Hobbiton

And now the post you've all been waiting for: Hobbiton. And by “you” I mean “me.” I've been waiting for this. Yes, yes we have, precious.

It was a blindingly sunny and warm day. Hobbiton was just a 10-minute drive from our b&b.

Hobbiton was surprisingly large, with two ponds, several hills and seventeen hobbit holes. Our guide took us around from one spot to the next, pointing out which scenes had taken place in which areas, and the lengths that the film crew went to in order to get an “authentic” feel. For example, prior to filming Peter Jackson had someone hang up clothes on the clotheslines every morning, and take them off in the evening, so that they would wear down little trails in the grass.

Some of the hobbit holes were human-sized...

And others were hobbit-sized.

The hobbit holes were beautiful, overflowing with flowers and color. Many little details could be found at each entrance, such as benches, wheelbarrows, drying herbs, smoking fish, or jars of honeycomb for sale.

This hobbit seemed to be a painter.

It was simply the most lovely and idyllic little village you could imagine.

Bag-End!

My favorite hole was this one, which belonged to Sam and Rosie Gamgee, because of the pink roses framing the door.

At the end of the tour we had a drink at the Green Dragon Inn, which you can see across the pond.

Do you see this girl?

That is a happy girl right there.

Yes, precious.