The hotel room is large by European standards and the bathroom is spacious. Although I've put towels down on the shower since it is extermely slippery. It's not like Italy where there is no shower door or curtain so that the entire bathroom gets wet, but it can still be dangerous if precautions are not taken.
I've dressed in my red, white and blue shirt and white sneakers and shorts in honor of the Fourth of July, and I was surprised that the morning news made mention of the American holiday.
On our way to the Tube, Rosemarie knew the drill. I hand her the Oyster card and we make our way down the looooooong escaltor to the Central line. When we got to Victoria, the crowd was insane - as if the Hoover Dam had broken and the rush of water was coming straight at you. This on top of train after train packed to the brim with people smushed up against the windows like a fish dying to get out of the acquarium, but not knowing the danger of the fresh air. I left two trains go by and moved to the end of the platform, which was a wise move as the end cars were much more manageable. It seems when the crowds dash out to catch the train, most are coming from the middle of the connecting walkways and they make a mad push for the first door that they see.
At Victoria, it was an easy walk to where we would board our bus to the studio tour. We stopped into a cafe while we waited and shared a chocolate croissant. The pastries, so far have been incredible.
Boarding our bus, I had us sit on the second level of the double decker bus wrapped with the Making of Harry Potter so everyone in London knew where we were going. We'd gone all the way to Victoria only to have the bus pass by our hotel on the way out of the city.
With the traffic and changing scenery to occupy her time, Rosemarie was entertained all the way during the almost two hour trip. When the introduction video began to play, both of us got excited. We've shared the books and movies for so many years, and it's something very special between us.
Of course, the air conditioning was on in full force in the studio and since I made my mother leave her sweater home, we went to the gift shop to pick up a wrap.
"You know you're going to buy one any way," I said when she lamented that we should have taken her sweater.
"What do you want in here?" she asked.
I looked at the shop overflowing with every imaginable Potter merchandise from wands to robes, to chocolate frogs, bookmarks, magnets, scarves, gloves and endless other dust collectables. Since the tour, like any good attraction, dumps you out directly into the gift show, I had plenty of time to take a look and see.
Our admittance at noon was right on time and this is one attraction that I would rate high on any Potter fans list. From the opening film to the amazing way they raise the curtain and parade you into the Great Hall,it is one jaw-dropping scene after the other. To walk through those doors into the hall where every wizard and witch got sorted into their houses was more than mind blowing. It felt historic.
Of course, I should have kept an eye on Rosemarie as she was playing with the buttons on her audio tour, which had me have to get it reset. Put a new electronic in front of her and she's a babe with a new found toy. Let's see what this button does!
The throngs of fans in line with us dispersed into the great sound stage and there was plenty of space for us. And these weren't just fans - they were SUPER fans. Some dressed in Potter outfits, shirts, house colors and more. One could just watch the parade of people and get sidetracked.
We were in Potter world - pure and simple. And set after set, prop after prop, it was a smorshgasboard of wonderment. It was fascinating to see the work that went into these films and even on items that were never seen.
The one thing we did pass on was the green screen attraction where you could ride a broomstick. With the price being close to $200 U.S. Dollars for a DVD and photos of your session, it was clearly a money maker for the studo. I did enjoy watching the faces of the young kids as they practiced their wand moves and flew over London. See, not so bitter after all.
We took our time through the thousands upon thousands of items and stopped to have Butterbeer. A mix of what tastes like butterscotch, ginger ale and sasparilla with a thick topping of whipped cream, the Potter staple was very sweet. I did catch a few young kids pouring it out - and I bet if there were vodka in it, it would be better.
Of course, we spent time in the gift shop, on the hunt for - yes - magnets. Adding to that, we got quite a bit of swag for friends and family.
Exhausted - I got us on a later return bus, even though the company wants you to take the one assigned to you when you purchase the tickets. But three hours is just not enough time in the world of Harry Potter. I was falling asleep on the lower floor of the bus and for the life of me, I could not follow my mother's conversation about a printed ticket.
"What are we talking about and how did this conversation start, and what is its point?" I said sleepily.
She had no idea and decided to finish the story, anyway. I still have no idea what it was about.
Now, we are back from dinner - an event that so far, we have not had much luck with in London. Whereas in Paris, every restaurant you walked into was a gastronomic delight and in Italy, nothing was left on the plate - here, so far, the food has just been okay. It's anything we could find back home and tonight, we had four different waitresses. I could not keep track of who was serving drinks, who brought them, who took our order and who gave us the bill. And when I ordered a charbroiled half chicken and got a chicken ceasar salad, I knew it was going to be a challenge. At least I got a free salad out of it.
It started to rain on the way home, and of course, my mom's rainhat was back at the hotel.
"Now, how is that going to stop the rain from hitting your head?" I asked as she put one hand on the top of her hair.
Never fear, we were not far from our room and she is now safely warm and dry. It's Friday night in London, so I'll go out for a spin around the West End. Tomorrow is a sleep in morning with high tea the only thing on our schedule.
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