Hogwarts at Christmas

From the first time I saw Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (yes, I saw the movie first, before reading the books, gasp!), I was hooked on the magical world of Hogwarts and the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione.  I subsequently read every word of every book, anxiously awaiting the next installment, and savoring every film.  My mom and I even ventured up to the Universal Studios Harry Potter theme park a few Christmases ago.  So when I woke up to a particularly cold and rainy day in London this week, I decided it was the perfect day to escape to Hogwarts (aka, the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, where guests can tour the actual sound stages where filming took place, complete with original sets, props and costumes used in the films) conveniently located just outside of Central London (and easily accessible by public transport!).

From the cupboard under the stairs, our tour took us to Hogwarts...

…where we arrived to a great feast in a delightfully decorated Great Hall.

Dumbledore and the rest of the faculty and staff were on hand.

Harry's original robes from the first film were on display in the Gryffindor section of the Hall.

Speaking of Harry's robes, here's his Invisibility Cloak in the Gryffindor Common Room

Dumbledore's office and Hagrid's Hut (fun fact, most of the canine actors that portrayed Hagrid's dog Fang were rescues!).

The Borough, home to the Weasley's and of course, Diagon Alley.

Getting to walk down this set was a treat!  Then we moved on to darker places...

Voldemort's robes were the only ones that were not made of heavy materials, they were made of silk so that they would be more dramatic.

Copies of the Daily Prophet, a few of the (many) letters inviting Harry to attend Hogwarts, and the Marauder's Map.

One of my favorites parts of the tour was seeing the original sketches and miniature models of the sets.

  

But the "showstopper" was the giant model of Hogwarts, used in the first seven films to depict the exterior of the castle.  The final film used a CGI version.

The lighting cycled from day to night, highlighting the amazing detail in the model, with twinkling lights and miniature owls tucked away.

I had a lovely (one might say magical) day in the world of Harry Potter.  If you enjoyed the series, I would highly recommend a visit.

I went to Oxford (for a day)

After my lovely trip to Cambridge, I was promptly informed that "Oxford is better." The person who uttered these words has a reason to be biased; a friend from my Canterbury days, Ashley went to Oxford for graduate school (smarty pants) and, determined to prove herself right (or actually just because she's really nice), kindly offered to show me around town, and I could not have asked for a better tour guide!

We started at Pembroke College, where Ashley was a student.  It was a treat to get to go beyond the doors and actually see the inside of a college, especially one so pretty!

Founded by King James I, the College is known for having a strong Boat Club and was where J.R.R. Tolkein wrote The Hobbit and the first two Lord of the Rings books while he was a Fellow.  Fun fact: the founder of Washington's Smithsonian Institute, James Smithson, was a student at Pembroke

My fabulous tour guide, Ashley

After getting an insider's look at life as an Oxford student, I made my way through town to the Bodleian Library for their Reading Rooms tour, taking a few pictures along the way (naturally).

Usually closed to the public,  Duke Humfrey's Library with its rare books and the Radcliffe Camera Reading Room were stunning, and well worth the trip!  Sadly, photography is not permitted in the Library, but I was able to take photographs in the Divinity School, where the tour began.  If it looks familiar to you, then you are a Harry Potter fan! This is where they filmed the infirmary scenes from the first film.

After the tour I met Ashely at the coziest pub I could imagine, the Turf Tavern, for a proper Sunday Roast.

Then it was time to wander over to Hogwarts, I mean Christ Church College. Many thanks to Ashley for her patience as I continued to snap away.

Christ Church Hall was the model for the fictional Hogwart's Great Hall (sadly, no enchanted ceiling or sorting hats in the real one, but incredible nonetheless). The college is also the setting for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, as Lewis Carroll studied and taught at Christ Church.

After a walk along the river and a visit to the boat houses, we enjoyed a pint at the Eagle and Child, a favorite of Tolkein and his friend C.S. Lewis and their literary club, The Inklings.

All in all it was a wonderful day with an old friend, I am so glad that Ashley and I have gotten reacquainted during my time in London.

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