finally got to go all the way into Alnmouth and then Alnwick where Alnwick Castle is located. In case you don't know Alnwick Castle is where they did all the outdoor filming of HP 1&2. It was pretty cool getting to see where all of it was filmed. The castle was AMAZING! I can't believe how big and magnificent it was. And people actually live there during the off season, I can't even imagine what it would be like growing up in that "house", the family has 4 kids (3 teens). I was extremely excited to be in their library, where they actually own the Gutenberg Bible, the very first book ever to be printed. They own older books but they are no longer housed in that library. There were so many beautiful books, I wish I could have at least touched one.
The towns of Alnwick and Alnmouth are quaint and lovely. They are on the east coast and are very devoid of modern things. You can look out into the countryside and almost believe you have gone back in time. One of the reasons movie makers like the area is because they don't have to change the surrounding area to accommodate filming in medieval time. Next time I need to devote at least one whole day there instead of trying to work it into just a few hours.
Showing posts with label castle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label castle. Show all posts
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday & Wednesday
I can't believe it's been two days now and I haven't gotten lost. Needless to say, things weren't as exciting. Since I had two days with relative peace I will post them together.
Tuesday, took me to Gloucester (the "ce" is silent). That is where they filmed the first two Harry Potter's (HP henceforth), at least most of the hallway scenes anyway. I got to walk down the same corridors, see where Moaning Myrtle's Loo was, the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, and so much more. It was great. The Cathedral was also very nice and extremely interesting. Maybe not so much now since I remember very little, but I spent an hour on a personal tour and learned a lot. Forgot most of it already but hey I can remember later when the need arises. Gloucester is also the place where Beatrix Potter wrote "The Tailor of Gloucester", the story originated there and the drawings in the book are of the house in town.
Wednesday, was supposed to take me to Alnwick Castle. But a train derailed and shut down all northern heading trains. So they gave us many options, waiting for the trains to start again, taking a bus, abandoning the trip and getting a refund, or abandoning the trip and trying again tomorrow. I was amazed at how calm everyone was, if it was all Americans there would have been a hug uproar! But everyone just took it in stride, I even heard one lady calmly making hotel reservations to pick up the trip from there tomorrow. I however headed back to London to try again tomorrow and spent the afternoon in Oxford.
In Oxford I got to go to the Great Hall from HP. There were no signs or any special recognition of it except for the sheer number of people all happy to be crowded into the dining hall, much smaller than it appears on screen. I also got to attend a service at the Christ's Church. Very nice service, but I think that after a while I would not enjoy the somber seriousness of them (and I'm Catholic!). I also found out that Alice in Wonderland was written in Oxford and is based on a little girl that lived there. There are great literature references everywhere here!!!
Tuesday, took me to Gloucester (the "ce" is silent). That is where they filmed the first two Harry Potter's (HP henceforth), at least most of the hallway scenes anyway. I got to walk down the same corridors, see where Moaning Myrtle's Loo was, the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, and so much more. It was great. The Cathedral was also very nice and extremely interesting. Maybe not so much now since I remember very little, but I spent an hour on a personal tour and learned a lot. Forgot most of it already but hey I can remember later when the need arises. Gloucester is also the place where Beatrix Potter wrote "The Tailor of Gloucester", the story originated there and the drawings in the book are of the house in town.
Wednesday, was supposed to take me to Alnwick Castle. But a train derailed and shut down all northern heading trains. So they gave us many options, waiting for the trains to start again, taking a bus, abandoning the trip and getting a refund, or abandoning the trip and trying again tomorrow. I was amazed at how calm everyone was, if it was all Americans there would have been a hug uproar! But everyone just took it in stride, I even heard one lady calmly making hotel reservations to pick up the trip from there tomorrow. I however headed back to London to try again tomorrow and spent the afternoon in Oxford.
In Oxford I got to go to the Great Hall from HP. There were no signs or any special recognition of it except for the sheer number of people all happy to be crowded into the dining hall, much smaller than it appears on screen. I also got to attend a service at the Christ's Church. Very nice service, but I think that after a while I would not enjoy the somber seriousness of them (and I'm Catholic!). I also found out that Alice in Wonderland was written in Oxford and is based on a little girl that lived there. There are great literature references everywhere here!!!
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