Signs of Magic in the Iberian Peninsula

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the lights.

--Albus Dumbledore

Likewise, you can find signs of magic in the most muggle of places, if only you remember to look. Traveling across the Iberian Peninsula these past few weeks, I kept seeing signs of the magical universe that captivated my--and tens of millions of others'--attention for so many years. Maybe my mind was looking for these symbols because it's been over nine years since I sat, captivated, reading about the Battle of Hogwarts. Or five years since David Yates brought that to life in the eighth film. Yes, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them are keeping the universe alive, but Scorpius's and Albus's adventures, and Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, will never compete with Harry, Ron, and Hermione (and Neville, Ginny, and Luna too, let's be honest, because they're the awesome part of the crew too).

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.

--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Every time I take a train I like to imagine I'm on the Hogwarts Express. Nerdy, I know, but it is something I do and think that most other Harry Potter fans do too. On this trip, I took the train from Madrid to Malaga. Every person with a luggage cart, every person pulling a suitcase, was a potential person searching for the scarlet steam engine, coyly looking around to make sure no one was watching as he slipped through the barrier and onto the right platform. I was very tempted to lean against a few barriers in the waiting area to see if I could trigger my push through, but given that it was early October and not September 1, which, everyone knows, is the day the train to Hogwarts (and other wizard schools) leaves.

They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze.

--Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

We did a day trip to Granada to see the Alhambra. While there were a lot of different parts of it that were interesting from an historical perspective, I was enamored by the plant life. This shouldn't be a huge shock to anyone who's seen the myriad of pictures I have taken and have hanging in my house. After all, half of them are of pretty flowers I've seen over time. What struck me about this part of the Alhambra--walking between the gardens and the palaces--were these tall hedges lining the path. It felt like there could be anything around the curve at the end of the path, like I was walking into my own Third Task maze.

An eerie sight met their eyes: They were standing on the edge of a great black lake, so vast that Harry could not make out the distant banks, in a cavern so high that the ceiling was too out of sight. A misty greenish light shone far away in what looked like the middle of the lake.

--Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

We also did a day trip to Gibraltar, one of my favorite historical quirks. Micronations and microterritories are always very odd because they seem to withstand the test of time better than a place that seemingly has just a great strategic location but no other obvious source of wealth should. So there Gibraltar stands, a rock as a peninsula, a British territory on the edge of Spain. And high on that rock is St. Michael's Cave, a vast cave that is now used for concerts. Even though there wasn't a lake in the middle like in Harry Potter, the different color lights that kept changing added a fantastic aura to the place that made you feel like you could find something special, something very unique, in any of the cave's many crevices.

Whatever Mrs. Figg said to the contrary, it sounded to him as though the most she had ever seen was a picture of a dementor, and a picture could never convey the truth of what these beings were like: the eerie way they moved, hovering inches over the ground, or the rotting smell of them, or that terrible, rattling noise they make as they sucked on the surrounding air...

--Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In Barcelona along the beach there was a kite-flying demonstration and at first I thought one of the kites, which I assume was supposed to be an octopus, looked exactly like the dementors (except in red and black) as portrayed in the films. It also didn't hurt that there was a wispy white kite ahead of it that looked like a baby dementor (if dementors can have babies?). I obviously realized what they were, but walking along the coastline, it was a bit unnerving to see that up ahead!

Dumbledore flicked his own wand. The force of the spell that emanated from it was such that Harry, though shielded by his stone guard, felt his hair stand on end as it passed, and this time Voldemort was forced to conjure a shining silver shield out of thin air to deflect it.

--Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In Andorra la Vella, I saw this statue and, to be honest, I still don't know what it's about. However, it really looks like a wizard, on the left, shooting a spell at a wizard. And the water to me were reminiscent of sparks. So I like to believe that Andorra erected a statue of the Battle of the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore vs. Voldemort, at the entrance to one of its main highways. I really don't know what other interpretation there could be for this statue!

Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping.

--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, where his fellow diners were showing one another their purchases.

--Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

That was me on my first day in Andorra la Vella. In some ways, the city--and it's suburb, Escaldes-Engordany--are like one big airport terminal/duty-free shop. Andorra is, after all, a tax haven and so it does have that reputation. But unlike airports, many of the buildings were made out of stone and looked like they were still from an older era. It was actually really charming. I spent a good 3 hours wandering the back alleyways of Andorra la Vella (and Escaldes-Engordany, since the only thing really separating them is a sign telling you you're entering from one into the other), looking at the little shops, seeing the restaurants setting up their outdoor seating, and people-watching. I definitely felt like I was in Diagon Alley.

They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. There were sill spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.

--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

They walked on for what seemed a long time, until they were once again so deep into the forest that the dense tree canopy blocked out all the light. Harry had the feeling he had had before in the forest, one of being watched by unseen eyes.

--Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Andorra's most amazing feature is its topography. In the winter, it is a skiing haven, and in the summer, it is known for its hiking. Thankfully the snows hadn't yet come and the weather was still warm enough to make hiking across Andorra possible. Along the way, I found some of the most serene locations I have ever seen. Quiet, peaceful, with lots of green and echoes of the Riu Valira permeating the trees. I hiked up, down, and sideways across the country, and each time I could imagine I was in the Forbidden Forest (just not with the evil creatures that wanted to kill me).

And so those were just some of the times on my journey across Spain and its neighbors where I felt like I might have slipped into the wizarding world. Sadly, all good things have to come to an end, so I'm back to my muggle life in Khartoum. I'm sure there are signs of magic here too, if I just wanted to dig a bit and find them!

As for being happy, here's one of my favorite songs from the movies.