You Win or You Die

Friday 20 June 2014

As you may or may not know, I'm a big Game of Thrones fan. I've read all of the published A Song of Ice and Fire books, am up to date with the TV show, and last weekend, I flew over to Belfast with my mum for the Game of Thrones Exhibit. I haven't been on a plane in about ten years - no joke - so to say that I was a bit nervous would be an understatement.



I'm incredibly glad I faced my fear and went though, as this was probably a once in a lifetime experience. Yes, it may return next year, but chances are the costumes and props on show will be different, as this was heavily focused on seasons three and four. It's also a little tricky to get to, as it only visited New York City, Mexico City, Austin, Rio De Janeiro, Oslo, Toronto, Belfast, Sydney, and Vancouver. That means if you don't live in any of those cities you've got a bit of travelling to do, and if you want to go you have to get in quickly, as it doesn't stay for long in one place. Luckily, England to Northern Ireland isn't too far, and we were able to travel at the weekend after work and college for the last day of the Belfast leg of the tour.

I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed with how small it was (I was imagining it to be on the scale of the Warner Bros. The Making of Harry Potter, which is huge) but it does make sense if they have to pack it all up and move it, so I could overlook it. The size of it was more than made up for by the inclusion of the Iron Throne and the Ascend the Wall experience.



The Iron Throne was a lot smoother than I imagined it to be; the seat was worn down from so much use, and the arms of it weren't too uncomfortable to rest on and hold. However, it didn't have a space under it like a normal chair does, and the base seemed to slope a little, so placing your feet was a little awkward - or at least that's what I found, and I'm short so maybe that's why I didn't know what to do with myself.

Ascend the Wall was definitely the best part of the day. It was about a minute long experience where you went up the Wall in the lift and then walked along the top. You had a pair of 3D goggles headphones, and you were standing in a booth that was just like the lifts at the Wall with the grills and everything, and there was cold air blowing around you as you 'ascended'. I was nervous about having a go because I get vertigo and am terrified of heights, but I'm so glad I did it! My only complaint was that it was too short and you only got one go.

The costumes on show were all stunning. The detail and care that went into creating them was clearly apparent, and it seems crazy that people could actually wear and move in them without damaging them! A lot of the actors were also a lot smaller than I thought, and I literally did a double take at how tiny Natalie Dormer and Emilia Clarke's waists are - the camera really does add 10lbs because I never would have guessed that from seeing them on screen! Maisie Williams is also a lot shorter than I realised, and it did make me feel a bit better about being short, because she's pretty cool.


















1 comment:

Got a thought or an opinion? I'd love to hear it.

design by amanda inez