Harry Potter Studio Tour- WARNING: may ruin some of the magic for you

     I can’t believe time is going by so quickly!  Yesterday I went to the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden.  (And very proud of myself for taking my first train by myself.)  I had been looking forward to this day, but it was near the end of my trip.  Now it’s already over!

     But it was AMAZING!!!  It was one of the most expensive days of my life, but very interesting and exciting.  I also made an entire day out of the experience.  The tour is self-guided, with an estimated time of three hours.  I arrived a little before 11 am, and left a bit after 6:30 pm.  I had a good time.  You could get an audio visual guide which would share behind the scenes information and videos (narrated by Tom Felton, the actor who plays Draco Malfoy).  It was an adapted iPod, and I drained the battery.  You could also take as many photos as you wanted of the props, costumes, and sets you saw! o_O For those of you who do not know, with the exception of Johnny Depp, the Harry Potter franchise has some of my most favorite actors in it.  To see costumes and props they used…it was awesome to a film geek such as myself.

     I walked through sets such as the Great Hall and Diagon Ally.  I got to see the Knight Bus, Privite Drive, and Dumbledoor's office.  Some of the props included the Philosopher's Stone, the Goblet of Fire, and Tom Riddle's Diary.  There were costumes such as the various dresses from the Yule Ball, Professor Umbridge's outfits, as well as school and Quittich uniforms.  There were behind the scenes information on the special and visual effects, as well has how some of the creatures were made believable.  The tour ended with the 1:24 scale model Hogwarts that was used for every external shot of the school throughout the eight movies.  It was so impressive, especially when they would dim the lights and the castle would light up.  It was breathtaking to walk around.

     My camera battery did not even last me half way through the tour!  I did manage to take a lot of photos, and if some of the quality is not the best, it was probably taken from my brother’s iPod.  I hope you get an idea of the wonders I saw, and if you have the opportunity to go, you will!

The magic begins!

Inside the Great Hall, where two of four the long tables were set up on either side.

The entrance to the Great Hall.

I never realized that the four houses are represented by their animal  around the Great Hall.

These may look like ordinarily elegant pieces of wood, but oh, the magic these wands have done!

Snape's potions classroom. Far cooler than any of my chemistry laboratories.

The one and only "magical" staircase that was ever built. It was replicated via visual effects.

The only section of the bridge that was ever built. Like the staircase, the scenes would be shot on this piece, and digitally edited later to make it seem as if the bridge was quite longer than it actually is.

Some of the famous props. The Philosopher's Stone is the red item in the front.

The boy's dormitory.  The beds were originally built  to fit the 11-year-old actors. As they grew, the beds didn't.  By the last movies, the actors had to curl up on the beds to give the illusion they still fit.

The model was fantastic to see. I really felt as if I were standing in front of Hogwarts.

Magical!

One the way out, you pass through Ollivander's wand store. Here the boxes are adorned with the names of the cast and crew of the Harry Potter franchise. Try to find your favorites! (The staff knows where the most popular ones are located, so don't hesitate to ask for help!)