"...I'd Like to Make a Withdrawal at Gringott's....a BIG Withdrawal Please...."
.....if nothing else, one has to admit that the giant Horcrux hovering dangerously above the entrance of Gringott's Bank is a truly awesome sight:
....we perused down the alley searching the end of the queue, which was quickly lengthening. Already it would be almost an hour's wait, at best, but this was the premier reason for our visit, so wait we did. I was sensing that Jean-Pierre was not too keen on such a lengthy wait, touting that the HP's Forbidden Journey ride was so much better......uh, dude.....let ME be the judge of that....we finally reached the doorways of the bank's impressive entrance and I was grateful that we were now, at the very least, inside - it was beginning to, yet again, get hotter, which really amused me, being it was Halloween!
....as usual, US/IoA spares no expense when it comes to thrills and authenticity! OMG, just when I thought nothing could top Forbidden Journey - WOW! Sorry Jean, but I beg to differ - this ride IS better than the latter, and it is definitely NOT for the faint of heart...we only stayed at Diagon Alley long enough to explore the seedy underbelly of Knockturn Alley, home to Borgin and Burkes and its traveling wardrobe - a scary place indeed! Well, back towards King's Cross, we decided to make the trek to Hogwart's via the Hogwarts Express:
....the whole concept of the authenticity of traveling on a magical train through the English countryside is a bit far-fetched, as are some of the, well, cornier aspects of the ride itself. That being said, the ride is BRILLIANT! To be able to traverse from one park to another was a stroke of genius, although I could have done without the staged 'window special effect', along with the 'actors' in the hallways....