London Day Ten- Free Day AKA Harry Potter Castle

It was our second free day, and instead of sleeping in I got up at 7:00 am so I could join Benae, Elyse, and Danielle on the train to head to the Harry Potter castle. We were surprised to see only Benae And Elyse when we headed down the stairs because we thought a large group was going. But we shook it off and headed out. We made great time and were able to get on the 9:30 train heading to Edinburgh, Scotland. It was packed though, and finding a seat was rather difficult. But we found them even though they were reserved. We took them and planned to get up when the reserved people came for them. Many people did the same. It turned out our group picked the one car that didn't have A/C and we did pay for it. About two stops before Danielle and I got off we moved to a table and free water was delivered for our discomfort. We spent the time talking about what Benae and Elyse would do once they got to Scotland. They will have a marvelous trip. At Alnmouth (a 3 hour trip from London) Danielle and I got off and caught a bus to Alnwick, where we walked the short distance to Alnwick Castle. It was quite impressive, to see this rather large fortress right in the city. We walked through the gates to be even more impressed by its magnitude. There was a dungeon and we had to visit. It was a little cheesy though, there were sound effects playing and it just made me laugh. I guess it was for the kids though. We made our way inside and we were a little surprised that someone actually lived there. I think the idea of living in a castle is pretty cool. We've seen many places that are mansions and palaces but to be an actual stone castle was really cool. But as we made our way in, it was apparent that the interior didn't show a sign of the walls that built them. It was very warm and inviting. The colors were rich reds and yellows. We walked into the library that was lined with shelves, and shelves of books. I could have spent all day in there. It was so cozy and they have volume after volume of old books. It is one of my goals in life to have a room in my house that is dedicated to books. This just made me envious. The interesting thing that I hadn't seen in any of the other houses we visited was you could tell this castle was lived in. In the Library there were two hideous bean bag chairs. They were faux fur with brown and black stripes. They sat in front of a big screen T.V. with a Foosball table right next to them. It made me laugh. The nicest touch in the house was the family pictures that were everywhere. I really enjoyed looking at the family, and in a way it was like you were getting to know them. We continued on our journey through the state rooms. They were quite lovely with Empire style chairs. There was tons of marquetry that we were able to spot because of our studies. We also were able to spot cabinets designed in the Charles Andrea Boulle style. Though they were not his, they were meant to look like his. The views from the window was also amazing. the land was so expanse in the back. if you hadn't walked through the town you wouldn't guess it was near one. The gardens were so green and full of trees. After admiring the grounds through the window, Danielle and I went out to see them. It was freezing, and I stupidly forgot to bring my sweatshirt. We took many pictures and explored different nooks. During this exploration, I learned the castle housed a university, St. Cloud State University. Part of me wished I went to school there. Just so I could say I go to school in a castle!
There was a British military museum that was really interesting. There were the many uniforms from over the years. It was interesting to see how the hats changed. They went from very simple to flamboyant to then simple. The shape also changed. Some short that were more shaped to the head and then some that pointed tall and then hats that looked like tents on top of their heads. The coolest part though was the recreation of the barracks and living conditions. The barracks are places I certainly never wish to live in. Many were tiny and cramped and often diseased. There was also medals and other war memorabilia. After that we went to a courtyard were we got pictures of a statue, and then we went and got dressed up, much to Danielle's delight. We then took pictures with the dragon. It was all very silly, but had me laughing. Then we went to the gift shop where our shopping was interrupted by flying lessons. Danielle hurried out so she could participate. I was like the mother who takes lots of cute shots. I took pictures as she experience the flying experience. It was cool because it took place right where it did in the movie. There was a panel up on the wall showing a scene from the movie; You could go from that picture and look up at the castle and see the exact window and wall. It was a thrilling idea! I was so pleased to be there. We finished our journey to the castle and headed out into the cold.
We walked around town looking for a place to buy some food for takeaway. We stopped in a pharmacy to get Danielle some medication, because unfortunately she has a cold. We were told by the clerk that someone from Minnesota was staying at the castle. Danielle and I continued our walk and found a cute little cafe that was run by a married couple. We ordered our food and waited as they cooked it. We got Tuna paninis. As we waited we talked to the male and he also told us that someone from Minnesota was at the castle, news travels fast it would seem. We enjoyed our visit. They were very kind people. We then waited an hour for our train. Luckily there was a waiting room so we could get out of the cold. We got on a train and found ourselves at a table. We quickly ate the paninis and fell into a quiet relaxing ride. We sat by a very kind mother and daughter who at the end of the very long train ride gave us magazines! I am so excited to read them. It was a great day, but by the end of it I was completely exhausted. Luckily the next day was another free day where I got to sleep in!