Bit of a rude awakening this morning after a very late night.
The girls went off this morning to see Harry Potter World, or whatever it’s called. It’s a fair way outside of the city so they needed to get on the move. Harry and his wizard mates didn’t appeal to me so I headed off to the RAF Museum at Hendon. This was a fighter base during the Battle of Britain.
The site claims it has over 100 aircraft. I didn’t count but I reckon they’ll be on the money. I won’t go into details, since most people can’t tell a Messerschmitt 109 from a Gloster Gladiator. I arrived a bit after 10am and left at 4:30pm. Even then I feel that I only skimmed it. I have only posted a couple of essential photos.
I had only finished Bomber Hall by lunchtime, which is about half the main exhibition. The WWI hall and the Battle of Britain display turned out to be museums/displays in their own right.
The best thing? Most of it, although the walk through the Sunderland flying boat was especially good and a chance to be a bit interactive, similar to the HMS Belfast tour yesterday. Seeing the Vulcan bomber in the flesh was awe inspiring too. The wing on that thing is massive.
The worst thing? Finding my way there, as the directions to the place provided by Apple Maps were pretty ordinary. More long walks through unfamiliar surroundings wondering where I was. Should be used to it, decided to wing it on the way home and caught random trains and buses until I got there. That was easier.
All from me for now, Steve J.
Guest bit on Harry Potter (by Emily J)
Mum, Milly and I headed off bright and early this morning to make the long journey to the London Warner Brothers’ Studio Tour (FYI it’s not really in London, but in Leavesden). Luckily, public transport to the studios was super easy, with an extravagantly decorated double-decker shuttle bus transporting people to and from the nearest station.
This tour is huge. The studio lot takes you behind the scenes of the making of all the Harry Potter films and contains countless props, costumes, set pieces, and behind the scenes secrets. Suffice to say we were thoroughly amused spending the majority of our day (10am – 3pm) within it’s walls.
I could spend days doing laps of the place. There is just sooo much to look at and so many behind the scenes secrets to uncover. Not to mention a whole load of fun photo opportunities.
While it’s super hard to pick a favourite part as it was all so insanely awesome, if we absolutely had to pick these were our answers.
Milly – loved it all, but was especially enthralled by the expansiveness and novelty of the gift shop (there’s a surprise).
Mum – most fascinated by all the behind-the-camera action that we learnt about towards to the end of the tour, including the special effects make-up and prosthetics, the electronics and engineering behind the mystical creatures, and the set construction processes.
Me – the prop and set collection at the very beginning of the tour. It was huge, and so well laid out. Being able to see all of the original costumes and props was almost sentimental in a way.
Emily J.