November 15, 2003
Harry Potter & King's Cross Station
When in London, I made a stop at King's Cross station in north-central London so I could find Platform 9 & 3/4 and board the Hogwart's Express train to Harry Potter's school; you see, university in Canada's getting pretty dull.
The station actually exists, though there is no barrier between platforms 9 and 10 -- the two tracks are simply side by side. Apparently, J.K. Rowling made a mistake when she wrote the first book, and has since gone on the record as saying that she was actually thinking about the platforms at nearby Euston station (though again, apparently there's no barrier between 9 and 10 there either).
But, before you enter the small building enclosing platforms 9 and 10 (and up), you'll come across a sign the station people created to appease Potter fans. My hopes were pretty high at the time and I tried to get in, thinking it might be the real deal:
Foiled! But then I found the place where they actually filmed the movie: the barrier between platforms 4 and 5. Very sneaky! I was sure they'd admit me to the school after I figured out their crafty puzzle:
A cruel hoax! I banged my fist on the wall in frustration. And no one gave me a second look -- I think they're quite used to seeing people walk headfirst into a brick wall around there. (Oh, and yes, I've put some weight back on since the summer. Please, stop giving my number out to eating disorder specialists.)
Here's a picture partially showing the platform in the movie:
Tomorrow, the remaining England photos!
Sources: thesnitch.co.uk & plum.cream.org
Posted by Brian at November 15, 2003 11:29 PMSorry you couldn't get into the school man, better luck next time. Maybe it's one of those "pure of heart" type of deals, so you're probably going to have to go on a quest and obtain items and defeat enemies to prove yourself.
Hey look, another interesting creation of mine:
http://members.rogers.com/mholt/pel/pics/pel_spying.jpg
-Mike
Posted by: Mike Holt at November 16, 2003 10:14 AMSo is that picture supposed to be some reference to when you two were in scouts? Remembering your other comments, I figure it’s a good guess. Wait, I've got it, it’s a drawing of you at scout camp and you’re scared cause someone just told you a story around the campfire about a tree with a haunted leaf. Am I close?
Posted by: Heather at November 16, 2003 03:49 PMHeather:
I never really thought about it like that, but nope, that picture has nothing to do with scouts at all.
It's an upclose picture of Pel, a character in a fantasy novel I'm working on. The book is done and I've sent letters off to editors, but it's hard to find Canadian fantasy book publishers; so I may have to venture south of the border.
Anyhow, you can learn more about Pel at http://members.rogers.com/mholt/pel/. Hold the shift key when you click on the link. The webpage is only partial, it shall be fully updated over the xmas holidays with a wicked flash intro ;)
Posted by: Mike Holt at November 17, 2003 10:56 PMI think she was being sarcastic...
Posted by: David at November 18, 2003 06:36 PM