Hogwarts to Hampton Court

A little into the week, we each had our appointments with the Garda to register with immigration. It did not take long and it felt good to have that out of the way. With that finished, we could now easily travel outside of the country. After a bit, we started to wonder if there was any place we could possibly visit that weekend (1 Feb - 4 Feb). Suggestions were thrown out - London, Scotland? I knew that I had to visit London at some point for two reasons: I loved it so much the first time and I just had to see my wonderful cousins! So, I asked my relative, Renee, if this weekend would be okay to visit with two of my friends - Molly and Meghan. Not only was the response YES but she asked for our wish-list in order to make an itinerary. Therefore, London became our first out-of-the-country adventure!

"London, baby!"

We had the absolute best time in London and I really owe it all to my amazing family there. Shout out to Renee, Paddy, Joe, Janet, Nora, and Jamie! Thank you so much for all the good craic and hospitality! We flew from Shannon Airport to Gatwick via Ryanair (our first time using Ryanair). Due to all the warnings from friends and family about Ryanair's strict baggage policies, we were well prepared. The journey went well and we were all thankful for a short flight. I fell asleep right away, which seems to be a habit of mine now - not complaining! I woke up to the Ryanair horns announcing our early arrival to London-Gatwick (got to have that over 90% on-time arrival status). As we walked out towards the exit, we ran into Renee and it was a happy sight. She welcomed us with open arms and a couple of sandwiches for the road. Our first stop, and I kid you not, was the Warner Studios Harry Potter Tour. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Being a movie person, loving every aspect that goes into film, and wanting a career in film, I was ecstatic at the thought of walking into a studio and seeing the actual sets - let alone for Harry Potter! It was fantastic and such a great way to start our trip! We saw everything from the Great Hall, to the Burrow, to Dumbledore's Office, to Diagon Alley. Molly and Meghan were even more excited if you can imagine. We were near tears (of happiness) when the workers first lifted the screen after the introduction video to reveal the doors to the Great Hall. Needless to say, many pictures were taken that first day.

Here's a few:

 Door to the Great Hall 

 The cupboard under the stairs!

 Rupert Grint!!!!! AHHHH!!!

Bellatrix's wig

Ron's bed!!!

The wands!!!

Happy Christmas Harry!!!

Door to the Chamber of Secrets!

Ministry of Magic!

Umbridge's Office!!!

The Knight Bus!!!

Chess pieces! (Kept thinking they were going to move!)

On the Hogwarts Bridge! (Me, Molly, and Meghan)

Meghan, Myself, and Renee

Renee and me in the flying car!

Diagon Alley!!

In front of the Hogwarts Model... I think this might be the best part of the tour. They had it perfectly set up. You walked around the corner from a different room and BAM this is what you saw: a massive Hogwarts Model. The sight on its own was incredible, but in addition, they were playing scores from the movies. My heart almost stopped, it was that moving. They even had the light rigged so that you could see Hogwarts at day and Hogwarts at night. Very well done, Warner Studios. Bravo!

Robert Pattinson's wand!

Helena Bonham-Carter's wand!

Daniel Radcliffe and Gary Oldman's wands!

After Warner Studios we went on to Paddy and Renee's house, near Hampton Court Palace, where we had the pleasure of staying. We shared a lovely meal with Joe, Janet, and Jamie. The next day, we got up to take the train to Waterloo Station. On the way to the station, Paddy took us to see Hampton Court Palace. The gardens were just beautiful (I can only imagine how beautiful they would be in spring/summer):

 You can notice the two different styles of building 

Each chimney had a different design

We reached Waterloo Station and began our day in London. Walking past the London Eye we had a beautiful image of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament:

Me, Meghan, and Molly in front of Big Ben and Houses of Parliament

The girls and Paddy

The girls and Renee

Big Ben!

The next stop which is very close to Big Ben and Houses of Parliament was Westminster Abbey. The Abbey was gorgeous. I couldn't help but think that I was walking in the same place where Prince William and Kate Middleton were married! The history behind the building was incredible. One of my favorite parts was the Poet's Corner, which featured memorials and graves of famous writers from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens. They did not allow pictures inside the Abbey, however here are some shots from the outside:

As we walked a bit outside we saw an infamous red British telephone booth and just had to take a photo with it:

Our next destination was Abbey Road. If you know me fairly well, then you know my favorite band is The Beatles. Having been to Abbey Road before, the excitement started to build. Naturally we had to take a picture walking across! Renee was lucky enough to be our fourth person.

Writing on the wall at Abbey Road Studios!

Renee, Molly, Meghan, and myself

The wall outside Abbey Road Studios!

Flashback to 2010... Tommy, Marty, and Ryan, remember this gem?

After Abbey Road the next place on our list, and something we were all looking forward to, was Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. The picture speaks for itself:

And yes, I am wearing Harry's glasses 

Following Platform 9 3/4, Molly, Meghan, and I then spent some time viewing Trafalgar Square and other parts of London while we waited to connect with one of Molly and Meghan's friends studying in London. We were able to meet up with her later that evening. The next day, Sunday, we got up and drove into town to get a good spot for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We were able to get pretty close and I snapped some photos of the process:

Next, we met up with Renee again and went for lunch with Paddy and my other cousin Nora. The food was delicious and it was great catching up with Nora. Renee even took us to this market area called Covent Garden. We saw some tempting merchandise and interesting performances. After walking around for a bit Renee dropped us off at Tower Bridge so that we could walk across it and end up where our Jack the Ripper walking tour was supposed to meet. Tower Bridge was just beautiful at night and as we reached the other side, the Tower of London loomed. This was the perfect setting to walk the steps of Jack the Ripper. We learned quite a bit about some of the theories and speculation about the identity of Jack the Ripper. The guide also added some tidbits about the history of East London. It was very interesting to walk that walk, even though some of the places where the murders happened are now parking garages. Seeing a copy of the letter Jack the Ripper sent the police was very bone-chilling. The address even read "From Hell", which would explain the title of one of my favorite Johnny Depp movies. I really feel like we touched every base in our short weekend in London. From Harry Potter to The Beatles to Jack the Ripper, we got to see everything we wanted and London did not disappoint. The weekend seemed to fly by (which means we were having that much fun!). Once again, I owe it all to my wonderful family. My family in the UK as well as my family in the states (shout out to you, Mom and Dad)! Without your support this whole adventure would not be possible. I am truly thankful every day for the opportunities you have given me. 

I hope to see London again soon! 

Cheers!