Friday 20 June 2014

A View to the Wizarding World

SPOILERS!
After three days of tweeting from around Hogsmeade, Muggle London and Diagon Alley, this morning included a surprising and spontaneous chance to visit  “both sides of the Wizarding World" without venturing into the Muggle world in between.

The day started with Butterbeer (for breakfast) and a visit with the Sorting Hat. Then I heard - but did not see! - a Thestral at a carriage by Hogsmeade Station, rode the Hogwarts Express to King’s Cross and spotted the Knight Bus - and some Sherlock Holmes books - by The Leaky Cauldron (their sign on the Wizarding side leaks).
I can’t wait to come back for the experience of walking into Diagon Alley with witches and wizards. I still haven’t ridden through Gringotts or seen the Beedle tales performance, nor tried Butterbeer soft-serve ice cream in a cone, and even today there were details I saw that I’d missed before - not just on the Hogwarts Express but, believe it or not, on Forbidden Journey!
So many kudos to Universal for this immersive experience. I can’t wait to show some pics & talk about it at the Harry Potter fan panel at Comic Con, and come back for LeakyCon next month, and again and again with family and friends. This place is perfect. It feels magical and detailed and correct and will inspire fans to think about and talk of and even create, and will inspire those who still haven’t read the books - or are just getting to the age where they want to - to love the Wizarding World.
Next stop, Fantastic Beasts, Jo?
We’re ready.

Coming over the weekend, our gallery of photos of detailed elements of the Wizarding World that fill Diagon Alley, Nocturne Alley and Horizontal Alley - we're sure FictionAlley is also around there somewhere with innumerable book shops and art galleries, but we didn't spot an entrance this time.  If you can't wait, check us out on Twitter for brief glimpses of the magic.

Note: Some meal and hotel expenses, as well as park admission, were provided by Universal, although all opinions are our own.