Author’s Note: One year ago, I decided to purchase tickets for the play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, even though I knew I’d have to travel to London to see it. I bought two tickets, not knowing who my travel companion would be. By some random chain of events, one of my best friends from high school decided to join me on the journey. Below is part two of our experience, written in third person in hopes of making it feel more like a story and less like a blog post. All the accounts below are true, accurate and hopefully entertaining.
Day 4 – London – Warner Brothers Studio Tour
Katie and Megan had an early start to catch their train from Edinburgh to London Monday morning. Their first step was another cab to Armadale Station. Since these two apparently couldn’t get anything right, they found themselves stuck in the hotel lobby, the doors locked from inside out. Just as they began to panic, they spotted the large, easy to read sign on the front desk – “Push button for overnight assistance.” Another non-crisis was resolved.
Surprisingly, the 4-hour trip commenced without delay and they arrived at Kings Cross, finally in the city. Once they made it to their hotel, it was time to move out and make their way to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour to see the sets of the Harry Potter movies. Since they’d spent most the morning traveling, the girls hadn’t realized they really needed to eat. They had just enough time to grab a quick sandwich at the train station. Unfortunately, the sandwiches were served by a man with extremely pungent B.O. Trying to hurry and get away from the smell, Megan accidentally grabbed a bottle of carbonated water. She didn’t like it and was left slightly parched, but they both filled their bellies and made their way to the tour. 
The tour is housed in two stage buildings with high ceilings and plenty of props and sets. If you’re a fan of Harry Potter or a fan of television or movie production, you need to see it. It’s expensive, but you get to take as much time as you want to make your way through the two buildings. You get to see everything from the Gryffindor common room to the Ministry of Magic set. You can learn about the special effects, the make-up, the costumes and other behind the scenes “magic.” The tour takes about 3 hours for most people and in the middle, lies the best part: Butterbeer ice cream. Butterbeer is a drink from the books and movies and is available exclusively at only five retailers in the world. Katie and Megan both agreed it was totally worth the trip.
After taking a step into the sets of one of Katie’s favorite tales, they headed back to the train station. Katie and Megan had received Oyster cards from one of their friends. These cards are an easy way to use the trains in London. The girls filled one card with money, thinking they could both utilize it throughout their stay. Once again, they didn’t know that each person needs their own card so they spent the first day or two sneaking one person onto the train. 
The girls made their way back to Earl’s Court and sat down at the Blackbird Pub – a traditional London pub with quirky signs out front. They chose to eat fish and chips which turned out to be HUGE, but also delicious.
Another long day was over and finally, no plans were in sight. Katie and Megan slept for hours, missing breakfast altogether.
Day 5 – London – Sightseeing
Katie and Megan took their time getting ready and decided to continue their hop on hop off touring. They bought a two-day pass with Big Bus London. The double-decker tour featured several stops and great views. They took in a few sights and hopped off for lunch at Wellington. The bar featured local cask ales and a mac and cheese dish that was to die for.
After lunch, the tour continued and there are plenty of photos to show for it. The girls then headed for Tower of London, but discovered it was too late to get a proper look. Instead, they went for the docks and a river cruise. The boat tour was short and sweet, but the guide was witty and knowledgeable. You could purchase beverages and were able to see key London monuments. The boat docked up near the London Eye so the girls decided it was time for a bird’s eye view of the city. On their way, a couple in a pair of large sombreros asked Megan if she would take their photo. After two normal pictures, they asked for one more, turning their heads to the side so they could make out in their large hats. They hoped their several seconds of discomfort made for a photo masterpiece for the lovebirds.
After some laughs and a short walk, they purchased a London Eye and Aquarium combo ticket and got in line. The combo tickets are a good deal. They include several options and allow you to visit the other venues within 90 days of purchase. The only thing: the London aquarium is sparse, but more on that later. The London Eye line is always long, but it really does move fast. Megan and Katie only waited 30-45 minutes to board the large Ferris wheel. The 30-minute ride was a spectacular view that allowed them to see up to 20 miles around London. It was a worthwhile experience, although after boarding the one in Vegas twice, Katie noticed this wheel was missing one thing: booze.
Once the ride was finished, the girls headed back to Earl’s Court for dinner. They settled on Zizzi’s, a cute Italian restaurant they found out was a popular chain. The pizza and spaghetti were excellent, but the best part was dessert. Megan and Katie scarfed down a white chocolate raspberry blondie with gelato on top. It was fabulous. After dinner, they grabbed a drink in the hotel garden bar, their new favorite hangout. Then it was time for bed and another day.
Day 6 – London – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The whole reason for Megan and Katie’s adventure overseas was finally here. It was the day they would see the Harry Potter play. This play is the 8th Harry Potter story taking place 19 years after the 7th book. The play is the only way to see this tale, minus buying the play script. London is currently the only place showing it, but it will open in NYC in 2018. Katie purchased these tickets in August 2016, 11 months before their trip. Thus, she was extremely excited to finally be seeing the show.
After collecting the tickets, the girls headed for a quick tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral – a beautiful place with hundreds of steps to climb to get to the top. It was well worth it to see the detail of the church and the view from way up high. The only thing that wasn’t worth it was the amount of sweat that came with climbing that many stairs and the fact that they would be sitting next to people at a play in just a few hours.
After airing out a bit, they went back to Palace Theatre to get in line for the play – two hours early. In fact, they watched the staff put out the barriers for the queue and were told to wait by the fire exit. The two-hour wait was long, but featured some entertainment along the way. A woman who was clearly disgruntled caught the attention of a theatre staff member and proceeded to loudly proclaim that their queue barriers didn’t leave enough room for a wheel chair to pass through. She continued her protest, telling staff they should be ashamed and generally causing quite a stir. 
Eventually Katie and Megan were allowed inside the gorgeous and historic theatre. They kicked off the afternoon with two delicious Bloody Mary’s and found their seats. Ahead of the play they still had two seats in front of them that hadn’t been filled, but it was wishful thinking to hope they’d remain empty. Instead, two obnoxious British 20-somethings sat down – discussing various things in a very loud manner. This included the fact that one of the girls had to hide two bags of M&Ms in her armpits to sneak them into the play. Fortunately, the annoyance stopped when the play started besides her rustling through the M&Ms bag a few times.
After Part One, Megan and Katie decided to get a quick bite at The Spice of Life right across from the theatre. The bar featured small plates and the two enjoyed some potato skins and other delicious fare. They still had some time before Part Two so they headed to Mina Lima the gallery that houses the prints featured in the Harry Potter films. Mina Lima created all the graphic design for these movies. The gallery had several floors of exhibit space and plenty of gift items to buy for their friends. Katie and Megan then headed back to the theatre for Part Two.
The play is a total of 5 hours and 30 minutes, is a magical experience and features some special effects never seen on stage before. That’s about all that can be said as the creators ask the audience to #KeepTheSecrets and not to give anything away.
Up Next: Watch for the next post recapping Cambridge and Oxford, a cave wine bar and a high-class trip home.
Katie flew out of Nashville on time, but when she arrived in New York City, she realized Megan was delayed in Atlanta. Megan’s flight was supposed to leave at 5 p.m., but the delay clock kept ticking and Megan knew she wouldn’t make the 9 p.m. flight to Scotland. Thus, both Katie and Megan would be stuck in New York City for the night. Delta had rebooked them to leave a whole 24 hours later, cutting in to their 2-day trip to Edinburgh.
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