another amusement park, bart & butterbeer, castle tour & coaster

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A day trip to Universal Studios brought a new spin to our amusement park adventures.



We met Bart and Marge randomly strolling down the street, wandered through "Springfield: The Home of the Simpsons," and rode a couple rides with no wait.



We then headed to the London area where we saw #12 Grimmauld Place and the Knight Bus.



After peaking into Diagon Alley, we decided to catch the Hogwarts Express over to Hogsmeade, but first we had to find Platform 9 3/4.
Success!

the girls anxiously awaited the Hogwarts Express
excited for our 1st ride, although little A wasn't sure what to expect



the entrance to Hogsmeade
We opted not to stand in line to meet the conductor
Buying a wand was first on C's agenda

the wand was a little tricky, but oh so much fun
again, little A wasn't sure what to think about the Monster Book of Monsters


approaching Hogwarts
Hagrids Hut viewed only from the Flight of the Hippogriff line
The lines in Hogsmeade were surprisingly short
A was just barely tall enough, so we had to ride it twice 

Hogwarts!!!












After the castle tour, we were asked if we wanted to use the child swap option. 3 of us jumped to the head of the line while Grandpa stayed in the movie room with the girls who were both too short. It was big fun but I think we missed some of the set up by skipping part of the line. After our adventure with Harry, Ron, and Hermione we had to have lunch at the Three Broomsticks. The line was a bit long but we moved through fairly quickly.

Frozen Butterbeers and Cornish Pasties

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