I REALLY can’t stand when my entire house loses internet the night before exams. It is madness, I tell you! MADNESS. And it’s still down, which is why I’m sitting here in the Crofton after my exam. My senior year is half way done! Scary times. To make it all bearable, here’s a sneak peak of HP7.
You’re welcome.
This is a record for the amount of times I’ve posted in a day, but since I’m sitting in my high bed with nothing to do and no motivation to get down, I might as well write something useful.
So, after some extensive research, I’ve decided to list the locations used in the films of my beloved Harry Potter ❤ And as a personal challenge, I will try to visit as many of them as I have time to. Ready? Okay.
LONDON:
Regent’s Park Zoo: (HP1) The Zoo where Harry first learns he can talk to snakes. Tube: Camden Town
The Leaky Cauldron: (HP1) 42 Bull’s Head Passage (underneath Lloyd’s Building), Leadenhall Market (now the Glass House)
Diagon Alley: (HP1) Leadenhall Market. Tube: Monument
Millenium Bridge: (HP6) When the dementors attack Tube: Embankment
King’s Cross: (HP1) Platform 9 3/4. Actual filming between Platforms 4*&5. Tube: King’s Cross
Gringott’s Bank: (HP1) interior of Exhibition Hall at the Australian House. Tube: Temple
Grimmauld Place: (HP5) Lincoln’s Inn Fields in an old square tucked away. Tube: Holborn
NEAR BATH:
Gloucester Cathedral: (HP1) hallway where they spy the troll, (HP2) girl’s lavatory (HP2) Enemies of the Heir Beware hallway. Westgate Street, Gloucester GL1 1LR
Lacock Abbey: Sacristy: (HP1) Snape’s classroom, Warming Room: (HP1) DADA room, Chapter House: (HP1) Mirror of Erised. Lacock, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN15 2LG
OXFORD:
Christ Church College: (HP1) stone staircase, dining hall St Aldates, Oxford OX1 1DP
Duke Humfrey’s Library: (HP1) Restricted Section
Divinity School (downstairs): (HP1) Infirmary
Bodleian Library: (HP4) Malfoy becomes a ferret Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG
NORTH YORKSHIRE:
Goathland Station, Goathland: Hogsmeade station.
NORTHUMBERLAND:
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick: exterior Hogwarts, Quidditch match, broomstick lesson within ramparts The Estate Office, Alnwick, Northumberland NE55 1NQ
BERKSHIRE:
4 Privet Drive: 12 Picket Post Close, Martins Heron
DURHAM:
Durham Cathedral: snowy quadrangle where Hedwig flies
EDINBURGH:
JK Rowling completed the first book here. Nicolson’s Café now Chinese restaurant 😦 However, another one of JK’s haunts, The Elephant House, still stands and a coffee with a bagel here is a must for any fan.
Oh no! I didn’t get to write an entry for yesterday. Which was mad busy, by the way. Yesterday, I slept until 11–the longest I’ve slept in while being here. Then I went for a run in Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park, which was absolutely beautiful. I think I might study or read there soon before the weather gets too cold. After returning, showering, and snacking, Melissa Antoine and I took a little trip to King’s Cross to find Platform 9 3/4!
We are SUCH geeks, but it was so worth it!
So after that, Antoine went off my himself because us girls were going to go shoppingggg. And I got a cute little dress from H&M which I wore that night at Fabric. We walked around the Harrods area for a little bit, explored a bead and jewelry store called Wave, and tasted free samples of tea down the street–the tastes of which we fell in love with right away and decided to buy tins full of it 🙂
Then we took the Tube from South Kensington to Gloucester Road (the perks of using a monthly Oyster card: going one stop doesn’t mean a thing!) to get some alcohol for the night. Guess what they hadddd!!!
And rushed back to cook pasta and drink up. At 10pm our big group embarked on the journey to Fabric, this really famous (and now infamous) nightclub at Farringdon. SO not worth the time, and it took us about 2 hours to find our way back home, which ended up being around 4am. For Saturday: homework time.
Today, it rained. London rain, I’ve learned, is inescapable. It gets into your boots and under your hood and around your wrists. But it is warm rain, and gentle.
Lectures today were from 9:15-4:30. Went to Harrods from 5-7 (which is literally RIGHT down the street from the Sorbonne), where we saw fake snow appear in seconds, siamese kittens from Thailand, a dollhouse that was 4 feet tall, Paddington bears of all sizes, a pool table selling for £1,000,000, authentic gelato, a personal magic act, and sparkling crystal chandeliers inlaid with gold. I didn’t spend a penny. Afterwards, we went to a Comic/more of a magic show at Harrington Gardens where our hosts spoon-fed us wine of all colors and glass sizes, complete with a plate of roast beef and horseradish and berry meringue pie. A good discussion was had involving Harry Potter tours across the UK, a hotel in Edinburgh graced with JKR’s signature, and more. When we arrived back at Sorbonne, we spent the night talking about hometowns, English football, computer labs, BU letdowns, and room comparisons. A shower, some internet, and soon bed. Tomorrow: first day of class. All in all, a full day.
Lindsey Olander 