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Hello lovelies, before I start with the photos I just want to say that if you're going to the Studio Tour soon perhaps you might
not want to look at my photos until afterwards. I didn't look at anyone's photos before I went - I think maybe it would ruin the
surprise. I'm not going to give anything away by telling you what happens or the order of things at the tour, but of course the
photos are going to show you things you might not have realised were there. I must say that all of this is a million times more
impressive in real life, and there are a million more things to see than what I'll show you here.
As a huge Harry Potter fan, I was beyond excited when I received tickets from Mark for Christmas 2012. We finally got round
to going on my birthday, December 1st. Now, Mark had never read the books or seen the films. Upon receiving the tickets, we
decided Mark had better watch all of the films so he could appreciate the tour too. He became totally hooked - he loved it! He
loved the tour just as much as me & I can honestly say it is so worth a visit. I want to go again!! As we visited in December, you
can see snow around (just look at Hogwarts!!). I'd be interested to visit to see how it differs when it isn't Winter too.
It took me such a long time to narrow down the photos to even this many! Now I have some advice for anyone who is going to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Make sure you charge your batteries - we took a Canon DSLR, a Nikon bridge camera & our iPhone 5s. The two cameras died before we'd barely started - I was gutted! Take photos of everything you want to, and don't be afraid to pose with the props! The tour is split into sections, once you leave a section, you can't go back so spend as much time as you need to before moving on. Prepare to get a little bit emotional - awe, joy, sadness, excitement - you name it, if you grew up with Harry Potter like I did it's insane to see it set out like this and to learn things about the making of the films that will fascinate you and make you feel totally inspired. Make sure you take money or a card, the gift shop is amazing and you'll want to buy everything! Last of all, wear comfortable shoes because you're going to be on your feet for most of the tour.
Have you been to the Studio Tour? Would you like to go?
You can book your tickets here.
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On Monday, Sandra, Mark & I went over to Chester for the afternoon to meet up with Sam & Craig. I'd never been to Chester before, despite being so close to it. It wasn't what I expected at all - it was beautiful, and bigger and better than I'd imagined! Chester is a historic Roman city, founded in AD79. You can still see all the beautiful architecture, it is such a picturesque place to visit, as you can see. There are many shops, little unique ones and big chains like Reiss and Cath Kidston. It's so charming, and the shops so pretty in all the lovely buildings. Some of the shops are basement level, so you are as tall as the window display and go downstairs to the shop, whilst others you go upstairs and walk along the row of first floor shops. It's unlike anywhere I've ever been before! We were only there for the afternoon, so we will definitely be going for a day trip soon to explore this wonderful city more.
First up, we all went for lunch in Watergates Bar, on Craig & Sam's recommendation. It was very atmospheric inside, lots of little side passages into other areas. It was dimly lit, which could provide a very romantic setting for some! Everyone had burgers which were highly praised, and I went for the all-day brunch which was also delicious! If you're in Chester, it's worth a visit.
After lunch, we went for a wander around the shops. My favourite shop in Chester, by far, has to be Funky Aardvark. The website describes the shop as "the home of totally unique Art and Craft from jewellery to furniture, teacups to fine Art, the Aardvarks have something for everyone and at affordable prices too." - it is just like a real-life Etsy. There are so many treasures to browse, things to pick up, touch, put down (or run to the till and purchase!). There were so many original and wonderful things in this shop, I was delighted! All of the people who work in the shop (the Aardvarks), are people whose products are for sale, so if you wanted to ask them about something or ask for advice they're on hand to help. The Funky Aardvark also has an Exhibition space upstairs. At the moment, the exhibition is 'Attic Artists' and there were some weird and wonderful creations inside, as pictured above. If nothing else urges you to visit Chester, I hope that this fabulous little treasure trove does :) check out the website for more info on the Aardvarks, exhibitions, courses they run, and how to find it. I couldn't come away empty handed, and bought a bear illustrated card and a new paintbrush (I was obviously feeling inspired!).
staying in room 107, filling room 107 with countless shopping bags, having to squeeze a lot of extra things into our suitcase at the end of our trip, finishing my Christmas shopping, the fabulous Hotel Chocolat shop (if you visit Manchester, you must visit this chocolate heaven!!), a very cool and retro old fashioned sweetshop catering for our American tastes in drinks (Cherry Pepsi & Vanilla Coke) and sweets (remember Nerds?!), Millie's cookies - the best kind of cookies, breakfast in McDonalds, surprising ourselves that we only went to McDonalds for breakfast once!, one beautiful sunny Winter's Saturday which we spent shopping, a lot of rain the rest of the time, wearing my hair up because of said rain, visiting the National Football Museum much to Mark's delight, being weary at the sight of all those stairs!, some very engaging interactive activities, taking a photo for a tourist in the museum whilst being a tourist myself, quite an interesting football gallery, and discovering that there were so many parts of Manchester town we hadn't had time to visit (don't worry shops, we're coming back for you!!), all in all the most wonderful trip :)
