Pétursey Mountain | Where the Wildlings Are | Iceland

After our first day of driving all over the Southern coast of Iceland, we headed toward our accommodations for the night. When I looked at the location on the map, it looked like it was in the middle of nowhere. On the way to the guesthouse, we turned down an isolated dirt road. We drove for what felt like forever, but it was only 15 minutes. It was early in the evening, maybe close to 7 pm. The sun was still out and it would stay that way. During the summer, the sun never really sets and it never gets completely dark.

As we finally approached the Vellir Guesthouse, the beautiful Pétursey Mountain came into view. It reminded me a bit of Ayers Rock in Australia. It wasn't as majestic, but it was still quite stunning. When we checked into our room, we looked out the window and had this magnificent view. The following morning, we couldn't help ourselves and frolicked about before we began another day of exploring.

Edinburgh Revisited | 1 of 2

I love this city, it's so beautiful and I could spend years exploring it. I can't believe that I still had so many photos to edit. This post is basically composed of random shots from around the city. I had a lovely time going through the photos and remembering all the wonderful things we did in Edinburgh!

Eteaket: Tea Boutique and Cafe | Edinburgh, Scotland

One of the greatest things about traveling in the UK is having access to an endless amount of tea. We spent most of our trip trying to find the perfect afternoon tea. Early on, Ari found Eteaket in the heart of Edinburgh. We discovered that it was the perfect spot for brunch. Everything was amazing. The tea was great, the sandwiches were delicious and I loved all the dessert options. I loved Eteaket and for the rest of the trip, I compared all other tea places. Unfortunately for us, we did not find an equivalent in England. I'm just thankful that we were able to discover a great place and didn't leave the UK disappointed!
 

Calton Hill | Edinburgh, Scotland

This week, I was catching up with our dear British friends, James and Ari. We met them while we were teaching ESL in South Korea. When they left Korea we were so sad that Markus made a video. We loved them so much that we even planned to visit them in the fall of 2012 and tour the UK together. When we were catching up earlier this week, they told me they were going to Edinburgh for the weekend. It reminded me of our trip and that I still had heaps of photos to post. The first of which are from my favorite place in Edinburgh, Calton Hill. As I was going through and editing photos, I was really sad. It's been two years since we've seen James and Ari. We've visited some amazing places in South Korea and the UK. Hopefully, we'll be able to reunite again one day in the States and go on more adventures!

Diagon Alley & Ministry of Magic | Harry Potter Studio Tour 5 of 6

Magic is Might

As I said before, the Harry Potter Studio Tour was massive. We could've spent all day there, since there was so much to see and explore. Two of the most impressive and easily recognizable sets were Diagon Alley and The Ministry of Magic. Besides The Great Hall, these are the other most recognizable locations from Harry Potter.

Seeing the Magic is Might monument from The Ministry was pretty cool. I didn't think it was that massive, but when I finally walked up to it, it was quite big and really detailed. Markus, James and Ari were wandering about the other sets, and I was a bit tired. So, I sat down on a bench below the statue. While I was sitting there, I imagined myself as a Ministry worker on a lunch break. There were heaps of people walking about with wands and cloaks, so it only added to my daydream. It was a bit silly, but it was a moment I enjoyed.

As you can tell from the photos, Diagon Alley wasn't as big as you would think. I think that's the magic of movies. When you see the films, you imagine a larger than life world and seeing it in real life takes a little of the magic away. It doesn't ruin the films, but it's still a bit jarring. I will say that the amount of detail and work that went into these shops were amazing. I wish they let us walk into the shops, but I know they were just for show. It was still a wonderful experience and more than just seeing a set from Harry Potter. It was like stepping into another time period, it was almost Dickensian and it was awesome.

Olivanders Wand Shop

Wands galore!

Trafalgar Square | London, England | 3 of 6

The last time Markus and I were in London, we were novice travelers. We had no idea how to manage our time and we missed out on a lot of the highlights of London. This time around, we decided to catch all the things we were unable to see. Thankfully, we had our dear friends, James and Ari to show us around this time.

On one of our last days in Londy Town, we headed over to Trafalgar Square. We climbed on top of the lion statues, where I took too many photos of Markus.  We stood in front of the Olympic clock and basked in the momentous occasion. Afterwards, we admired the many stunning portraits in the National Gallery. It was a very simple afternoon, but it was quite enjoyable. Sometimes, life is truly about the little things.

London 2012 Olympic Clock

Trafalgar Square and Big Ben

National Gallery

Typography and Publications | Harry Potter Studio Tour 3 of 6

Lately, I've found myself drawn to typography and graphic design. I've found that it's very inspiring and it helps my writing. I know it's a bit strange that looking at book covers and calligraphy can spark ideas, but it does. So at this point, whatever works right? 

While on the Harry Potter Studio Tour, there was a small little section in the first studio. It wasn't one of the highlights, and it was right before the exit. In a huge glass display they showcased of all the publications created for the films. It was probably my favorite part of the tour. I took heaps of photos and was so excited to see the actual letters and newspapers. They always look amazing on camera, but up close they were gorgeous. The production crew spared no detail and everything was beautiful. Now if I could only create something just as awesome.

Daily Prophet and Wanted Posters

3D Quibbler

The Daily Prophet

From Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

From Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes

Deathly Hallows Necklace

Letter from Lily Potter to Sirius Black

Dark Arts textbooks