The Harry Potter Studios in London

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of Harry Potter. I'm not the only one out there that loves the boy wizard and the world he lives in. In 2011 Harry Potter:  The Exhibition stopped in Seattle, so I made a point to take a weekend getaway surrounding it. While I was in London, there was going to be no way I could miss a trip to Leavesden Studios, so Eric and I splurged on tickets to the place where the movies were filmed. In some ways it was a good deal, because it was hours of fun for a Potterphile. (Purchase your tickets online for package deals. You also won't run the risk of tickets being sold out.) Props, sets and videos crowded two buildings and a courtyard and I was in Harry Potter heaven. Here are some photos from our visit.

We also went on a Harry Potter walk, which I will write about in a different post. it took us on other filming locations around London.

Versailles: a Luxury Palace Visit on a Budget

On our last day in France, we packed our day with some interesting things, including taking the RER out to the city of Versailles to see the infamous "chateau" where Marie Antoinette and other French royals once called home. Most don't know that the palace began as a small hunting lodge and was expanded enormously by Louis XIV, the Kardashian of his time. He used his excessive wealth to create the biggest and most lavish dwelling he could, causing the people of France to dispose him. A few rooms were good, but 100 would be better! Giant gates and ironwork are nice, but covering them in real gold was totally awesome. By the time Louis XV and Marie Antoinette moved in, there was almost nothing left to "improve" on.

People have a bad opinion of Marie Antoinette, but walking from room to room, I had to admit, it probably wasn't entirely her fault. She was cut off from everyone she knew and her only friends lived at Versailles with her. If you spend every minute of your day inside what can only be viewed as a small city and never leave the grounds, you have no idea what it's like in the real world or see how the common people live. Eventually, you just assume everyone lives so luxuriously and can't imagine why people would riot against you. Each room is just as decadent as the next and the grounds, even though they were being worked on during our visit, were sure to be even more amazing in their heyday. Here are some photos of our visit.

The infamous Hall of Mirrors 

The grounds of Versailles are huge and we didn't even see all of them in the few hours we were there. During the warmer months, you'll be able to see all the fountains working and every statue in the gardens. There's also a place within the garden maze that sells snacks and beverages, as well as a restaurant on site and several gift shops. it's really a great place to visit and the entry fee is quite reasonable considering the opulence within. Be prepared to have your bags (and possibly your person) searched before entering. Versailles is highly secure. From the photos, you can see why.

Have you ever been to Chateau de Versailles? What are your favorite mansions/palaces/castles?

Super Useful Travel Links

Happy Friday! It's been a long few weeks for people with bad weather and travel delays of all kinds. I hope you're back home safe and sound and looking forward to a warm getaway. I know I am. Unfortunately, I'm going to be waiting a while, but maybe something unexpected will come up. While everyone has been snowed in, I have been looking for links to help you travel better when you get back out there.

photo credit

Before I moved to the great Northwest, I used to enjoy going camping a lot. Of course, we didn't always have much money, so camping was a great way to get away from home and also get in some fantastic family time. It saved us money that we could spend on a real vacation later. When we moved here, we tried to go camping and there were so many camp sites that we just had to guess which would be a good place to go. Our blind choice was not the best. Boo for us.  Has this happened to you? Wish there were campsite reviews? Bam! You're welcome! 

I love going to different markets wen I travel. Portobello Market was a dream of mine that I realized when I went to London, but what to buy? If you want to pick up souvenirs that are specific to your destination, then Budget Travel has a post for you on hidden gems at markets around the world. And if you don't care about what you should buy, it's a great list of markets to check out when you travel.

It's been realized that Americans don't take all their travel days, don't stay long enough at their destination to really relax and spend way too much time working. William Chalmers looks at how we travel in general and ask the question "Are we doing it wrong?" There may be no right or wrong answer, or the answer could be yes. What do you think?

Did you fly airlines in the past that don't exist anymore? Maybe you loved Pan Am or Northwest Airlines. At least they were good airlines which made sense (and actually flew). Thrillist rounded up a short list of defunct airlines that were doomed from the start. How many have you heard of?

Planning a trip overseas? I'm not going this year, but I just came back, so I can't complain. I've got plans to go next year, though not sure just where yet. If you are, Huffington Post has some of the stupidest things people do overseas. We like to break out of that rut of the Ugly American (even if you're from a different nation, you aren't always immune). Try to travel more consciously of your actions, because what we do at home is not always acceptable in other cultures.

Some stupid things you do could get you in real hot water, so make sure you know the laws in your destination before you go and totally make a fool of yourself, or something worse. Here are some strange laws that can land you in the Clink, from Gadling.

I love seeing things from a different perspective. I'm a fan of taking photos from the airplane of the place you just left landing in, but Gray Malin takes it to a whole other level. Check out how cool beaches around the world look from above.

If wearing shorts and those zip-off pants are an absolute no-no for you, perhaps you'd be interested in visiting 12 of the most fashionable cities. Believe it or not, you can pack light and still fit in! Find out how here.

Another thing I'm a fan of is things turning into other things, like a jail-turned-restaurant or a monastery-turned-hostel, and if this were a little more affordable, it just might make my wish list. While looking for weather at a destination city, I came across this former sea fort that was refurbished and turned into a luxury hotel. It's like being on a cruise ship, but not going anywhere. You can only reach it by boat and is one-mile from land. Maybe on a future trip to the UK, I can splurge on a night or two for a mini romantic getaway.

From one cool building to many, the site Bored Panda has 33 of the world's strangest buildings. I am totally into strange, interesting and abandoned places, but you have to admit these are pretty awesome.

Have you found any cool, useful or interesting travel-related posts lately? If so, share them below!