Last Updated on June 10, 2014 by
Today for class we went to the Tate Modern Museum, the most visited museum of modern art in the world, and it was easy to see why once inside! The building itself used to be an old power plant on the side of a river, until it was closed and eventually bought by the Tate Gallery. Architects then bid to re-design it into an art gallery. The building is broken up into five levels. Although the first level is used as a large installation area, it was empty when we visited. There were many pieces that were astounding to see in person and some modern pieces of art that just make you ask, why? It was a good visit and I look forward to going back this Friday!
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| The Leaky Cauldron in HP III |
Later that evening, I was signed up to go on the Harry Potter walking tour around London! I grew up reading the Harry Potter books ever since I can remember knowing how to read so this was really exciting for me. The tour began at the Bank Street station, where we saw the bank that was thought to have inspired Gringots Wizarding Bank. Our tour guide also pointed out that the main intersection in front was a shooting spot for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban but the scene never made it into the movie.
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| The Leaky Cauldron Entrance |
We traveled along many alleyways and streets where our tour guide pointed out several shooting sites for the movies. We looked at the Millennium Bridge which was used in the opening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. Along the river we also passed a small pub called The Market Porter, which was used as The Leaky Cauldron after Harry blew up Aunt Marge (whoops)! Later on the tour, we got to see the store front that was the original entrance into the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. It was painted black for the movie and then returned to its original blue state.
We also saw where they filmed other movies such as Bridget Jones’s Diary, James Bond and A Christmas Carol. As we wound through the narrow alleyways of London we came across Simpsons. This little restaurant was an inspiration to Charles Dickens in his writing of A Christmas Carol and the building itself is one of the few remaining parts of old London after The Great Fire.
Walking back home it was too beautiful a night to not snap this photo of London Bridge and St. Paul’s Cathedral!
