London 🇬🇧 and Some

Harry Potter Magic

England is such a magnificent country! It’s old, yet modern. Grand, yet quaint. Proper, yet progressive. I am blessed to know some wonderful people who live there, which means I’ve had some adventurous travels around England, have made fantastic memories, and have taken these fun photos!

We’ll begin with the London Eye. It’s a modern piece of architecture and engineering that seems both out-of-place among the centuries-old buildings, and perfectly in-place among the busy metropolis of London. I wish I could say that my friends and I took a ride on it, but I was 7 months pregnant at the time and was in no mood, nor condition, to wait in line for hours on end to ride it.

I am so happy I captured this photo of a street near Piccadilly Circus. It’s a stunning photo, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, my knowledge about the area is limited, so if you’re curious to learn about it, here’s a good website with tons of information.

Here we have two iconic landmarks of England: the Parliament building and Big Ben. If you click here, you’ll find all sorts of neat facts about them. I must have taken a dozen photos of Big Ben, from all different angles and in various degrees of light. It’s really quite an impressive clock tower! It’s mind-boggling to think of the millions of people who have seen it, walked by it, depended on it for the correct time, and have been reminded by it of the steadfast heritage of Britain. (And just so you know, as I am typing all of this, I am saying it in my head in a British accent… an awful one, but whatever.)

Here’s another iconic landmark, one you’ve probably seen in movies. Most recently, I think I saw it in the Wonder Woman movie, when she and Steve are coming into London. This is Tower Bridge crossing over the River Thames (pronounced temz). I, like many others, thought this was London Bridge. I am forever grateful for the information given on the Big Red Bus tour for schooling me.

Yes, I am a Harry Potter fan. I love the books and I love the movies! One of the most awesome things to see in England is the Harry Potter Studio tour! You get to walk among actual sets from the movies, look at props and costumes, learn tons of cool facts about the production of the movie and its “magic,” and completely geek out without anyone thinking you’re weird. It is an incredible tour!

Coming from a family who loves trains, I just had to take this photo inside of Paddington Station. My older brother, who passed away five years ago, absolutely loved trains and would have loved seeing this station. ❤ And while I didn’t take any photos of it, I was also in Kings Cross station, where Platform 9¾ (from Harry Potter) is located. (I’m including this link for more info about that.)

For the foodies out there, the first photo is a full English breakfast. Look at all of that food! Beans, poached eggs, sausages, bacon, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, and toast with butter, all served with a cup of tea. It kept my husband full for hours! The other photo is the Sunday roast I had at a pub. It was a savory dinner of roast beef, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, mashed potatoes, and a “Yorkshire pudding” (which we would probably call a popover here in America), all drizzled in a rich, dark, gravy au jus.

Looking through all of the many photos I’ve taken in England, let me tell ya, it was not easy to narrow it down to just these memories. It’s apparent that I’ll need to make this post into a two-parter. Therefore, be sure to check out Part 2 of Travel Adventures: England next week!

Thanks for stopping by. ❤