Le Monde des Moldus

WORD OF THE DAY
une baguette magique: a wand

"To our newcomers, welcome! To our old hands, welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it."

                                                                                 -Dumbledore

Let us take a lesson from our dear old friend and jump right in.

So last week I went to the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour about 30 minutes outside London. You're probably saying to yourself, "Wow, that sounds like my dream last night." Well, you would be dead on. It was by far one of the coolest things I've done on this exchange.

Basically, it's a tour of the studio where all 8 Harry Potter films were made--consisting of various sets, props, costumes, and characters, all combined to create a truly unique experience.

Now, it wasn't too expensive, but I intended to get my money's worth. The guides said it took the average person about 3 hours to complete the whole tour. Friends, I was there for 6.5 hours. And in the end, I was "kicked out." In all honesty, I could have been there for 9. It was in the realm of possibility.

You see, the way it worked was there were 5 or 6 different "segments," and once you had moved on to a new one you were banned from going back. That's why it took me so long. I would think "No, you know what, I'm not done with this yet. I really should stare at this for 20 more minutes." I call this the Rotating-Stuffed-Animal Effect. See, when I was little, I had about 9 billion stuffed animals, give or take a few.

Apologies for the creepy Coraline eyes.

Everything about this scenario was amazing, until it came time for bed. You see, 9 billion companions is just excessive when you're trying to sleep. So my brilliant solution was to put the stuffed animals on a strict rotating schedule, so none ever felt left out.

And that principle applies here as well. I didn't want to leave a room until I was sure I'd maximized its entertainment potential. Because . . . you know, if I forgot something . . . I'd feel bad . . . for the room. Shut up, it's logical.

So I took my time. So much of my time, in fact, that my audio guide died before I reached the end. Which was a shame. They really should look into getting a stronger battery.

Now, I suppose this post would probably work best as a photo montage of sorts. Let's get to it.

It was quite the little journey to get to this fantastic attraction. I took a few metros then an above-ground train into unknown and personally uncharted territory to find a coach service that I was convinced didn't exist, and if it did I was sure I wouldn't find it. As will soon be obvious, I didn't have to look very hard.

Left: the world's most obvious bus, Right: the pearly gates

I'd arrived. It was literally in the middle of nowhere. If it hadn't had "Harry Potter" stamped across the front of it I would have passed right by thinking "That is a strange creepy warehouse in the middle of this field. I bet a lot of murdering happens there." And I would have been on my way. But thankfully for us, it did have the "Harry Potter" seal of approval, so I stopped off for a look-see.

After receiving my audio guide and complementary souvenir guidebook, I was mere steps away from one of the coolest moviegoer experiences I'll ever have. (Well, until Salzburg, but we'll get to that later.)

DISCLAIMER:
I will be giving away some secrets in this post. I don't think it's worth calling this disclaimer a "spoiler alert," but I'm giving you fair warning. If you don't want to see how the invisibility cloak worked or know how they made Hagrid look so big, maybe skip on to the next post. There's also the possibility that it might be a little less humorous than you may be hoping. It's just that I take my nerdy Harry Potter infatuation very seriously. There is a time for jokes, and there is a time for learning really awesome stuff. This will be a post full of wonderful interesting things. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Now, where was I . . .

Ah yes.

Part 1: the Great Hall . . .

Did you know: the director of the first 2 films, Chris Columbus, encouraged the student actors to carve things into the tables. Not only did it help pass the time, but it authenticated the set. "It's like a real school!"

Did you know: as is probably obvious, the ceiling of the Great Hall is computer-generated. But for the first film, the floating candles weren't. Individual candle-shaped tubes containing spirit oil were suspended by wires which were later digitally removed. Unfortunately, the heat from the flames burnt through the wires and the "candles" fell onto the tables. So no more of that. Spontaneously combusting students shouldn't be something you have to worry about.

Part 2: The large warehouse space . . .

Yule Ball costumes and decorations

Did you know: they actually covered the real great hall with silver decorations for the Yule Ball scene. 90 decorators. It took over a month.

Left: all the famous wands, Right: the Mirror of Erised (and me!)

Did you know: the wands were initially bejeweled and fancy, but J.K. Rowling wanted simple wooden wands that complemented their owners. Because she is fantastic.

It was strange seeing the sets in real life because they were SO much tinier than I imagined. I suppose it's camera angles and such. Even looking at the pictures I took makes the spaces look larger than they did in real life. Odd. I guess that's movie magic for ya. Also I've heard the camera adds 10 square feet.

Left: Gryffindor boy's dormitory, Right: Gryffindor common room

Did you know: the boys dormitory pictured on the left above was the same set used for all the films. Even the beds. The actors eventually had to curl up to keep their legs and feet from hanging over the ends during shooting.

Did you know: that furnace-looking thing in the foreground was used on the set of Chocolat prior to the first HP film.

Left: Invisibility Cloak, Right: Leaky Cauldron

Did you know: that chair at the end of the hall is about 8" tall. Forced perspective!

Um. That clock thing.

Props that are already labeled for your pleasure and my convenience.

More props!

Left: Dumbledore's office, Right: cabinet of individually-labeled memory vials

Did you know: the set of Dumbledore's office was cleared out and used as the astronomy tower.

Did you know: the old books lining the walls of his office were actually just glorified British phone books covered in leather.

Did you know: that telescope in the back was one of the most expensive pieces ever created for the series, and you only ever see it in the background. That seems appropriate.

Did you know: just out of frame in the left photo is an uncomfortable Richard Harris Dumbledore creeping in the background from behind a column. It is not okay.

Left: Potions classroom, Right: Hagrid's hut

Did you know: of the hundreds of bottles lining the walls of the Potions classroom, some contained baked animal bones from a local butcher shop, some herbs and planty stuff, others strange things in goop.

Did you know: to make Hagrid appear much larger than the children, they built 2 different sets for his hut. One set was made smaller to make Hagrid appear larger, and one set was made larger to make the children appear smaller.

Bellatrix's vault door: it actually moves!
(the Chamber of Secrets snake door was also real)
(so is magic)

Left: the Burrow (my favorite), Right: Umbridge's office

Did you know: mechanisms in the burrow like the self-cleaning pot, the knitting needles, the iron, and the knife that cuts by itself, actually moved and worked without the help of CGI!

Did you know: the construction crew pushed and pulled support beams and wall units out of place with chains after the Burrow set was constructed to give it an off-kilter, crooked, Weasley-made look. (ie. there are no right angles)

Did you know: the Burrow is awesome.

Did you know: they had a kitty photo shoot for the decorative plates on Umbridge's walls. They got all the kittens from a shelter, photographed them in clothes, and then families came and adopted them. That is maybe the most precious thing in my entire blog.

Left: Magic is Might statue, Right: Death Eater costumes (also Voldemort. meh.)

Did you know: the Magic is Might statue was carved out of foam and then painted. (I assume styrofoam. Not Nicole Kidman coffee foam. Did you know she likes to order foam from Starbucks? A cup of foam. Hollywood changes people.)

Did you know: Ralph Fiennes' nose was digitally removed and replaced with Voldemort's characteristic face slits. It wasn't just smushed down, as I was previously convinced.

Left: The Quibbler, Right: the Daily Prophet

Did you know: the Graphics Department created 40 editions of the Daily Prophet and over 25,000 pages of The Quibbler with unique stories and headlines and puzzles just like a real newspaper. Why? I have no freaking clue.

Left: the Marauder's Map, Right: U-No-Poo

Part 3: The Backlot . . .

The Knight Bus!

Did you know: the Knight Bus was created using parts from three vintage London double-deckers. Ooooh my god! It's a double-decker! It almost looks like a triple-decker!

Did you know: some streets in London do not accommodate triple-decker buses because that is an outrageous request, so the movie people had to map out a route for the 22-foot monster to travel safely around the city.

Left: Number 4 Privet Drive, Right: the Riddle family gravestone

Did you know: Both of these were based on real places. That's called inspiration and probably shouldn't surprise you.

Left: Godric's Hollow (Potter's house), Right: Hogwart's bridge

Did you know: this little segment of the bridge was the only part that was actually built. The rest was computer animated.

Op ed: though this bridge is kinda cool and provides for some interesting scenes in the movies, I can't help but feel a little jaded that it has become an iconic piece of Hogwarts. Since, you know, it is literarily nonexistent. A part of me accepts that it's Hollywood. It's Warner Brothers. Get over it. But that huge nerd chunk that I hold where my muscles should be desperately wants to attack somebody with "Terabithia called! She wants her bridge back!" But I show restraint.

Giant Queen wizard's chess piece
(some of these guys were mechanized to move as well)

Part 4: The Creature Shop . . .

Left: terrifying merlady face, Right: gaggles of goblins

Left: Basilisk skeleton, Right: Aragog

Did you know: though all the other spiders in the second film were CGI, because Aragog is relatively stationary the film team actually created the giant spider and operated him on set. He was 18-feet long, covered in yak hair, and required nearly 100 technicians to operate. Such a diva.

Left: creepy Hagrid head, Right: BUCKBEAK :D

Did you know: another way they made Hagrid look larger was by putting this creepy head on a 7-foot tall man (not Robbie Coltrane) dressed as Hagrid. It moves too. Because it's terrifying.

Did you know: they built 3 life-size Buckbeaks (one sitting, one standing, and one rearing). They all move. And I want to cuddle with them.

Part 5: Diagon Alley . . .

Well . . . there it is.

Did you know: many parts of Diagon Alley were redressed and used in the village of Hogsmeade.

Did you know: Ollivander's Wand Shop was stocked with over 17,000 individually labeled wand boxes. You might be asking yourself "Why would that ever be necessary?" Then I will scare you by reading your thoughts and responding "Excess = Success. Idiot."

Did you notice: that it looks nothing like in the first movie.

Left: Gringotts Bank, Right: Weasley Wizard Wheezes

Part 6: Artistic adaptation . . .

Hogsmeade

Okay, so the production crew also made these tiny models of the sets from the films as guides for the larger creations. Amy and Michael, I thought you might appreciate them for their architectural whooziwhatzits. Everyone else, I thought you might appreciate them because they are adorable.

Left: the Burrow, Right: Ollivander's Wand Shop

Part 7: The Hogwarts Castle . . .

Bum bum bum buuuum!!!!

Did you know: this 1:24 scale model of the Hogwarts Castle was hand-sculpted by a team of 86 artists and crewmembers using miniature yet identical versions of the real courtyards and scenery from Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral where scenes from the film were shot.

Did you know: real gravel was used to recreate rockwork and boulders, and real plants for landscaping and trees.

Did you know: more than 300 fiber optic lights were used to give the illusion of torches and lanterns flickering within the castle.

Did you know: the filmmakers would get swooping shots of the castle model and digitally mix it with the Scotland backdrop to create beautiful panoramas and painfully realistic dragon chase scenes.

---------------

And this is where I leave you. But I will end with this:

When they started working on the first film, the director asked Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson to write what they imagined to be an autobiography of their characters' lives up to the present. Daniel came in with a very detailed, very insightful essay (approx. 15 pages). Emma came back with a very Hermione-esque paper (approx. 50 pages), also very detailed and insightful. Rupert, however, returned with nothing and was heavily criticized for not taking the process seriously.

"I am taking it seriously. I don't think Ron would finish it."

And that is why Ron is the best.

Amitiés :)

I see London . . .

PHRASE OF THE DAY
J'ai tué une araignée dans mon lit avec un coton-tige: I killed a spider in my bed with a q-tip.

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks. My goodness.

Exams are over. Which means classes are over. Which means I'm a senior now. Which is frightening.

And I've been traveling around the continent like a fiend. Well, not so much a fiend as maybe a casual city hopper.

But nevertheless, it's about time I recounted some of my experiences with you.

We'll start . . . with London. (minus Harry Potter)

Yes, I went to London. I now say things like "ravishing" and "well nice" and "russet potatoes."

This looks familiar to you.

Day 1

I had an early flight out of Nice, arriving in London at about 11. Exhausted and somewhat disoriented, I managed to make it to my hostel in record time. Now, if you know me at all, which I suspect you do as you've no doubt spent countless hours this year reading every detail of my life from the 66 published posts, eagerly awaiting the next entry like that sad dog whose owner died and never came home and he just sits there, waiting--oh please, stop, you're embarrassing me--well, if you know me at all, then you'll know that I have the GPS tracking ability of a tree stump. And even then, I'm pretty sure tree stumps grow moss on the side facing south, so, in retrospect, that probably wasn't a clear metaphor.

But you'll be happy to know that I found my way in and around the London tube system with only a Level 1 difficulty. But I am not perfect. I think I was constantly just a little bit lost. And I managed.

The great thing about London is that they're prepared for people like me. And so, to remedy the hordes of squinting tourists pirouetting in the streets, they put up these maps all over the city! And the great part is: the map is always facing the way you're facing! It's like they knew I was coming. They knew. And they prepared accordingly. And I thank them wholeheartedly.

They know their world is backwards, yet they do nothing.

After checking into the hostel, I decided to visit my taxidermied neighbors in the Natural History Museum which was literally right next door because this was a fancy hostel in a wonderful neighborhood with good schools I'm sure. Unfortunately when I got there, I realized my camera had died before I got the chance to say goodbye. It was really inconsiderate of him.

So I snapped some shots with my phone. But who really wants to look at those anyway?

Just kidding. Of course you do.

I then returned to the hostel to charge my camera but realized all too soon that it is a mistake to lay down on a bed ever if you don't want to sleep.

Day 2

HARRY POTTER DAY!!

But since I woke up at 3 to the sounds of my bunkmates' drunken arrival and subsequent snorefest, I had quite a bit of time (and roommates) to kill before my 1 o'clock tour. So I went "downtown!"

I remember taking this picture. I thought to myself, "By the beard of Zeus! I got some double decker buses in the shot too! I am an awesome photographer. Really the greatest."

However, I soon realized that it was actually significantly more impressive to take a picture that didn't have a double decker bus in it. They are literally everywhere. And they photobomb like pros.

So I challenge you to a little entry-specific game: Count the Double Deckers. (Answer at the bottom)

See? Everywhere.

I also wandered around for about 30 minutes looking for the Piccadilly Circus. I . . . didn't really know what I was looking for. But I certainly didn't find anything that could arguably be called a "Circus." It confused me greatly.

(Turns out a "circus" is English-speak for a roundabout road thing. Far less exciting. Also an "arcade" isn't what you think, and "Debeers" is 100% non-alcoholic jewelry. Sneaky Brits.)

Dear Prince Harry,
I dubbed myself a Lady this week. Just sayin'.

Also apparently my hostel was located on the only street in all of Great Britain that I can't pronounce. I asked the metro guy if I could get a ticket to take me to "Gloooochesterrrrrr Road," and after a lot of seconds of repetition and eye squints and quizzical mouth twitching he responded with "Ohhh Glustah Road." I said yes even though I was pretty sure that was wrong.

Impossible. There were no pelicans.

Everything in England is just a little bit fancier.

[Unfortunately Day 2 ends here. To honor the Harry Potter experience, I will be giving it a post of its very own. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.]

Day 3

Unfortunate circumstance of the day: the Central Tube line was closed for maintenance. You know, the line that essentially connects all the other lines. This attempt to ruin my plans did not go unnoticed. But I persevered, taking most of the city-wide journey on foot. Which came back to haunt me by about 8 o'clock, or 12 hours of nonstop walking.

IN THE FIRST CORNER (SE), COMING IN AT A WHOPPING 16 POUNDS FOR ENTRY, WE HAVE THE TOWER OF LONDON!

I'd give you some interesting historical facts that you could immediately forget, but I didn't pay to enter. Thus, I learned nothing. But look how pretty!

I am called the Monument.
Because Londoners are sooo creative.

London Bridge = underwhelming

Zee Globe Theatre!

HP bridge :)

Early [this] day, to the steps of St. Paul . . .

IIIIN THE SECOND CORNER (NE), COMING IN AT A WHOPPING 8 MILLION OBJECTS, THEY SAY HE'S CONTROVERSIAL BUT I SAY HE'S JUST OVERRATED, IT'S THE BRITISH MUSEUM!

I think whoever arranged this jewelry had a sense of humor.

By the time I got to the British Museum, my feet were already tuckering out. So I popped in on the mummies, then stopped for lunch, mostly to give my hands something to do while I sat for several moments. I realized I needed to plan my exploration of the museum carefully. So as to avoid prolonged foot travel. My lady feet bottoms were in no mood to wander aimlessly.

On my map it listed "Things to see if you only have an hour." Perfect.

What I didn't realize was that these 9 objects were located very strategically, ultimately forcing the victim to visit every corner of the museum, sometimes searching for several minutes for a teeny tiny African mask that couldn't possibly be the most important thing in the room. See above, re: "sneaky."

#1 of 9: A gift for all my linguist buddies.

In reality, this was the perfect way for me to tackle the museum. Not only did I get massive stairmaster exercise, but I was able to treat it like a puzzle. Like a scavenger hunt. Very Naional Treasure-y. Very fun. Well played, British Museum. Well played.

King's Cross! (HP . . . again.)

Dear Bobby with a Y from Indiana,

Thank you for capturing this moment. And for your patience. Third time's a charm, am I right? I will forever be in your debt.

Cordialement,

Molly with a Y from Tennessee

AND IN THE THIRD CORNER (NW), DON'T LET THE CUTENESS FOOL YOU, IT'S NOTTING HILL!

Notting Hill is tiny, quiet, and merry.

"Place where the riches of ages are stowed . . ."

I would have loved to explore Hyde Park a little longer, but I almost almost literally couldn't walk anymore. So to the hostel I marched.

Good night, Hyde park. Good night, mush.
Good night, old lady whispering "hush."

AND IN THE FOURTH AND FINAL CORNER (SW), COMING IN AT 8:30PM, ABLE TO SUBDUE HIS TUCKERED OUT OPPONENTS WITHOUT LIFTING A FINGER, IT'S MOLLY'S BED!

---------------------------

Day 4

Pip pip. Cheerio.

Amitiés :)

[Answer: 16]

Pause for effect

Good morning, trolley people!

This post is coming to you as a precursor to the one I will hopefully be fleshing out later this evening.

It's a drumroll, if you will.

But today we are heading over to Cannes!

For what, you might ask?

Why for the Cannes Film Festival no less!

Gonna go rub noses with some famous people. Maybe take a few pictures. Who knows!

See you after I'm a star.

Amitiés :)

UPDATED: That's not the right idiom, is it? Something about "rub noses" sounds too invasive. Hmm.

UPDATED: Yeah it's "rub elbows."

UPDATED: Also maybe "rub shoulders?"

ONE O'CLOCK AND AAALL'S WAYULL

PHRASE OF THE DAY
J'ai mal aux pieds: My feet hurt.

Dear reader,

As this evening draws to a close (or rather, drew to a close about 3 hours ago), some facts are made very clear: namely, airplanes strangle ink pens and frame you "red-handed," lettuce leaves make fantastic bowls that you can eat, and this London blog won't be finished for several days.

I tried, you guys. I tried to finish it. But I didn't get very far for silly reasons. You know, like sleep. And an exam. And my plane leaves for Salzburg at 6:30. So in about 5.5 hours. And I won't be returning to Nice until Friday. Sooo . . . yeah.

But here's a picture to tide you over.

Auf wiedersehen.

Amitiés :)

London Calling

This will be short and to the point.

Sort of like a toothpick.

I'm leaving for London in T-4 hours.

And so I bid you adieu. As I trek off into the sunset (or sunrise, mind you).

To feast my wondering eyes on all things fish and chippy, Harry Potter, and backward driving.

Am I scared? You betcha.

Am I still going?  Dadoy.

Am I to the point of having lived alone for so long that I'm conversing with myself? That's irrelevant.

See ya on the flip side.

Amitiés :)

Moving for Moving Pictures

WORD OF THE DAY
yaourt (pronounced yaoooorchhht): yogurt

Hey America.

It's me. Molly.

Just thought I'd let you know what I've been up to these past few precious hours.

Not much really.

Having some bouts of sleeplessness, but that happens.

But I, uh, I do have other news.

As of 0900 hours, I am officially on my way to London for a 3-day excursion this week! It is a precursor for my trip to Salzburg that will happen next week.

But, you guys. That's not even the best part. Wanna know what that is?

Well, like Austria, I'm also following a movie franchise to its homeland.

Can you guess which one?

Well I'll tell ya.

It's Harry Potter, y'all.

I'M GONNA GO ON THE HARRY POTTER TOUR!

Like of the sets and things of that awesome awesome nature!

Oh the movies. They move me. Very very literally.

So that's happening. And I could not be more excited. It is not humanly possible for me to be more excited than I am right now. If I were more excited I would explode. Or implode. Whichever is less bloody.

"Thought you ought to know . . ." (for you true Harry potter fans . . . )

Amitiés :)

Meow Meow Meow Meow

WORD OF THE DAY
le thon: tuna

Ladies and gentlemen, it's that time again. The time of the year when pillows go on vacation, leaving textbooks to fill the void for the huddled masses to rest their heads; when sleep dances ogre-like just out of reach, evading you like a coy yet oddly heavy-footed mistress; when the hours start to melt together til your life is just one big meal consisting of pasta noodles, raw vegetables, and nutella.

This is exam time.

For me I guess it's not too bad. I actually only have 3 exams over the 3-week exam period. Now if my math is right, that averages to approximately 1 exam per week. Which is high on the "Things That Are Extra Doable" list. Somewhere between "Cooking a meal for 1" and "Taking care of a cactus."

Extra doable. But some effort is involved. Apparently.

So that's my life right now. Exam study. Beach. Rain. Study study study. Grocery. Cook. Eat. Seinfeld. Sleep.

Welcome to my world. Please don't leave.

Oh, speaking of cook, so I'm pretty sure I ate cat food for dinner last night. This is not a joke.

I bought some canned tuna and canned salmon from the grocery (since I don't like cooking meat that hasn't been cooked already). But when I opened the salmon, it was not people food.

I scooped it out of the tin and plopped it on the plate. You guys, this was straight up Fancy Feast.

But, I mean, I ate it. It was only a little strange. Lies. It was extra weird.

And I'm pretty sure the tuna/paté aisle is the same as the pet food supplies. This was super unwise, grocery people. WAY too much overlap.

---------------------------------

Ugh I wish I had more to tell you. After being gone for so long from the blogosphere you would think I had tales of wonder and awe and adventure to recount, but, alas, I do not.

Exam #1 in T-minus 8 hours. Bring it on.

UPDATE: Oh! I just thought of a story. So last week my Canadians and I hit the town in hopes of attending quiz night at MaNolans. But, to our ultimate dismay, MaNolans is a très popular quiz night hotspot, and we were denied admittance on account'a there weren't no seats. This pub ain't big enough for the 8 of us.

But since no one remembered their pistols, challenging the other patrons to a duel for the specific purpose of commandeering a table seemed almost silly. So we left.

Later that night, as we were swimming around from one casual dive to another, we ran into some other exchange students we know. One of the girls I'd met back in December at the ice-skating birthday party, but I didn't know her very well. (Obviously we had become friends on Facebook. This should come as no surprise.) Her name is Yvonne, and she's from Ireland. While I was standing a little off to the side, she came up to me, and, looking a bit flustered, she said, "You don't know me. And I don't know you, but I feel like I know you." She then proceeded to tell me how much she loves reading my blog, how it feels like I'm rehashing her experience in Nice exactly! How it's one of the 3 things in the world that gives her belly-laughs!

You guys, I legitimately felt like a celebrity. It was so strange. Awesome, but a peculiar feeling.

So, Yvonne, this post is dedicated to you. Because that made my night, and my week. And, honestly, without that story, this post was crap.

So thanks, girl!

Amitiés :)