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The most critical task of the day was to get to Hogwarts immediately to beat the crowds. Turns out the most popular ride in the park is called "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" and EVERYBODY wants to ride it and when the line gets too long you might find yourself standing in it for over two hours.
Here's the crowd entering the Hogsmeade town gate. Everybody is headed in the same direction.
I mean, just look at all those people up there headed for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We'd better hurry!
Click on the play button to join us as we rush through downtown Hogsmeade on our way up to Hogwarts.
Getting close now.
This place looks downright spooky.
And forbidding. You know, somebody put a lot of effort into making this place look good -- kinda spectacular, actually. But no time for sightseeing, we have to get in line.
Fortunately, the line hasn't grown beyond reason yet, and pretty soon we're inside. There's the famous Hogwarts Defense against the Dark Arts classroom.
Uh, oh. I do believe some of the people in those portraits are moving!
Yikes! They really are moving! Everybody better hold close to mama.
There's Dumbledore. What's that he's saying? Something about somebody whose name must not be uttered?
Hey, it's Harry, Ron and Hermione. Or maybe their astral projections. They're saying something but nobody is paying attention.
That's an actual dragon's skeleton up there in the rafters. Yes, it is! Really!
It's the Sorting Hat! I'll bet if I wear it it'll put me in Gryffindor with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Now it's time to get into one of these floating church pews to go for a ride.
And off we go! Outa my way, Potter!
Want to see how it works? Every one of the pews is stuck on the end of one of these robotic arms. The arm moves along a track and twists and zigs and zags and swings and raises and lowers and pokes the riders into a series of concave movie screens on which images are zooming and twisting and soaring, which gives everybody the feeling of flying and swooping and up-chucking. It's supposed to be the most technologically advanced theme park ride in the world but for all its sophistication Bill found it entirely too frantic. He wanted a chance to enjoy what he was seeing but he never got an opportunity to become engaged, to focus fully on one scene or monster or explosion before he was whooshed off to the next one. This ride wasn't fun, at least not for Bill. And when it was over he felt queasy, which is no way to start the day at a theme park. Not to worry, though -- he got over his queasiness pretty quickly and the rest of the day went fine.
Nobody looks worse for the wear.
Bill's happy too. And just look at all that snow on the roofs of Hogsmeade. You'd never know it's 95 degrees under a tropical sun, would you? Holy moly it's hot today. Bill's glad he's wearing a hat over skin he gooped with sunscreen.
It's the Hogwarts Express, ready to chug its way back to London's King's Cross Station, Platform 9 3/4.
Time for a butterbeer break.
The nice young ladies at the butterbeer cart explained that there are two varieties -- regular and frostee. Both come with a creamy head of butterscotch foam. Yum.
Heather seems enthusiastic. Garrett, not so much.
Mmmmmm. Butterbeer. It's pretty good stuff, actually. A little on the sweet side, but still creamy and yummy.
A butterbeer toast!
And what better, after a relaxing mug of cold butterbeer, than a ride on the Flight of the Hippogriff roller coaster?
But the crowds in Hogsmeade just keep growing and growing. Bill wants to go to Ollivander's wand shop, but the line is too long. Let's wait 'til later in the evening -- maybe all these people will go home? Maybe?
Well, not exactly. And there was this storm, see, and now everything's wet. But Bill still thinks we need to see Ollivander's. He can't explain why, but he's pretty sure we don't want to miss it.
That's it over there. Or something like it anyway.
And hey, the line isn't too long. And It's almost sorta kinda a little bit maybe pretty much stopped raining. Let's give it a shot.
Katia is willing. Heather, too. Garrett's getting pooped.
OK, a little encouragement from Mom and Garrett's in.
Ooooh, just look at all the wands stacked up on Ollivander's shelves.
There's the famous Ollivander himself, outfitting a prospective young wizard with his very first wand.
Hmmm, a wand of holly with heartstring of dragon for a core.
Want to see how it went? Click on the play button.
And when it was all over, we exited through the gift shop, of course. Heather's holding a quidditch ball (look at the snitches in the boxes on the shelf) and Katia is holding a broomstick and Gavin is ... um ... Gavin, what's up with your eyes? Were you standing in the way when somebody was pointing a wand or something?
OK, everybody, let's all grab a broomstick and fly outta here.
Plenty of broomsticks to choose from. They're tied down with big ropes and they just float up there by the ceiling.
Bill's glad he made everybody go to Ollivander's.
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