Baby Steps: London VII: A City of Stories

London is full of stories, both historical and fictional. All places are, really. Some come before us, and some we create. I arrived in London with some of my favorite stories in mind, and I've managed to make pilgrimages to the pieces of their stories that remain. So yes, all of this has happened before, and it will all happen again soon for someone else. (Peter Pan, anyone?) But this trip is my notch in the timeline.

I apologize for the cheesy-ness of this post.

Here are a few of the stories I participated in this week:

Peter Pan Statue:
Ever since I was a wee child, I've had a dream--a dream that has stayed with me for years, infiltrating my imagination and my usernames for social medias. I dreamed of finding the Peter Pan statue. I loved Peter Pan long before I knew there was a statue. I read the book (darker than you might think). I memorized the Mary Martin play and the 1953 Disney version (and later the live action film). I sang along and pretended to fight pirates. My sister and I jumped off of the couch and pretended to fly. My dad even took me to the play when I was still learning to read. I loved Peter Pan.

So, when I watched Hook and Winning London for the first times, I was thrilled to learn that Peter has his own statue, and that J.M. Barrie himself helped find the best place for it. Peter lives in Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park, just as he should, and after years of waiting, I have finally found him.

He keeps fairy dust with him. You have to climb on the ledge to get it.
Sadly, it only works when you're next to him.

If you say that it will stay with me as one of my happiest simple memories, you would be right.

The London Police Call Box:
When I got to college, I kept hearing people talking about Doctor Who (a very British show that's basically been around since the '60s), and I thought, "What does that even mean?" and "Why are there so many pictures in the English Department of Barty Crouch, Jr., telling me that I 'should be writing'?"I just didn't understand. Realizing I would never truly fit in with my people until I watched this show, I finally caved last summer. Now I understand.

We found the Doctor's TARDIS.

Attempting to run into the TARDIS to steal it

I happily accept my nerd status.

Shakespeare's Globe:

I can't recall when I first heard about Shakespeare. It's just like he's always been there, a familiar name in my vocabulary--Shakespeare, the magnificent writer. (I will not believe that other people wrote his plays, so stop. I mean, he did steal ideas, though.) I do remember playing jeopardy in my 7th grade English class and getting the question about the Globe right. I've wanted to visit ever since, especially after studying 14+ of his plays in high school.

The set of The Taming of the Shrew

That was me fulfilling my middle school dream.

Harry Potter Studio Tour:

How else can I describe it but magical? It truly was. But we almost missed the magic. Almost.

When you buy your ticket for the tour, you receive a notice that suggests you arrive at the Watford Junction Station 45 minutes before your tour and that you arrive at the building 20 minutes before your tour starts. We had it all planned out. We booked the fast train, which would get us there in 15 to 20 minutes, so that we would arrive 51 minutes before our tour. Just to make sure, we got to the London Euston Station over an hour early. Our tickets were a bit more confusing than normal, so one of the workers told us which train to catch. Our train arrived at Platform 9 (almost 9 3/4), and we were soon on our way. About 15 minutes into the ride, however, Hannah and I realized that, while our train was going to the correct station, it was taking a bit longer than planned.

The worker had sent us to the slow train, the train that took 40-45 minutes. We panicked. We raged. We hit ourselves on the foreheads for being idiots.

When we neared the station, we walked to the front of the train to position ourselves for a fast getaway, where we met a girl who was also running late for the tour. When the doors opened, the four of us sprinted through the station and to the Harry Potter bus stop. The bus wouldn't arrive for another 10 minutes, so we hailed a taxi, shouted "To the studio, and fast!" and were on our way. Luckily, we made it just in time.

Now we know how Harry and Ron felt when they missed the Hogwarts Express and had to take the flying car.

If you love Harry Potter and ever go to London, do try to visit the Harry Potter Studio Tour. You walk through the doors into the Grand Hall and then explore parts of the sets (inside and out), see costumes, drink butterbeer, see concept art, and learn about how they made the mechanical creatures. I've said this a lot while I've been here, but it was perfect. Worth every penny.