We went bacK to the Sea Life Centre because we get in free with our cards. I will mention them as much as possible just because we have them. I really wanted to go back there because last time we didn't get to see the penguins properly. I like me an animal in a tuxedo. With our passes we also get to skip the entire queue which was nice but felt a little mean walking past all the other people. We didn't spend too much time looking because we didn't want to be too long to make sure we got to Harry Potter on time because it said to get there like.. 45 minutes before the time stated on your thing. Luckily we got there when the penguins were being fed so thats even better. Watching 'em swallow some fish. That was strange.
After that we had a little adventure on the tubes to Bond Street - I've got the underground down. It's actually a hell of a lot simpler than it looks.. Just find it on your phone and zoom in and you're sorted.
Getting to Watford was a pickle. 18 stops to the end of the line from Euston. A standard London travel card won't get you there either which we didn't know.. Had to pay a little extra at the other end so be warned! Then a £2 bus fair to take you straight to the studio on a bus with Harry Potter art all over it. Feel like a cool kid.
The tour is very hard to describe I won't lie. It's a mix of everything and it is quite surprising how much of the stuff you can look at and you'll know who wore it or where it was from or what it was for. The Great Hall had real stone flooring from up north which is traditionally used in castles. We were lucky as they had some extra props out to be catalogued so we got to see the different umbrellas used by the Hagrid's. Turns out one was Robbie Coltrane, the other was a 6 foot 10 ex England rugby player who's name eludes me to create the giant Hagrid. That was pretty cool. Turns out the actress playing Moaning Myrtle was 37 so she was the oldest student. It was crazy to see all these little sets scattered around and that is what they used. It all looks so strange up close and without all the fancy camera antics.
I took a load of photos so I was thinking it was about time I used my Tumblr again to make an album which I can just link to. I will do that when I get a chance to stick my photos onto my NetBook. I really want to wipe all the photos from my phone so it doesn't feel like it is about to burst. 1 gig left is a lot but more would be nice..
They sell butter beer. I don't think it is really like what they pictured in the book because it looked like appleade with melted white chocolate on it.. And it didn't really taste like anything.. But you drink it anyway not knowing what they've handed over.
They had the giant chess pieces out, all of the Death Eater masks which when I am rich - want to buy. They had all the masks of the goblins, a giant spider which I was so happy was fake. The dragons head. The moving boar mounted on the wall. Broomsticks. The night bus. The car that disappears off into the woods. Hagrid's bike and sidecar. Just so many things. They also had the duelling thing out in the great hall as that was another thing they had bought out of storage for the summer.
Near the end there is a lot of the concept art and models which they built to help them make the sets. They were awesome. The amount of work that had gone in to them alone was ridiculous let a lone a set which could be put together in a couple of days, used for one and then gone the next. There was also a giant scale model of the Hogwarts grounds which was insane. The detail was perfect, you could recognise every little bit of it. My favourite place was Diagon Alley which was just like it was in the films. They had the moving sign on the shops and ahhhh it was just so epic.
The only gripe I have with it was the crazy prices in the gift store, like £25 for a wand or £75 for a wizard robe? Buy a lab coat and spray paint it black. Not as good I'm sure but it will make your wallet feel a lot fuller for longer.
Verdict - go there! If you want to anyway.. My Dad for example wouldn't want to because to him it would ruin the films because it would just further more prove that they aren't real. We all know they are but seeing would remove the magic so to say. For me it just immersed me more because I can safely say I will watch all the films again and feel awesome saying 'I know how they did that.' Blog you later.
Day 52
Here is Diagon Alley. Awesome awesome awesome. Also I feel it was a pretty good picture anyway.
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