Harry Potter Studio Tour

 

The Hogwarts castle

The world of Harry Potter!

No other character has gripped book lovers as much as the Harry Potter series in recent times. Many believe it is true.. many wish it were true! For further joy there’s the movies that were released based on the book. Daniel Radcliffe remains “The boy who lived” though he has moved on to portray other roles. No one could portray Hermione better than Emma Watson. The actors, the sets, the props are so real.. they bring to life the words of JK Rowling. 

The Great Hall

The teachers in the Great Hall

It’s the dream of any HP fan to be able to feel what it’s like to be in the world of magic.. in the world of Harry Potter. Universal Studios has come up with a themed attraction in many of their parks.. but wait, there’s something more real in London.

The Warner Bros studio tour of The making of Harry Potter! The original sets, the original props, the original costumes and even some of the CG that was used in the movie are brought to life in the exclusive tour. These sets were retained from HP1 as the decision to make subsequent parts was decided long ago. Unlike a lot of other movies where they pull down the sets to make way for another set in the studio, the sets of the HP series were retained until Deathly Hallows part 2 was made. After which they decided to let the fans revel in the “magical” atmosphere! The entire studio and back lot of Warner Brothers at Watford, just a few minutes out of London, has been left as it were after the last shot of Deathly Hallows Part 2 was filmed. 

Here are some favourite spots inside the studio tour. 

The Gryffindor Common Room

The Hogwarts Express

The Burrow

The Potions classroom in the dungeons with Prof Snape

No. 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging Surrey

“Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney… letters came pelting out of the fireplace…”

Diagon Alley

The wooden bridge in Hogwarts Castle

Dumbledore’s office

The Knight Bus

The place was filled with sets, props and memorabilia from the series that it is not possible to absorb everything in one visit. 

Ollivanders? Fake wand boxes with the name of every member of the crew of Harry Potter!

The visit doesn’t come cheap and it’s not a personal tour either. There are hoardes of visitors anytime of the day and it is very difficult to get that exclusive shot except for the sets that have been cordoned off. The best kept secret is to book yourself the first slot of the day. Even then it can get very crowded. The morning tickets sell out months in advance. The tickets during special events like Hogwarts in Snow or Christmas decorations in the great hall sell out much before. Unless you really want to see them it’s best to avoid visiting during the holidays as it can be very very crowded.

Other options include booking from Golden tours. But these tickets come at a premium and I absolutely wouldn’t recommend it unless you have no other options.

Tickets -

Visit the official website to book the tickets for the tours. If you can't find slots you'd really like, you can check back many times to see some new slots popping open. From my experience this works best around 9-10 am UK time. 

Time required -

Allot, at the very least, half a day. The first half of the tour takes more time than the back lot and beyond. Add more time if you'd be standing in line for the CG experiences. And then some more if you intend to have a meal. There's so much to look and photograph and considering that it'll be very crowded it might take more time to photograph the set like you want to.

Food and drink options - 

Of course, do not miss the butter beer sold in the Backlot Cafe.  It tastes a bit like butterscotch. There are at least a couple cafes but The backlot cafe is when most would be hungry. The menu was satisfactory and the service quick. There were vegetarian options too. The price seemed reasonable compared to the rest of the souvenirs and shops in the studio!

Photography - 

Most of the sets have purple, blue, red or pink lights on them that pictures will definitely not turn out like what you've seen in the movies. Except for the back lot which has the Knight bus, Privet Drive, the bridge and a few other props, everything else is indoors. It's good to bring a camera which allows you to choose higher ISOs or has a lower f-stop to get some good quality pictures.

Shopping -

The souvenirs are pretty expensive. It'd help to order commonly available HP themed stuff off eBay before you visit. Saves a lot of $$ and ££ unless you're very particular about quality or buying a very memorable memento. There are some items that are available exclusively in the souvenir shop here. My children got a pygmy puff and some sweets labeled Honeydukes.

The Sky Garden

London is a very fascinating city! The new and the old co-exist harmoniously. An old church does not seem out of place amidst a group of buildings built in steel and glass. Neither does a 36 storey building right across from the The Shard!

20 Fenchurch Street, or the more adorable name for it locally, the walkie-talkie tower, rises unassumingly among a group of short storied buildings. A well-known landmark in the new and changing skyline of central London, it opened it's top floor to the public just over a year ago. 

A dedicated entrance at the back of the building welcomes visitors to the restaurants and the viewing gallery at Sky Garden. A quick scan of the bar code on the pre booked tickets, an airport style security check and a super fast lift whisks you up to the 35th floor.

A large indoor area with cafe style tables and lounge style couches welcomes you on the 35th floor. There's a cafe selling expensive coffees and drinks. However your eyes are soon distracted by the view outside the supersized windows.

The Francis Golding terrace (closed during inclement weather) beckons you for unrivalled views from Canary Wharf to the Wembley Stadium and everything in between. And if you time the visit right you can marvel at the awe-inspiring vision of the sun setting over the roof tops of London.

After gaping at the views from the terrace it's time to head back inside and climb the stairs to access the 36th floor. If you're wondering about the garden from "Sky Garden" you'll notice it now! The stairs on the extreme left and right are flanked by lush greenery - a garden in the 35th floor indeed, though I doubt if anyone would visit to see the garden!

It's now time to see the cheese grater and the space shuttle or more formally known as Tower 42 and The Gherkin from the bar and viewing gallery at the 36th. 

Once you've marvelled at the views here, a stair just behind the bar takes you to the top floor of the building - the 37th. It's a terrace off the Fenchurch restaurant and offers you, well, even more views!

It's now time to walk down the stairs on the other side and try and spot all the points of interest marked on the glass windows. From St. Paul's to Tate Modern to Tower of London to the London Eye, Westminster and everything beyond!

If you dawdle long enough you can also catch lights sparkling across the streets of London.

And also in the Sky Garden

While your wallet becomes lighter by about £20 if you were to cross the London Bridge to go up The Shard, it's absolutely free to visit Sky Garden. All you need is to book your convenient slot when it opens up (3 weeks ahead) at https://skygarden.london/booking. 

Access

Monument, Bank, or Tower Hill

Fenchurch Street, Canon Street

Bank, Tower Gateway

Pompeii

24 August 79AD - A date that will be etched in memory forever. The day the fury of Mount Vesuvius was unleashed on the least suspecting town of Pompei; A walled Roman city with a thriving port in the middle of the Bay of Naples. People sought refuge from the raining of pumice and ash from the erupting volcano but in vain. Chivalrous admirals tried rescuing people from the fury by arranging boats to escape from the fuming mountain. Unfavourable winds on the coast thwarted their attempts. An entire city and its people perished in the wrath of nature.

Centuries later, in the year 1599, the digging of a canal near the river Sarno led to rediscovery of the ancient town that had been preserved under centuries of pumice and ash. A discovery that every historian and archeologist would dream to be part of. The beauty of Pompeii is that it doesn’t stop at interesting historians and archeologists alone. As most of the city remained intact after it remained undiscovered until the modern era, the roads, layouts and most of the original walls, columns, frescoes and mosaics were still intact. This helps even the common man figure things out. 

Seeing the cart tracks on the roads or feeling the walls of houses (gently, of course) from 2000 years ago gives me goose bumps! What would life have been like, back then? Imagine walking along the roads wearing a tunic, chariots passing by with the hooves of horses clicking on the stones, drinking water from a roadside fountain and stepping into an office in the forum that overlooks Mount Vesuvius - a life that could only be imagined now and Pompeii offers enough scope for such imagination!

The temple of Venus	The Forum Baths	The Basilica
A sacrificial altar	Mosaic at House of Faun	Stunning fresco at Villa of Mysteries
Cart tracks on the roads	A large road	A drinking water fountain
A tree lined avenue	House of Faun	Elaborate mosaic work
Ancient vineyard	Amphitheatre

Getting to Pompeii

1. The commuter train, Circumvesuviana, from Naples Garibaldi (or Porta Nolana) costs about EUR2.60 pp and takes about 35-40 minutes to get to Pompei scavi (or Villa dei Misteri station). Contrary to all the reports of pick-pocketing or crowds, this is the most convenient and economical option to get there. We traveled during December and it was not very crowded. You may not get seats as soon as you board but you will eventually. We traveled with luggage and two children and did not find it difficult at all. Be aware of your surroundings and keep your valuables hidden away and you’ll be just fine. 
2. Taxis - The pre-determined fare for a round trip from Naples to Pompeii with a stop for 2 hours is EUR90. However 2 hours is highly inadequate to see the ruins. For a distance of 25kms x 2, the rates seem pretty exorbitant. Also bear in mind most of the taxi drivers will charge you extra (calling them supplements) claiming some reason or the other. If you’re not comfortable with the language, there’s little else you can do but pay what he demands. 
3. Private taxis charge about EUR80 one way. They speak English very well and can pick you up from your hotel or points in the city or even the airport and drop you off at one of the entrances to the ruins. They also offer services the other way around. 
4. The Curreri Viaggi bus to/from airport stops at Pompei along the main road that joins the highway and costs EUR 10 pp.

(All prices as of December 2016)

Time needed

It took us about 3.5 hours to see most of the site, including the Villa dei Misteri which is about a 10 minute walk from the main site. There were many villas and houses that we did not visit. Many villas and areas were also closed for restoration work. It is always a good idea to check the website (http://www.pompeiisites.org/index.jsp?idProgetto=2) for what’s open and plan the visit based on that. Only about two-thirds of the city have been excavated and I would estimate between 4 to 5 hours to see the entire site and spend time admiring the details.

Facilities

There’s a cafe inside the site that serves everything from coffee, snacks to lunches. The prices were slightly above than average. We liked the food quality. There’s also a restaurant opening soon. Toilets scattered around the site. There are free maps and guide books offered near the ticket offices. There are also directions posted along some routes. There are official guides available at the entrance near the ticket booths for a price (I think EUR 10pp) who take you around the site. I also noticed some official staff in some of the villas who answered any questions you might have. 

Tickets

Tickets cost EUR13 per adult and children go free. We purchased the Campania arteCard Tuttle le Regione for EUR32 and that gave us free ride on the Circumvesuviana and free entry to the first two sites that we wanted to visit.

Guide and pre-trip research

I purchased this site guide before I left on the trip. This offered me great insight into the discoveries, the history of the region and the site. I saw the same book being sold in Naples for EUR5 (not sure of the version). There are older and used versions of this book being sold on Amazon (both US and UK sites) for much lower prices.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pompeii-Guide-site-Giovanni-Guzzo/dp/8837095031/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482581194&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=pompeii+guide+peter+giovanni

There is an episode on Pompeii (and Naples) by Rick Steves. 

He also offers a free audio guide on his website.

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-tours/italy

(Scroll down to see the audio tour podcast (in mp3) and map)

Iceland Part 3 - Reykjavik and Golden Circle

Saturday

By now we realised the best of Iceland was behind us. Our bodies were sore due to traveling great distances and from all the excitement the past 2 days had given us. Being Diwali we spoke to our families using the UK SIM as the Icelandic SIM did not allow us to make overseas calls. It was raining by then and with a late sunrise, the light, or its lack thereof, hardly made any difference. 

Þingvellir National Park

We left at the usual time we have been leaving the past few days and our first stop was Þingvellir National Park. Part of the Golden circle and home to the fault lines between the American and European plates it was a popular destination. The plates are moving apart at a rate of 2 cm per year. It was also popular for diving between the plates into the Silfra fissure which is filled with clear water offering a view of 100 metres. Since this was out of our league we headed to the main parking lot at Þingvellir. For this we drove over the Almannagjá fault to the American side and parked our car at the main car park. It was pouring and windy too. After figuring out how to pay the parking fee of 500 Kr, which happened to be the first time we paid for parking in this country, and cajoling the kids into getting out of the car we headed straight for cover and warmth of the visitor centre. To our surprise it was super crowded. We dried our faces and warmed up a little bit before SC went out to check on what we had actually come to see. He returned to take us to the mouth of the fault line and the view point. After a couple of quick pictures, which was nearly impossible with all the rain blowing into the lenses, we rushed back into the visitor centre and to the car. There was little else we could do with that weather! So we had successfully crossed over from Europe to America within a few minutes!

Almannagjá fault at Þingvellir National Park

Harpa Concert Hall

Our next planned stop was lunch which we were eagerly looking forward to. We drove straight to the Smáralind mall and expected it to be crowded as it was a Saturday. We parked near Debenhams and headed straight to the mall entrance to find that it was absolutely deserted! There were hardly a handful of people! That was a moment of self-realisation - that we were living in one of the most crowded cities of the world!! Pizza was unanimously agreed upon as the choice for lunch and with the option of Sbarro and Pizza Hut we chose the former as nostalgia struck us. It used to be Shash’s favourite restaurant back in the States when she was a kid. Quickly picked up a couple of pizza slices and spaghetti bowls and settled down. Though we did not have much activity in the morning the weather made us hungry. The sight, aroma and  feel of warm food was enough to whack up an appetite. 

Hallgrímskirkja

Iceland is a country that is generous with free wifi. Gas stations, Visitor centres, Restaurants, Guesthouses, hotels… you name it, they’ve got free wifi! So I made this opportunity to make a quick call to my family back in India and passed on the updates. Soon we were done with lunch and were completely dry. We walked around the mall looking at stores and checking out merchandise. TIGER pulled us in while Cintamani bargained a glance! We came back to the car. While it was still drizzling lightly there was no wind and we were mighty glad about it. We drove on to park at Harpa for a short walk around Reykjavik. On the way we passed the Sun sculpture and I sneaked a picture with my iPhone. There were some confusions about paying for the parking at Harpa and SC headed down to the info desk to pay for it. We were soon up into the concert hall and were admiring the glass structure when our eyes fell on a concert coming up in January - a jazz concert by Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith! A familiar name gave a sense of pride and we walked out of the concert hall into Reykjavik. It was a short hike to Hallgrímskirkja and we followed the throngs of tourists. Exploring the bests of a city, if you’ve never planned, is very easy. Just follow the crowd! After passing through some interesting looking shops and shop names we reached the Hallgrímskirkja. Sadly it was not the sight I expected. The weather wasn’t helping either. We took a few pictures from the outside and went into the church to admire the choir stand and the organ. Shash wanted to ride up to the top for a view when SC announced that we’d be visiting the Blue Lagoon. I was surprised as it was never part of our itinerary. He thought that since we missed Secret Lagoon the previous night we’ll give Blue Lagoon a try. So we hurried back to the car and started driving out to Blue Lagoon. It was a good 45 minutes away from Reykjavik. I was hoping to catch some free wifi signal to check for tickets but, unfortunately, never managed to.

We arrived to see large pools of blue water in front of a steaming factory of some sort. The geology of the whole area was very different. It was just black lava rocks through out. It was nearly dark by then and we quickly parked our car and walked into the Blue Lagoon ticket centre. We were utterly disappointed when the attendant announced that there weren’t any tickets left. He also encouraged us to check online as that’s the first place tickets will turn up if there’s some cancellation. We used their free wifi and found tickets for 9pm entry. SC was interested but I declined as it was too late for the children plus we had an early flight out the next day. I still had to reduce the number of bags from 6 to 4.

Blue Lagoon from the road

After some pictures just outside of the blue pool and the black rocks we returned to our car for our last ride in Iceland. We drove to Keflavik, filled the tank with gas and returned to Kef guesthouse for our last night in Iceland. SC still pushed me to visit Blue Lagoon and that he’ll drop me. It was just about 15 minutes from Kef Guesthouse. I continued to decline as I had a lot of packing to do and what fun would it be without anyone! We had our dinner of pot noodles and I worked on the packing while the children went to bed. While visiting the kitchen to heat our noodles I met one other family that chatted with us about seeing Northern Lights. It was their last night in Iceland and they hadn’t seen it until then. Quickly gave them tips to head out and find a spot and returned to the room to find out that a school friend of mine was visiting Iceland and in Akruyeri. Informed her that we were in Reykjavik and she also asked me about Northern lights. 

Only then I realised how lucky we actually were! I recalled how pessimistic we were before we had planned our trip to Iceland about being able to see Northern lights during out short trip. We had booked the trip with little to no hope of seeing northern lights but instead to see the different geology and some things that could only be seen here - like the ice lagoon or the thermal pools. We had indeed been blessed generously! Clear nights, good solar activity and the appearance of the northern lights at the right time! With that contentment I finished packing and a bit of re-packing before turning off the lights for a sound sleep.

Sunday

We awoke pretty early and got ready to leave. After a quick breakfast and calling Blue Car rental a few times to get them to pick up the car early, they arrived on dot at 8:30. They had a quick inspection and left with no complaints. We then boarded the airport shuttle and made our way to KEF airport seeing the beauty of Iceland one last time on this cold, wet, dreary and gloomy day. 

Jet Nest at KEF. PC: fotothing.com

We joined the long line for checking in our bag in the EasyJet counter. The counter staff said it was a full flight and asked us to check in more bags. We quickly locked two more bags and relieved ourselves of 2 pieces of hand luggage. We then started walking towards the departures. There was a purple aubergine statue outside and was wondering about it’s significance which, I learned later, was not an aubergine but the sculpture of an egg cracking and the beak peeking out called the Jet Nest! We had saved our shopping for the last and entered the Rammagerdin store to pick up some souvenirs and some Arctic sea salt. The flight was delayed by at at least 2 hours. Surprisingly they had some good sandwiches on the plane for purchase and we managed to finish our lunch on the plane. We landed at Gatwick to a cloudy evening. We were soon on our way home on the Southern trains and District line. Our biggest catastrophe was yet to come! We reached home to find out that we were locked out due to some gap in communication between a contractor and the leasing agent. After numerous phone calls we entered our house a couple of hours later. As with any travels, it felt good to be back home and all the misery of the locked out situation were soon forgotten!

Iceland is a place we’ll never have enough of. Especially when the weather is good. The landscape is absolutely gorgeous. There’s fewer people around once you leave Reykjavik. Even within Reykjavik there’s hardly any crowd. We hope to return some day for a thermal pool experience, seeing some more sights in other parts of the country, hopefully a couple of hikes and perhaps even go down the Snæfellsjökull to the centre of the earth! There are always enough reasons to visit Iceland!

<<< Iceland - Part 2