Scotland is impossibly lush, and from our room window I can see plenty of it, including a loch that resembles the Black Lake. It feels like I'm on Hogwarts campus! The weather is also great. It's the perfect temperature all the time. I just hope it doesn't rain on our hike tomorrow. :0 I didn't bring my raincoat. :(
The hotel served us dinner. This place may look nice, but the food really wasn't that praiseworthy, and the service just sucked.
I'm in chapter 23!
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