This means that we started our day in Hogsmeade.
Connor loved the magical snow in Hogsmeade.
Our first stop once we had entered Hogsmeade was Ollivanders Wand Shop.
The little show in the Ollivanders Wand Shop is perfectly done. Then, the boys went and picked out their wands. Connor picked Voldemort's wand, while Lex chose Harry's. We bought them the interactive wands so that they would be able to cast spells all over the Harry Potter areas of the park.
(One time, while they were casting a water spell, I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I got splashed. All the witches and wizards around laughed at me.)
As soon as they had their wands, we headed for the castle so that we could ride Harry Potter's Forbidden Journey. It's a great ride.
Since it was still very early, we were able to ride the Flight of the Hippogriff with no wait. Connor didn't want to ride it, so Lex and I rode it alone. Lex loves roller coasters, and he had a great time.
Hagrid's Hut
Next stop: The Hogwarts Express!
The Hogwarts Express travels between the two theme parks, so we were basically leaving The Islands of Adventure and going to Universal Studios.
We arrived in London on Platform 9 3/4.
Once we left King's Cross Station, we were in London, and we had to find our way back into Diagon Alley. It was actually just as tricky to find it as it should have been.
It was still early enough that we were able to basically walk onto the Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts Ride. It was an excellent ride, too.
Look! It's a goblin!
We waited around a bit to see the Gringotts Dragon do it's thing:
...and it was totally worth it!
We bought some pumpkin juice and some other potions to revive ourselves, took a wrong turn and ended up in Knockturn Alley, visited Borgin and Burkes and cast some more spells with the wands. There was a skeleton that you could make copy any of your moves in Knockturn Alley. It was pretty great. Then, we decided to leave the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and explore the rest of Universal Studios.
The second day, we started in Universal Studios so that we could ride the Hogwarts Express from London to Hogsmeade.
Hello, Hedwig!
Yes, the train ride is different from one direction to the other. You should ride it both ways.
As soon as we got off the train in Hogsmeade, it started pouring rain. So, we ducked into the Three Broomsticks and had lunch. We had Butterbeer and Frozen Butterbeer and beef pasties and all sorts of delicious English food. It was amazing. And, when we were done eating, it had finished raining. Just like magic.
And then we went back to Hogwarts.
After we rode that ride, we went on the Flight of the Hippogriff again. This time, Connor decided to join us. It turns out that he liked it just fine, even though it was a roller coaster.
We had such a great time at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I honestly can't wait to go back!
The End
No comments:
Post a Comment