Farewell Hogwarts

I write to you, friends, a very happy girl. Michael and I have immersed ourselves in a pool of magic the past three days and have had an absolutely splendid time. Yesterday we finally did the only two things we had not done thus far: had ourselves a refreshing Butterbeer, and rode Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Lets start with the Butterbeer...

'Tis a most excellent drink that can be purchased in a souvenir Butterbeer mug. I love my mug! It was an extra hot day so we ordered frozen Butterbeer. It quenched the thirst quite wonderfully. Butterbeer subtly tastes of bubblegum snow cone and smells like butterscotch. The best part is the froth on top which leaves behind a beautiful snow white mustace. Its a good thing we waited until our last day in Hogsmeade to try them, we would have wasted all of our money on Butterbeer! It is addicting.

As for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey...all I can say is best. ride. EVER. After that very first time we rode I almost got emotional. It captivates the magic that there is to be had in JK Rowlings magical world. We loved it so much we ended up riding it four times. You get a souvenir picture afterwards that is taken whilst you pass Aragog and his arachnid children; our picture is pretty much the best picture ever taken. I shall scan it here later for you all to see the joy and excitement on our faces caused by such a fantastic ride.

We even got to ride the 3D Spider-Man ride! Its pretty fun, I actually got a bit scared. Michael was very extra happy after that. Guess what! I am the owner of new Hufflepuff robes! I am very excited about them. I have decided that this year Michael and I shall be Hogwarts students for Halloween.

This was one - if not the best - of the greatest vacations I have ever ventured on. When I awoke this morning, it was Hogwarts I wanted to go to, not the airport. Alas, it was something that needed to be done. Saying goodbye to Hogwarts was difficult, but I have high hopes that I shall return home again.

Jennifer

P.S. It turns out that I suck at uploading pictures (we have been SO busy every day), so I shall upload them all soon! And don't forget about Michael's Corner.

Harry Birthday, Happy!

   Being a part of the first birthday of Harry Potter in the Wizarding World was quite an honor. How many people can say they were at the Harry Potter theme park for the for the first HP Birthday it would see?? Well, probably the other thousand people that were there today...oh well!
   In honor of Harry, Michael and I rode the Hugarian Horntail coaster of the Dragon Challenge ride. (There are two coasters for the ride: Hungarian Horntail and Chinese Fireball) But due to the threatening weather, the ride was suspended for thirty minutes for our safety. We braved the thirty minutes of waiting in line because we love Harry and it is his birthday!
   We finally started purchasing merch and magical goodies today; and boy did we spend some galleons! Something we did not expect though was waiting for us in one of our bags. Whilst going through our magical treasures about an hour ago, I found that a Dobby pin had somehow maneuvered itself into my bag! Which is a bizarrely strange coincidence, seeing as that was the pin that Michael desperately wanted but refused to spend nine dollars on. (No, he did not steal it. Nor did I!) He's good at getting free stuff. Yesterday he found a Slytherin lanyard lying next to a trashcan. Looks like he now has a pin for his lanyard.
   All in all, today was a wonderfully fantastic day! What a great birthday for Harry. I wish he could have been with us to have the fun we had. As I promised, I took a Knight Bus load of pictures today! But sadly I can not upload them tonight, for we must wake early to attend our Three Broomsticks breakfast on our last day in the Harry Potter theme park!

Jennifer

Entering Hogsmeade

We finally made it to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
Even though we almost didn't get our tickets and we went into the wrong park, it all worked out for the better. Stepping into Harry's world is one of the most fascinating things I've ever done. Its hard to choose what to do first! We ended up participating in everything except for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride. The line wait was 70 minutes, all the time. 'Twas much too hot and humid outside for us to stand in that line, but we still have 2 days of magic ahead of us!

My only complaint about the park itself is Ollivanders Wand Shop. We stood in line for probably an hour (we had no idea it would be that long) in the persistent sun to enter the shop amongst a que of twenty people, to watch ONE SINGLE child have his wand choose him, then forced into the Owlery to find our own wands! Me and Michael were about ready to strangle somebody.

I didn't get many pictures; I was too excited experiencing the magic to pick up my camera. But now I have seen most everything and shall take loads of photographs for y'all to see! For now, view the image scroll above.

Jennifer