Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Motto: "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus"

Never tickle a sleeping dragon.

 
(In case anyone is wondering, why yes, that IS a Ghostbusters chasing Pac-Man t-shirt!)

Proton packs OUT! Power pellets IN!

This is another long and photo heavy post (but totally worth it!)  

The Forbidden Journey is the biggest reason why WWoHP is so amazing. For roller coaster enthusiasts, The Forbidden Journey = Hogwarts + Magic + (Superman Ride)^2. In other words, FREAKING AWESOME. It's unlike any ride I've ever been on, combining 3D, 4D, and real roller coaster motion - totally sick!

 Braving Mt. Fanny Pack was totally worth it.

To get to The Forbidden Journey ride, you enter Hogwarts castle and wind through the castle halls. The castle exterior is so massive that I nearly missed the the entrance to Hogwarts. Past a huge stone entryway flanked by stone pillars, topped with signature winged boars, you see white script blossoming over the Hogwarts crest on the stone facade as if written by an invisible quill-wielding hand - and then disappears like magic! It's nearly impossible to tell how the lettering materializes unless you've pushed past the mountain of fanny packs and mashed your nose six inches away from the transient lettering. (Because I braved Mount Fanny Pack to find out, I'll tell you - embedded fiber optics.)

So, the idea is that the school has welcomed Muggles into their hallowed halls for the first time ever. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione plan to sneak you into a Quidditch match. The plan is for you to meet them in the Room of Requirement and fly out with Harry and Ron (riding brooms) on a school bench that Hermione has enchanted. But you're in for far more than just a Quidditch match!

The line starts in the greenhouse where live exotic plants hang from a paned glass ceiling. A fenced off area houses a row of potted mandrakes and other Herbology tools (rakes, spades, and other toxic plant extraction tools.)

 

Inside the castle, you are greeted by a large, gilded wizard (the architect of Hogwarts, as seen in the Chamber of Secrets movie), with a small lion and badger at his feet and holding a miniature Hogwarts castle in his extended hand. Another gilded wizard (the first Hogwarts headmaster; while the Four Founders were professors, none held the title of headmaster) imperiously points his finger at you.

 I want YOU...for Hogwarts.

In between the golden wizards - the four House point hourglasses!  (Why is Ravenclaw so deficient in gems when they're the brainiest of the lot? Gryffindor is leading the pack here, which means that Harry and Ron probably have not yet had Potions.)

SNAPE: Five MILLION points from Gryffindor!

I'll think of a reason later.

At the end of the hallway stands the giant bronze phoenix statue leading up to Dumbledore's office in the movies. Clearly, I'm just a tad excited to be here. The entire castle is filled with choice nuggets like these from the books and movies. I almost wished the line was longer so I would have more time to SEE EVERYTHING.

 OMG! Faaaaaawkes!

It was too dark deep inside the castle for my camera to take any decent pictures, but you next enter a central hall with huge vaulted ceilings and walls covered in talking portraits, including the Four Founders - Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Gryffindor and Slytherin were easy to find; Hufflepuff was harder to find, and someone had to point out Ravenclaw to me. Anyways, it's quite impressive. I borrowed this picture from Google:

"Helga, dear, do these robes make me look fat?"

Afterwards, you move into Dumbledore's office with cabinets FULL of wizarding gadgets. Even the Pensieve makes an appearance! 

FOR SALE: One Pensieve.
May consider choc frog card trade.

Thankfully, they used the proper stone basin as shown in the Order of the Phoenix movie and not the ridiculous Silver Surfer surfboard that replaced it in the Half-Blood Prince movie. (What the hell, David Yates? WHY? WHY?? You cut me deep.)

Next is the Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) classroom where a huge skeleton of something sinister hangs from the ceiling, and jars of pickled things and creepy skulls lurk in windowsills. Holograms of Harry, Ron, and Hermione are beamed onto a balcony where they reveal themselves from underneath the Invisibility Cloak. They convince you to ditch History of Magic and come play Quidditch with Harry and Ron instead! The dialogue is peppered with Ron and Hermione's classic bickering (Ron: Prof. Binns is such a dead bore. Hermione: Ron! Prof. Binns IS dead! He's a ghost! You're so insensitive.)

Right before you board the ride, the Sorting Hat offers bits of sage advice. The pic here doesn't do it justice - it looks so much more sentient in person.

 Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.

That's it! I won't spoil The Forbidden Journey surprise. Trust me, you'll want to find out on your own.

I died and went to Hogsmeade!

Excuse the shine. It's Florida.

Last weekend, I finally made it to my own personal mecca, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP)! Hallelujah! WWoHP was everything I'd hoped for and more. Universal did an ah-may-zing job recreating the world JK Rowling spent more than a decade inventing (and I spent fangirling over). Their attention to detail was remarkable. We spent 8.5 glorious hours at the park and I still wish I had three more pairs of eyes to soak everything in.

WARNING: This is a long and photo heavy post. (Click on the pics to open a new window and click again enlarge.)

With that kind of warning, you'd think I like to take a lot of photos. Well, what has two thumbs and forgot to charge the batteries in her camera before embarking on the trip of a lifetime? THIS GIRL. My camera died after two hours. Gaaaaah. I'm still kicking myself. Anyways, the photos below are a mix from my camera and crummy iPhone 3GS (not even iPhone 4 or Droid!)

Before I left, my friend Chrissie advised me not to bring my DSLR because you can only bring on the rides whatever fits into your pockets. No bags or purses allowed. (Those must be stowed in lockers, conveniently provided for free for the first 30-40 minutes or so. After that, it's $3/hr! With a crowded park, the locker fees can easily rack up.) So I made sure to bring my point-n-shoot and wear loose jeans with big pockets. Despite the warning, we got lucky - the park was relatively empty. By that I mean, most everyone at Islands of Adventure could be found in Hogsmeade. The rest of the park was empty; we actually walked onto The Hulk and Superman! Jody tells me this is unheard of. Even with the "crowd," we only paid a locker fee once. 

Holy Hogsmeade! 

I really felt like I was in Britain, with tilting buildings and narrow streets. Not all the stores are operational, but the storefronts make you wish they were so you could buy a self-writing quill at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, or take home a Mimbulus mimbletonia from Dogweed & Deathcap (also featuring a live, screaming mandrake!) Tomes and Scrolls carries the whole Gilderoy Lockhart collection, including his best-selling autobiography Magical Me. But what I really coveted was Hermione's beautiful, ombre pink chiffon gown for the Yule Ball in the Gladrags Wizardwear display case. *Sigh*

 Zany Zonkos! 

Zonko's is an actual store. Hooray! All of the merchandise is, obviously, jokes and toys and most is for sale - Extendable Ears! Pygmy Puffs! Fanged Flyers! However, for the keen-eyed observer, you can spot merchandise from the books only for display - Portable Swamp, Dr. Fillibuster's Fireworks, and a tangible, hanging recreation of the fire-breathing firecracker that chased down Umbridge. So much fun. I know there are more that I missed, but I was hindered with only one pair of eyes.

Honeydukes!

Honeydukes could give Willy Wonka a run for his candy-coated money. Again, rows upon rows of chocolates and candies, many of which are adapted from the books. I bought a box of Peppermint Toads (delicious!) and hard candies in a Honeydukes jar.

Beauxbaton and Durmstrang!

The Triwizard Rally is a show that takes place several times a day at the top end of Hogsmeade, before you get to Hogwarts. The show features routines from the students at Durmstrang Institute and the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. The Durmstrang guys were pretty intense; this guy looks angry. Or maybe he just resented wearing a brown polyester uniform and combat boots in 100% Florida humidity. Also, where can a girl get a peaked felt fedora? I want one.

I heard the other show offered is the Frog Choir comprising four Hogwarts students, one from each house, accompanied by singing frogs. I didn't see them at all though, so all I can conclude is that they alternate shows.

Two tidbits before I move on: 1) Moaning Myrtle greets you in the loo; and 2) the park is fun for Potter novices and fans alike. You don't have to achieve fanboy status to enjoy yourself.  But if you are a fan, the park designers hid Easter eggs all over the park. I won't give them away (not that I caught them all anyways), but it's fun to look up and spy, say, a jar of doxy eggs or a pot of bubotuber pus while drinking your butterbeer.

Next up...HOGWARTS! All aboard the Hogwart's Express!

Road Trip, Part 2: The Man from Nantucket

"There once was a man from Nantucket
Whose..." 

Hey now! Get your mind outta the gutter! ;)

"There once was a man from Nantucket
Who kept all his cash in a bucket
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket."

To make up for Boston's deluge, Mother Nature apologized with picture perfect weather in Cape Cod.  

We stayed in Hyannis at the Heritage House in a hotel room straight from 1980. I forgot to take a picture but imagine wood paneling, maroon carpet, mauve sheets, matching polyester paisley comforter, and a 13" TV. At least it didn't have rabbit ears. But the hotel was cheap and relatively clean so I didn't complain too much.  

Hyannis wasn't much to write home about. Lots of kitchy shops selling seashells by the seashore and Jimmy Buffet-themed restaurants, like any other harbor town. People go there to catch the ferry to its more famous neighbors, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island.  

Brant Point Lighthouse, Nantucket

The ferry ride to Nantucket took about two hours. Jody looooooves ferries and all things nautical. Me? I was engrossed with Mockingjay. So while Jody ran from bow to stern (back to bow and again to stern), I staked out a shady corner on the deck and buried my nose in Mockingjay.

I'm on a boat!  With my flippy floppies!

MOCKINGJAY!

Nantucket trivia: Nantucket has an island-wide ordinance that all new construction must have cedar-shingled exterior.  That means pretty much everything on the island - be it a house, hospital, gas station, etc. - has the same grey, wooden exterior.  We saw a lot of celebrity-owned houses and yachts, including Tim Russert's house, John Steinbeck's house, and Billy Joel's yacht, just to name a few.

Steinbeck residence

Billy Joel's yacht, "AUDACIOUS"

This windmill is pretty non-descript - just an old windmill that was used to grind corn or flour or something.  But did you know that the sheets on the windmill are removable and were used to control the windmill's speed?  Two sheets were used to grind slowly; four sheets were used to grind quickly.  Three sheets, however, unbalanced the windmill and made it flop around wildly, drunk as a skunk.  Hence the expression "three sheets to the wind"!  Yeah, I shared this picture just to tell that story.

Bottoms up!

Overall, Nantucket and Cape Cod were lovely but not worth a second visit.  Once was enough.  Unless I was invited by the Russert or Steinbeck families to stay in their mansions.  I wouldn't turn down Billy Joel either.  

"Sonny, move out to the country.
Workin' too hard can give you
A heart attackackackackackack"

 Next up...Newport, RI!

Road Trip, Part 1: Chowdah and Lobstah

What comes to mind when you think "New England"? I think of clam chowder (chowdah). But there's got to be more to New England than chowdah, muskets, Paul Revere, and Red Sox baseball, right? For our big "summer vacation" this year, we took a week-long road trip to find out, hitting up Boston, Cape Cod, and Newport. 

I think it's a testament to Boston that I still enjoyed the city even though it RAINED.EVERY.DAY we were there. Three days straight of rain! I had any number of cute summery outfits planned (floral tank! pretty skirt!) that never got used because the high was 60 degrees. Instead, I wore my only pair of jeans every day. But no matter! All you can see in pictures are my raincoat and wellies anyway! 

Boston uniform: red raincoat, black wellies.

Boston uniform: blue raincoat, sneakers.

We stayed at the Newbury Guest House on Newbury St., around the corner from the Boston Public Library.  This library is amazing.  A cavernous marble entrance with a beautifully painted ceiling and tons of Georgian architecture - oh, the symmetry!  I could have wandered its halls forever.

 

We specifically chose to walk the Freedom Trail on Tuesday because the weatherman said it would rain lightly in the morning and clear up as the day went on. PREDICTION FAIL. It rained lightly in the morning and then rained harder like it was hell bent on drenching us. By noon, we were assaulted by gales of umbrella-inverting winds. But we ventured on!  

Massachusetts State House

King's Chapel

 

It was built on a graveyard because no one would sell land to a non-Puritan church. Inside are family box pews, which I'd never seen before. Each pew is located inside a box to preserve warmth in colonial days. The family dog was even welcome in the winter to add warmth! It's still a functioning church today (although I doubt Fido is allowed anymore.)

USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides")

I'm gonna geek out a bit here. I had no idea the USS Constitution was a marvel of naval engineering. We pause for a brief naval jargon explanation, courtesy of Jody and paraphrased by me:

British frigate = small and fast. Weaker firepower. go boom.

British ship of the line = big and clumsy. Lots o' firepower. GO BOOM.

The USS Constitution was part of a new American group of frigates designed to be smaller and lighter than a ship of the line (and therefore faster) but still strong enough to carry lots of cannons (GO BOOM). Over the years, she whooped up on Barbary pirates, English pig dogs, scurvy knaves, and other sons of biscuit eaters, never losing a single battle. America, ___ yeah!

Next time, Fenway!

We had tickets to a Red Sox game that night but it was rained out! My first trip to Boston and I didn't even get to see Fenway. How disappointing! We consoled ourselves with dinner and trivia night at Whiskey's, a local sports bar. We arrived too late to form our own team but somehow wheedled ourselves onto The Blazers. (I think it's because we correctly blurted out (whoops) the answer to "Who was the first scientist to pose a theory that the sun was the center of the universe?"*) 

Jody is uncannily good at trivia. (What is the only country whose capitol city starts with the letter Q?**) We boosted The Blazers from 13th place to 6th! At least until the last round. 

"Three of the top 10 albums in the 90s were soundtracks. Name 2 out of 3."*** Our teammates thought The Crow and Reality Bites. We let them go with it (The Blazers is their team, after all) but we were pretty sure they weren't right.  They weren't.

"This TV drama is the second most Emmy nominated series after Saturday Night Live."**** We answered Law & Order. That wasn't right either.

Next up, Cape Cod!

*Nicolaus Copernicus

**Quito, Ecuador

***The Bodyguard, Titanic, The Lion King

****ER

What The Blog?

Welcome to Blogsmeade, my little part of the internet!

Why Blogsmeade?  Obviously because this is a blog!  Also, I love all things Harry Potter.  (Duh.)

This blog won't be solely about HP, though.  This blog will be about things I love.  I love all things Harry Potter.  I like to repeat myself.  I love photography and traveling.  I like clothes. And shoes. And accessories.  I love geeking out.  I love my family and my husband.  I love other stuff too, but what would be the point of writing a blog if I'm just going to list them here?

If I had to describe myself in three words, they would be "unicorn, oatmeal, and night owl."  Okay, those are nouns, but I never professed to be a wordsmith.  Or even proficient in the English language. But I do like unicorns and oatmeal.

Welcome to my quirkiness!  (If you're interested in learning how to create wizarding recipes in a Muggle kitchen, check out my other blog The Butterbeer Chronicles.)