Harry Potter Mania
I guess I’m about as much into Harry Potter as your average 58 year old man.
The last time I was in Great Britain (a little over a year ago) I made sure to drive over to Hogwarts (aka Alnwick castle). Alnwick is on the East coast of the island, up North near the border with Scotland.
-
While I was visiting in Alnwick I went to an antiques sale, and I picked up a very a very nice piece of Victorian vaseline glass from an older couple.
This is a link to some of the pictures that I took at Hogwarts: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_garland/sets/72157600451263039/
-
In Edinburg, Scotland two different times I’ve eaten in the 2nd floor restaurant where J.K. Rowling wrote most of the first Harry Potter book.
-
Her brother used to own the place. Now it is called the Buffet King. It has turned into a really tasty all-you-can-eat oriental buffett. I was so excited to be there that the first time I was there, I sent my sister an e-mail from my cellphone while I was sitting there eating. This is a link to some of the pics I took there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_garland/sets/72157600531760613/
-
I’ve driven a long way out of my way just to visit her old 19th century castle-mansion named Killiechassie House, on the banks of the River Tay, near Aberfeldy, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Perth is a nice place. I stopped at the Sony store there and bought 
myself a new camera. The correct pronunciation for the town of Perth Scotland is Pear-th not Pur-th.
-
This is just about the most beautiful area I've ever been to in the whole world. If I couldn't live in El Paso, Texas, then this part of Scotland is where I would want to live. As the crow flies it is about 35 km northwest of Perth. Some of our family's ancestors are buried half way there in the church yard cemetery in Clunie. LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_garland/sets/72157600548550143/
-
This is truly a magical area. Just a couple of miles away from the church in Clunie on a little road near Ardblair there are the ancient megalithic bronze age standing stones called the Leys of Marlee. LINK: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_garland/642015840/in/set-72157600520047049/
-
I was outside of the gates of her house of course, just like when you visit the houses of the stars in Hollywood. To get to her house you go past the Aberfeldy Water mill over the Tay on Taybridge Road. This turns into Poplar avenue. Take it to the Tee junction, then turn right. Drive along the Tay until you reach the large manor house on your left with the green gates. I had to drive a riding lawn mower for about 2 hours to cut the grass in the front yard of my house in Holland. J.K. Rowling has sheep doing her front yard. Very Good!
If anyone wants to see them, this is a link to the pictures I took there in front of her house: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_garland/sets/72157600602426623/
And today I rode my motorcycle down to the book store just so that I could see the real Harry Potter fanatics.
-
There at the bookstore I bought myself a Hogwarts baseball cap. I put it on my sleeping terracotta bulldog guardog when I got home.
-
