So I haven't really posted since graduation and should probably fix that before I run off and start over somewhere else (with an awesome Italy trip in between). This summer has turned out nothing like I've expected. To begin with, right after graduation I ended up scoring a trip to Orlando, Florida to visit Universal Studio's and the new Harry Potter land in their Islands of Adventures theme park. I mean, I may have crashed my parents' 30th anniversary but hey, they asked (probably out of guilt) and you just can't say no to a free trip to Harry Potter land. or The Wizarding World of Harry Potter if you want to google it.
To begin with. that place is awesome, the only two problems were that walking outside in Florida in the summer is the equivalent of walking through a sauna, and the only lines in the park were to get into that specific land. There were even lines to get into the stores, people. The STORES. That bad. Not like it wasn't worth it though. You walk in and Hogwarts looms above you on the left. Inside the castle you have holograms, snow bubbles, talking portraits, and the Sorting Hat herself (himself?) giving you instructions for the ride located within the castle. They really went all out. The ride is appropriately scary and intriguing in its technology. Think Soaring over California at Disneyland but with about a billion more movable parts.
My bro and I exit the ride into a store that is always packed with people because the ride but we have to stay because the merchandise is more than awesome. Eventually we are pushed out to be confronted with a cart selling wands (but, I mean you can't buy your wands at the cart before you visit Ollivander's at least once, right?) so I moved on to a Hippogriff roller coaster (of the slowish non loop variety) which is still appropriately fun. Then you come to the cart selling Butterbeer.
Oh Butterbeer, how I miss you.
Butterbeer is heaven in a plastic cup, that's all I can say. I wish they sold that shit in bottles. Pumpkin Juice on the other hand they do sell in bottles but I could go without. After tasting the pure deliciousness you can walk down Hogsmeade which is fabulously and meticulously decked out. Stores line the street (unfortunately half are just mock fronts but really well designed mock fronts. And the town is decked out for winter. The fake snow mocks you the whole time. Among the various Hogwarts choir performances and Durmstrang and Beuxbaton students you have lines to get into Ollivander's, Honeydukes, and the Three Broomsticks. My parents got to eat at the Three Broomsticks but my little bro and I passed on the heavy English breakfast to ride on the dueling dragons ride. High speeds, multiple loops and another roller coaster flinging its riders' feet at you = high pitched screams and fun. Overall, except for the extreme overcrowding you should all make a trip to go. At least once in your life.
So...while we went out and did other things within Universal, it was pretty much the same things we would do at the Universal 20 minutes away from my house so I won't waste time explaining.
The plane ride home certainly provided the best kinds of douchebags though. Some beezey totally cut me off while we were trying to exit the plane, basically forcing me back into my seat with her over sized, horrifically designed purse after I was already half way into the aisle and had been standing there for a good 5 minutes. The guy she was flirting with watched it all and then cut me off too. How sweet of them.
