30 Day Snap #28 | Edinburgh Trip: HMV, Primark & Wetherspoons!

Edinburgh!

Castles, amazing buildings, train rides, Costa mocha mint frapachinos, Primark shopping followed by a meal in Wetherspoons (I loved the old telephones on the wall in the restaurant... Alexander Graham Bell: Wetherspoons)

Myself, my parents, brother, cousin and bestie went to the city for the day. If we had taken an earlier train we may have had a longer day of strolling about and also I wanted to go into Jo Malones (I took a picture all the same).

I bought a Slytherin top in Primark along with a pair of shoes, so that was fun. Edel also bought me a new bag. A twenty-first gift. Oh she also took the picture above of me on the train. So thank you Edel for that. Purple lady on the purple train. And seeing the wonderful statues and gardens also was amazing for the camera on my phone. Some amazing memories to hold on to.

We went into HMV, there I got my Downton Abbey Season 4 and Little Dorrit. Anything BBC production is always amazing. I found out after buying Bones Season 8 THAT I ALREADY HAVE IT! So I gave it to Edel to keep.

My 11 year old Scottish cousin stepped in for a photo of a Braveheart cut out. I think he liked our craziness. He loved giving hugs to my Mum, which I thought was adorable.

At night we cozied up on the couches with quilts watching 'The Walking Dead'. My brother and I helped in paying for the 3 seasons for our cousin. He was thrilled with having it.

Family time is always something I love to take pictures of. There needs to be more cuddles in the world :)

A Ramble Round London & a New Travel Journal

I love trips to London, especially when I get little things I like.

I stayed Friday night with my lovely American/British friend Jaz in London and we set out the next day (her 19th Birthday) looking for boots and making a trip to King's Cross.

She has never been and well come on! Who doesn't want to go to the Harry Potter Gift shop?

My friend Jaz has this Pikachu bag and she gets noticed all the time.

Not only does she get noticed but she seems to have this strange luck about her. I'm not sure whether the luck is good or bad. For instance, when we were walking along Oxford Street, there was this little car (picking up rubbish) coming along the pathway. Now did she move? No, it was as though she were in slow motion just staring at it coming for her. She then said 'Sh*t', in front of someones face as well. The lady just stared at her, so funny!

Things have got more expensive here in this shop at Kings Cross, but it didn't stop me from buying some little purchases.

AGAIN, Jaz was noticed for her bag pack. We were asked by some chirpy staff member whether we wanted to line up and get our picture taken, with the Platform 9 &3/4 wall, along with having Pikachu in the cage. You can barely see, but Hedwig is there.

I couldn't wear Harrys glasses as I am in Slytherin House. But hey, I'm proud of it :)

After we had our photos taken, the staff that worked there all jumped in for a photo with Pikachu. It was hilarious!

If you don't want to buy anything at the shop, it really doesn't matter. Just go along for the look and meet the friendly staff that work there.

Bought a bit of stationary in the shop.

I was thinking how people who have this kind of job, how do they get to work? The train? Bus?

I can't imagine this lady painting herself when she arrives.

She probably gets a lot of people staring at her on the tube, wouldn't she? Heehee.

Came across this place. It was very difficult to get even one picture. One old guy kept trying to photo bomb the shot... Like GET OUT OF THE WAY WOULD YA!

A bit of street entertainment, along with a blue cock. Nothing normal much in London.

My lovely Irish flag was in the back :D

I myself am a Harry Potter & Disney fan, and my friend is all Anime.

She loves this shop, TokyoToys in Piccadilly Circus.

At first I thought it wasn't the Disney shop seeing this. Thought it was some place else *COUGH*

Seeing Star Wars in the Disney shop was a little strange, but look at Chewy! I want him so much, but he's £20 sadly!

I think Jaz and I stepped in here not even for a minute, and she ran out straight away. As you know, perfume and cosmetics everywhere. It probably was not a reaction you see from a person leaving Selfridges. She fell out of the building, choking from the smell. It made me laugh anyway.

I bought her a little Hedwig keyring from King's Cross. IT'S SO FLUFFY, she'd say.

I wanted this straight away when I saw it.

I've been looking around for a book that will make do as a travel journal.

The pages inside are all different. They even contain lovely little pictures of old buildings, quotes and nature.

When the day was coming to an end, Jaz and I came up with a little game. In the tube station, we sat on the long escalator with no one on our side. And with people going up the opposite direction we'd start meowing. They of course were looking around wondering where the cats were. Then as we were coming to end of the escalator we'd jump up and shriek like a cat. Everyone was staring (not sure whether they laughed) but we couldn't stop ourselves from laughing. I think we may have meowed the whole way back to the house as well. There were Arsenal supporters everywhere, so we were meowing outside the pubs. Some guy stared at me but I pointed at my friend, "That was NOT me!"

I hope you liked this little random post.

I'm not sure when I'll be posting another, as my laptop looks as though it's going to die. Seriously! The battery I think has come to an end. So if you don't get any Maruitius Holiday posts (part 2...) it's because of my laptop dying with all the photos in it.

But don't worry, I'll be home in Ireland by June/July so I'll manage to get a laptop somehow and post them memories up for you all :)

I am currently writing this post out in the sunshine. It's about time we've had some good weather.

Cheers to you peeps for your time. And apologies for the blurry pictures, they were taken by my phone, so...

Only a few more weeks till the holz, WHOO HOO!

'Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios', Watford, London

Hey peoples, well I've finally managed to be able to put this verrrrrry long post together. I really haven't been in the mood for writing anything lately, plus it takes a lot of time putting effort in with adding pictures.

So, as you can see by the 'Slytherin' robe and wand, (Yes I am a Slytherin, and I'm bloody well proud of it) I got to visit the 'Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studios' with my Gryffindor BFF Edel and Hufflepuff brother Aran. TRAITOR I AM!

You may be asking, "WHY SO MANY PICTURES?" 

Well, first off I don't like the pictures going to waste, and secondly you can get so much as a thousand words from a single picture, so your basically getting a fair good idea what the experience was like for me.

The Great Hall was just so amazing! We were all shown a little unseen footage by the cast and crew of the movies. And in the last clip it had Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint going in behind the Great Hall doors, then the screen was lifted up and the actual Great Hall doors were displayed behind. It was so surprising, and I was so excited getting up from my seat, just ready to push through the doors and to explore the inside for my own eyes.

Isn't Hermionies dress so pretty :)

I was in such awe with the fashion department. Their work was unbelievable. After seeing the creativity and detail from the films I became more aware with the small things in the movies when I re-watched them.

Dumbledores Office was my favorite set... so cool... plus I got to see the sorting hat. Also if you strain your eyes to the back of the room, at the top of the stairs, there's the Richard Harris Dumbledore... it scared the hell out of me!

I don't need no velux window... I'm just gonna hammer muh roof :)

Even with the buildings and sets that were constructed, I used to say why go into so much detail and hassel with them, no one would barely notice? But God was I wrong! Observance is key to these particular films. And I can't say how much it made a difference. I found myself actually seeing more from the tour (rather than the films). I was actually seeing what I'd been picturing from the books. At the age of seven I had read the first book, 'The philosophers Stone', and at that age I had the imagination than probably any other crazy seven year old would (all thanks to 'Barney', heehee). And these books were perfect for me. It was so easy to picture the characters, the classrooms, the buildings, and I couldn't believe that I was seeing what I had imagined as a child. In a way I felt as though I was that child again, all the happy memories with me and my book sitting in my grand parents house beside the open fire.

What the bloody hell is the time on this yoke anyway?

Out of all the things I noticed, there was only one statue that was a woman... wha they tryna say? Huh?

You giving me the eye boy?

If I had to choose a department to work with, it would be most definitely the Art & Design Department. They are the ones who deserve the most appreciation, the most gratitude. And I would have been very interested as to how to make something or someplace so real.

These two pictures don't give you a picture of what the actual scale of the castle was like, but it was GINORMOUS! You know in the first movie? (sorry this is to those that have watched the movies) when Harry and the rest of the students see Hogwarts for the first time, like total gobsmacked faces on them well that was me...only yet more giddier. It's a great pity that we can't go to school in castles... it would be so cool!

I would have stayed longer in the studios, and I was slow but it doesn't happen very often where you get to step into your childhood mind, so if I could rewind the time I would have.

The gift shop was fun, I'm all for the gift shops, even the tourist gift shops IN MY OWN COUNTRY! Well in the end I bought a wand, Harry's wand. He was the character I loved most. I cried for him, laughed with him, and I stuck with him to the end... so it only made sense to get it. I know you probably think what such mushy crap I'm writing, but well that's me, and I think my childhood was pretty good and there's nothing wrong with feeling a little sentimental.

So if you have read this extremely long post and have never read/ watched Harry Potter, I am so sorry. I just hope you enjoyed the pictures :)

To those of you who are fans, and wish to see the studios, you won't regret it. Even though, if you are fans of Zoella, Sprinkle of Glitter or any one of their friends, I would advise you to not watch their vlogs on the tour. It slightly ruined the expectations for me.

The world of film is exciting but I think that there isn't enough appreciation for the Fashion, Art and Construction Departments, so don't just observe the actors, I know they're pretty but look away every once in a while and see what actually makes the movie for it's audience.

Love you Lots,