Mt. Rainier and Lenticular Clouds - Dec. 2008 copyright: JMM

November 20, 2018

Diagon Alley, Knockturn Alley and Back to Hogsmeade

I probably should've looked on my own but I asked my stepson the night before how to find Diagon Alley.  However after being on the street, it was obvious that all you have to do is follow the crowd and listen for the music.  That's another super cool thing, both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley play various cuts from the soundtrack.  Because a lot of that music brings me to tears every time I watch the movies, I spent most of this day overwhelmed, on the verge of tears and with a lump in my throat.


Weasley's Wizard Wheazes.  The hat lifts up and down.

 Dragon on the top of Gringotts.  That was another ride that I was not about to take.


Sirius' motorbike

 Pygmy puffs

 It was absolutely mobbed.

Knockturn Alley was cool too.  It was pitch dark and super creepy.



Another interactive window for your wand.

 Inside Borgin  Burke's.  It was very dark inside.




These bottles were soooooo beautiful but not for sale.


Back in the sun.  That's an ad for pumpkin juice which I did get a bottle of.  It's very strong....too strong for me.  There are a lot of spices in it.  I did try to choke it all down but I couldn't.  I saved the bottle though!

 The insides of the shops were incredible









The Owl Post




 Inside Weasley's.  The shops are unbelievably narrow and as a result, wall to wall people.  I could've spent a lot of money in here so it was a good thing the line to pay was so long


Looking at the back of the Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley Entrance

 

Every 15 minutes or so, the Gringotts Dragon breathes fire.


Inside Madam Malkins



Heading back to Hogsmeade you of course go through Platform 9-3/4.  There is the coolest effect when you are standing in line and approaching the entrance where you see people disappearing into the brick wall.  Of course when you round the corner, it's an archway.  

The line to head back was very long.

Hedwig's head moved around

Back to Hogsmeade


This was literally one of the most amazing days of my entire life.  I can die a happy camper now. I am knocking my bucket list out of the park this year.

6 comments:

  1. so, was one day really enough. If we plan a trip, what do you think?
    Glad it was so spectacular. Nice when stuff lives up to expectations.

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    1. This exceeded my expectations beyond my wildest dreams. One day is enough if you don't do anything else in Universal. This is the big draw for the park though. We got there when it opened. I kept stopping to take pics as we walked to Hogsmeade (at the back of the park of course) and Russell kept saying 'we will be here again tomorrow so you can get all your pics then....keep moving!' He was right cause everyone heads to Harry Potter first. We spent the first 3 hours browsing Hogsmeade and having lunch, then the train to Diagon Alley and that was another couple hours of browsing. If you do the rides and watch the shows though you probably need more time. I saw part of Celestina Warbeck's show (she was great!) and I know they did the story of the Three Brothers too.

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  2. Love the pygmy puffs

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    1. I ended up getting a small one on a keychain. The plush toys were very expensive.

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  3. I vote for this as the most unique place you've shown us. It looks as though you could spend an entire weekend or even week there, and not get bored.
    Thanks for the photo tour, JoJo.

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    1. Thanks Robyn. I could've easily spent more time and as it turns out I missed a few things. Gee guess I'll just have to go back...hahaha

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