My Weekend at Hogsmeade

I went to Orlando this last weekend to meet up with Russ who is working out there for 3 weeks. 3 weeks is a really long time. We decided to make the most of it, and we spent the weekend with Harry Potter at Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. I have three words to sum it all up -- IT. WAS. MAGICAL.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios is everything I was hoping it to be. They did such a good job by including so many little details from the books and movies. There were even some details I couldn't remember (gasp!) without some serious contemplation. I felt a little bit like a kid in a candy shop. There are 3 rides. Two outside roller coasters and one that takes you through Hogwarts. These pictures are from the first ride, "the Dueling Dragons." Seriously awesome roller coaster. We rode the Chinese Fireball dragon, and battled the Hungarian Horntail. I think we won.

We were able to shop at/browse through a lot of the stores on Hogsmeade, such as Honeydukes, the Owl Post, the Three Broomsticks, and Olivander's Wand Shop (except we didn't go in this one, because there was a winding line to even get in). I love this picture of Russ staring longingly at the many types of wands.

All the people in the signs actually moved, just like in the movies. Oh, Sirius Black. So misunderstood. Also, please notice the "Comb-a-chameleon" I found at Zonko's Joke Shop. It's like my name. Comb-a-Camille-eon. Get it?

The Three Broomsticks was an actual restaurant. We didn't eat there, but it looked truly authentic.

So my favorite part was definitely Hogwarts. It was incredible. It brought everything together. Even walking through the castle while in line tied in so many of the story lines. Did I mention that my parents were randomly in Orlando at the same time? My dad had a conference he had to be at, so my mom tagged along as well. It was so fun being in Harry Potter land together. Here they are with Russ before entering the castle.

 The hall of moving pictures and the pensieve. Sooooooooooooooo cool.

I snapped this picture during the Hogwarts castle ride.  It makes me laugh every time I see it. You guys, a true-to-size Aragog and his family made an appearance. And if you know anything about the book and my phobia of spiders, you will know it was rather disturbing. Don't worry, the ride was still awesome.

In the end, our day with Harry was fantastic. Russ loved it so much he even gave his phone to Harry Potter (aka, he lost it in the park). That was another fun addition to the day. In the end, we left due to some intense rain showers and tired feet, finishing the day with some good ol' fashioned California Pizza Kitchen. It's the simple things in life that matter.