London: Wellington and Harry Potter Tour

We started the day by visiting the Anglican church “Saint Michael and all Saints” in Abbeywood. The service was very traditional and was conducted with a lot of incense and liturgy.

Then we traveled to the city center using the new Elizabeth Line.

After a short walk, we arrived at Wellington Arch, which commemorates the British victories in the Napoleonic Wars.

Inside, there is a (very small) exhibition about these battles and the First World War, as well as some modern artworks. From the very top, you can overlook the surrounding streets, though the view isn't particularly great.

Our visit to the arch was rather disappointing, so we soon moved on to Wellington's house, which stands on the opposite side of the street: Apsley House.

The house is still inhabited by the Duke of Wellington, but most of it is open to the public, and the Duke has to make do with an apartment.

Here too, there was an exhibition about the victory over Napoleon and the numerous gifts Wellington received for his military achievements from all over Europe.

On the upper floor, there were some rooms with many artworks and antique furnishings on display.
However, we didn't have time for a detailed tour with audio guides because we had booked a city tour in the afternoon.

It was once again a Harry Potter tour, where our tour guide showed us various filming locations in London.

First, we walked through Borough Market, a historic market that was completely crowded on a Sunday afternoon.

Our path took us along the Thames and over the Millennium Bridge.

Here, our guide pointed out the small artworks on the ground, which an artist created from flattened chewing gum by painting them in bright colors.

We also went to the inspiration for Knockturn Alley, the dark alleyway off Diagon Alley.

However, no filming took place here because the alley is too narrow. It was reconstructed in the studio.

After the tour ended, we strolled alone through the city.

We walked to “King’s Cross” station, where in the Harry Potter novels lies the access to platform 9 ¾, from where the Hogwarts Express departs.

We found that there is actually no wall between platforms 9 and 10. However, there is a photo spot set up at another wall - along with a long barrier and four security personnel managing the flow of tourists.

Even for a visit to the adjacent shop, you would have to wait in long lines, so we settled for a glance at the sign and then returned to the campsite.