Harry Potter Studio Tours

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Maybe you have noticed that I haven’t been active for two weeks. This can’t be excused. I will make up the missed reviews of course. I was sick and then I had my birthday. I am so sorry! But anyways, let’s get started.
It’s the end of November, so it’s time for another special! By the heading you can tell, that I am about to review my amazing experience at the Harry potter Studio Tours in London. If you are planning to go there, and you don’t want any spoilers, just skim the text. I don’t want to take your impressions away! Have you already been there, or are you planning to go there? Let me know and leave a comment below! (OMG that was such a good rhyme! Like a poet 😉 )
I started reading the books when I was seven years old. Right from the start I was under the spell of Harry’s world. The movies brought this magical world to life, but still the world I seeked was out of my reach. Suddenly there was a possibility to touch and experience everything myself and I knew that someday I wanted to go there. This Halloween I travelled to London and visited the Harry Potter Studios in Leavesden. I took the train from London Euston to Watfrod Junction. After finding out that I took the slow train, which took me an hour, instead of the train that would have taken e twenty minutes I arrived at the station. Right there I got onto a Harry Potter themed bus and while we were driving a short video from the actor, who portrayed Mr. Weasley was shown to the whole group, where he told us how to get an audio guide, the tickets and where to put the coats, brooms and wands, if you didn’t want to carry them around with you the whole time. I arrived and I remember thinking to myself: “This isn’t real! You are not doing this right now! I am not in London. I must be dreaming.” I got my tickets and was amazed by the entry. Huge portraits of all the main characters were hung up at the walls. A deatheater statue was right in front the door due to the “Dark Arts Feature” that was taking place when I was there. Then I started to wait in the queue. It was so long, even though I came earlier than I expected to. I noticed that fans of every age where there. From toddlers to grandparents, everyone shared the love for the story about the boy who lived. To my surprise it didn’t take me as long as I expected it to be to finally get started. Suddenly I was in a dark room with screens, which showed released and unreleased posters for the movie premieres. Then a door opened and the group I was in entered the own cinema of the studios. A short clip started and Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint explained their incredible history with the series. The screen disappeared as the lights were switched on and the golden gate of the great hall appeared behind it. I entered the great hall seeing all the decorations for Halloween and the clothes of the most famous students of the four houses. At the end of the hallway the teachers table and their clothes appeared in front of me. Then in such a quick time a staff member told us to move on to make room for the next group. I left the great hall in tears and looked at the set of the Yule ball, the costumes and the hair styles of some of the characters. I accidently thought Lucius Malfoy’s wig was Lunas’, because it was so long. Things like this can happen! Moving on I saw Dumbledore’s office, the Burrow, Hagrid’s hut, the potions classroom, the Gryffindor common room, the boy’s dormitory, the moving stair cases, the vehicles, they used in the movie production and so on. An activity, where you could duel a death eater caught my eye. I tried it and it just felt awesome, to duel someone myself and actually defeat him. Another activity caught my attention: I could ride a broom in front of a green screen. Later in the photo lab they added so features to the photo and it just looked stunning. By the price of 14 Pounds a photo it was expensive, but worth it. Moving on I saw the set of Malfoy Manor, the Ministry of Magic, the Magic is Might statue and the thousand laws that Umbridge hung up in front of the great hall. I caught myself having my mouth open like a fish, when I saw Kings Cross station and the Hogwarts Express. They rebuild the whole Platform 9 ¾ in the studio. I was so confused that for a moment I thought that I was going on the train right now to go back to Hogwarts after a break. (Maybe I did, who knows? Maybe I am a witch pretending to be a Muggle) As I went through the train, I saw that they dedicated one apartment to one movie and added some accessories, like a quibbler, fitting for each one. After a visit to the tiny shop at the platform, I went to the cafeteria, where I got myself some delicious butterbeer, since they are only serving it at three places in the world. You might ask, if I looked like Hermione with a cream moustache, yes I did and it was so delicious. I moved on to the exterior part, where the “Knight bus”, Number 4 Privet drive, the iconic “Hogwarts bridge, the “Potter’s cottage” and Sirius’s motorbike were located. I could also take a look at some of the chess figures from the first movies. The next room showed creatures, like the merpeople, Dobby, Voldemort’s foetus and the life size puppets for the second task of the triwizard tournament could be seen. In the corner of the next room Aragog was hanging from the ceiling, what made me a little nervous, but I could calm myself when I saw a model of buckbeak, lying in the pumpkin field. Through the next door I entered Diagon Alley. Every single shop was there with all its details and beauty. I could take a look into the shops through the windows and enjoy the feeling of being about to buy my wand or a Hogwarts robe. The next room showed models of every entire room of the movies made out of paper. First sketches and the development of characters were shown and how wands were created. I started crying, when I entered the next hall. The model they used to film the exterior scenes appeared in front of me and I felt like I have never been so close to my magical world than before. I won’t forget this moment as long as I live. Always. The last room was full of wand boxes. An elderly woman was standing in the middle of the room with a laser pointer. Every single person, who helped creating the movies, directors, caterers, cleaning staff, actors, producers, costume designer, make-up artists and so on had their name written on a personal wand box. I asked the woman some of my favourite actors and without a blink she could point at any box with the name on it. She started to tear up as a woman asked, where her box was, because as she told us, she didn’t have one, but the idea of having one would be the greatest honour someone could give to her. After this emotional journey my last stop was the shop, which held every single merchandise you could imagine. I got myself a chocolate frog, a Yorkshire mix from Honeydukes, a Hogwarts crest key ring and a snitch necklace, which I wear every day since then to always remember the joy and love Harry Potter has given me. I was so sad when I had to leave, but I am planning to return.
This trip was of course expensive, but every penny was worth spending it. The shuttle bus was only two pounds and the least expensive thing I paid for this whole trip. A visit is worth it for every Harry Potter fan out there and for those, who will become one. This tour is not a trap and they don’t just suck out your money. The people who worked there were lovely and very kind. The whole studio is just overwhelming and I will never ever regret my trip to Leavesden. I felt I was rushing through the rooms. If I could I would turn back the tie and be more relaxed and take more time to enjoy every single detail.

“Maybe Harry Potter is real and you aren’t.” – John Green
“Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” – J.K. Rowling