HOL Ravenclaw

Almost all places where tourists come will have some type of souvenirs for sale. And as tourists the idea of bringing a little piece of where we’ve been home with us is very attractive; it gives us a way to remember the place we were and show our friends and family something tangible from that place. While you wander around Machu Picchu, you discover a small souvenir shop that’s a little removed from the others and you decide to look in. It’s filled with souvenirs you couldn’t even have dreamt of finding anywhere else and there is a especially one thing you just have to bring back home with you.

Design your souvenir in any medium you like and write a brief description of what it is and what drew you to it.

Post your finished design, or write a description of at least 150 words and post it below to get a piece of this week’s password for the Treasure Hunt, and of course earn yourself 10 beans (+5 beans if it is handed in before the 22nd of July). If you would rather not share your work, please email it to ravenclawevent @ gmail.com (no spaces) with the title "Week 2 - Design your own Souvenir" and we will make sure to credit your submission!

My Souvenir is a pressed penny with the image of an Alpaca. It has "Alpaca" written at the top and "Machu Picchu Peru" on the bottom. I collect them and try to get them wherever I go! Normally I try to get ones with monuments, but it's more important to me that it says the place on it so I had to settle for this Alpaca one. Luckily, Alpacas are pretty cute!

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There is so much of wonderful things in this tourist shop. I wander the rows, and want this and that and this and .... Then I spy something I must have!

I go to the place where they have knitted goods, and pull out the knit alpaca cap. It's large and has ear flaps. It is both double-knit AND is lined with some sort of material (feels like raw silk!) Thick woven alpaca strings extend down from the ear flaps so that I can either tie the cap on under my chin (to keep it on if in a stiff wind), or pull the ear flaps up and tie them on top of the cap if it is warm out.

The yarn for the cap is thicker than sock yarn; it's almost heavy (thick) so, with the double knitting, and the lining, it is going to be gorgeously warm. Yes, I mentioned warmth twice now. It's really chilly here!

The colours are gorgeous, too. The blues of the sky, the browns and greys of the mountains, the greens of the shrubbery, the whites of the clouds, all blended into a knitted pattern which depicts a llama (of course ) on one side of the cap and the words "Machu Picchu" written on the other side of the cap. The front of the cap has a lot of red to it, with a red sun and red rays and then some black and some more white. I don't know what the red sun means, but it sure is pretty.

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On my souvenir (circle) are four llamas and forest with mountains at the back of the picture. There are also some clouds possible to be seen.

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I really like badges and magnets, so I decided to have a look at those. There is a very small pin badge, just perfect for my robe. At the top of the round badge the word "P E R U" is engraved in bronze, following the arc shape of the upper part of the badge. Behind it is an aerial view of Machu Picchu, with blue sky and fluffy floating white clouds, as well as recognizable man-stone figures. Their faces seem a bit too serious, At the bottom same bronze-engraved "Machu Picchu" follows the path of the lower arc of the badge.
The magnet is pretty big in size, rectangular and has relief emboss all over it to symbolise the mountains on which the Machu Picchu is located. Mainly grey-brown, with a dash of green to symbolise the grass. In the upper right corner is the Peruvian flag, with PERU written across. Underneath is a silhouette of Peru borders.

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I had a classmate with family in Ecuador and she once brought in her alpaca wool poncho. The colors were gorgeous and the material was so soft! I don't have much use for a poncho, but I'd definitely pick out an alpaca wool blanket. There are some winters when I use four blankets at night (for warmth and for the weight). This one is mainly blue, which is my favorite color. It has little alpacas/llamas on the edges. The central diamond design is reminiscent of all the steps seen at Machu Picchu.

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It won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that, upon entering a shop like this, I am immediately drawn to anything that is either shiny or fluffy. I’m very tempted by a lama plush that’s in pride of place near the door: it would look great (by which I mean wonderfully random and completely incongruous) in the Head Students study back home. Its coat is made out of reddish-brown lama wool (incredibly luxurious to run your hands through) and it has huge, wide eyes in sparkling dark glass. It’s sporting a very mean expression indeed, ideal, I can’t help thinking, for facing at the door when people come in. It has some baskets across its back which would be brilliant for holding spare quills and bits of parchment. And the best thing of all? It’s life-sized…. And on wheels. I’m about to leave with my new souvenir when I remember: lamas are social creatures. Who am I to cruelly separate this one from its kind? We’ll have to have another to keep it company. And why stop at 2…?

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