By Judith Roberts
We mixed in a little magic on our trip to Scotland.
A little preface – I grew up reading the Harry Potter books. My mom was a fourth grade teacher, and I often previewed the books for her to make sure they were appropriate for her classroom. I was shocked to find that I, as a seventh grader, enjoyed the book so much, and I encouraged her to read them as well. And that was all it took. By the time the seventh and final book came out, she and I were having to purchase two copies because we didn’t like to share reading time.
Now, as a mother of two, I have encouraged my own kids to read Harry Potter – trying my hardest to do so at an appropriate age for them and skirt any spoilers of a nearly 30-year-old series. Yes, it’s basically impossible. Penny is currently on the fifth book, and Alice finished the series this summer – just in time to have a Harry Potter-themed day in Scotland, where, of course, I assume Hogwarts is.
Our day started at Tron Kirk, which is part of the hub of the Old Town in Edinburgh, where we met our tour guide, Kirsty. She immediately asked who was a Muggle and who was a witch or wizard, and, if so, what house we were in. Penny held her raincoat tight around her Hufflepuff shirt so she could do a big reveal at her turn.
We went around a few places, getting shown the Balmoral, where J.K. Rowling finished the last book (and the room is still available for a hefty $2,000 per night), the original spot of The Elephant Room, where she also wrote at, and a few Harry Potter-themed places. None of the movies were shot in Edinburgh, which is a true shame, because with a real-life castle and the history and architecture, it should have been. But thankfully, imaginations are free to all.
Next, we took the girls to the Department of Magic to mix some potions. And, yes, it 100 percent felt like we were sneaking into a magical world. It’s a basement restaurant with no sign on the door, and the door is locked until the time of your reservation.
You pick your potion of choice, and then you are given a cute tray filled with various colored bottles, dry ice, and your glass. The girls both picked a Divination Brew, which included lemonade, apple juice, and jellybeans – and while the dry ice gave it a smoky magical feeling, their favorite surprise was that their drinks both turned different colors, which indicated something different. Penny’s turned red, which meant that she had forgotten something, and Alice’s turned orange, which meant someone was going to play a mischievous trick on her. I will let you guess who she assumed that could be.
It was such a lovely experience to share with my girls. A book series that my mom and I shared together when I was growing up turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience shared by her daughter and grandchildren.
And there’s a lot of magic in that.
