Joe Louis watches the sun rise over the shire

 

The folks at at Hobbiton Tours were nice enough to let us visit the Shire early in the morning before the crowds took over. It was an incredible, picture-perfect scene as the sun rose above the fictional village. It was a particularly misty morning that added a sense of intrigue and mystery, making it seem entirely plausible that a monster or demon would emerge out of the fog. For a moment I wondered if I were on a movie set or transported to a faraway place in a mythical world.