Before we moved to London I made a list of places I wanted to visit in and around London. The top two things on my list were Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and Harry Potter Studios. I visited the Globe on week 1, but it took me longer to get to see Harry Potter.

It took me awhile first because it’s expensive with an entrance fee of about £30. Second, I didn’t really want to go alone. Ryan is not a Harry Potter fan and said he would go with me if I really wanted him to. So, I knew  if he’d go and that there might be some moaning and my crazy enthusiasm wouldn’t be reciprocated. Then I thought, maybe I’ll just go by myself. I’m not opposed to doing things alone, but this is something where I wanted to go with someone who would get hyped up and nerd out with me. Thankfully, my friend Charlotte from work said she’d go with me. YAY!

We went last week and it was decorated for Christmas and overall really amazing! I love Harry Potter. Some of you might be rolling your eyes at me right now, but hold on a moment and hear me out. I was an English major in college. I love stories. And a good story should make you feel. It should make you feel happy, and angry, and sad, and hopeful, and invested. It should make you feel empathy for the characters. It should make you strategize about what you would do. It should make you disagree and sometimes also nod your head emphatically. It should connect to yourself and think about how you would react. It should transport you to another world and make you want to be a part of it. Harry Potter has done all of that for me. I have cheered for the characters, I’ve been angry at them, I’ve cried, I’ve been surprised.  It’s wonderful. It is a story that I love, and I only hope you have a story that makes you feel the same way.

And so it was wonderful to get to immerse myself in something I’ve spent so much time reading and watching and talking about. Harry Potter is also important to me because it’s such a big part of my relationship with my oldest friends. At the beginning of the tour we watched a short movie and when the opening music came on I had chills. I was transported back to high school and I remembered leaving school as soon as possible, skipping soccer practice, and getting in line at the Senator Theatre in Baltimore with my friends. That music brought me back to the excitement and anticipation we used to feel. Everything used to stop for Harry Potter, and I liked having that feeling again.

Anyway, I’m going to try not to gush too much more so I can let the photos speak for themselves. I saw the cupboard under the stairs which had a tiny pair of Harry’s original glasses. And then the next real set we saw was the great hall. It was amazing. The floor is real stone, the ceilings are high, and the long tables were set with a Christmas feast. What I was astounded by throughout the entire tour was the attention to detail. There are so many things that would have been seen only quickly, but help make the whole story feel real. I loved the giant wreaths, the stone animals on the wall, and the fireplaces.

Also, there were costumes and props throughout the whole place. They were just lovely. It really helped bring everything to life. Like, the Mirror of Erised. That was one of those things that made me go “oh yeah” because it was something I had forgotten. I also loved the wigs. I took way more pictures of the wigs than are shown, but Bellatrix’s was my favorite one.

My favorite set in the whole thing might have been Dumbledore’s office. I just wanted to say “sherbert lemon” or something else to gain entry. What I found so impressive, again, was the detail. There were so many books – which were UK phone books just bound in leather. And there were so many oil paintings (not pictured) and an artist had to paint all of them! I thought the pensieve looked like a baptismal font, but I still took a picture anyway. I think the pensieve would change the world if it was real. I tried to explain the podcast Serial to Charlotte, and I said that if the pensieve existed, it would solve that case. (A quick digression, download Serial, it’s awesome – and then you’ll get the reference and totally agree)

After Dumbledore’s office, I really liked the Gryffindor scenes. Who read the books and didn’t think about being in Gryffindor? I recently joined Pottermore.com, and I was sorted into Hufflepuff. I’m ok with that because I’m not brave like someone from Gryffindor. And Hufflepuffs have Cedric Diggory and are good with food and cooking, so a girl could do worse. But even so, who doesn’t dream of being in Gryffindor? I loved the Christmas jumpers (yeah I’m saying jumper instead of sweater). They sold them in the gift shop. If I had an R or and H name, I would have thought of buying it. The boys dorm was cool, but tiny. Apparently they used the same tiny set the whole series – even when the boys hit puberty and were too tall!

Snape’s office and all the potions were really cool. I would love it if making potions was a real thing. True story, when I was a kid I wanted to make a potion like a witch, so I mixed water and glitter and colored sand together to pretend. I think Snape’s story line is amazing. It’s one of the best twists of any story I’ve ever read. It’s amazing that you can hate a character for so long, them empathize with him, and then love him. One time my mom and I saw Alan Rickman in New York City and she exclaimed “that’s Snape!” Also, while we’re talking celebrities on my 5th day working at the Science Museum I saw Jason Isaacs (and he spoke to me). He played Lucius Malfoy.

While I was there I did try butterbeer. You can see me drinking it on the night bus. I feel mixed about it. It’s sort of like cream soda, but it has actual cream on top. It’s sort of nice, but also weird to have bubbly soda with a head of cream. I was really impressed by all the creatures I saw in the studio. I think it really helps the movies that there was a combination of CGI and real props, puppets, and robots. For me, when things are over CGI’ed then all I can think about is how it looks fake and computery (think Yoda in the new Star Wars). I can’t suspend my disbelief as well. I thought little Voldemort was scary and I also like Dobby’s head in the background. Also, I didn’t post a picture here, but did you know that sometime Hagrid was an animatronic head? In order to make him so tall, sometimes the body double wore an animatronic head that had MOVING EYES!

Have you read that JK Rowling says she thinks maybe Hermoine should have ended up with Harry? I do agree that maybe they would have been more compatible. But I like her with Ron for a number of reasons. First, in so many stories the hero gets everything. I like that sometimes Harry is annoying and feels alone and has a hard time. I think it is good for the story that Harry didn’t get the girl. I also think Ron getting all jealous and being an awkward blustering teenager was amazing and fits with his character. Harry wouldn’t have been jealous in the same way. And finally, Harry didn’t really have a family and was adopted into the Weasley’s. By ending up with Ginny he really gets to be part of their family. The set for their home was cool. Charlotte and I pressed buttons to make the knife chop, iron move, and knitting needles knit. Their family clock is the best though.

I took a lot of pictures of some of the tiny props too. I sort of want Hermione’s time turner as a regular piece of jewelry. You might be surprised to know, I did not go crazy in the gift shop. I just bought a mug and a chocolate frog. But, believe me I was tempted to buy snitches and a broomstick and all that. I did see a woman on the bus with a broomstick. Some child is going to have a happy Christmas.

Towards the end of the tour is Diagon Alley. I think that felt so special because there aren’t cute streets like that in the US. It was tiny, curvy, and cobble stoned. They had a little demonstration about snow and making the footprints when Harry was invisible. I loved Olivander’s. How bad do you want a wand to choose you? After Diagon Alley there were models and drawings and artwork of the sets and scenes. I have said it already, but the attention to detail is immense. People had to design, then carve, the triwizard cup! They had to create Hagrid’s house (photo I didn’t include). I mean there were artists, craftsman, architects, special effects people, designers, etc, etc etc. It was amazing and my description cannot do it justice. But the best object was the giant model of Hogwarts (pictured at the top). It was gorgeous and Charlotte and I agreed we just wanted to shrink down and be in the model.

There was obviously so much time, money, love, and attention that went into making the book a real world. It was overwhelming and outstanding and I kinda want to go back right now. Instead though, I reserved a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone from the library, so I can start with the story all over again.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!

In the US it is also Veteran’s Day. Here in the UK it is Remembrance Day, and if you want a little taste of what’s being done here check out my post on the Tower of London poppies. And finally it is also Ryan’s twin brother’s birthday. Happy birthday Aaron! I wish I had a cute baby twins photo of them to show you, because they were adorable. I don’t so here’s an adult picture of them from Red Rocks in Colorado. Aaron, if you’re reading, and have a cute photo of you two like maybe in costumes or karate outfits, let me know. People need to see how adorable you two were. 

Anyway I love celebrating birthdays and am terrible at keeping surprises, so I tend to stretch out the festivities. Ryan has been allowed to open one present a day since Sunday. Last night we went out for a celebration dinner with our friends Alessia and Raffaello. And today we’ll have cake and a steak dinner. I’ll post the cake recipe later this week, but today’s focus is on last night’s dinner at Cantina Laredo.

Cantina Laredo is a Mexican restaurant in the Covent Garden/Leicester Square area of London. People say London doesn’t have good Mexican food and so far Ryan and I have had some mixed experiences. Chipotle is still yummy, while nachos at a bar are a big mistake. But, I had heard such good things about this place from both British and American people that I thought we should try it since Ryan loves Mexican food. Let me say upfront the pictures I took are rubbish. I apologize and to make up for the abysmal photos, Ryan has graciously allowed me to share this picture he drew when he was a little kid. It has nothing to do with anything, except for that it’s Ryan’s birthday.

Anyway, I’m so glad we tried Cantina Laredo because the food was really delicious. For me, good Mexican food is fresh and lets the individual ingredients speak for themselves. I don’t think Mexican food needs to be perfectly plated, overly fancy, or made too prissy because the food is good enough on its own. I also want Mexican to be satisfying. It doesn’t have to be overly indulgent like a giant burrito, but I want to feel like I’ve eaten something substantial and won’t have to stop for a pizza on the way home.

When we go to the restaurant, we were all totally impressed by its size. The restaurant is huge by London standards. It takes up most of its block. Also the tables aren’t next to each other. We could not see, or really hear, the nearby tables. Most importantly, our booth was huge. It was like the kind of booth you’d find at TGIFridays in the US. There was four of us and we probably could have fit 2-4 more people if we had wanted to.

 On the whole, the restaurant totally delivered on our Mexican food needs. We got chips and tomatillo salsa first. I’m sorry now I didn’t take a picture, because the chips were lovely. They were hot and felt like they had been made recently from actual tortillas (and not just processed somewhere in a factory). The salsa was nicely spicy but not over the top.

 I got carne asada. The meat was cooked medium, it was tender, flavored with lovely cilantro, and piled fairly high on a small tortilla. I also got arroz verde, which tasted very strongly of lime, which at first was weird but then turned out to be really pleasant. It made the rice a little citrusy and sweet, which nicely balanced some of the spiciness in the tacos.

Ryan and Raffaello got fajitas which is always a big hit. Their platters came sizzling out on the table, which is always a showstopper. I was actually a little jealous because their fajitas came with refried beans, guacamole, salsa, thick luscious sour cream, and a mound of cooked onions.

Alessia had tacos but instead of carne asada like me, she had carnitas. She said were really well cooked with a little bit of crunch that she liked. 

We all ended with a plate of churros. They came with a citrus cream and a chilli chocolate dipping sauce. Sometimes I find chilli chocolate sauce so spicy that I miss out on the chocolate flavor. But this wasn’t like that. The heat was subtle and was in harmony with the rich chocolate – not at all overpowering. The cream was really good too. Once we ate all the churros, Ryan had the brillant idea of using a spoon to dip the cream into the chocolate. I was jealous of his innovation and it was clear that his birthday has made him wiser.

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You know the stereotype that Brits have bad food? I’m going to take a bold stance and say that it’s totally wrong. The Brits have yummy food and I’ve had plenty of it since moving here. I’ll concede that a lot of dishes are hearty and meat based, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, (yes cup of tea reference on purpose), but fish and chips, mash, Victoria sandwich, coronation chicken, and steak and ale pie are all delicious. But my favorite thing ever might be Sunday roast.

On Saturday, Ryan and I went to a Halloween party and we may have stayed out really late and had too much fun. So the next day we woke up groggy and I was grumpy. Ryan suggested we go to the pub for a Sunday roast and I immediately perked up. It is the perfect meal for a rainy lazy Sunday.

We went to the Horatia, which is our local pub. The kitchen is run by Borough Foods Kitchen, which means all the ingredients are sourced from traders at Borough Market. Which, by the by, is an awesome market with all kinds of great food and I should totally write a TT post about that. Anyway, Borough Market has the best ingredients and as a result the Horatia’s food is always really good.

The Horatia is a quirky place. It’s decorated with lots of taxidermy animals, which at first feels weird but eventually seems a little charming. It has mismatched furniture, grandfather clocks, and chalkboards listing all their craft beers. It’s kind of giant as pubs go, and I think they have swing dancing lessons one day a week.

Ryan and I first went for Sunday roast after a number of British people told us it was a must-do for our time here. The meal is like comfort food, it’s filling, and familiar, and indulgent all at the same time. The basics of the dish is a roast meat, with fixings, and gravy. In addition to the food itself, I like the atmosphere of the pub. On Sundays, the pub feels extra happy. There are families, groups of friends, couples, kids, and even dogs. It’s so nice, and different from how I’ve experienced bars in the US.

But let’s get to the important stuff and talk about the food. At the Horatia, the meat options are beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. One of us always gets the beef. It’s so tender and flavorful. The following is meant as a compliment, although I know it may not sound like it, but you know when you go to a buffet and there is a carving station? That is always my favorite bit, but the person who does the carving always gives out a tiny portion. I always have to ask for more, and it still isn’t as much as I want. At the Horatia, the portion is the giant slice of roast beef I always wished for in the buffet line.

The last time Ryan got “the works” which was a slice of pork, beef, chicken, and lamb. That was a nice option because then no one had to make a sacrifice on choices. Along with the meat, it comes with the fixings. This one specifically has crunchy parsnips on top, parsnip mash and roasted carrots. It also has mushy peas, which have mint in them.I try them every time, but I never really like them. There’s Yorkshire pudding, which is that roll looking thing. It’s called pudding, but isn’t sweet or dessert like. On the side potatoes roasted in goose fat and braised cabbage. I’m often anti-greens but I really liked this cabbage. And on top of that, lots and lots of gravy. Quite the feast right?

Oh yeah, and of course, don’t forget to have it with a pint.

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Anyway, one of the last things I did before starting my job was go to the British Museum. I had been there before, but this last time I went on a tour with London Walks. If you live in London, or are just visiting, I highly recommend doing a walk with them. You’ll get to see nooks and crannies in the city that are hiding in plain sight. They tell you amazing stories and some of the guides are hilarious.

For the tour of the British Museum the guide picks their favorite highlights to show to the group. My guide, Chris, is into the Classics so that’s mostly what we saw. I liked her. She said that she thinks museums are places to visit little and often (meaning regularly and for short bursts). I completely agree. It allows you to enjoy yourself, see what you’re in the mood for, and not feel pressured to see it all. Below are my highlights of her highlights. The museum has way way way more to see.

During the tour she showed us lovely reliefs from the North Palace in Ninevah, a city in Mesopotamia. The reliefs show a lion hunt, which was apparently only something the king could do. You can pick out the king because he is more ornate than the others. These are awesome because they are so detailed but in such low relief (compare them to photos of Acropolis reliefs below). How can you have so much detail and be so subtle?! Also, I love how expressive the lions look. They look natural and dramatic all at once. It’s so impressive.

On the way to the Parthenon marbles we saw this statue, which would have been outside an entrance. I don’t remember what culture it’s from, so I’m sorry. Anyway it’s cool because from the front the animal would look normal, you’d see just two legs. From the side it looks normal, because it has four legs. But from diagonal, the animal has six legs!

Chris handled discussing the Parthenon marbles so well! She talked about where they came from and the controversy about having them and returning them. She talked about Elgin honestly, and acknowledged some shadiness but also didn’t vilify him. And for me, that makes sense. He did some clearly wrong things but he was a product of his time and probably not pure evil. (Side note: if you’re interested in learning more, read Loot. It talks about all kinds of repatriation issues, including the Parthenon, and it will make your brain confused and thoughtful in the best way possible.)

But the best part for me, was that she didn’t let the issues of provenance and repatriation overshadow the beauty of the marbles and the stories they tell. Because look at them! This is what I was talking about before with the deeper relief.

These marbles below come from a triangular pediment (triangle part on the top) on the Parthenon. These sculptures show the birth of Athena, who is said to have sprung fully formed from Zeus’ head. You can see in the body language of the women, that they’re a little bit like, “whoa! What just happened?”

The horse would have been in the corner opposite the women. I love that it hangs over the side a bit and comes out at the viewer. I also love how the sculptor really used all the available space to great effective. This horse is either the sun going down or the moon going down, I feel bad I can’t remember which, but that’s why you can only see part of him. So lovely.

This sculpture below is near the Parthenon marbles. It was outside a tomb in Halikarnassos and the sculpture is largely believed to be Mausolus, who was the king. Chris told us his tomb was so large that it was called a mausoleum – and that’s where we get that word today. Cool right?!

If you are squeamish, keep scrolling. If you’re curious, stay with me. Below is Lindow Man. He was found in 1984 in England, but dating shows that he died between 2 BC and AD 119. (Interesting fact #1). This means he was alive when the Romans were in England! The body was found in a peat bog, which is a acidic, oxygen-free environment which allowed so much skin, hair and many of his internal organs to be preserved. (interesting fact #2). Scientists also have a good idea of his age, the work he did, and how he died. It’s incredible.

These photos below also show objects dating from Roman times in Britain. They come from a fort called Vindolanda and are the oldest handwritten documents from this region. What makes them cool is that they are so normal! These letters include invitations to a birthday party and a mom sending socks to her son to keep him warm in the winter. It’s so cool how things can be the same across so much time.

And just to end on something beautiful, here is a picture of a beautiful Sumerian artifact.

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Have you ever used meetup.com? Since moving to London I have used it as a way to get out of my flat, explore the city, and make some friends. I’ve gone out with an expat spouses group a number of times and the women I’ve met have been just lovely. (I know men can be expat spouses too, but I haven’t met any yet.)

Anyway, a few weeks ago I went to Vagabond Wines on Charlotte Street (there is more than one location) with the expat spouses and had a blast. Wine and girl talk is always a lot of fun, but having friends to go out with also helps make London feel more like home. The surrounding area is really cute with lots of other shops and restaurants. Vagabond itself has large wooden tables, fat leather chairs, and a cozy vibe. This location isn’t too far from the British Museum, so it is a perfect place to go to unwind if you’re tired after sightseeing.

They have food there too, but their tasting machines are what really makes them noteworthy. You can see the machines in the first picture at the top. When you go in to the store, you buy a card and can put whatever amount on it that you like. I put on £20. In the back of the shop there are tables and about 100 wines on “tap.” The wines are arranged in categories like “spicy” or “bold” or “citrus.” Then above each particular wine there is a little card with more specific details about the flavors and smells of the wine – and if you like it you can take the info card (or buy a bottle).

To taste the wine, all you do is put your card in the machine, place the glass under the spout and press the button. And the best part is that there is a choice to buy either a taste or a full glass! No need to commit when you aren’t sure what you like! The cheapest taste I had was a bubbly rosé for 65p. The most expensive taste I had was somewhere between £3-5, which might seem like a lot, but the bottle itself cost over £100. That was my absolute favorite part! I would never buy myself such expensive wine, but I loved being able to try the high end wine without blowing my budget.

Over the course of the afternoon I bought 2 full glasses and maybe the equivalent of a third glass in tastes. It was a really cool and fun experience. I don’t know anything about wine, I always buy based on label design, and  usually when I go to the store I feel like I have to make choices. This time, I could try a little bit of everything and see what I really like. It was great fun to spend a leisurely afternoon, tasting wine, and having some girl talk. I loved it and highly recommend it.

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The exhibit was awesome and I have to tell you about it even though it is no longer on display. (Also, fyi, I got the job and as long as all my paperwork and visa and what have you go through, then I start in October! WOOT!)

The Rubbish exhibit was put together by artist Joshua Sofaer. For 30 days he, and others, collected rubbish that was discarded from the museum by visitors, staff, and contractors. But it wasn’t just trash as it was thrown into the bin, the exhibit also included rubbish as it went out to be recycled and sorted. You know sometimes at Whole Foods you can buy a reusable bag and it says “I used to a plastic bottle” or something like that? Well I couldn’t fathom that until I saw the shredded up bits of plastic in the exhibit.

I fell in love with the exhibit because of this letter from a presumably pre-teen girl to a boy she liked. It is heartbreaking! She says she’ll get over him and she says not to show the note to anyone. Oops. Looks like the museum (and I) are breaking that request. It was just innocent and sweet and I felt thirteen again. I felt connect to her and what was likely her classes’ school trip experience. I remember being so excited for school trips so I could sit on the bus with my friends and maybe get assigned to a group with the boy I liked. I remember passing notes, sitting near the boys at lunch, and getting all abuzz with my friends when a boy would look over.  I also remember getting notes like that and promptly showing the notes to my friends. I might have been the worst adolescent girl. Anyway, as a museum educator today I tend to think about how people learn content and experience the museum. I tend to forget all the other experiences and emotions that can happen. I found it fun to see the museum from a more social perspective.

I actually think that a museum would be a great setting for a TV show. Think about the format of Scrubs, where the main cast are the hospital staff but sometimes the patients are influential and central to the story line. So, in my museum show, the main cast would be some combination of visitor services, education, curatorial, and maintenance staff and then the story would be how they interact with the people who come to the museum. Imagine episodes tracking a thief in the shop, or adolescents being awkward and flirting, or protesters outside the museum picketing some exhibit. I’d watch that show.

Anyway, back to the exhibit. It’s crazy the types of things people throw away. These people below are the backs of signs used to show where the bathrooms are. Above them in the word bubble are a series of notes that were put in someone’s lunch. Another of my favorite items are the pieces and rules for a homemade game. How cool is that?!

A book I liked when I was a kid was From the Mixed Up Filed of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. The main character, Claudia, and her brother, Jamie, run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. They pick the museum in part because it will be comfortable – and this exhibit has me convinced that it would be entirely possible to hideaway in a museum. Look at all these medicines, cleaning supplies, clothes, and a sleeping bag. There’s even a suitcase to fit it all!

I really liked the row of shoes. Who the heck throws away shoes? And why so many shoes? Years ago Ryan lived in Alexandria, VA and many times when he and I would drive into DC we’d see a shoe on the side of the road. This was not just once, it was many times over many years, all on the same road. WHY? Why did people throw their shoes away? I still don’t have the answer, but I know people throw shoes away in all kinds of places.

Most shocking though were these items. A negative pregnancy test and a condom wrapper. What are people doing in the museum? I think this just reinforces my idea that a sitcom would work. There is a whole world of things happening in the museum!

Joshua Sofaer, the artist said, “Museums generally display objects that have a special status, that are rare, or valuable. In this project I want to give that treatment to the stuff that is normally discarded.” I liked that he rearranged broken things to look normal or he stacked random things to look orderly. I liked getting a glimpse into the various arenas of the museum and not just what you could see as a regular tourist.

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