Peapod on Purpose

Our time in the UK with our cousins began in Scotland. While we were there, we mostly drove and walked around, seeing the unique countryside. The Scottish Highlands were very beautiful, and the hills had so many shades of green and brown. The sound of the trickling streams and wind rising through trees made it so peaceful and serene. The puffs of clouds scuttled across the sky, and the golden sun brought a gentle warmth to the crisp March air. 

We also visited Edinburgh for a day trip. In Edinburgh we saw the street that inspired Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter books. There were many Harry Potter shops on that street, along with a hot chocolate shop that had AMAZING vegan hot chocolate (for my cousins and siblings do not eat dairy). After we saw the street, we went to a park that had a view of Edinburgh Castle. We ate lunch there and played for a while, then we headed back to our Airbnb in the countryside. After a few days in Scotland, we took a train to…

London! The bustling city chock full of history, heritage, and old sites to see. Paris and London were the two cities I had always wanted to see, and here we were in one of them! We were in London with our cousins, and what a fun time we had! We managed to fit so many sites and adventures in the two days our cousins had with us, and we enjoyed every single moment. 

One of the first activities we did was take a hop-on hop-off ride in a boat along the river. We were able to walk by Westminster Abbey and Big Ben on our way to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We saw the procession of the guards down the street, but we didn’t see the real changing, cause it was too crowded. There is a large park in front of the palace, and we stayed there for a while, then we went back to the boat stop to catch the next boat. 

The next place we stopped at was Borough Market, a large food market selling food from all over Europe. We walked all around the market, stopping at food stands, trying, and sharing many types of food. There was one very exciting stand that had gluten free dessert that Middle Pea could eat. Some of our favorite foods we ate at Borough Market were the sausage roll, porchetta sandwich, meat pies, arancini, and some garlic herb olives.

After we ate, we re-boarded the boat to head to the Tower of London. We walked (or, in my case, rode in a wheelchair, for I had broken my leg bone in Jordan, and hadn’t gotten the cast off yet) around the grounds, and then went to check out the exhibits inside the tower. First, we went to see the Crown Jewels—yes, the real Crown Jewels!—and all of the Royal clothes and arms (as in weapons). After that and a few other exhibits, we went inside the inner walls and played along with this exhibit that pretended we were royal guards defending the tower.

The next day, we went to do the Beatles’ pose on Abbey Road, and after that, we went to the Warner Bros. Studio, where they filmed the Harry Potter movies! I am a really big Harry Potter fan, and going to the WB studio was my birthday present (I figured this out on October 31, my birthday). PS. If you have never read the Harry Potter books and don’t want any spoilers, skip the next six paragraphs. 

The first exhibit we visited was the set for the hall of the Dursley’s house, including the cupboard under the stairs, where Harry sleeps. Next, we saw the entrance to Great Hall, and because I had a birthday badge, they let me open the doors! We walked past all the tables and place settings, which had character’s outfits behind them. The theme of the month was Magical Mischief, and it was all about special effects. When we walked to the back of the hall, there were fireworks and a large dragon hologram! 

The next room had many sets, including the Gryffindor common room, the Gryffindor boy’s dormitory, and the Potions classroom, along with Hagrid’s Hut, the Weasley’s house, Dumbledore’s office, and the divination classroom. We explored each in turn, and it was really awsome to see how they were all set up and what the costumes looked like off of the people.

About halfway through the large hall, we saw a demonstration about how they filmed Harry in his invisibility cloak, and how the Hogwarts acceptance letters shot from the Dursley’s front door in the first movie. After that, we got to get on a broomstick set on a stand with a green screen background and see how they filmed Harry playing Quidditch. 

After we finished the big room, we stepped into the large set for the Forbidden Forest. It was so fascinating how they made the trees look real and how realistic it felt. We saw the spiders descend from the ceiling on their webs and we also saw Buckbeak the hippogriff. Then we walked onto Platform 9 3/4 where the Hogwarts Express was waiting for us. On the platform we learned to make howlers and then went inside the train and saw all the compartments and how they changed over the years. 

We headed out to the food hall and ordered dinner (along with some butterbeer!) then went to the backlot. It turned out that there were a bunch of smaller sets for certain parts from the movies, and the set for the Dursley’s house from the third movie. The other sets outside were the ones for the Knight Bus, the Hogwarts bridge, the small model of the Burrow, and the Ford Anglia (the flying car from the second book). We explored all of these and then went inside to find ourselves walking into the entrance hall of Gringott’s, the wizard’s bank. The floor, walls, and pillars, looked like they were made of marble, but in reality were painted tile or painted wood. There were models of goblins behind tall desks that I could barely see over: Whether it was scribbling in ledgers or weighing precious rubies, the goblins were all busy doing something for the bank. 

We next saw two bank vaults and walked back into the entrance hall, except this time, it was a complete wreck! The pillars were toppled, the desks were smashed, and the lights had gone out. One of the dragons guarding the lower vaults had gotten loose! We finally, we walked out onto Diagon Alley, and saw the sets for Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, Quality Quidditch Supplies, Olivanders, Flourish and Blotts, and a few other shops. 

After we saw Diagon Alley, we went to the Warner Bros. Studio shop and got a few things to send home with our cousins (also a few peppermint frogs to share). We were all exhausted, and we were excited to get home and go to bed. I really enjoyed going to WB Studio, and I am glad we were able to have that expierience. 

The next day, our cousins left to go back home and we had plans to do a Christian heritage walking tour. The walking tour took us around the city and told us about famous Christian leaders related to the place where we were. During the walking tour, we went to the British Museum and saw many old artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone! After we ate lunch, we walked around then went to get dinner with daddy’s friend that he met last time he came here. Church was on the agenda for the next day, and after church we traveled to Bournemouth, a small town on the southern coast of England. 

About two weeks after we arrived in Bournemouth, me, Middle Pea, and Daddy Pea headed to the hospital to get my cast off and get on a walking boot. Then we went to see Stonehenge, the mythical circle of rocks from stories of old. There was an interesting visitors center that had demonstration videos on how people used to make things. After we checked out the visitors center, we took a walk to see the real thing. It was fascinating to see how large the stones were and how they were set up, and I kept wondering how they got put there. 

A few days after our Stonehenge adventure, me and LP took a trip to London and saw a few amazing sites because (our plans to visit Big Ben were thwarted because of my broken leg). The first place we visited was the British Library, and it was so awesome to see all the old books and stamps in their small museum. We didn’t go into the stacks, for we wanted to have enough time to see quite a few paintings in the National Gallery. We took the tube to the National Gallery, and inside we saw the Van Gogh “Sunflower” painting, as well as some of the many self portraits by Rembrandt. We also saw paintings by Monet and Vermeer, along with “The Execution of Lady Jane Grey”. After the National Gallery, me and LP went to have tea at a tea room with a view of Big Ben. We first had a couple tea sandwiches, then some amazing scones then a few yummy cakes (the scones came with clotted cream, lemon curd, and raspberry jam!). 

In a few days, me, Middle Pea, and LP went to see the live performance of Wicked! I have only ever watched the movie, and before we saw the stage play, I didn’t know what was after defying gravity. I think it is fascinating how it all fits together (if you have watched the stage production, you know what I mean, but if you haven’t, I won’t spoil it for you!). 

The next day, we took a very long flight to Vietnam, but I had an amazing time in England and Scotland, and I am glad we got to spend it with our cousins. I hope we can take another trip there someday!