After a not-so-appetizing breakfast at the hotel, the group and I made our way down to the underground/tube station (which is much the same as the Toronto Subway system only more extensive, faster, simpler. Before entering the Queensway station we were entertained by a middle aged man out front playing a massive cello. It reminded me of all the street performers in downtown Toronto.
At the station we were all able to purchase “oyster cards” which give us a 7 day consistent access to the tube for 30 pounds!
We then, all, stepped into a huge elevator that holds about 20-25 people, to get to the underground.
Transferring one train, we ended up at the Victoria station and headed toward sunshine (not traditional London weather).
From there we were blown away by, yet again, the brilliant architecture and fast paced transit consisting of black taxis, taxis covered in the British flag, and, of course, the double-decker buses.
As the sun shone down upon us we began to walk in the direction of Buckingham Palace. Due to a “run for pets” marathon we were forced but not inconvenienced to take the scenic route a.k.a detour route.
With hopes of seeing the traditional London guards with shined black shoes, black pants, red and gold tunics and bearskin hats; I was disappointed.
A very good attempt at capturing a guard at work...Not really
The area was beautiful, even the gate surrounding the palace. However, those gates put quite the distance between the outsiders, and the guards standing direction in front of the doors.
Barely close enough to see them.
Without much time to gawk at the palace we pushed onward toward the double-decker bus station to take us to the Warner Brothers Studio.
We all boarded the bus and climbed the stairs, eager and excited to sit at the top. Apparently the sun had got to us all, as majority of us took a nap to pass the hour and half bus trip to the studio…
Myself admiring the amazing chess piece
Arriving in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, as merely fields surrounded the outside of the studio we saw images of the Harry Potter films and statues of knights from the chess game in one of the movies.
Entering the Studio, the front hall had a high ceiling lined with pictures of the actors, it was quite amusing to see how Harry Potter ,Daniel Radcliffe had changed from the first movie at age 11 til the final movie.
We were handed our tickets and ushered into a small room with a short introduction.
I found the intro to be perfect in setting the mood of the tour. It discussed the idea behind Harry Potter.
We were ushered into another room, this time,a small theater where we were greeted by Harry, Ron and Hermione on the big screen to brief us on our day’s events.
Once this was over and the screen lifted we entered the third lag of our tour: THE GREAT HALL. We viewed the actual sets of the films reoccurring scenes that did not get torn down.
We saw everything!!! From the boys dormitory, Dumbledore's office, many (MANY) props, the potion’s classroom, life-size wax figures of the actors, mystical creatures, outdoor sets like, Harry’s Aunt and Uncle’s house and the Hogwarts bridge, and that’s only to name a few.
Entering the Studio, the front hall had a high ceiling lined with pictures of the actors, it was quite amusing to see how Harry Potter ,Daniel Radcliffe had changed from the first movie at age 11 til the final movie.
We were handed our tickets and ushered into a small room with a short introduction.
I found the intro to be perfect in setting the mood of the tour. It discussed the idea behind Harry Potter.
We were ushered into another room, this time,a small theater where we were greeted by Harry, Ron and Hermione on the big screen to brief us on our day’s events.
Once this was over and the screen lifted we entered the third lag of our tour: THE GREAT HALL. We viewed the actual sets of the films reoccurring scenes that did not get torn down.
We saw everything!!! From the boys dormitory, Dumbledore's office, many (MANY) props, the potion’s classroom, life-size wax figures of the actors, mystical creatures, outdoor sets like, Harry’s Aunt and Uncle’s house and the Hogwarts bridge, and that’s only to name a few.
I personally, found myself wandering alone through the tour and was able to become fully engaged and really embrace the inner HP fan that I am!
It was a very touristic experience, which I couldn't quite find a relevant connection to aid me in the direction of my future career.
It was nonetheless interesting personally and did remind me of the film class offered at Guelph-Humber; learning about the dramatic and enhancing devices, not to mention the directing and behind the scenes work.
This is not something I would see myself pursuing, and entering the gift shop really clarified that I was nothing but a tourist in this studio, and I was okay with that.
It was a very touristic experience, which I couldn't quite find a relevant connection to aid me in the direction of my future career.
It was nonetheless interesting personally and did remind me of the film class offered at Guelph-Humber; learning about the dramatic and enhancing devices, not to mention the directing and behind the scenes work.
This is not something I would see myself pursuing, and entering the gift shop really clarified that I was nothing but a tourist in this studio, and I was okay with that.
Back tracking most of our day, Ian, Stephanie and I made it our own mission to find our way back and be a little adventurous in the heart of London taking the tube and making connections based on signs, shops, and of course asking a few locals for confirmation of our route.
Making it back to the hotel, it was late, and I knew an early morning was ahead so in order to prep for the next day I relaxed in the room taking a few shots of the delicious Crown Royal whiskey beverage and researching some Mediacom information to get me psyched.
**MediaCom is a global advertising company I have been looking forward to visiting. I hope that it can help me decide on a potential future career option. I can’t express my interest in advertising and marketing and what the future will be like with social media and ever changing trends of popular mediums.
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