Harry Potter and the Streets of London

After spending five weeks in London this summer, my inner child (and nerd) was overjoyed at being in the birthplace of my favorite series of all time: Harry Potter. Although J.K Rowling wrote most of the books in Edinburgh, Scotland (some at The Elephant House, which has since capitalized on this fact), there are considerable ties and influences to London–and all of the U.K.

Diagon Alley: This is a real place. No, that's not just my imagination running wild. The famous street in HP is based on the real one (Victoria Street) in Edinburgh. Pretty much magical when you walk in.

Chamber of Secrets: This one is purely based on my speculation and observation but riding through the complicated system that is affectionately referred to as the Tube, it seemed as if Rowling had also been inspired by the interspersed passageways that carried these long trains and the people in them to and from work. I was constantly looking over my shoulder for the Basilisk.

Statues: There is a statue outside London's Tate Modern art gallery that moves. While it is possible that Rowling never saw this statue, I'd like to think that it inspired her magic-imbued statues in the Ministry of Magic and at Hogwarts.

#HarryPotter #London #travel #magic