Back Home At Last

It’s 10:15 pm and I am finally back home – after a very long delay and lots of waiting around for luggage and drivers. But that’s okay, because it gave me time to read the book and all I am going to say about it is – WOW!! A bigger and better review to come later when more people have had a chance to read the book.

I’m posting the rest of my pictures up at my Flickr site, and I think that in this case, pictures tell the story best. It was a fantastic and magical night and I loved meeting lots of Harry Potter fans from all over – Spain, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany, California, New York, Chicago and other areas from the globe. We learned new Harry Potter fans songs and joined in for a chorus of the Hogwarts school song (Hoggy Warty Hogwarts). Bands were playing and muggles, witches and wizards – some famous others not as much – magical creatures, reporters, Death Eaters, and giants bonded for one night before being handed the book. I had an amazing time and I am just a little sad that it is now over!

It’s getting late, but I have more to say about my trip and experience so check back. For now have fun at my Flickr site with the pictures.

 

Harry Potter MANIA at Piccadilly Circus!!!

I only arrived at the Waterstones at 7 pm last night to get in line, but I could not believe what I saw.  Already 3000 people were in line and lots more to come.  The store only expected between 1500 and 3000 but they seemed well-equipped.

We made our way around the line, which weaved around several streets in Piccadilly Circus and parked ourselves at the end of line – which happened to be right in front of a huge pile of garbage!  Oh, well.

The people behind us in line were also from America and we quickly bonded through our love of Harry Potter.  We were able to walk around and see all the Snapes, Dumbledores, Quidditch players, Death Eaters, etc. that were wandering around the square.  By 11 pm there were more than 7000 people in line!  Craziness…

I was interviewed by CBS news and I believe it was televised in America.  The reporter seemed stunned at how far people were willing to travel and how long they were willing to wait in line for book, but we were all happy to be there.

I ended up getting my book earlier than expected – at around 12:30 am and I read a few chapters last night.  Don’t worry – I won’t be saying anything more about the book for a while.

When I get home I have lots of pictures from last night to post and a lot of great stories, but right now I am at Heathrow Airport and I am short on internet time, so stay tuned!  Barring flight delays, I should be able to post at around 4 or 5 pm New York time.  Check back then.

The crowd at Piccadilly was even bigger than this last night!

 

London Day 4: Tonight’s the Night!!

There is not much news today.  After a long run this morning through the gorgeous Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, I took my first Double Decker bus back to the Tower of London, this time to see the inside.  It is a fascinating place; unfortunately, our Yeoman Warder tour was cut short due to rain – and lots of it!  We spent a good hour seeing the Crown Jewels, the dungeons, and the torture chamber, but by then the rain was coming down in buckets.  It was a great adventure getting to the Tube station; we had to wade through some deep water and were completely soaked by the time we reached our train.  After a very slow ride due to the rain flooding many of the stations, we finally reached a halfway point between where we had been and where we wanted to go, but all service had stopped.  So we walked!

Right now, I am heading over to the Waterstone’s at Piccadilly to join the party.  I saw some of the fans I met in the past couple of days on the BBC news this afternoon being interviewed about their experience waiting in line.  I can’t wait to see what it looks like now – I am sure it is absolutely packed!

I’ll write about the party later on, but, don’t worry, I will not spoil any part of the book!  My review will come much later when most people are well done with their reading.  What are you doing tonight? I want to hear about all the great parties and events going on back home, too!

Here is a picture of our Yeoman Warder tour guide at the Tower of London!

 

London Day 3: Just One More Day

Hello again from London! My husband and I did more sightseeing today: we saw Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the Design Museum, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and wandered around some of the older streets that Jack the Ripper used to frequent.

The place we ate lunch today was a dark and slightly dingy pub, and while the food was terrific, I couldn’t help thinking a little of the Leaky Cauldron.

I also couldn’t help myself — I went back to Waterstone’s at Piccadilly Circus, just to see how the crazy Potter fans from yesterday were doing. If you can believe this, the line doubled in size since last night alone! See my updated Flickr pictures for an updated picture.

Harry-mania is starting to creep into the papers here. In every paper I’m seeing more and more articles about the book and all the fans (even one about the line outside Waterstone’s!). Hang in there, Potter fans! Only one more day! I’ll write again before I head over to get in line myself.

 

London Day 2: Passionate Harry Potter Fans

Today was a great day. I got up in the morning feeling refreshed from finally sleeping in a real bed for 7 full hours, went for a beautiful run through Holland Park, and then started on my walking tour. In a 1.7 mile walk, I saw the Palace of Westminster, which is also known as the Houses of Parliament and houses Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace where I witnessed the Changing of the Guards, Trafalger Square, the National Gallery, the Life Guards, and the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill Museum. It was a gorgeous day and I had a fabulous time.

I also got in some fun Harry Potter touristy stuff. I stood in a red telephone box and pretended to dial “MAGIC” to get to the Ministry of Magic – check out the picture at my Flickr site (link is below). After the walking tour, we hopped into the nearest tube to head to King’s Cross Station. I have some great pictures in front of Platform 9 3/4, and on the bridge that Harry and Hagrid stood on in the first movie right before Hagrid disappeared from Harry’s side.

We also saw 10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives, and I imagine one of the rooms in where he held his conversations with Fudge about the Magical World.

The craziest thing we saw was at the Waterstone’s Bookstore in Piccadily Circus, where they are having a huge party on Friday night and I am picking up my books. The line had already started!!!! There were about 40 dressed-up Harry Potter fans, who began their wait today for the party on Friday night. Most of them were from Holland and France and they were having a fantastic time singing Harry Potter songs and promoting their own fan site – dreuzels.com (dreuzels means muggles in Dutch). I started worrying about my own spot in line, but I want to be able to enjoy London before I head to the party, so I spoke with the people in the store and was reassured about getting a spot in line if I get there on Friday afternoon. I’m going to head back tomorrow to see how much the line has grown and talk with more Potter fans!

Don’t forget to check out the Flickr site to see my pictures. Check back tomorrow for more!

 

Hello from London!

I made it!  It’s been two exhausting days and I’ve only slept for two hours since Sunday evening, but I am having a blast.  My husband and I flew a red-eye on Air India and arrived in London just this morning.  Since then we’ve been discovering London.

As the plane was landing, I imagined I could see Little Whinging – all the houses looked the same in the area outside London.  My sister-in-law, who is visiting London from California, was here for the premiere of  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and saw Rupert Grint standing on a balcony in Leicester Square and, of course, professed her love for him.

Tonight I saw a show in the West End and tomorrow we’ll start our walking tours.  For now, I definitely need some sleep, but I’ll be sure to give a Harry Potter update tomorrow.  Check out my pictures at the Flickr link below.

 

London, Baby!

Tomorrow is the day.  After a weekend full of driving a quarter of the way across the country and back and a week of programming at the library, I will be leaving it all behind to jet across the Atlantic.  I will only arrive on Tuesday morning, but check back to hear all about the flight and my trip into London that day.  I have a feeling I’ll be meeting lots of other Potter fans, so I’ll keep you posted on the craziness going on in London.

For those of you who don’t know – I am traveling to London for a week of Harry Potter festivities (and some site seeing) and to get a copy of the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  I will be writing all about my trip and posting pictures to my Flickr account while I am there.

Thanks for visiting!  You’ll hear from me soon.

 

Countdown to London!

Alright guys, only three more weeks until I leave for London for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have a couple of walking tours planned to see the city and I am definitely going to make it to King’s Cross Station to check out Platform 9 3/4, the Australia House, and a few other Harry Potter locations, but I could use some suggestions. Where else can I go – Harry Potter related or not? Any tips, clues, ideas, hints, or suggestions are welcome. Thanks!!