(no subject)

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

I've been such a terrible comm member lately, but now I have constant internet access, so hopefully that will change.

And I have to say this:

I know I've only been in England for a month, but I have to say, I don't think that as an American I really realized exactly how much of Harry Potter is based in English culture. I'm glad I'm learning now, but wow. One of my friends pointed this out as we were on our way into Norwich the other day, because the bus was really jerky and she said that it was totally obvious where JKR was getting the Knight Bus from. And there are just so many other things, it's really funny.

We also got to take a trip to Oxford and see Christchurch College, ie one of the places they filmed Chamber of Secrets.



The staircase Tom Riddle was standing on


And again


Me doing a really bad Tom Riddle impression (and simultaneously being told what a dork am I for doing this)

Hogwarts-looking hallways:




And what looks like the Great Hall ceiling to me, although I don't think they filmed the Great Hall scenes there (but I don't know)



And that's all I've got!

Any other cool HP sites I need to visit while I'm in the UK?

Rachel//Ravenclaw

Comments

[blackisslimming.livejournal.com]

I'm going to London this summer. Any places you suggest I go?



Presence//Ravenclaw

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

Everywhere!

Lol, seriously, there is so much to see in London it's ridiculous. After a month of basically non-stop touristing, I still didn't see everything.

I'm a history student, so the Tower of London was an absolute must (I've been twice). Go on the Beefeaters' tour there; it's really good. Umm..Shakespeare's Globe is very cool and you can get really cheap tickets for the plays if you're willing to stand, but buy seats if you get tired quickly or it's raining or anything (we stood and leaned on the stage, which would have been totally fine if I hadn't been walking around for literally 7 straight hours that day). We went up to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory and just walk around. The town is lovely and has a really nice market. Ummmm...walk around Kensington to see the posh shops and go into Harrods, Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, the Banqueting House (all that's left of Whitehall Palace), the Houses of Parliament have really good tours (I'm a politics junkie too ^^). Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery are brilliant. I must've gone to the National Gallery three or four times. I love it. The Tate Britain also has a lot of good stuff. If you like modern art (which I'm not fond of), there's also the Tate Modern. You get a fantastic view of the city from the London Eye. The British Museum has the Rosetta Stone, tons of Egyptian stuff, the Parthenon Marbles, just loads of things. If you're into clothing and china and housewear type stuff, there's the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is right near the Natural History Museum. If you can, get tickets to a show or two. We went to see one night of the Proms and I really enjoyed that. Regent's Park also has an open air theater that does great shows. You can walk up the steps in St. Paul's Cathedral and in the monument to the Great Fire.

That's a tiny fraction of stuff to do in London.

Also, just go walk around somewhere. Take a book and sit in one of the parks and read (St. James's, Regent's and Hyde Parks are all lovely). I wandered around Seven Dials and the area near the British Museum one day and looked in all the shops, and I really enjoyed that. There's some really cool stuff in and around the Spitalfields Market, Whitechapel and Brick Lane (although the area is slightly dodgier).

Heh, sorry for my rambling, but I absolutely adore London. It's expensive and really crowded, but I had such a fabulous time being there for a month!

[blackisslimming.livejournal.com]

hey, thanks a lot. I was really in need of a decent opinion. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.


presence//ravenclaw

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

Sure. ^^ How long are you going for?

Oh, and I forgot Westminster Abbey! That's a cool place to visit too. And the day my friend and I went, they were filming the Da Vinci Code right outside, too, so I got to see Ian McKellen. :D

[jupitersdarling.livejournal.com]

You were going into Norwich not often I hear that city mentioned on the internet. ^_^

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

Lol, it's a neat town! I didn't know much about it before we got here, but I'm learning.

Ok, mostly I'm learning where Tesco is, but I'm going to try and visit the castle and cathedral and stuff too.

And I like your icon! That's Kevin Pieterson, right?

[jupitersdarling.livejournal.com]

That sure is Mr. Pietersen and I think I love you, for knowing who he is.

Norwich isn't that far from me, the castle and cathedral are good places to visit, the history of them is scarey.

Norwich is also great for shopping.

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

Lol, I just learned from watching the Ashes this summer. And I'm in the cricket club at UEA, actually, learning how to play. It's really hilarious how many of the guys seem to have their hair done like Kevin now.

Norwich is great for shopping! It's a pain having to lug everything back on the bus, but there is darn good shopping.

[karinablack.livejournal.com]

oh WOW!
jealous jealous jealous
those are awesome!

[lariren-shadow.livejournal.com]

Durham is where they filmed the car scenes and the whole walking in the court yards in the first two movies. The cathedral there and the school are both in the movies, the cathedral from the outside. I have the same pictures from Gloster, where they filmed a lot of the hall scenes from the first two movies. I have also been to where she started writing them in Edinburgh(but that is like a 6 hour train ride). Ok, there is my ramboling done...pretty pictures.

[skyfading.livejournal.com]

omg I am so jealous. I lived in England for four years but that was before the films came out, and I'd never heard of that church before! How beautiful!

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

I hadn't realized that was where they filmed either; I went because my friend Matt said it looked cool and I agreed. But we walked in and I was joking that it kind of looked like Hogwarts. Then we got to the staircase and I was all "OMG it is Hogwarts!"

[beautyfrompain.livejournal.com]

lucky!! Thanks so much for sharing these pictures - so awesome!!! You're living out there now? Or just visiting?

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

I'm living in Norwich for just this year to go to the university, then I'm going back to the US.

But who knows? Maybe I'll be here for graduate school. ^^

[spritely-ariel.livejournal.com]

Nice pics.

Alnwick Castle (www.alnwickcastle.com)in Northumberland was another location for the first two films. It's a really amazing castle that is still lived in, but a bit out of the way.

[thespyglass.livejournal.com]

Glad you're having a good time! I live here and I haven't done the Potter trail! Oxford is beautiful, hope the weather was okay.

I have to say, I always wonder about the American perspective on HP when it comes to comic references. I always imagined it was like me being British and watching Buffy. I loved it, and mostly got the references, but some were just too American, and maybe that's what it's like?

Although, the Lexicon is very helpful when it comes to those things ;)

[theweezerlover9.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's really cool!
I was in England, but only for 3 days, so I couldn't really get the feel of it. We were basically in London, and in the suburbs (I guess that's what you'd call them?) where my cousins live. That was like 4 or 5 years ago now though. I really like it though, and I want to go back! ee! hehe
That would be very cool to see the place where some of HP was filmed.
:)

[perrie.livejournal.com]

Of COURSE, you have to come to Edinburgh, and I'll take you to the coffee shop where JKR wrote Philosophers Stone. :D

[ciorstaidh.livejournal.com]

Of course, there's Kings Cross station in London, for Platform 9 3/4 (which is not between platforms 9 and 10, but (I think) 5 and 6? There's only one pair of platforms where there are arches like in the film, so you'll be able to find it fairly easily. Just watch that you don't try and go through the barriers...those muggle-repelling charms give you a headache when you hit the barrier! ;-)

Another place to visit is Glen Coe (where they filmed most of the outside/Hagrid's hut scenes for PoA and - I think - GoF too, if there's any in there).

For a "real" idea of what the Dursley's house is like, it's not actually like in the films, but (I heard on a list somewhere) is more like the Edwardian villas you find in suburban London (largely the Eltham to Dulwich stretch of London - very very middle-class).

[musicaltwin07.livejournal.com]

I'm so jealous note to self: If I ever get the chance to take a trip to Oxford, go see Christchurch College!!! :D I do believe there's a sign (at least I heard) at the Kings Cross station saying please don't try and run through the barrier, which really just makes me want to go there and try it even more! lol

[ciara-belle.livejournal.com]

There is! A couple of the other people on my abroad program went and said they saw it. I went to King's Cross, but only the underground station part.