Amazingly, those first two days were absolutely beautiful. It was sunny and hot, and perfect for exploring new places. This was not the case on Thursday. We woke up to pouring rain and a chilling wind. Fortunately, a bunch of SAS kids had booked a tour of Harry Potter Studios that day, so no amount of terrible weather could dampen my day. We spent the morning hanging around the hostel getting to know each other before heading out to the studios. It was magical in every sense of the word. Not only did it appeal to the part of my that will always believe that my letter to Hogwarts just got lost in the mail, but also to the part that is completely fascinated with everything that goes into creating such an amazing film. Every prop and set in the studio were the authentic ones used in the filming of the 8 movies in the franchise. Beside every thing was a board that talked about what it was and how it was used, and what the importance of it all was. We spent THREE hours walking around, and I felt like I could have done so much more. Not only did they have props and costumes, but they had original sketches for various scenes, creatures, and special effects. You could see the mechanics behind certain things like the book Hagrid assigns for the students in Care of Magical Creatures (the one that attacks Harry when he opens it). It was incredible.
We finished off the day with a trip to the London eye, just before it closed. We had been told that it is amazing during both the day and night, but the night gives you a view of London lit up that nothing can beat. We were so happy we decided to go at night because the view from the top truly took my breath away. You could see everything in London, and it was amazing.
Friday was sadly our last day in the city. Though I had already done and seen so much, there was still so much more I had left to do. I had an entire plan for the day, and was determined to accomplish everything. The plan was destined for failure from the beginning though. We left almost an hour and a half after I was hoping to get going. That wasn't the biggest deal, though. We still went to an incredible breakfast and walked around Borough Market trying all sorts of cheese and olive oils. Our next stop was the Globe Theater, Millennium Bridge (the one Death Eaters destroy in the HP movies), and St. Paul's Cathedral (where we saw a group of older women who called themselves the Red Hat Society and wear fancy red hats whenever they gather). We then headed off towards our next destination, the amazing Abbey Road.
Finally, we were on our way to Abbey Road. I was so excited I couldn't control myself (surprise, huh?). It was SO COOL. Yeah, it's just a walkway on a street, but THE BEATLES WALKED HERE SO I DON'T CARE. After a few failed attempts at getting the iconic picture, we saw an Italian couple who went all out to get what they wanted. The woman taking the picture stepped out right into the middle of the street and blocked traffic while the man walked (BAREFOOT, just like Paul) across the street. It was awesome. So, I approached them and asked them (in Italian) if they could do the same for us, and they were so excited to hear me speaking Italian that they said yes! (I seriously have used Italian almost as much as English on this trip, it's amazing) We crossed the street and the man took the picture, blocking all traffic until he got a shot he was satisfied with...in typical Italian fashion.
Unfortunately, it had gotten so late that we weren't able to do any of the other things I was planning on doing. Instead, we headed to dinner and then back to the hostel to get our things. On the way back, we got off the Tube a stop early and walked across London Bridge to see the beautiful Tower Bridge all lit up. It was breathtaking. Back at the hostel, my friends picked up their stuff, and I packed my things and checked out early. One of my friends graciously offered to let me stay in the Hilton room for free since I had to be there so early the next morning, so I jumped on the opportunity. Fortunately, Dani and I had checked in our luggage, but our friends Emily and Stephen had brought it all with them. I have never struggled so much in my entire life. Getting their things all the way to the hotel (attached to the airport) via Tube was near impossible and would never have happened had Dani and I brought all our things with them. We finally made it, though, and with a nice nightcap in the hotel room, our amazing time in London came to and end.
It was certainly a couple weeks of nonstop, hectic running around, but I couldn't have imagined having a better time in London. All the stress was completely worth it. The best part? London isn't even one of the official ports for SAS. If my time there was that amazing, I am so excited to see how the rest of this trip blows me away.
Baci e abbracci! xoxo
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