Day 18 at Universal Studios Hollywood 🎥🌴

Today was set to be another exciting day: Universal Studios Hollywood. Our first destination led us straight into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 🪄

As we stepped through the gate, it felt like we stumbled right into a movie set: snow-covered rooftops despite the summer heat, the sight of Hogwarts in the distance, and the scent of fresh pastries and Butterbeer wafting from the shops. We wandered through the narrow streets of Hogsmeade, marveling at the meticulous details in every window display, and in the background, we could faintly hear the soundtrack of the films – a true goosebumps moment. Of course, we immediately tried out the attractions while the wait times were still short. For a moment, we almost forgot that we were in California, were it not for the 30 degrees.. ☀️😅

After that, we explored the rest of the park. Around noon, though, we began to feel the increasing effects of the heat. The sun blazed mercilessly, and the paths became busier by the hour. We took regular breaks in the shade, trying to escape the biggest crowds.

For lunch, we stopped at The Three Broomsticks, where we fueled up with Fish & Chips. Naturally, we couldn't miss out on a Butterbeer – a must for any Potter fan, even though it sadly didn't taste as good as it did for Harry and his friends.

Feeling refreshed, we continued to the famous Studio Tour, which took us past real movie sets and iconic backdrops. Afterwards, we dared to try out more attractions, like the thrilling Transformers ride and the Jurassic Park water ride: The Ride.

But by late afternoon, after a brief detour into the colorful Mario world, it was clear: We were completely exhausted. The combination of heat, crowds, and nonstop action had overwhelmed us. So we decided to skip the grand finale show at Hogwarts Castle.

Once home, we made ourselves comfortable, let the day wind down with our series, and were happy to simply put our feet up. It was still a great day – but we all agreed: Disneyland in Paris was, overall, a slightly better experience, as we could fully immerse ourselves in the Disney world there. 🏰