Hello…anyone out there? I’m still alive here but have been so busy. As soon as I get around to finishing up my Europe posts, I will try to post here a little bit more. I have tons of entertaining things backlogged and ready to post about! Anyways, I thought I would take a break from Europe and post my review of the Harry Potter Amusement Park since I have been excited about this place since I first heard news there was going to be one and it’s still fresh in my mind.

First off, just so you know….the Harry Potter Amusement park isn’t it’s own park. It’s actually a “land” inside of Universal’s Islands of Adventures. Much like how Disney has fantasyland, frontierland, etc. So Islands of Adventures has a land called the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It consists of 3 rides: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Dragon Challenge, and Flight of the Hippogriff. Here are my brief thoughts on each of the rides.

The Forbidden Journey – was AMAZING. it’s unlike any ride i’ve ever been on. it is most similar to Soarin’ from California Adventures mixed in with the Spiderman 3D ride at Universal (not sure if this exists in LA but it does in FL). It’s not a roller coaster type ride but it is definitely fun with awesome effects, props, and scenery. Also, the line for the ride wraps around inside of Hogwarts which was done beautifully. It really feels like you are inside of the books/movies! They even have the talking paintings which are pretty cool. This is definitely the highlight.

The Dragon Challenge is a typical roller coaster but there are two coasters that are in a “duel”. I only rode on one of them but I’m sure they are both the same. It was fun but nothing out of the ordinary.

Flight of the Hippogriff is more of a kiddie rollercoaster. It literally lasts like 30 seconds! Still worth going on so you can see the Hippogriff in the nest (much better view from the roller coaster!) and Hagrid’s House :)

Besides rides, there are also all of the little shops to visit. The shops were SO CUTE and realistic! My only complaint about them are that they were way too small and cramped. We went during the off season and it was still almost too full to really shop. I can’t imagine having gone there when it first opened and school was out.

Zonko’s – the joke shop with all of the gags you read about in the book come to life!

Honeydukes – the candy shop. sorry for any crappy pics btw…the park was so crowded it’s hard to get a decent shot of anything!

The owl post – where you can also buy harry potter postcards, stamps, and get it Hogsmeade postmarked!!

There is also Dervish and Banges where they had the monster book of monsters displayed in a cage and it was snapping away! :)

I did not make it to Ollivander’s Wand Shop because there was a line and we had heard it’s not really worth it. They do a little show for each group that enters the shop where someone gets a wand chosen for them. Next time though!

Food and drink wise we were covered with the Three Broomsticks and Hog’s Head. I loved the atmosphere at both places.

I couldn’t resist getting the turkey leg, but just so you know disney’s is way better! Much more juicy.

Everyone recommends the fish and chips which were quite tasty.

There are a few other items on the menu including chicken and shepherd’s pie (which I had heard bad things about).

And of course we had to try the BUTTERBEER! I got the souvenir cup which allows you to have 95 cent refills of soda throughout the park and a reduced price refill of the butterbeer. I really loved the butterbeer. It was like a combo of creme soda and root beer. It almost tasted like an ice cream float but without any ice cream!

Lastly, we wandered over to Hog’s Head

i decided to try the frozen butterbeer which is just a butterbeer slush. It was too sweet for me though.

I had a really fun time and can’t wait to go back with some of my harry potter friends from back home including boyrobot!!! My only complaint about this place is it’s not really built well for heavy crowds so definitely try to go when school is in session. Navigating the lockers at some of the rides was horrendous because it was so crowded! The rest of the park was so empty though. All of the rides in the rest of the park were 5 min waits pretty much so that was nice! I heard during peak season, they actually had a couple hour wait just to get into Harry Potter land. CRAZY. So glad we went when we did. This is a definite must go for any major Harry Potter fans. Aside from the size, it won’t disappoint!

1. nutella

2. rice pudding

3. the jersey shore

Love this ‘if historical events had facebook statuses‘ post.

some of the other ones are just as good!

i am getting more and more excited as the time draws near.

fish and chips, mushy peas, shepherd’s pie, macarons, fondue, croissants, cheese, salami, duck confit, crepes, gelato, pizza, gnocchi, sausages, fresh bread, fresh coffee……..guess where i am going?

omg! if only i entertained more. or even ate that much cheese. i might be able to justify getting this. oh well

there are other states too. this would make a great housewarming gift!

I go through food phases where I eat one thing straight for like a week and then I get really sick of it. Right now I am obsessed with sandwiches. I just had a pimiento cheese and spinach sandwich. yum! i’ve also been eating all of my sandwiches with whole grain bread. healthy! other sandwiches i like:

– my healthy BLT (use turkey bacon and lowfat mayo….and sometimes I add avocado!)
– regular old standby…tuna sandwich
– egg salad (i want to try this curried version)
– new one i learned: prosciutto, arugula, ricotta cheese, and drizzle of olive oil
– smoked salmon and goat cheese (I usually prefer this on a bagel rather than bread though)

I also LOVE alfalfa sprouts on my sandwiches. In fact, I just bought a kit to grow my own! You are supposed to be able to have sprouts to eat in 5-7 days. I can’t wait to try it when I get home. Then I will always have fresh sprouts to add to my sandwiches!!

i’ve always hated cucumbers but as i’ve grown older i’ve become more open minded about food. reading these facts about cucumbers has me inspired to give these tasteless veggies another try! these surprised me the most:

Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

Just finish a business lunch and realize you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

Looking for a ‘green’ way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won’t leave streaks and won’t harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

By the way, I checked snopes.com to see if these facts were all true but they are still researching the validity of these claims :P

As you know, when I’m on travel for work they give me $25/week to spend on soaps, cleaning products, and random household products. I usually spend it exploring new shampoos. My new thing is trying sulfate-free shampoos. Sulfate is yet another thing that is supposed to cause cancer and cause thinning hair! Unfortunately, pretty much every popular/mainstream shampoo out there contains sulfate. Odds are that your current shampoo has it!

I have tried the Organix line of soaps and I felt like it caused my hair to get very dry. So then I found out that many sulfate-free shampoos will cause your hair to go dry after extended use. Poo.

I recently picked up the new Loreal line of sulfate free shampoos. I read that they recently bought out the Pureology line which had rave reviews but for some reason everyone complains about the shampoo after it was bought out. They say it causes itchy scalp and dry/hard hair. I bought the Volume shampoo and have only been using it for a week but it seems ok to me. I will be weary of buying it again though.

Next week I am going to try to find Bed Head’s Superstar shampoo. It has amazing reviews and no complaints really. Too bad it’s so pricy, even if I like it I doubt I will keep using it because I don’t like paying over $20 for a shampoo!

I also recently picked up a shampoo that was not sulfate free. I have had Paul Mitchell’s Super Skinny Daily Shampoo on my list to try for years and I finally saw it at CVS! I loooved the smell, it reminded me of getting my hair washed at the salon and my hair feels really soft right now. I love that it is a gentle shampoo with no buildup. I think I will have to alternate between this and the sulfate free shampoo.

Any shampoos (sulfate or sulfate free) you guys would recommend?