September 25-28, 2014
London, England
Thursday was a very busy day for me! Not only did I have class all morning, but then I had to revise my Honors Research Proposal BEFORE leaving for London. Luckily I got done quickly and had plenty of time to pack before we had to leave.
We took a train to London and basically I slept the whole time. I have no problem falling asleep, basically anywhere, and that has come in handy during our travels. I thoroughly enjoyed my nap, maybe a little too much. I laid my hands down on the table in front of my seat then laid my head on my hands. When I woke up there was a lovely imprint of my ring on my forehead.
When we got off the train at King's Cross we had a short tube ride to our hostel. We're going to pretend we didn't completely walk past the hostel and have to turn because that's embarrassing. But we did eventually find the correct hostel and for the price we paid, it was pretty nice! We were supposed to have a roommate Thursday night but we never saw her. Except for like 10 seconds in the middle of the night. My dear buddies however, I heard from a lot. They stayed up talking, way later than I did and teased me for it in the morning. All I can say is I like my sleep, a whole lot.
After breakfast at the hostel (toast & cereal) we headed to the tube to ride as close to Buckingham Palace as we could get and walked the rest of the way there. In a twist of events Brittany and I made it on the first tube and the doors shut on everyone else. It was slightly comical since we were only going one stop and it didn't actually affect us that much. We found each other eventually and made our way to the Palace.
Buckingham Palace was beyond comical. We got there about two hours early to claim our spots near the gate. Megan and I were stationed perpendicular to the gate so we could see the guards when they exited. David, Tori, and Brittany were parallel to the gate so they could see the Changing of Guard in action. Each group got pictures, so basically we got the best of both worlds.
We took a train to London and basically I slept the whole time. I have no problem falling asleep, basically anywhere, and that has come in handy during our travels. I thoroughly enjoyed my nap, maybe a little too much. I laid my hands down on the table in front of my seat then laid my head on my hands. When I woke up there was a lovely imprint of my ring on my forehead.
When we got off the train at King's Cross we had a short tube ride to our hostel. We're going to pretend we didn't completely walk past the hostel and have to turn because that's embarrassing. But we did eventually find the correct hostel and for the price we paid, it was pretty nice! We were supposed to have a roommate Thursday night but we never saw her. Except for like 10 seconds in the middle of the night. My dear buddies however, I heard from a lot. They stayed up talking, way later than I did and teased me for it in the morning. All I can say is I like my sleep, a whole lot.
After breakfast at the hostel (toast & cereal) we headed to the tube to ride as close to Buckingham Palace as we could get and walked the rest of the way there. In a twist of events Brittany and I made it on the first tube and the doors shut on everyone else. It was slightly comical since we were only going one stop and it didn't actually affect us that much. We found each other eventually and made our way to the Palace.
Buckingham Palace was beyond comical. We got there about two hours early to claim our spots near the gate. Megan and I were stationed perpendicular to the gate so we could see the guards when they exited. David, Tori, and Brittany were parallel to the gate so they could see the Changing of Guard in action. Each group got pictures, so basically we got the best of both worlds.
David wasn't very excited about
how crowded it was.
It was a really good thing we got there so early because it got really crowded really quick. The cops had their hands full with keeping people from pushing their way into the crowds of people.
Honestly, Megan and I were kind of bored at first because we couldn't see much. So instead we started people watching. This is where the comedy comes in.
This cop was very helpful to everyone. Which is why someone tried to distract him while her friend tried to get to the gate to take a picture. It was funny watching them try so hard only for him to figure it out and shoo them away.
She was adorable and feisty. She liked to yell at people for trying to stop beside the "lovely people that had been waiting for ages." We were some of those lovely people so we appreciated her yelling at people to keep moving greatly.
Finally the guards came out of the gate and we had a great view! The guy playing the trumpet on the far right in the picture is Megan's best friend. They exchanged winks but she refused to blow him a kiss, which I thought would've been hilarious. Instead we resorted to just making goofy faces at all of them.
Get ready for the best part of the trip:
I was a bit hesitant to do the studio tour at first because it was so expensive (by my standards at least) but I am so glad I did it! The tour started with a short video and opened to the doors of Hogwarts, literally. The screen came up and that was the first thing you could see, it was spectacular. Through the doors you enter into the Great Hall. Although it's missing the famous ceiling, it was still incredible!
You continue on through the tour and look at different parts of the set, too numerous to name here. There were rooms and rooms full of props and costumes, you really have to see it to believe it. If you even slightly admire Harry Potter you would LOVE this tour. After going through the first half of the tour you have the opportunity to try butterbeer. At first I was like yea, this is good. Then it had a weird after taste. But the cream on top was always delicious. You could also see the Knight Bus, Privet Drive, and the Potter's home at this point.
The second half of the tour was the most impressive for me. There was a walk through of Diagon Alley and then a model of Hogwarts Castle. It was beyond amazing!
Let's be honest, I would totally
be Gryffindor.
I'm also a descendant of the
Potter family.
For anyone going to London I definitely recommend these two experiences. They were a great beginning to our second trip to London! Stay tuned for more to come about our last two days there.
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