hpThe Making of Harry Potter

I can’t get enough of Harry Potter! We were fortunate to be in London, England just as the studios where the Harry Potter movies were filmed were opened as a tourist attraction. The Warner Brothers Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter is an easy short day trip from London.

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Leavesden Studios are in a huge warehouse. The prepurchased tickets are for a timed entry, which prevents overcrowding. You can buy them online at http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk

Transportation from London to Leavesden took 1 1/2 hours, and it was easy to find our way. First we took the subway to Euston Train Station, where I bought a pasty to set the mood, and then we took a train to Watford Junction. It’s easy to spot the direct connecting bus when you leave the station as it’s a double decker covered in photos from the movie.

As you wait for your timed entry, you can take a peek in the cupboard under the stairs. After a short movie and guided tour of the Great Hall, visitors wander at their own pace through the sets. This allows a chance to wonder at the incredible thought and detail that were put into the set. It was lovely to have the time to reflect on the detail that flashed by on the screen, such as Dolores Umbridge’s jewelry or the painted portraits.

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The major sets are there, such as the Gryffindor Common Room, Dumbledore’s Office, and the Night Bus. You learn interesting tidbits, like that the boys’ beds were made for them at the beginning of the series, so by the end of the filming, the actors’ legs would stretch way over the ends. I loved the Weasley’s house interior with its crooked walls and furniture. There were knitting needles magically stitching a sweater and if you waved a wand, the knife would chop carrots. You can walk down the Diagon Alley set towards the Weasley’s joke shop.

There’s a lineup to buy a photoshopped picture of yourself flying on a broom and snacks in the courtyard half way through. Otherwise, the timed tickets make sure that the sets are not overcrowded. Other highlights include a section on special effects, displays of costumes, and a display cabinet full of paper props, like O.W.L exams.

There is one last beautiful surprise at the end before you hit that gift shop packed with Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavour Bertie Botts and Fizzing Whizbees. We lingered for 3 hours.

Until you get to London, you will want to read Harry Potter Page to Screen : the Complete Filmmaking Journey. It’s a huge book on the making of the movies. The library also has the Harry Potter stories read by the incomparable Jim Dale in the Overdrive collection. You can download them to your iPod to listen to while you clean your house, a compensation for the absence of Mrs. Weasley’s housecleaning magic!

Camping: Our Favourite Sites in Britain

Time Out applies its expertise to the world of camping with comprehensive reviews of 100 fantastic campsites in England, Scotland and Wales. Each site is illustrated with beautiful photography and detailed information on facilities provided; attractions and activities in the area; the best eating and drinking options; amusing the kids and the general pros and cons of each site. Whether you're after forest hideaways or beachside retreats; beautiful or jolly; remote or urban; with family or just friends, Time Out Camping covers it all, whatever you're looking for.

Walking Palestine: 25 Journeys into the West Bank (Interline Walking Guides) by Stefan Szepesi

With the images of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so dominant in our minds, walking for leisure is the one activity probably least associated with the West Bank region. But Stefan Szepesi's book wanders well off the beaten track of Palestine as only a synonym for occupation and strife, exploring its inspiring natural and cultural landscape, its intriguing past and present, and the hospitality of its people. The book takes first-time walkers and experienced hikers, as well as armchair explorers, through Palestine's steep desert gorges, along its tiny herders' trails, and over its quiet dirt roads running past silver green olive groves. With side stories and anecdotes on heritage, history, culture, and daily life in the West Bank, the book ventures into the traits and character of Palestine today. Walking Palestine also offers a wealth of practical walking tips, including references to local guides, the West Bank's best leisure spots and countryside restaurants, and charming places to spend the night.

Only Pack What You Can Carry: My Path to Inner Strength, Confidence, and True Self-Knowledge by Janice Holly Booth

Magnetically written by former CEO of a North Carolina Girl Scout Council and award winning CEO for the Western New York chapter of a national arts-in-education organization, this uniquely engaging travel journal describes four keys to unlocking personal and spiritual fulfillment: solitude, introspection, courage, and commitment. Through a series of compelling travel essays and deeply thoughtful memoirs, Janice Booth draws readers into each adventure-ranging from a solo hike through Northern California to galloping across the fields of Ireland to a short stint with the Circus Arts learning the flying trapeze-and shares her secrets to a fuller life through traveling alone. Step by step, she demonstrates why leaving everything - and everyone - behind for a few days (or more!) is the best path to inner strength, confidence, and true self-knowledge.

Also, available in an electronic version.

A Sense of Direction: Pilgimage for the Restless and the Hopeful by Gideon Lewis-Kraus

Irreverent, moving, and thought-provoking, Lewis-Kraus riffs on the perpetual war between discipline and desire, and its attendant casualties. Across three pilgrimages and many hundreds of miles, he completes an idiosyncratic odyssey to the heart of a family mystery.

How to see the great cities of Europe and not spend a lot of money? Try walking the streets.

Calgary Public Library has many books on walking and walking tours. Just recently received are these great guides from National Geographic.

Walking London and Walking Paris are "part of a brand-new series from National Geographic that showcase the world's great cities, These guides are divided into the following sections. The Whirlwind Tours section shows you how to see the entire city in a day or a weekend; what sights will interest kids most; plus, a hedonist's tour that's pure pleasure from dawn to midnight and beyond. The Neighborhoods section of the book presents each city broken down into itineraries that lead you on a step-by-step tour to the best sights in each of the cities' greatest neighborhoods...Travel Essentials provides information on how to get to the city and how to get around, as well as hand-picked hotels and restaurants."

Check out our other guidebooks, such as:

Think about using local transit to get around various cities. Check out the options for purchasing a transit pass for multiple days or stops.

You can also save money in many European cities, by purchasing a European City Card. Thirty-six of Europe’s most popular cities now offer ‘city cards’. Most City Cards offer free public transport, free entrances and discounts in restaurants, shops and entertainment.

Sandeman's New Europe Tours offer free tours of 14 European cities. Their guides operate on a 'tips only' basis.

If you missed our Europe on a Budget program all is not lost. Over the next few weeks, we'll share a few of the great ideas that Danielle from Travel CUTS discussed.

You do not have to stay in the most expensive hotels to have a great time. A few weeks ago, we blogged about staying in monastaries as an alternative accommodation. Danielle discussed other alternatives such as hostels, bed & breakfasts and camping.

Hostels come in all shapes and sizes and are not just for the young backpacker. You can stay in anything from a downtown hostel to a castle.

Depending on the hostel and what you are willing to spend, you can book anything from a private room to a 16-bed dormitory. Some of the advantages of a hostel, apart from the price, are a chance to meet with other travellers and the ability to cook meals. Downsides are that there is not always a private bathroom in your room (take your flip flops) and there can be a lot of comings and goings in the dorm rooms (and sometimes goings on).

We have a fun DVD, A Map For Saturday, which shares the stories of long-term, solo travellers from four continents. It provides a fascinating glimpse into hostel life.

You don't need to take linens or a sleeping bag, but a silk sleep sheet gives you a sanitary cacoon to slide in between the sheets. A combination lock, a head lamp, ear plugs and a sleep mask are also good additons to your arsenal. It's also a good idea to book in advance if you are travelling in the high season from June to September. Danielle strongly recommends booking at least your first few nights so you're not scrambling for a place to stay when you first arrive at your destination.

For more tips on hostelling, check out this great guidebook for hostelling in Europe: Hostels European Cities (2010): the only comprehensive, unofficial, opinionated guide.

Bed and breakfasts are also a great alternative, often offering an opportunity to get to know the locals. There is no one on-line listing of bed and breakfasts, but if you go to the official tourist page for your destination, you will often find a link to approved B&Bs. Again, you can find everything from utiliarian to charming. These are some of the great guidebooks that you can borrow from the library to discover special places to stay.

Camping is probably the cheapest alternative, and probably the only one where you will need a sleeping bag. Just remember that the campgrounds are often far from the city centre and you will have the expense and time of travelling to where most of the attractions are located. Also, you will be carrying your camping gear everywhere you go!

Watch the Travel Talk blog over the next few weeks as we share more tips and tips for budget travel.

Are you thinking of going to Europe but your budget is tight? Join us for an evening of great travel tips.

Danielle from Travel CUTS will inspire you and help you plan an amazing trip. She will share money saving tips, insider advice and more.

Europe on a Budget will take place Tuesday, February 28th, 2012 at 6:00 pm at the Central Library, Meeting Room #2, 616 Macleod Trail SE.

Please come and join us.