The journey continues as I found King’s Cross station. I’m not a big ride person, but the Hogwart’s
Express takes you to another section of the park. The town of Hogsmead and Hogwart’s
Castle. So, in I went. Platform 9 ¾.
There was Hedwig in a cage, and I figured it would just be a stuffed toy
in a cage. I should know better. Yes, it is an animatronic figure and he
hooted and stretched his wings and turned his head. I couldn’t stay longer as they were loading
the train.
So onboard I went. You
get into a compartment with six or seven other people. As you’re moving there is projected scenery
such as Malfoy Mansion. Then Hagrid was
flying along on his motorcycle and so was the enchanted Anglia. When we came to a stop and disembarked, there
it was, the town of Hogsmead and Hogwart’s Castle looking over it.
I wandered around the town and saw Zonko’s Joke Shoppe and
Honeyduke’s Sweet Shop. The Three
Broomsticks and all the other spots.
There was even another Olivander’s wand Shop with a line up that was
maybe bigger than the one in Diagon Alley.
I went in the gates of Hogwart’s and into the castle. I struggled up the two long flights of stairs
and of course noticed the elevator when I was halfway up. I really wanted to wander around in the
castle itself, but it’s a ride and had warnings about people with back
problems. So, I opted out and headed
back downstairs, just because I couldn’t get through the mass of people in
front of the elevator.
From there, it was back outside, and I was wandering around
and suddenly without warning I was in Jurassic Park. There is apparently an animatronic T-Rex, but
I couldn’t find it. I went down into the
“lab”, again missing the elevator, but I didn’t on the way out.
Jurassic Park morphed into King Kong Skull Island. There were people riding on white water
rapids and coming out wet. There are
strategically placed “People Driers”. I
would never go on that ride, just from the speed and violent movements as well
as risking soaking my camera gear.
By this time, I was really getting tired and looking for a
way out. The journey would take many
more twists and turns before that happened.
I ended up in Popeye’s village and there is another water ride. It was much slower moving and I kind of
thought about it, until I saw the “boat” go right underneath a waterfall and
the people coming out looking like they had been swimming.
I went through numerous other attractions, too numerous to
remember. There was Spiderman, The Hulk,
Betty Boop, cartoon characters I’ve never heard of, emerging into Doctor Suess
land. It was at the entrance to there
that I saw a lemonade stand, featuring fresh squeezed lemonade, turned into
slush. No sugar added. So, I had one of those. You expect lemons to be sour but, oh man was
this good. I sat on a rock and rested my
aching feet while I finished it. Very
refreshing. I liked it better than the
butterbeer.
Finally, after over 9 hours of being on my feet and walking. I spotted a guest services person and asked
how I could get out as I was spent. I
wondered how much further I had to walk.
He smiled and pointed down the path and advised me the exit was right
ahead, only about 200 yards or so. I
thanked him profusely.
Of course, this was only the beginning of the end. This only got me out the gate of the
Universal Park. It put me out onto
Universal City Walk, which is still a lengthy walk just to get to the exit of
that, where I could catch my shuttle bus back to the hotel. Thankfully, there is quite a lengthy section
that is a moving sidewalk, so that cut down on the distance I had to walk. Finally, I was onboard the shuttle, deposited
at the hotel and trudged up to my room.
I tossed all my gear on one bed, collapsed on the other and
promptly passed out. When I woke up
again around 6:00 PM, I was starved. I
literally struggled to get off the bed, so that I could go get dinner. I made it downstairs and after my $26 Cuban
Sandwich and salad fiasco from the night before, I was hesitant, but too tired
to think of anywhere else.
Instead I ended up with a wonderful roasted lemon chicken,
mashed potatoes and fresh veggies for only $10.50. I was really, undecided though as they also
had the same meal with a beautifully roasted beef tenderloin. But I opted for the chicken and hope the beef
is there tomorrow.
After relaxing in the room, at 10:00 PM I decided to try
watching the Canucks/Buffalo game, streamed on my iPad. It hadn’t worked on the first night for the
Edmonton game, telling me that Sportsnet was not available in Orlando. I figured out how to make it think I was at home
and got to watch the Canucks win.
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