Over the summer of 2021, I was invited by a friend to go to Universal Studios Orlando. In a few weeks we had the whole trip planned out. We would leave on a Thursday and spend Friday and Saturday in two different parks. We picked restaurants we could eat in and even some midnight activities all a short distance from the hotel.
When I was a child, Harry Potter had been my great obsession. Therefore, hearing that Universal had a Harry Potter theme park amazed me. This trip felt exciting, something that 12-year-old me had been waiting for. The chance to drink butterbeer, walk through Diagon Alley and enter all the magical stores. Over the span of those two days, I went back to my 12-year-old self and I put on my free-dobby socks, my tarnished time turner and my old Harry Potter shirt.
On Friday and Saturday, we followed our schedule. We arrived at the parks early in the morning, to get in as many rides as we could. After walking through Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, what I enjoyed the most were the little details. Kreacher the house-elf appearing in Grimmauld place when you knock on the door, the moving portraits, statues and the menu offering a variety of food and drinks that appeared in the books.
COVID-19 vaccines were available by this time, so the looming worry of being near people was low, but the amount of people without a mask was high. COVID-19 restrictions and rules were not strict. The people who were vaccinated were free to walk through the park without masks. Keeping a mask throughout the park I must admit was a struggle. The constant walking with the sun on your face while breathing through a mask was certainly a hassle.
I wouldn’t say that this was an enlightening trip where I learned something important. It was a short trip where I had the chance to spend time with my friend who would soon be leaving again for college. I knew once we entered school we would not talk or call each other as much as we used to, that is why I appreciated this trip. It left me with smiling memories, lots of pictures and made me glad I got to explore with my friend. Sometimes, what makes a trip more memorable is not about where you are going but the person you are travelling with.
