Goodbye Paris! Hopping on a train for 2 hours and turning up in London is pretty amazing! It feels very different here, and I love it. It’s scenic, bustling and people are off-the-charts polite and helpful. It feels more relaxing than Paris (though there is also a visible security presence, it is low key) London just has better energy at the moment and it’s understandable.

Gabriella and I spent a couple of days in and out of Harry Potter bliss. We landed at St. Pancras and hopped right over to platform 9 and 3/4 at King’s Cross, where there is a store (of course!)

We went to the Palace box office to pick up our tickets and I admit I felt like I had won the Golden Ticket to Willie Wonka’s. Gabriella spotted a curious flyer for a Harry Potter Gallery around the corner and it turned out to be a mesmerizing little building that showcased the graphic design, artwork and props of the designers who worked for ten years on the series. We spent an hour plus coveting things we couldn’t afford ( gorgeous, metal embossed prints of potion labels) and ended up splitting on a pack of postcards.

(*After 2 days of agonizing we just went back and splurged on things.)

I can’t say enough about the play (two evenings of it) but we are charged with “keeping the secret!” I’ve never seen anything like it! The magic and effects were creative and suprising! Just the scene changes and choreography were so beautifully done and the music was fantastic…all very poetic. I’m glad that I didn’t read the play beforehand. It really is a theatre piece and nothing else. Stunning. I would love to see it again.

The Theatre is lovely too, and the walls have specially designed HP wallpaper, though it’s very subtle. An unforgettable experience.