A Dream Come True ~HP Studio Tour

Leksi is the biggest Harry Potter fan I know.  She's read the books dozens of times (actually read the series more than 20 times.  Right Leksi?)  You can test her. Name any part of a book, and she can tell you within a few pages where the event happens.  It's pretty amazing.  So, when the trip to Europe was being planned, Leksi wanted to be sure the Harry Potter Studio Tour (just outside of London) was on the list.  And, I really wanted her to see it.  She was so in love with these books when she was in my class, and I wanted to experience it with her.  I don't think her dad was completely on board with this (not exactly a European dream destination,) but he conceded and the HPST was added to the list.  

We took a train to meet the Harry Potter bus.  Super easy and far less expensive than doing the actual tour.  And, you have unlimited time in the studio.

We made it!

These are the actual chess pieces used in the movie.  These are the studios and backlots used for filming, so everything you see was actually a prop or set in the movie.  It's really awesome for HP fans like us!

Waiting to go in…..

Cedric Diggory fan here!

He's Slytherin and no one can change his mind.

The Great Hall!

Picking their favorite wands.

This wand training is serious business.

Butterbeer for everyone.  It is sooo good.  Tastes a lot like cream soda.

The Hogwarts Bridge

The Knight Bus

We've been there thanks to the Kirschenman family!

#4 Privet Drive

Diagon Alley

This is the most impressive part and moves me to tears.  There is Harry Potter music playing and the room changes from day to night.  This set was used for ariel shots of the castle in the movie.  You can see the scale of it compared to the people.  It is just amazing.

Wands!

Another great trip to the studio, and we were so happy to share it with the Knepps.  I love the spooky Dementor looking sky. Where's the dark mark?

Front row on the bus with treats from the gift shop that only cost a small fortune. Ha!

Back in London, we made a very quick stop in the British Museum to the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles.

Closing time, so I could get a shot of the empty room.  Nice!

Outside the British Museum

The girls wanted to eat at Nando's because it's a favorite restaurant of some of the 1D guys.  Allison just HAD to take Leksi there.

Next stop…Trafalgar Square

Cute new matching sweatshirts

I only included this pic, so you can learn from me.  You do not wear cute, leopard, fabric ballet flats on rainy days in London.  I literally was losing them off my feet.  Wear your wellies!

Standing in the center of London.

The London Eye

We only looked.  We didn't ride this time.

We ended the night with a stop at the Tower of London and Tower Bridge to see them at night.

 Just one more day of fun with the Knepps.  Next up is the last day in London.

Until next time,

Wendy

One Direction Concert ~ London

After Harry Potter, we met up with DeKunder family.  We traveled over with them and since 2/3 of their girls are not big Harry Potter fans, they opted to see Matilda instead.  And, they loved it, so hopefully we will be seeing that in the near future.

We had dinner at Wahaca.  This Mexican restaurant was recommended by my friend Rachel.  We opted for the Covent Garden location because it just reopened.  There was a line, and it was packed, but for once, having a large group worked in our favor.  They had one large table open!

Thomas and Miss Megan are quite the buddies!  Remember, they were buddies in Prague too. :)

It was early yet, so we decided to take a stroll around London at night (might I add...it was freezing and everyone was very sweet to do this, so I could get a picture of Big Ben at night.)  My issue with London is I don't know how to get anywhere above ground.  The Tube is so easy to use, and zipping from one place to another makes more sense when you have limited time.  So, on our little walking tour it was fun to see how close things really are.  Our first stop was Trafalgar Square.

On our way to Big Ben, we spied a cool view of the London Eye.

Walking over the river.  What a sight!

Big Ben and Parliament at night.

On our way back to the hotel, we had to conclude our Harry Potter day with a stop at Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station.

Sunday ~ The day Allison has been waiting for since Christmas...and I've been waiting since September when I bought the tickets.  It was time for the One Direction concert.  Her love for One Direction reminds me so much of my love for Duran Duran back in the 80's (sigh....)  But, this lucky girl was actually going to see her band live.

She looked all cute for the big day.  She even let me put a bow in her hair....wow!  But, she really wanted to wear a pair of red Converse tennis shoes (as often worn by the 1D boys.)  I was hoping to find a pair of Union Jack, but alas she was the proud owner of new red ones (couldn't find Union Jack.)  She was lucky there was one store open on a Sunday morning at 11:00 on Oxford Street, and it just happened to be a shoe store.  It was our lucky day. :)

Megan wanted to ride a red, double decker bus in the worst way.  So, off we went on the bus to head back to the hotel to drop off the boots Allison was no longer wearing.

He does this to make me crazy...and laugh.

So, if we hadn't bought the Converse, we wouldn't have needed to go back to the hotel.  And, if Megan hadn't wanted to ride the double decker bus, we would have taken the tube....and we would have missed THIS!  I told you it was our lucky day and everything happens for a reason....Just before getting off the bus, I could see that some sort of filming was going on at St. Pancras station.  I spotted the "old fashioned" cars and once off the bus darted up to the station to see what all the commotion was.  The man controlling people passing by said they were filming a "period drama".  Chris thought for sure it was Downton Abbey, and I thought he might be crazy.  And, sure enough....I spotted Lady Edith!!!!  I LOVE THIS SHOW!  So, you can only imagine how excited I was.  I ran right over to where she was standing between takes, and of course she didn't turn around.  And, the kids wouldn't yell, "We love you Lady Edith!" I have no idea why??? :)  But, I still got to see her face during filming even though I didn't get a shot for all of you.  We watched for a least 10 minutes because the guys and Megan got trapped across the street in the middle of a scene.  Oh, it was just perfect timing.  I love being in the right place at the right time!

This picture is for my niece, Alyssa.  Niall from 1D loves Nando's...and Allison made me promise to post this picture for her cousin. :)  Alyssa gets to see 1D this summer in Chicago.  We can't wait to hear about her concert!

The concert was held at the O2 in North Greenwich.  We were able to take the Tube which made the whole experience really easy.  It was super fun to see 1D in the country that four of them call home.  Niall is from Ireland...yes, I know that.  I know a lot of 1D information these days.  LOL!

So excited they could hardly stand it!

This was basically the first thing you saw when you walked into the arena.  We quickly purchased t-shirts, posters, hats, and keychains because we knew there wouldn't be time after the concert because we had to get back to the station to catch our train back to Brussels.  Turns out we had a good hour to spare, but when we booked the trains, we didn't realize 1D didn't start until almost 3:00.  Thank goodness we booked the 7:34 train!

Ready to get this party started!

The whole gang....that's my rocker husband back there. :)

I'd say they have quite a fan base.  They played to three sold out crowds this weekend.  Just amazing!  And, to think they got third place on the X Factor.  They made out just fine in the deal.

Our seats were really high, but they weren't as high as they look from my phone's perspective.  We were happy we could clearly see the boys.  It was the screens on either side of the stage that we missed out on.  Every time the boys from 1D would do something silly, it was hilarious to watch Allison, Ella, and Audrey look at each other and giggle.  I could tell they were in total awe seeing their boys in REAL LIFE.  It still makes me chuckle when I think about it.

They rode on this platform out to the center of the area and then performed on a stage out there.  It's probably a good thing Allison wasn't on the floor, or she might have passed out.

This poor boy was really unenthused about the whole thing.  I don't think he could have shoved those ear plugs in any further without causing permanent damage.  Funny thing is, he has been singing the songs and even proclaimed that "Rock Me" was his favorite song of the night.  He had fun....he just won't admit it.  I think he secretly was taking notes to form his own boy band in the future.  

Now this one really had a great time!  I think there were too many ballads for her.  LOL!

1D asked the fans to turn on the lights on their cell phones....you know back in the day it was lighters....and after that I was not getting my phone back.  She was dancing her heart out swinging that phone around.  I had visions of it flying down onto the stage.  That certainly would have gotten their attention.  You know, Niall did look at her. ;)

Nothing thrills parents more than making their kids' dreams come true.  I hope my kids will always look back on this weekend as one of the best they have ever had.  I know it will always be one of my favorites.

Until next time,

Wendy