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*
Showing posts with label who. Show all posts
Showing posts with label who. Show all posts
30 November 2011
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!
25 July 2011
Day 7: Little Old...Nerds?
Today we woke up promptly at 7 and packed to check out of the hotel. Today is the beginning of our Harry Potter tour!
After we had eaten and checked out we went to Earl's Court station, the station we left from every day, and there by the entrance I noticed something I had never seen my whole time here!
A big, old fashioned, blue police phone box!
Oh, my joy and ecstasy as I took off my backpack and began to take photographs of myself standing in front of it. I would have gone inside, but the door wouldn't open. But I still saw an actual TARDIS!!! :D
Anyway. Back to the real world. The real world is filled with large and confusing train stations, and it took us a very long time to figure out how to get to our hotel in east London. Once we got there, we hurriedly checked in and grabbed a cab to our street art tour. I took probably way too many pictures. This particular tour, I thought, started out fairly interesting. We saw, well, a lot of professional graffiti. After two hours though it all began to look the same. So I stopped paying attention to the guide and the graffiti and just wished it would end.
When it finally did, Dad and I returned to the hotel to meet up with our tour group. And guess what? My group is filled with little old ladies! I didn't even know little old ladies could be Harry Potter nerds! I thought most of them either thought it was witchcraft and devil worship or else just didn't really care. You learn something every day, I guess....
After we recieved our lanyards and itineraries, we were set free to go take naps. Geez, I was tired, and I've decided I miss my own pillow. It's the kind with a dent in the middle, and hotels always have like six enormous fluffy pillows that I am now sick of.
We woke up just in time to go eat dinner. Dad and I sat with Ellen and Judith, two little old ladies from Florida. They were wearing their house shirts that they got from the theme park. I quite like them (the ladies, not their shirts).
Our hotel is in the docklands, so its right by the Thames. Dad and I took a walk around the area after dinner, but didn't find anything more interesting than an old sandwich and a 'no fouling' sign, both of which we laughed hysterically at. We probably laughed more at the sign though. No Fouling...hehe.
After we had eaten and checked out we went to Earl's Court station, the station we left from every day, and there by the entrance I noticed something I had never seen my whole time here!
A big, old fashioned, blue police phone box!
Oh, my joy and ecstasy as I took off my backpack and began to take photographs of myself standing in front of it. I would have gone inside, but the door wouldn't open. But I still saw an actual TARDIS!!! :D
Anyway. Back to the real world. The real world is filled with large and confusing train stations, and it took us a very long time to figure out how to get to our hotel in east London. Once we got there, we hurriedly checked in and grabbed a cab to our street art tour. I took probably way too many pictures. This particular tour, I thought, started out fairly interesting. We saw, well, a lot of professional graffiti. After two hours though it all began to look the same. So I stopped paying attention to the guide and the graffiti and just wished it would end.
When it finally did, Dad and I returned to the hotel to meet up with our tour group. And guess what? My group is filled with little old ladies! I didn't even know little old ladies could be Harry Potter nerds! I thought most of them either thought it was witchcraft and devil worship or else just didn't really care. You learn something every day, I guess....
After we recieved our lanyards and itineraries, we were set free to go take naps. Geez, I was tired, and I've decided I miss my own pillow. It's the kind with a dent in the middle, and hotels always have like six enormous fluffy pillows that I am now sick of.
We woke up just in time to go eat dinner. Dad and I sat with Ellen and Judith, two little old ladies from Florida. They were wearing their house shirts that they got from the theme park. I quite like them (the ladies, not their shirts).
Our hotel is in the docklands, so its right by the Thames. Dad and I took a walk around the area after dinner, but didn't find anything more interesting than an old sandwich and a 'no fouling' sign, both of which we laughed hysterically at. We probably laughed more at the sign though. No Fouling...hehe.
Day 6: Tate and Tennant
Today we didn't sleep in, but I was really slow getting out of bed. Oh, and then as I was getting ready for the day I realised I had left the purple tights at the restaurant yesterday! We were going back to Harrod's later anyway, so we decided to go back and look in the restaurant too.
Once we got out of our hotel, we made our way to the river for our boat ride! We got there early, so we ate breakfast at the building next to the Eye, and I feel really pathetic for not remembering what it was called.
After breakfast we went to our pier and our guide gave us rain jackets to wear under our life vests. They were really nice, because it was pretty cold. Then we hopped into the boat and went on a speedy adventure down the Thames! It was amazing. Our guide was really funny and had a Northern accent, so it made it all the better. ^_^ Except halfway through it started raining, and speeding down the river into the rain proved rather painful. By the end my hair was becoming dreadlocks.
We went back to the hotel to warm up and get our umbrellas, and then went to Harrod's! On the way of course we stopped at the Persian restaurant for lunch and they had found and saved my tights! :) And this time in Harrod's my feet were dry, and I got my first pair of platform heels. THey are epic.
We dropped off the shopping at our hotel room, and then took the underground to Wyndham's Theatre to see MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I was rather looking forward to seeing David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Onstage, in person, from the second row.
We always get to our theatres early so we can walk around their neighbourhood and eat dinner before we see the play. I got a Union flag t-shirt, and we went to M&Ms World and got a bag of fancy M&Ms. They actually tasted creamier than ones you get at the store, probably because they were a lot fresher. This place, you know, is three levels of stuffed M&Ms, M&Ms magnets, toys, bags, shirts, and generally junk that you would throw out after a few years. It was amazing!
After we escaped the M&Ms, we ate dinner at a lovely Lebanese place which had the best service we had yet encountered; they actually came to check on us more than once every hour! It was incredible! It seems that over here its a sort of challenge to see how long you can make one glass of water last during your meal. They don't refill your glasses!
After we ate, we went back to the theatre. You know, they let you bring your own food into theatres here. I bet you could bring in a little folding table and a Christmas dinner and they wouldn't so much as look at you twice!
My favourite part of Much Ado was when Catherine tripped over one of her lines. Everybody was laughing at her-the other actors, the audience, and herself. She tried multiple times to say it, but it was a sort of tongue-twister. It was really quite unfortunate! She actually walked off stage to get a grip on herself she was laughing so hard! And then when she came back out she had an extremely serious face on and that only made everybody laugh harder! I wish I could have recorded the whole thing...oh it was funny.
Once we got out of our hotel, we made our way to the river for our boat ride! We got there early, so we ate breakfast at the building next to the Eye, and I feel really pathetic for not remembering what it was called.
After breakfast we went to our pier and our guide gave us rain jackets to wear under our life vests. They were really nice, because it was pretty cold. Then we hopped into the boat and went on a speedy adventure down the Thames! It was amazing. Our guide was really funny and had a Northern accent, so it made it all the better. ^_^ Except halfway through it started raining, and speeding down the river into the rain proved rather painful. By the end my hair was becoming dreadlocks.
We went back to the hotel to warm up and get our umbrellas, and then went to Harrod's! On the way of course we stopped at the Persian restaurant for lunch and they had found and saved my tights! :) And this time in Harrod's my feet were dry, and I got my first pair of platform heels. THey are epic.
We dropped off the shopping at our hotel room, and then took the underground to Wyndham's Theatre to see MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING. I was rather looking forward to seeing David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Onstage, in person, from the second row.
We always get to our theatres early so we can walk around their neighbourhood and eat dinner before we see the play. I got a Union flag t-shirt, and we went to M&Ms World and got a bag of fancy M&Ms. They actually tasted creamier than ones you get at the store, probably because they were a lot fresher. This place, you know, is three levels of stuffed M&Ms, M&Ms magnets, toys, bags, shirts, and generally junk that you would throw out after a few years. It was amazing!
After we escaped the M&Ms, we ate dinner at a lovely Lebanese place which had the best service we had yet encountered; they actually came to check on us more than once every hour! It was incredible! It seems that over here its a sort of challenge to see how long you can make one glass of water last during your meal. They don't refill your glasses!
After we ate, we went back to the theatre. You know, they let you bring your own food into theatres here. I bet you could bring in a little folding table and a Christmas dinner and they wouldn't so much as look at you twice!
My favourite part of Much Ado was when Catherine tripped over one of her lines. Everybody was laughing at her-the other actors, the audience, and herself. She tried multiple times to say it, but it was a sort of tongue-twister. It was really quite unfortunate! She actually walked off stage to get a grip on herself she was laughing so hard! And then when she came back out she had an extremely serious face on and that only made everybody laugh harder! I wish I could have recorded the whole thing...oh it was funny.
01 June 2011
Time and Space
My how the time's flown! Dad just called me today and we discussed our trip for a long time. We fly out to Paris on July 2nd, which is almsot exactly one month from now.
In other news, Aislynn and Ronan's birthday is coming up as well and I'm working on a tunic for Aislynn. It's gonna be so darling! I've made a sleeveless tunic base with purple jersey, and am covering it in 4.5" circles that have been folded to make ruffles. The circles go up the top about 2/3s of the way, so it's got an empire waist. I can't wait to see her in it! I shall take many pictures and put them up here.
...and now I have to think of something for Ronan. FAST! I only have a month! What would you make for your ten year old brother?
Also, I've gotten to the End of Time in watching Doctor Who. Since I've never written about this before: I only started watching this in November, but I wanted to do it properly so I started with Series One, with Christopher Eccleston. So I've yawned during Aliens of London, cried during Doomsday and all through the Runaway Bride, couldn't blink for a week after Blink*, and had a heart attack as I watched Silence in the Library in the dark. And now, apparently, Rose has her own living copy of Ten. I'm jealous. So, now I've reached the End of Time, and now I'm depressed. Because I've enjoyed David Tennant as Ten. And apparently he regenerated in this special. Why do all the bad things happen during specials?
*So, about Blink. Possibly the scariest episode during the Tenth Doctor's tenure. It's called Blink because the creatures in this particular episode are angels that turn to stone if you watch them, but as soon as you look away, or even blink (they're wicked fast), they can move. And kill you. And poor Sally Sparrow (and her friend's brother) has to fight them off with only a video of the Doctor to help.
I watched it for the first time with my cousin Mikey. She and I were in my room, in the basement, in the dark, at flipping 1:00 a.m. My mother was napping (yes, at 1:00 a.m.) upstairs. She had a pretty good rest too, until Sally and that other guy realised they had looked away from a certain angel. Mum was none too pleased about being woken up by our screams. Yeah. I couldn't go into a dark room for weeks.
In other news, Aislynn and Ronan's birthday is coming up as well and I'm working on a tunic for Aislynn. It's gonna be so darling! I've made a sleeveless tunic base with purple jersey, and am covering it in 4.5" circles that have been folded to make ruffles. The circles go up the top about 2/3s of the way, so it's got an empire waist. I can't wait to see her in it! I shall take many pictures and put them up here.
...and now I have to think of something for Ronan. FAST! I only have a month! What would you make for your ten year old brother?
Also, I've gotten to the End of Time in watching Doctor Who. Since I've never written about this before: I only started watching this in November, but I wanted to do it properly so I started with Series One, with Christopher Eccleston. So I've yawned during Aliens of London, cried during Doomsday and all through the Runaway Bride, couldn't blink for a week after Blink*, and had a heart attack as I watched Silence in the Library in the dark. And now, apparently, Rose has her own living copy of Ten. I'm jealous. So, now I've reached the End of Time, and now I'm depressed. Because I've enjoyed David Tennant as Ten. And apparently he regenerated in this special. Why do all the bad things happen during specials?
*So, about Blink. Possibly the scariest episode during the Tenth Doctor's tenure. It's called Blink because the creatures in this particular episode are angels that turn to stone if you watch them, but as soon as you look away, or even blink (they're wicked fast), they can move. And kill you. And poor Sally Sparrow (and her friend's brother) has to fight them off with only a video of the Doctor to help.
I watched it for the first time with my cousin Mikey. She and I were in my room, in the basement, in the dark, at flipping 1:00 a.m. My mother was napping (yes, at 1:00 a.m.) upstairs. She had a pretty good rest too, until Sally and that other guy realised they had looked away from a certain angel. Mum was none too pleased about being woken up by our screams. Yeah. I couldn't go into a dark room for weeks.
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