London review

So I got a little behind on blogging about my London trip! Here are some of the highlights from my second week there.

Henna: I got henna done on my hand! I've wanted to get a henna design ever since my sister came home from India with an authentic one. Alexandra and I both got it done at a Green Festival in Regent Park. Alexandra has a blog post dedicated to this. 

Rock of Ages premier: The Rock of Ages movie premier was happening at Leister Square, so we decided to stop by. There were the hard core people who had been camping out since 8:00 that morning who had the best spots right up at front, but considering we got there at like 5:00, we were able to get up fairly close. They had music from the movie playing, and at one point a band got up to perform the same music live. It was fun to listen to, and I had those rock songs stuck in my head for the rest of the evening. Oh, and I saw Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand, and the rest of the cast! Ok, from a distance...but I still saw them. There was a stage set up, and all the major cast members got up and did an interview.

Harry Potter Studio Tour: We went to the Making of Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour. It was really incredible! This is a tour of all the sets, props, costumes, and designs for all the Harry Potter movies. For example, I saw the Great Hall, the Gryffindor common room, the boy's dormitory, Dumbledore's office, 4 Privet Drive, the Knight bus, and a whole bunch more. This is where they filmed the majority of the films. I felt like I was reliving my childhood since I grew up with the Harry Potter books and movies! Parts of it were just too much to handle! I think I took over 100 photos ( I promise I won't post them all!). And then there was the gift store...oh my goodness. It's this huge space with every Harry Potter item you could ever imagine. I got a pair of mittens that had the Hogwarts crest and colors. I really wanted one of the concept drawings. They were beautiful, but so expensive! Oh well, I'm happy with my mittens. I'll use them in Scotland. 

ahhhhh!!!!!!! We're so excited. :)

Gryffindor common room

Knight bus (all destinations except under water!)

Diagon Alley (strange lighting...)

model of Hogwarts Castle

and cue tears.....

Frankenstein: So a year ago, the National Theatre presented Frankenstein starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller. They switched playing the roles of the Creature and Dr. Frankenstein every night. So Alexandra and I went crazy last May, knowing that it was playing in London and we couldn't see it!!! But alas, the National Theatre filmed in and showed it in theaters in June. When we saw it, Ben was Frankenstein and Johnny was the Creature. It was an incredible, beautiful, heart-breaking production. The acting was phenomenal, and I wish we had been in London to see the second showing so I could see Ben and Johnny switch roles. 

Other Shows: Besides Frankenstein, we also saw The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at Kensington Gardens, the musical Matilda, and Henry V at the Globe. They were all very different shows, but I liked them all! I love the London theatre, and I'm definitely planning on taking a train down from St. Andrews to see some shows. 

inside the Globe!