Hogwarts, Beatlesmania and Last days in Edinburgh!

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This will be my last entry before I leave for my two-week Ireland/Scotland trip before returning home on June 11th.

Last Friday, I went on a Literary Pub Tour. The tour consisted of two actor/tour guides arguing back and forth over what Edinburgh's literary world had been about: Enlightenment/academia vs saloons, drinking, sex and the life of the common man. In the end, it was decided that it was both. Honestly, I was a little disappointed by this tour. It didn't tell me anything I hadn't already gathered by living here these past few months. For tourists who are having a short visit, it's a good idea but it really didn't go too much in depth with information.

This past Friday, after I finished my last test (!), I went to the People's Museum which displays the life of the working class in Edinburgh from the 1700s until present day. It was a "short but sweet" museum. After, I saw the grave of Adam Smith as well as Robert Fergusson. I also went to a different graveyard where Greyfriar Bobby (a dog made famous by his loyalty) and his owner lay. I didn't realize this the first time I went but from this graveyard, you can see the school that inspired Hogwarts.

Saturday night, I went out with Ada as well as my flatmate and her friends. I am noting this here because I ended up at a really classy club that was different from anything I have ever been to before.

Monday was Harry Potter day! I took a train to the castle where they shot the first two Harry potter movies. It is located in a town called Alnwick in the county of Northumbria in Northern England. It was an hour long train ride and the views on the way over were beautiful. We travelled along the coast so we got great views of green cliffs against blue ocean. I think we were travelling through the North Berwick area. The castle looked just like Hogwarts (obviously)! After going through the state rooms (so luxurious!), seeing the barbican that was the castle's defense area, going into a military museum, seeing the coach house, looking at a knight's exhibit, all that historical stuff, I took a tour called "from Broomsticks to Battleaxes," which talked about the Harry Potter films. It showed where certain scenes were filmed. I'll name a few of the most interesting things I learned. In one of the scenes in order to make Hagrid appear taller, they did not use any movie magic but instead had him walk next to the three kids on a more elavated piece of land than them. While filming the flying car scene, they went through 12 different cars and once, the car accidentally crashed into a hedge. The fact that this hedge is in the film is a mistake as its leaves were meant to ward off witches, wizards, and magic in the olden days. The crest of a lion that Neville bounced off of when he lost control of his broomstick was an original castle feature but kept in the film because it resembled the Gryffindor crest so much. At the entrance to Hogwarts, there is a slit with triangles carved at the end. The HP crew carved in the triangles to hold the torches but the slits were original and were used to shoot arrows through for defense. They can't take out the new triangles though so they are still there. See fb photos for more.

Yesterday was Beatles day! I took the train 8 hours round-trip to Livepool. Only for the Beatles! I met Katie there and it was great seeing her and catching up. We took the Fab Four Taxi which took us to all the most significant spots, while also telling us a bit about the city. We saw all the birthplaces and childhood homes of each Beatle, including Paul's where they composed music together and had famous pictures taken of them composing. We also saw the grammar school that George and Paul went to and the building next door (which I believe was a boarding school at the time) where John stayed with friends. George and Paul would sneak next door during their lunch breaks and made themselves look older to practice in the building's auditorium. The grammar school has been turned into a prestigious art college and Paul still returns to give each graduating class their diplomas! We saw the Strawberry Fields gates, and the church yard where Paul saw John play for the first time, and then the church hall where they met later that day. We also saw Eleanor Rigby's grave at that same church. Also at that church, our tour guide (who was excellent by the way) introduced us to a man there for a funeral who was there on the day that John and Paul met! Our tour guide then told us about how this same man had put down the American artist who painted John and Paul's meeting. The artist had come into the church hall one day boasting of his painting. Because of his arrogance, the man wanted to take him down a few notches and so pointed out all of the details that were wrong. The artist left with his head down. Of course, we saw Penny Lane including the actual street as well as the neighborhood that the name "Penny Lane" encompasses. This included all the things referenced in the song: the barber shop, the bank, the shelter in the middle of the roundabout. This shelter was a public bathroom at the time and so when someone attempted to turn it into a bistro years later, nobody wanted to eat there and it went out of business. I think I've mentioned all the big places. Other spots included John's favorite bar (Philharmonic) where the Beatles also painted murals, Brian Epstein's apartment that John and his first wife also lived in, the site where John and his first wife secretly got married (only because she was pregnant) and more. Another interesting fact about the city is one of its cathedrals. The man who designed it was the man who designed England's famous telephone booth. He designed a cathedral and Westminister Bridge but he is most well known for his telephone booth! After the tour, we went into the Beatles Story museum which had things associated with the Beatles including recording equipment, Paul's guitar, Lennon's glasses and jacket etc. We walked around the dock a bit and then went into the Cavern modeled off the original. The original Cavern is where the Beatles played many gigs and acquired their fame, also where Brian Epstein first saw them and took an interest in managing them. I learned a lot more about the Beatles' story but it would take forever to right so I think this will suffice.

Next stop: Ireland!

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