Shakespeare, Kew and the Real Harry Potter

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Highlight this week has been a London walk (last time we did a London pub walk so this one, called "The Real Harry Potter" was one for the kids. WE went with our friends and learned all about the orin=gins of some of the names and characters from the Rowling books. Great fun and interesting. We saw the inspiration for Diagon Alley (Porchester Ave, where people go to learn about white and black magic, see photo and imagine...) and saw the pub where Alistair Crawley hung out (who wore a dark cloak covered with symbols of the occult and thought that he was invisible whenever he wore it) , learned about the real Philosophers Stone of Nicholas Flamel (he is still being sighted) and learned the meaning of Ruebus Hagrid (a ruddy hard night) and Albus Dumbledore (a white bumble bee because he went around the castle humming).

Interestingly the scene in the movie of Gringgots Bank was shot in the Australian embassy. I only visited there a few weeks ago to get my documents for license replacement but didn't notice. If I had known, I would have brought my camera). Our guide kept changing the colour of his vest every time we looked at him which brought a little magic to the walk and all the kids got to perform a little magic at the end (and keep their wands)

We recently visited the Botanical Gardens here called Kew Gardens, not far from our home. Gorgeous gardens and absolutely huge. The highlight is the Palm House, not least because it was quite a chilly day and so nice to have heat and humidity again. We may need to revisit here in December!

This week also saw us going to two plays at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. A reconstruction of the orginal that burnt down in 1640's (or around then) One play was called "We the People" and was about the writing of the American constitution (a la Madison, Franklin and Washington) We watched this fromthe middle gallery and I was amazed when the play was over as I was expecting to be uncomfotable on the hard seats. The second was Shakespeares Love Labours Lost where the girls and I stood in the yard as "groundlings" (thats what you are called because you stand up "on the ground" throughout the whole play) I was amazed that the girls managed it but the acting was superb and funny. YOu pay just 6 pounds to be a groundling so we were down with the students and travellers (the tourists and Londoners were seated up in the stands) What was really amazing was that some of the actors from WE the people were also in Love's Labours Lost. That would mean for a month they were acting in two plays simultaneously. Well, I mean one in the day and another in the evening. I sure do appreciate the difficulty and skill of acting in London more than I ever have before.

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Photos

Kew Gardens Palm House
Like a huge greenhouse...hot, humid and wonderful. You can visit Africa, South America and also go for a rooftop walk above it all.

Harry Potter Walk with our guide Alan
Here we are entering the Ministry of Magic from the telephone box 'straight north of Charring Cross Road'.

Portabello Road Markets
Mostly antiques

Comments

[angela]

Nice to see your face
It was nice to see your friendly smiley face again(even if you were holding fresh chestnuts)

[angela]

look -a -like
Seeing Christine in her high school unform reminds me of how you looked in yours .Soon she will start hanging around a short dark haired load mouth of Italian backgroud............History repeats it's self

[Francy]

No, don't worry, I'll warn her against doing anything as silly. :-) BTW I don't show it in the photo but I was severely in pain from touching those chestnut outer spikey things to get the chestnuts out. (until I figured out a special foot removal technique) We cooked the chestnuts that night and they were delicious however so all pain forgotten.