Harry Potter – Hogwarts, Watford (and Edinburgh)

I haven’t read the books and have only watched the films as part of my duty as a caring daughter to my Potter loving Mother. Harry Potter is a small start to my TV/Film travel adventures but I got to start somewhere.

 

http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk/

 

The Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford, London to a Harry Potter fan (I like to call them ‘Potter Nuts’) they would know what prop, costume and set were used in what film and which particular storyline. To an ‘Anti Harry’ aka moi being close to film sets and special effects made the £30 ticket value for money so to a Potter Nut it must have been priceless.

When the doors opened and we walked into the great hall even I was impressed – just don’t look up: Spoiler Alert – no roof, that’s where the computer geeks come into it. I don’t want to spoil the surprises for the Potter Nuts who haven’t been yet but it took my little group of Nuts three hours to walk around ‘Hogwarts’ and some of the videos explaining different parts of the making of the films we didn’t stop to watch them all so this tour could actually last all day.

The tour can be spilt into 2 ½ parts. Part One: Sets, costumes, props and an opportunity to fly on a broomstick or the Weasley car and then you can pay £16 for a photo to prove you did it. The more photos you buy the cheaper they are we brought 5 costing just over £5 a photo.

Part 1 ½ is outdoors, Privet Road, the bus, the motorbike and side car and the bridge where Harry and Voldemort fight it out.  It’s where you can try the Butter Beer at £2.99 for an espresso sized drink (£6.99 if you buy a small beaker with it), but as it was a freezing March day the tea and coffee was a much better choice and price.

With Part 2 there were more special effects mainly puppets and the mechanics on how the puppets/models worked and drawings and cardboard models showing where the filmmaker’s imagination and skills turned JK Rowling’s words into a film set.  Then just before the gift shop there is the Hogwarts model – it will take your breath away. These photos do not do it justice. To me they saved the best till last.

Note to all Potter Nuts save hard because there is a lot goodies in the gift shop; this is your Disney World.  The shop covers everything clothing, toys, food, mugs, fridge magnets, and if you have worn out your books and DVDs you know this shop is fully stocked up. A few price examples on what’s on offer:   £25 for a wand (plenty of wands to choose from) or £4 for a chocolate one.

Only last winter I went to Edinburgh (my first non-boozy weekend there) and walking around the steep streets and the castle shaped old buildings on a quiet Sunday morning I could see where JK Rowling got some of her inspiration. It felt wrong not to have a cup of tea in the Elephant Café where JR wrote some of her Potter stories.  So I’ve had a tea at where it all started and now I’ve been to the building where it all ended.  Maybe I might watch a few of the films again to spot the props we saw on our day out.

 

 

Mr Beckham… at least we have Paris!

He isn’t my ideal date in the City of Love but my sister adores Saint Beckham and I adore Paris. She got to see him warm up and stretch for most of the game and I got to see the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame so everyone’s a winner.

I didn’t know how booking a 24 hour Paris football trip would be so stressful, ah oui I should have paid more attention to my French lessons. As we were only going to the capital for one night we couldn’t book flights or the hotel until the kick off was announced (due to the TV rights the games could have been on a Friday night, Saturday or a Sunday afternoon).I was constantly checking the Paris Saint-German website and Ligue 1 app and once the kick off time was announced, the stress continued.

Who shall I book the tickets with? Direct with the club via their French website or via the official seller English speaking Viagogo easier to understand but as terrible online reviews. I did try to book tickets with Guardiantickets.co.uk (it was Viagogo in disguise) and after picking my tickets I got to the delivery page and it said they wouldn’t post the tickets I would have to arrange a pick up place with the seller or they could post them to a French address – too fishy for me so with Google Translate I booked the tickets for Saturday’s PSG v Nancy game directly with the football club. Tickets ranged from 40€ - 100€, I paid 60€ for a ticket in the middle tier (bleu bas) of the Présidentielle stand and if that stand was good enough for Mrs Beckham it was good enough for me.

10 out of 10 to Paris Saint-Germain for their customer service (6 out of 10 for my bad French emails to them). I was unsure if they would post the tickets to a non-French address or if I would have to collect them from the ticket office on the day. They reassured me that they posted the tickets to my English address 10 days before the match and it I didn’t receive they would issue duplicates on match day if I had I.D and the ticket reference number. Luckily my tickets did arrive so Bravo billetterie@psg.fr !

 

Parc des Princes

Flights from Birmingham to Paris Charles de Galle were £121 return with Air France (flew with Flybe), 9.50€ for a train/metro pass and the small and modern Holiday Inn Auteuil (5 minutes’ walk from the Stadium and 2 minutes from the Porte de St Cloud metro stop) was 100€ for one night. Room 40 is an oven when the sun is shining. The hotel rate could have been a little cheaper if I had booked with these hotel comparison websites but after our London overbooking experience last month I booked direct with the hotel. Less stress is priceless and because of our early morning flight and that we were too tired to take public transport, the hotel booked our taxi back to the airport for Sunday morning (30m minutes journey for 65€).

 Becks warming up

 

Paris Saint-Germain maybe the richest club in the world but as a long way to go before they are in the same league as Manchester United, the Milans, Real Madrid Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Apart from playing better – the first half Paris was terrible and their star player Ibrahimovic didn’t show his brilliance until an hour into the game – maybe they could build on their merchandising. The shop at Parc des Princes was very small compared to Premiership clubs and Beckham shirts at 110€ each (70€ for a shirt without a name) aren’t going to pay all his bills. No programmes, no much choice of food, just hot dogs and crisps and drinks on offer were fizzy, water or non –alcohol beer, much to my sister’s disgust. I dragged her around Paris on the dirty Metro and all she wanted was a beer and ended up with France’s answer to Shandy Bass. Just like football there are missed chances at the Parc des Princes so to PSG, I’m offering my ideas on football marketing to you, my wages are only 10% a year of Beckham’s weekly pay.

David Beckham came on for the last 15 minutes, easing my sister alcoholic cold turkey and for all those fellow Becks followers his contract is only until the end of this season, so book up quick if you are going for a long weekend but if you going just for the match remember to wait until the kick off time as been announced just in case they change the day to show the game on TV.

PSG remaining home fixtures

March 30             Paris Saint Germain v Montpellier

April 21                Paris Saint Germain v Nice

May 4                   Paris Saint Germain v Valenciennes

May 18                 Paris Saint Germain v Brest.

 

Spot the Beckham

The Audience – My Five Star Weekend

A break from the box last weekend it was time for a bit of culture, a five star lifestyle and an A-List Movie Star by spending a weekend in London to watch Dame Helen Mirren in the play – The Audience at the Gielgud Theatre.

The plan was to travel down to London early, visit some of the sites and enjoy some retail therapy before the play.  Not matter how many times I go to the London there is still new experiences and regular tourist spots are never boring.  This times new experience was living like a celebrity - our hotel on Shaftesbury Avenue (15 seconds away from the theatre Google said) was overbooked and they moved us to the very stylish five star hotel near Marble Arch and Hyde Park – the Mont Calm.  I can’t blame our original hotel staff, they said it was a computer glitch, and they upgraded us and paid for all our taxis. I think I saw more of London this weekend than ever before as I was travelling along the roads in people carriers with blacked out window instead of the miserable Tube. The Mont Calm staff were very pleasant and helpful and even managed to not laugh when we handed over our tatty supermarket ‘Bags for Life’ when checking in.

I had questions before the play. History and Politics aren’t my favourite things would this play keep me interested?  Will the woman from Dead the Dead Donkey play Maggie Thatcher well? Will my Thatcherite Mother approval? Will my Thatcherite Mother heckle Blair? Luckily there was no Blair but a lot of funny one-liners at his expense thou, and what does one wear when mixing with the Lovies? This was no average theatre trip to watch a touring Musical in Boredville – this was Dame Helen!  But my money was as good as any other Lovie (£76 for a stalls ticket and £14 for three drinks at the theatre bar) so my best jeans would have to do. 

This play was actually a 2 ½ hour witty history lesson of two people gossiping, it just so happened these two characters was a Head of State played by a massive Movie Star and a Prime Minister played by ‘I know that face from somewhere’ said the TV addict.   I’m still on the right side of 40 so any Prime Minister pre -Thatcher I had to ask my Mom who they were apart from Winston Churchill (Robert Hardy) of course.  John Major (Paul Ritter) actually looked like John ‘Normal’ Major. The only PM to receive applause before speaking was Margaret Thatcher (Haydn Gwynne) as she stomped on stage. I actually felt sorry for Gordon Brown (Nathaniel Parker) as his tried to dig himself out of the big hole his predecessor dug for him, jokes about Mr and Mrs Blair raised a laugh, and I feel I was in the middle of a Conservative Party Conference until David Cameron (Rufus Wright) and his fake tan came on. I could imagine him sending the Queen to sleep in real life. Yes ‘The Queen’ has the best lines closely followed by Harold Wilson (Richard McCable) who rumour as it was Her Majesty favourite PM with his straight talking and northern humour and I would agree with that option – in Theatre World, as real PMs aren’t interesting or funny. 

Scenes where the Queen is talking to her younger self showed her human side and scenes with the PMs showed her humour and that her duty mean she would always support the Government (even if she didn’t agree with certain decisions).  This script and Helen Mirren also showed that not only is Her Majesty the Head of State, she is also a part time unpaid therapist.

The next time I will probably see Queen Helen will be more Orange Wednesday (EE Wednesday doesn’t sound right) instead of Five Star Saturday.

2012 Review: Inspired By The Box

Where do I start travel or television? The good, the bad or the ugly?


The highlight as to be the Olympics and Paralympics for travel and TV, it made a change watching real talent and real stars (note to self - cancel Sky Sports subscription. I’m bored of overpaid arrogant footballers) not wannabees and has-beens on reality TV shows. I loved going to London this summer during the Olympics, and I would argue with Disney over the ‘happiest place on earth’ tag because I’m sure during the summer of 2012 London won that gold medal.

It wasn’t all positives this year,  £800 for 2 nights room only in a London Holiday Inn Express, still chained to my desk and I wasted my time watching a group of one-hit wonders called Alcatraz, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour and the aptly titled Unforgettable – I liked them.  At least Damien Lewis’s Life lasted two seasons.

It was au revoir to Desperate Housewives and Harry’s Law and bonjour to Touch, Elementary and Homeland, even thou I’m still not sure if I enjoyed season 2 it was all over the place.  Guy Pearce’s Jack Irish, Arrow and Person of Interest were all 5 star and American Horror Story: Asylum and Girls (I think I’m getting old) were a dirty 1 star hostel which I walked away from after two episodes.

With foreign TV (meaning non English speaking shows) I was gutted I missed Romanzo Criminale season 2 the first time around on Sky Arts but the series link is now in place for the repeats and Vinicio Marchioni is my first crush of 2013. Then there is the French.  Braquo season 2 was magnifique bring on season 3 and Mansion Close was alright but did drag on a bit. Now for 2013 so far there is Hard on Sky Arts, watching a comedy about a straight-laced widow running a porn business should be interesting especially when I’m watching it with my Mom in the room. Merci it’s in another language.

Vinicio Marchioni

On the travel front apart from London being my top destination for 2012 I only managed two trips abroad.  In April I went to Switzerland for the first time – a long weekend of après-ski in Verbier and an hour running around a windy Geneva trying to see as much as possible.  The other was a beautiful week in Provence, visiting Nimes, Arles, Salon de Provence, Aix en Provence and Istres with Monsieur X as my personal tour guide, host and cook.

Windy Geneva

Hot Salon de Provence

My 'Disneyland' - Olympic Park

But what about 2013? More travelling for starters and until then I have my faithful box in the corner…it’s only the 6^th January and with new seasons of NCIS, Bones, Stella and Silent Witness starting this week and getting closer to the second half of Walking Dead season 3 and Sky’s new Kevin Bacon show the Following (FYI loving the EE Bacon ads) I think it’s going to be a great year.

New Year Resolutions?  Yes!

No more ‘R’s – repeats and reality (massive fail as I’m watching Celebrity Big Brother).
More ‘T’s – Travel and (Quality) TV.

My Travel (& Job) Bucket List: Hotel Secrets

My horoscope for December was: ‘A way of working that involves travel could open up for you’. I hope you were right Mystic Meg and all last month’s hard work on my CV is going to pay off.

Watching Richard E Grant’s Hotel Secrets again over Christmas has relighted my passion for travel and my love of staying in and working with hotels again. Yes all these hotels 'REG' visited are way out of my price range but I can dream, even thou I would give the hotels from episode 2 -‘Living and Dying’ a miss if I could stay anywhere in the world. The Hotel Chelsea in New York which was part of the Sid and Nancy story was too dark and creepy – I wouldn’t be able to sleep.

If money was no object (and I do accept freebies) I would narrow down my list to Caesars Palace, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the Savoy London. But I did love the views from U2's Clarence Hotel in Dublin, the very James Bond-style hidden televisions behind paintings in London's Lanesborough, the very witty Paddy the Porter at Ireland's Ashford Castle and the St Regis $9,500 a night Dior Room in New York however I must make sure I don't the same time as Elton John as I wouldn't want to downgrade.

REG finished off his short series in my favourite part of the world – South of France. Of course he didn’t stay in the same areas to me; I stayed in Miramas and a one Star hotel on the outskirts of Avignon he stayed in top hotels in Monaco, Nice, Juan-les-Pins, Cap d’Antibes and St Tropez (they too are on my bucket list) but he did visit Cannes as have I.

I stayed in Monsieur X’s apartment with 10 other Photographers sleeping on a mattress; I can’t imagine REG doing that. I went during the film festival in 2010 and spent most of the time there walking up and down la Croisette star spotting joining the crowds standing outside these hotels so it was good to see what was behind the posh cars, security and doors. The closest I go to a life of a Film Star was walking through the lobby and bar of the Carlton Hotel with Monsieur X to see an Art exhibition, we never made it to the Roman Polanski suite like REG. 

 

Now I want a new job, my current position chained to a desk is driving me mad, my feet are getting itchy and my passport is begging me to use it. Of course Bon Jovi Tour manager or being Richard E Grant would be cool, but back to the real world. 

Four years ago I was working overseas for a holiday company, firstly as an Customer Service Administrator in Spain, sorting out angry guests complaints (again stuck behind a desk) and trust me the customer is NEVER always right and then as a Health and Safety Co -Ordinator staying in amazing (and not so great) hotels in the Caribbean for one year then returning to Europe for another summer of visiting hotels in Italy.  I lived in Ibiza, Orlando, and Sicily but never stayed in any hotels, visiting the Caribbean was a different story and even thou my stays in these hotels were short the majority of them were sweet too.  My favourites (so far) were:

Galley Bay – Antigua.

I only stayed one night there and after a day of auditing two or three hotels I never left my room because I was too busy taking photos of its every angle of the room and the sea views, having the biggest bubble bath ever, my bedroom in Boredville is probably the same size as this bath.

 Galley Bay

 

Divi Little Bay – St Martin

They upgraded me to an apartment and the hotel was very nice and staff very friendly. I think it was all of my stay in St Martin which made this trip memorable. Monsieur X was working on the island at the time, so I had someone to spend my free time with, and someone to enjoy the excursions I had to check with. Monsieur X and my chauffeur for the week were my unofficial tour guides I felt I saw more of this Caribbean island than any of the other islands I spend more time on.

Divi Little Bay is down there somewhere

Tropical Escape, Barbados

A beautiful small clean hotel and the only negatives about my stay there was a minority of vile guests who never read the brochure, and when they found out I worked for a particular travel company, they made my life hell with their pathetic complaints. Sandy Lane it isn't but you get what you pay for and more due to the pleasant and helpful staff.

It’s been five years since my visit (way too long to stay away from the islands) but I would also give a special mention to…..Blue Waters Antigua, when I redecorate my bedroom it will be styled like their rooms and the House hotel in Barbados this quiet small hotel is the perfect chill-pill to escape the rat race for a week or two.

My escape from those horrible guests

So note to Sky - If REG goes off sick I would work for free...and travel expenses. But maybe Sky could give me a job visiting the world’s worse hotels (note two to Sky -if Carl Pilkington is ill, see note 1). I have plenty of experience in this field, yes 5 star hotels are amazing and it’s easy to remember my favourites but after I’ve checked out of a truly horrible hotel they are the ones that stay in my memory bank the longest… cue photos

Of course I won’t name these hotels; one was a hotel in Jamaica. It was a clean hotel, beautiful sea and sunset views and no problems with the staff. However staying alone in a hotel full of ageing couples giving me a wink and a smile scared the hell out of me and in my hotel room the only free TV channels I had was CNN and Playboy and there is only so much CNN anyone can watch in one night.

I will name Sandals hotels in Jamaica as not being the best hotels I have stayed in. The staff was very helpful, the hotel and rooms were beautiful and the grounds and beaches were clean and spacious. But again I had to stay in these hotels on my own looking like a jilted bride on her honeymoon.  These guests didn’t scare me, their stares made me paranoid instead. The first few days of stay I would hide in my amazing room making the most of the bathroom freebies and mini bar.

With Italy I will let the photos do the talking, these photos are 4 years old and hopefully the hotel got its act together or its been knocked down.

 The Honeymoon Suite - complete with stains

 The Gym -  where you can swing from the ceiling.

 If you want a room with wallpaper, you will have to pay extra.

 The lounge/ climbing frame for the kids

Can you run to the pool before this rubbish falls on your head

So to all the hotel chains who want someone to test their hotel services and to Sky and all the other TV networks, who need someone to carry any of your stars bags on their next trip. My diary is currently empty and my passport and me are ready to go!

CV and references available on request.

Comedy Fridays

TGI/TFI Friday, Happy Vendredi, Weekend Eve, whatever you want to call it it’s the end of another crappy ‘working’ week, and with the cold dark nights and having no social life – I need a good laugh and Sky One and Comedy Central give me that tiny piece of happiness.

I can always rely on Friends. Eight years since it finished after 236 shows of pure joy, but just like E4 Comedy Central only repeats certain episodes.  I think it’s time to get the box set out again, it’s been a long time since I watched my favourites ‘The One Where No One’s Ready’ Series 3 Episode 2 and ‘The One with the Embryos’ Series 4 episode 12. I do think if Chandler had a spin off show instead of Joey it would have been a massive hit. Talking of friends I’m missing Moone Boy, I wish Chris O'Dowd was my imaginary friend…in fact I think he might be my 'friend' from now on. 

After being there for the New York six, I stay on Comedy Central for Two And A Half Men. I never watched the Charlie Sheen shows, because I didn’t find him funny just annoying. However Ashton Kutcher’s Walden Schmidt, is funny (even thou Alan has the majority of the jokes), not annoying and very easy on the eye. Was it just me or did anyone else think the episode with Miley Cyrus, was a new episode of Hannah Montana – ‘The one where Hannah gets a haircut’.  Note to America - us Brits don't speak like Zoe!

Switch straight over to Sky 1 for The Middle, a perfect birth control show: Enough to put you off kids. If you call your kids Axel and Brick you're asking for trouble, then again Sue is a normal name and she is far from normal. The kids are funny but Mom and Dad have the best lines… ‘best lines’ I whispered as I look down. If I have to explain the repeated whisper obviously you don’t watch The Middle.  I loved Everyone loves Raymond and it’s seems Frankie (Patricia Heaton) has divorced Raymond; he won custody of the kids and she when off to marry Mike and raised 3 weird freak-kids

Then after a few hours of catching up on my endless supply of American Cop dramas, it’s time for a bit of sport on League Of Their Own. Yes a bit of sport because when I break down a typical show it isn’t very sporty.

 

1 hour long programme

20 minutes   = Adverts.

5 minutes     = James Corden sucking up to the sportsmen/women.

5 minutes     = Everyone admiring Jamie Redknapp’s beauty            

10 minutes   = Making funny of Jack Whitehall poshness

5 minutes     = Plugging Freddie Flintoff sponsorship deals

10 minutes   = Sporting challenges 

5 minutes     = Sporting clips

60minutes

 

And I know it’s not Friday but Raising Hope, is it wrong to fancy Bert?

 

 

Decisions or Décisions: TV Dream Homes and/or Foreign Destinations

‘How to buy a house’ and ‘jobs involving travel’ were my Google searches this weekend. Still deciding whether I should stay in Boredville and buy my own place or go travelling and live out of a suitcase for a couple of years.  I know my decision would be a lot easier if my family didn’t live in Boredville or if there was any future with my current job #sinkingship .

Then I switch on the box and transport my brain into TV world. I’ve stopped watching Place in the Sun type of programmes; they don’t inspire me they depress me, but what about living on planet TV? Add harp music and a big thinking cloud above my head, now I could probably be happy in Southfork Ranch in Dallas, but looks like too much hard work with the oil business and all those family fights.

 

Or there is the apartment in New Girl, not very believable though.  How can a school teacher, barman, office worker and unemployed basketball player afford a massive apartment/penthouse like that? It’s a bigger fairy-tale than Grimm. Plus points a gorgeous apartment and Nick but Jess and her constant singing would drive me mad if she was my flat mate.
 

New Girl: How could a teacher afford this?

 

Monica's Pad: The Dream

The ultimate place to live would have to be Monica and Rachel’s New York apartment (or any TV New York apartment) when Joey and Chandler lived there because I would have Chandler’s Lazy Boy (I dream of the day I can afford my own). Yes living in New York with a coffee shop close by full of your friends who are funny all the time would be perfect, but these TV accommodations aren’t within my price range. I think I could just about pay the mortage repayments for the shacks in Raising Hope or The Middle.
 

 

Raising Hope: More my price range

 

Oui! In the real world France would be my first choice if I decided to pack my bags. I just wish there a language pill giving me the ability to speak French because the books and CDs aren’t helping, but in France TV world the brothel in Maison Close on Sky Arts or the Eddie Caplan's boat in Braquo isn’t my ideal accommodation. 

Currently I’m in the process of sorting out everything I own and everything my sister has left behind when she moved out a few months ago in to four piles 'Keep' 'Charity' 'eBay/Car Boot' or 'Bin' (hmmm a good idea for a daytime TV show (c) englishchouchou). I have more space but still don't have any independence or privacy. I can’t invite friends to stay, and my life is still in boxes. But with all the money I should make, it can go towards a flight ticket or a flat deposit?

Decisions, Décisions!