All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!

On Sunday morning the Hogwarts Express pulled into National Airport to take me all the way to the Harry Potter theme park in Orlando, FL! (The H.E. looked an awful lot like a U.S. Airways plane, but no matter)...

When I finally arrived in Hogsmeade, the conductor greeted me personally and thanked me for journeying to Hogwarts! I proceeded to take a tour of the village and spent some quality time in Honeydukes, Zonko's, Dervish & Banges, Ollivander's, The Three Broomsticks & even The Hog's Head! Here's a picture of me in the Hog's Head enjoying a delicious mug of butterbeer...

But the best part of the day was visiting Hogwarts Castle! Once inside, Harry & friends took me on a crazy tour... playing Quidditch, meeting Albus Dumbledore & fighting spiders and dementors! It was such a fun day.

Here are some of the Quidditch balls showcased in Hogsmeade from Harry Potter's first ever Quidditch match!

But please don't be fooled. I didn't JUST visit Hogsmeade on my journey to Orlando! I also took a quick detour to the Animal Kingdom Resort where I got to have lunch with some furry safari friends like this Zebra named Elliott.

 I also took a trip down memory lane and visited a nearby Friendly's to indulge in one of their famous Coneheads! (It was the perfect treat after a long day outside in the hot sun)

I then journeyed to an awesome mini-golf course to play a quick 18 holes. The course was holiday themed and blasted Christmas carols the entire time! I was quite impressed :)

 

It was a wonderful vacation that I won't soon forgot. And so, my loyal readers... as one of the hostesses said to me at the Animal Kingdom Resort... "Have a magical day!"