Falling Leaflets: Already Dreaming of Your Next Summer Vacation? Consider The Shire!!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

(Visit http://www.hobbitontours.com for more info)

Now that Labor Day has passed, the time for family vacationing has come to an end...but that doesn't mean I can't dream big about a trip for next summer. And by "a trip for next summer," I mean,

"a trip that I will not be going on, but will advertise in hopes that one of my lovely readers will be inspired to travel, allowing me to live vicariously through their subsequent blog posts and photos about said trip."

Destination? The SHIRE!! I follow the blog of agent Nephele Tempest, and she recently got back from New Zealand and posted some links regarding the area. One of them was for Hobbiton movie set tours, and it put my sense of travel longing into overdrive.

For the love of Breyer's coffee ice cream, will one of you please go to New Zealand and visit The Alexander Farm, where Tolkien's Shire came to life??? Please?

Much of the set was torn down after Lord of the Rings, but they rebuilt Hobbiton in 2011 for the new movies. With the movie versions (they're dividing the book into three films~ I thought it was two, but blogging buddy Andrew Leon of Strange Pegs knew the truth, pointed it out in the comments, and deserves a shout-out for that) of The Hobbit coming up, I am once again falling in love with The Shire and its hobbit holes. And yes, I like to capitalize "The" in "The Shire." I feel it deserves double caps :).

In case you're thinking about taking a tour, here are some links that I've been drooling over.

Hobbiton Tours

Image Gallery

Movie Set, Farm Tours, Dates and Rates

Store (maybe it's a good thing that this trip isn't in my family budget, because I could easily be suckered into going overboard on gifts~ the woolen scarf rack wouldn't last a minute around me)

That's all for today~ I hope everyone has an excellent week!

Oh wait, I nearly forgot! Cupid's Literary Connection is hosting an agent contest. The first entry window was this morning, but there's another one on 9/7 (this Friday). Click HERE for details (this one requires a $4 donation to enter).

JessSeptember 4, 2012 at 8:27 AM

The movie info has been corrected above thanks to you! The website says that they rebuilt the hobbit area in 2011 for the new movies, and it's now permanent. I'm thinking it'll have to look similar to the version in the LOTR films...

JessSeptember 4, 2012 at 8:29 AM

Same here~ that and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. And the pyramids. And the Great Wall of China. Dontcha love how I listed the Wizarding World before the pyramids and Great Wall :)

JessSeptember 5, 2012 at 11:03 AM

That's so cool! I would love a vacation in Australia-New Zealand (who am I kidding, I think I'd settle for a week in the Residence Inn down the road if it came with movie tickets and a babysitter).