Best Day EVER!

WARNING: If you are coming to London and are planning on going on the Warner Brothers Studio Tour, I highly recommend NOT reading this post!  I'm putting a lot of details in but a lot of the wonder is not knowing exactly what you're going to see.  If this does not apply to you, or you want to read it anyway, then you may now continue.

A few months ago I heard that the studios where they made Harry Potter were going to open up for the public to tour.  I was pretty excited but didn't manage to get tickets before they sold out on the days that I was here.  Then I found about a coach company that was providing transportation and tickets to the event.  I with two other girls managed to get tickets.  We decided to do it the day before my birthday just for fun.  And it was the best birthday present I've ever gotten myself.

 We left the London Centre at seven o'clock in the morning and hurried over to Victoria Station or thereabouts to get on our coach.  We arrived just in time and took over the back row of seats.  They had a DVD player where they played an introduction to the studio and trailers for WB movies.  An hour or so later, we looked out the window and there it was!  We waited outside for a bit enjoying the Harry Potter music they were playing (just like Disneyland!  Waiting to get in with music playing and smiles on everyone's faces).  They let us in earlier than 10:00 when it was supposed to open and we hurried to get in the line to get inside.  While you are waiting, you pass by a few cool things.  One of these was Harry's cupboard under the stairs!

 And handprints of Dan, Rupert, and Emma.  Guess what?  My hands are almost exactly the same size as Emma's!  And Rupert has fat fingers.

 Unfortunately I had my camera on the wrong setting so a lot of the pictures in the first part are blurry.  Whoops.  They let us into a room where images of the different posters flashed on the walls.  A guy was there trying to get the group pumped up but nobody was too excited unfortunately.  Or maybe I'm just used to being in a group of screaming girls.  Then the doors open and we went into a theatre.  There was a quick video about the stuff we were going to see.  Then the screen lifted up and right there was the Entrance Hall!  They called for a volunteer to open the giant door.  It opened and we stepped into the Great Hall.  It sounds silly, but I actually got teary.  There was squealing and a little bit of running around and grins from ear to ear.

They had the house tables of course as well as costumes.  Already it was shocking how much detail there was in everything that is impossible to see in the movies.

 Go Ravens!

 YEAH SLYTHERIN!  THAT'S MY HOUSE!

 And Neville Longbottom's cardigan.  If you didn't know, I love both Neville and Matt Lewis.  So there was a bit of freaking out.

 Why is Gryffindor winning?

 After we were done exploring the Great Hall, we moved into the next area.  Here we saw the centerpiece of the Yule Ball!

 And dress robes.

 And a feast made out of chocolate.

 And a giant cauldron.

 And Alan Rickman's wig

 And lots of other wigs.  The really curly grey one belongs to the Bloody Baron.  Draco Malfoy's is on there too.

 And a bunch of various costume.  I like Luna's on the end.

 Hooray for Fluer!  I've been to France... we're practically best friends.

Poor Daniel had to wear the same outfit for a long time.  Good thing he had multiples.

 And then there was the Gryffindor Boys Dorm.  This here is Neville's bed!

Stupid camera on the wrong setting!

 Neville's weird elephantish thing.

 And then we went to the Leaky Cauldron.

 And saw everybody's wands

 And said hello to the Fat Lady. Apparently she doesn't like to be called that.

 And we saw random props.

 And then the Gryffindor common room!  There was a lot in here that you could never see.  Everything is meant to make it seem cozy and homelike.  Everything's worn out and threadbare but still comfortable.  It was such a comfortable place that it was used as the hang out place of cast and crew.

 Stairs leading to the Boy's room

 Invisibility cloak!

 Sirius, Lupin, and Tonks

 And the clock!  It really moves!

 I loved the part where it showed you the Marauder's Map on a screen and you could touch places and see how they were used in the films or what sets turned into sets for other things.

 I thought I'd stop in and say hello to Dumbledore

 After looking at a few more props.

 All of these were bought at auctions.  The art department went through and made everything look magical.  We found this out thanks to a guide named George.  He was very taken with Emma.  He even followed us to the potions area.  He'd look at Abby and I for a minute and then back to Emma.  She wasn't impressed.  I thought he was cute.

 Dang it.  Blurry.

 The Sword of Gryfindor.

 You could look through to a smaller room in the background that were used as Dumbledore's living quarters.  It's there but you can never see it in the films!

 Each of those vials are individually labeled.  Same with all the books, which are actually covered up phone books for the most part.

 Slytherin <3

 Time for potions class!

 And this was the point where I figured out what as wrong with my camera.  Ah.  Good pictures are in the future!

 The one with the really long handle stirs itself!

 Little Miss Slytherin in the dungeons.

 Horcuxes

 And all the portraits

 And brooms

 And Quidditch stuff

 Then we went and did some stuff in front of  the green screen.  We all rode in the flying car and then rode broomsticks.  My favorite part was riding the broom of the Thames with Big Ben in the background.  My least favorite part was that they only had Gryffindor robes.  :(

But then we went and saw the Weasley kitchen.

 Carrots were chopped, clothes were ironed, and a sweater was knitted... by magic!

 Being a Quidditch kind of girl, I loved this stuff.

 And then we saw Umbridge's very pink office.

 And I walked down a hallway.

 The Black family tree!

 In honor of my brother.  U-No-Poo.

 We then went to the outside area.  We all bought Butterbeer... and it was AMAZING!  So yummy!  We also saw Hagrid's motercycle and the Knight bus

 And... no explanation needed

 Abby: "Aylea has to take the bus because she's drunk on butterbeer."

 For some reason a bunch of pictures wouldn't load.  Still, you get the idea.

 I talked with Fawkes

 And Hagrid

And Fred made faces in the background

Poor Dobby

There was a great picture of me with a werewolf.  But it didn't show up.

 The mandrake, the Monster Book of Monsters, and the owl all moved!

 Then we turned the corner and walked on to Diagon Alley!

And... most of my pictures won't work.  Oh well.

 Then at the end, we turned the corner and there was the Hogwarts model!

 After the castle, there is a room with a wand box for everyone who worked on set.  I, of course, had to find Matt Lewis.

 And J.K. Rowling.

 We played in the shop a bit and then went home. What a good day!

And now, better pictures taken by Emma.