London – Part Two
Okay, back to London. On Wednesday I went to the British Museum and spent almost the whole day there. It is supposedly the world’s oldest museum and it is in a huge beautiful building that you could get lost in if you’re not careful. The museum displays international cultural history from all over the world so the subject matter is varied. I did the audio highlights tour and covered almost the whole museum but I was definitely dragging by the end. Highlights of course were the mummies and some of the artifacts that were oldest from Egypt. The Rosetta Stone resulted in the deciphering of hieroglyphics, which was certainly an important discovery and one I’m glad they didn’t leave to me because I couldn’t even follow the parts they were explaining to me in detail. The Nereid Monument from 200 BC Turkey took me back to my visit to Turkey and the number of times the guide said, “…, which is now in the British Museum.” I liked some huge gates but I can’t remember what they were or where they were from. I just remember that they had large horses on them and the horses had 5 legs if you viewed them from all sides. You never saw more than four at a glance but in fact there were five. Everyone raved about the Enlightenment Gallery but I confess that I was going too fast to be enlightened very much. It was a huge room with many smaller exhibits and would require way more time than I had allowed. Overall the British Museum is a pretty awesome place and it really makes me look forward to future visits to places like Egypt and Italy and Greece to see more ancient historical sights.
That night I went to see Guys & Dolls, not because I really like the show or haven’t seen it before, because I have many times, but because Patrick Swayze was starring in it and I thought it would be fun to see him on stage. Well, I’ll still have to wait for that experience because he went to the gala opening of the London Film Festival that night and left his understudy in charge of the roll. The show was fine but I would have chosen something else had I known he wasn’t going to be there. You’ll be pleased (perhaps) to know that this is the last of the shows so you won’t have to read about any more. I’ll just say that it was great to be in London where theatre is strong and the language is English. It made for a fun week.
On Thursday I went to the National History Museum and, among other things, brushed up on my knowledge of dinosaurs. You will be pleased to know that both the Albertosaurus and the Edmontosaurus were both prominently featured. The exhibits in all areas were really good. In the Red Zone they had fossils that were 570 million years old and a rock that was supposedly 3,850 million years old, which seems absolutely amazing and unbelievable to me. Some of their displays were really excellent. The earthquake was very realistic with the whole grocery store and everything in it, including us visitors, rolling with the quake. The volcano and tsunami sections were almost as good.
In the Blue Zone, where the dinosaurs were found, there were other displays on mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates, as well as my favourite - human biology. Now I’m not really into human biology as studied in class but I did like some of these exhibits – especially the hands-on ones. The only problem was how to get rid of all the kids who were equally thrilled by the exhibits. Memory games, scene recalls, visual exercises, reflex games, etc. were all great fun – if I could get to a machine without 10 kids fighting for the spot and whining beside me. Now of course I am just kidding and I never really beat off any children. I just tried to work around all the school tours and get to the exhibits when they weren’t around. I had no set agenda so there was really no rush in my day. I guess the only other thing in the Blue Zone that was truly amazing to me was the size of the blue whale. I knew they were big but not that big. They make the elephants look small and I thought the elephants were big. Again it was a really good exhibit and allowed for comparisons, which I guess I’d never done before.
In the Green Zone they had plants, minerals, ecology, evolution, etc. The creepy crawlies exhibit was fun to see. Why is that girls always scream at the spiders and snakes while the boys just say, “oh, cool!”? I loved their ant display and it was amazing to watch those guys work. They, that is the museum not the ants, have it set up so the leaves and food are on one side of the water in the tank and the ant hill is on the other side. There is one thin branch placed up high between the two sides so the ants must scurry back and forth on this stick and climb up and down the branches on either side. The way they work and the amount they carry is remarkable. And you readers can supposedly share this experience because they are live on webcam at www.nhm.ac.uk/antcast. I didn’t get through the place the first day so had to go back again later. It’s a great museum and a great way to learn while having fun. It brings out the kid in you!
I’m going to tell you about the Science Museum next even though I didn’t actually go there next. However, the two museums (Museum of National History and Science Museum) are next door to each other and one might think they’d go hand in hand. Hands-on science exhibits had appeal for me so I was excited about going, but in fact this museum was very different. Aside from the IMAX Theatre, some simulator rides and a few hands-on exhibits outside the IMAX, this museum was basically just the history of science. If you were into aviations you could have followed its history through from beginning to end. Same with agriculture, medicine, shipping, computers, telecommunications, etc.
My favourite area was the history of medicine where they had some great displays that would make anyone very grateful for all the advances in medicine and dentistry over the years. I could identify with that display. But the history of Math? Personally I really like Math but an exhibit on the history of Math just really doesn’t do anything for me. In fact, it makes the ant farm seem absolutely enthralling. I mean picture it – “here’s X and he developed this theory and here’s how he proved it. It then led to this theory, which allowed this to happen.” I’m sure it is interesting and exciting stuff but it just wasn’t what I was expecting.
I did manage to sort out how to use the abacus though and I even showed it to several groups of kids who were trying to figure it out. I’m sure they thought I was amazing – probably ready to go in the history of Math or Computing section. I’m not sure if the abacus counts in Math or Computing or both, which probably proves that I don’t belong in either group! Anyway, I wasn’t really impressed with the Science Museum or perhaps I should put it another way. I just wasn’t in the mood for the Science Museum. The only interesting facts I can pass on from it come from the medical area. Did you know that it was 5 BC when Hippocrates wrote what became the basis of the Hippocratic oath that doctors still go by? And back in 1602, guess what there were serious health warnings and ads about. You win the prize if you guessed cigarette smoking.
The rest of my time on Thursday, Friday and Saturday *what little time I had before my train), I spent at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, both down near Trafalgar Square. I am writing this two weeks after the visit so I’m not sure I’m going to be able to remember much about either of them. In a strange way, that may mean that the Science Museum made more of an impression on me than either of these two fantastic galleries. That’s a scary thought!
The National Portrait Gallery is, needless to say, mainly portraits. They have over 1000 portraits of the men and women who played a part in Britain’s history from the Middle Ages to present day. They are arranged chronologically and the exhibit is actually quite interesting when followed in order and with the audio guide. Thomas Wharton (1648-1716), the Earl of Wharton, was pictured, as was the 1st Marguess of Wharton. I shall have to check with my friend in Wales who has the same name and see if he’s related. Another picture featured General Lord Byng (1862-1935) who I believe was once Canada’s Governor General. His name has come up several times in my travels and I think it’s a sign. We partner with a university in the town where Byng’s estate is and I think with Byng there and all the Canadian family connections, a scholarship or two for students doing exchanges between Canada and the UK might be in order – something to work on later I guess. The last little note from the National Portrait Gallery is that their special exhibit was of the Beatles and it was nice to see all the old record covers and photographs. Just a little nostalgia there.
I guess I did have a few scribbled notes from the National Portrait Gallery. Let’s see if I can come up with anything from the National Gallery. The National Gallery exhibits Western European paintings from the 13th century to the 20th century. I saw most of these paintings but not the more recent 20th century. On my way down to the Museum on the one day, I went to the Banqueting House for the second time but again it was closed for a private function. It is part of the old Whitehall Palace and still used for official functions and supposedly it’s very beautiful. However, I did not get to see it. While wandering around the National Gallery I came across (with the help of my audio guide) Ruben’s sketch for the ceiling painting for the Banqueting Hall as originally designed. I thought that was a nice twist to the story. Something else I noticed was a painting of Tobias and The Angel. I had never heard of Tobias and the Angel but the play was on at the New Vic and I was thinking about going. Had I had just one more day I would have had time to see it but alas, I was on my way out of town. That’s all I can specifically remember from the National Gallery except that there were a lot of great paintings and artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael. The 19th and 20th century section that I missed, “Monet to Picasso”, would probably have been very interesting too but alas, time interfered again.
So what else can I say about London? It’s expensive, especially for eating out. Oh, speaking of that, I did have dinner one night at the Café in the Crypt at St. Martins in the Fields Church at Trafalgar Square. The Café is a very popular place to eat and you really are down in the crypt where memorial stones are on the wall beside you or under your feet. It was quite a good meal and very quick as it was buffet style; and the setting was definitely unique.
There were lots of things in and around London that I would have loved to have seen but there was just no time on this trip – places like Windsor Castle, Tate Britain, Hampton Court and many more. I guess I’ll need a return trip to London some time soon.
I saw what I could in London and I had a great time. It was probably my busiest time so far on this trip, mainly because I kept trying to go to the theatre every evening on top of my usual touring. And of course, I had to work in some medical appointments as well.
I guess I didn’t divide London very evenly between the two parts but I’m sure you don’t really mind. There was probably way more I should have told you but my mind fails me and I just can’t think of anything else right now.
I’ll see how fast I can get Paris and Nice out to you. They actually are all written out in long hand thanks to a 12-hour train trip from Nice to Barcelona so it’s just a matter of finding computer time to type and post them. Paris and Nice just didn’t have internet cafes that stayed open after 8 or 9 p.m. and I was always out touring until after that time so couldn’t get anything done. This one in Barcelona actually stays open 24 hours a day so I should be a bit faster with the next postings. However, don’t hold your breath just in case I tire of typing and can’t get any further.
Cheers!
Jayne
PS - My apologies for any errors in this. It's now after midnight and I've been sitting here on a stool typing for a long time. I ran a spell check but I didn't reread this to see if it was okay. Sorry!
Okay, back to London. On Wednesday I went to the British Museum and spent almost the whole day there. It is supposedly the world’s oldest museum and it is in a huge beautiful building that you could get lost in if you’re not careful. The museum displays international cultural history from all over the world so the subject matter is varied. I did the audio highlights tour and covered almost the whole museum but I was definitely dragging by the end. Highlights of course were the mummies and some of the artifacts that were oldest from Egypt. The Rosetta Stone resulted in the deciphering of hieroglyphics, which was certainly an important discovery and one I’m glad they didn’t leave to me because I couldn’t even follow the parts they were explaining to me in detail. The Nereid Monument from 200 BC Turkey took me back to my visit to Turkey and the number of times the guide said, “…, which is now in the British Museum.” I liked some huge gates but I can’t remember what they were or where they were from. I just remember that they had large horses on them and the horses had 5 legs if you viewed them from all sides. You never saw more than four at a glance but in fact there were five. Everyone raved about the Enlightenment Gallery but I confess that I was going too fast to be enlightened very much. It was a huge room with many smaller exhibits and would require way more time than I had allowed. Overall the British Museum is a pretty awesome place and it really makes me look forward to future visits to places like Egypt and Italy and Greece to see more ancient historical sights.
That night I went to see Guys & Dolls, not because I really like the show or haven’t seen it before, because I have many times, but because Patrick Swayze was starring in it and I thought it would be fun to see him on stage. Well, I’ll still have to wait for that experience because he went to the gala opening of the London Film Festival that night and left his understudy in charge of the roll. The show was fine but I would have chosen something else had I known he wasn’t going to be there. You’ll be pleased (perhaps) to know that this is the last of the shows so you won’t have to read about any more. I’ll just say that it was great to be in London where theatre is strong and the language is English. It made for a fun week.
On Thursday I went to the National History Museum and, among other things, brushed up on my knowledge of dinosaurs. You will be pleased to know that both the Albertosaurus and the Edmontosaurus were both prominently featured. The exhibits in all areas were really good. In the Red Zone they had fossils that were 570 million years old and a rock that was supposedly 3,850 million years old, which seems absolutely amazing and unbelievable to me. Some of their displays were really excellent. The earthquake was very realistic with the whole grocery store and everything in it, including us visitors, rolling with the quake. The volcano and tsunami sections were almost as good.
In the Blue Zone, where the dinosaurs were found, there were other displays on mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates, as well as my favourite - human biology. Now I’m not really into human biology as studied in class but I did like some of these exhibits – especially the hands-on ones. The only problem was how to get rid of all the kids who were equally thrilled by the exhibits. Memory games, scene recalls, visual exercises, reflex games, etc. were all great fun – if I could get to a machine without 10 kids fighting for the spot and whining beside me. Now of course I am just kidding and I never really beat off any children. I just tried to work around all the school tours and get to the exhibits when they weren’t around. I had no set agenda so there was really no rush in my day. I guess the only other thing in the Blue Zone that was truly amazing to me was the size of the blue whale. I knew they were big but not that big. They make the elephants look small and I thought the elephants were big. Again it was a really good exhibit and allowed for comparisons, which I guess I’d never done before.
In the Green Zone they had plants, minerals, ecology, evolution, etc. The creepy crawlies exhibit was fun to see. Why is that girls always scream at the spiders and snakes while the boys just say, “oh, cool!”? I loved their ant display and it was amazing to watch those guys work. They, that is the museum not the ants, have it set up so the leaves and food are on one side of the water in the tank and the ant hill is on the other side. There is one thin branch placed up high between the two sides so the ants must scurry back and forth on this stick and climb up and down the branches on either side. The way they work and the amount they carry is remarkable. And you readers can supposedly share this experience because they are live on webcam at www.nhm.ac.uk/antcast. I didn’t get through the place the first day so had to go back again later. It’s a great museum and a great way to learn while having fun. It brings out the kid in you!
I’m going to tell you about the Science Museum next even though I didn’t actually go there next. However, the two museums (Museum of National History and Science Museum) are next door to each other and one might think they’d go hand in hand. Hands-on science exhibits had appeal for me so I was excited about going, but in fact this museum was very different. Aside from the IMAX Theatre, some simulator rides and a few hands-on exhibits outside the IMAX, this museum was basically just the history of science. If you were into aviations you could have followed its history through from beginning to end. Same with agriculture, medicine, shipping, computers, telecommunications, etc.
My favourite area was the history of medicine where they had some great displays that would make anyone very grateful for all the advances in medicine and dentistry over the years. I could identify with that display. But the history of Math? Personally I really like Math but an exhibit on the history of Math just really doesn’t do anything for me. In fact, it makes the ant farm seem absolutely enthralling. I mean picture it – “here’s X and he developed this theory and here’s how he proved it. It then led to this theory, which allowed this to happen.” I’m sure it is interesting and exciting stuff but it just wasn’t what I was expecting.
I did manage to sort out how to use the abacus though and I even showed it to several groups of kids who were trying to figure it out. I’m sure they thought I was amazing – probably ready to go in the history of Math or Computing section. I’m not sure if the abacus counts in Math or Computing or both, which probably proves that I don’t belong in either group! Anyway, I wasn’t really impressed with the Science Museum or perhaps I should put it another way. I just wasn’t in the mood for the Science Museum. The only interesting facts I can pass on from it come from the medical area. Did you know that it was 5 BC when Hippocrates wrote what became the basis of the Hippocratic oath that doctors still go by? And back in 1602, guess what there were serious health warnings and ads about. You win the prize if you guessed cigarette smoking.
The rest of my time on Thursday, Friday and Saturday *what little time I had before my train), I spent at the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, both down near Trafalgar Square. I am writing this two weeks after the visit so I’m not sure I’m going to be able to remember much about either of them. In a strange way, that may mean that the Science Museum made more of an impression on me than either of these two fantastic galleries. That’s a scary thought!
The National Portrait Gallery is, needless to say, mainly portraits. They have over 1000 portraits of the men and women who played a part in Britain’s history from the Middle Ages to present day. They are arranged chronologically and the exhibit is actually quite interesting when followed in order and with the audio guide. Thomas Wharton (1648-1716), the Earl of Wharton, was pictured, as was the 1st Marguess of Wharton. I shall have to check with my friend in Wales who has the same name and see if he’s related. Another picture featured General Lord Byng (1862-1935) who I believe was once Canada’s Governor General. His name has come up several times in my travels and I think it’s a sign. We partner with a university in the town where Byng’s estate is and I think with Byng there and all the Canadian family connections, a scholarship or two for students doing exchanges between Canada and the UK might be in order – something to work on later I guess. The last little note from the National Portrait Gallery is that their special exhibit was of the Beatles and it was nice to see all the old record covers and photographs. Just a little nostalgia there.
I guess I did have a few scribbled notes from the National Portrait Gallery. Let’s see if I can come up with anything from the National Gallery. The National Gallery exhibits Western European paintings from the 13th century to the 20th century. I saw most of these paintings but not the more recent 20th century. On my way down to the Museum on the one day, I went to the Banqueting House for the second time but again it was closed for a private function. It is part of the old Whitehall Palace and still used for official functions and supposedly it’s very beautiful. However, I did not get to see it. While wandering around the National Gallery I came across (with the help of my audio guide) Ruben’s sketch for the ceiling painting for the Banqueting Hall as originally designed. I thought that was a nice twist to the story. Something else I noticed was a painting of Tobias and The Angel. I had never heard of Tobias and the Angel but the play was on at the New Vic and I was thinking about going. Had I had just one more day I would have had time to see it but alas, I was on my way out of town. That’s all I can specifically remember from the National Gallery except that there were a lot of great paintings and artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael. The 19th and 20th century section that I missed, “Monet to Picasso”, would probably have been very interesting too but alas, time interfered again.
So what else can I say about London? It’s expensive, especially for eating out. Oh, speaking of that, I did have dinner one night at the Café in the Crypt at St. Martins in the Fields Church at Trafalgar Square. The Café is a very popular place to eat and you really are down in the crypt where memorial stones are on the wall beside you or under your feet. It was quite a good meal and very quick as it was buffet style; and the setting was definitely unique.
There were lots of things in and around London that I would have loved to have seen but there was just no time on this trip – places like Windsor Castle, Tate Britain, Hampton Court and many more. I guess I’ll need a return trip to London some time soon.
I saw what I could in London and I had a great time. It was probably my busiest time so far on this trip, mainly because I kept trying to go to the theatre every evening on top of my usual touring. And of course, I had to work in some medical appointments as well.
I guess I didn’t divide London very evenly between the two parts but I’m sure you don’t really mind. There was probably way more I should have told you but my mind fails me and I just can’t think of anything else right now.
I’ll see how fast I can get Paris and Nice out to you. They actually are all written out in long hand thanks to a 12-hour train trip from Nice to Barcelona so it’s just a matter of finding computer time to type and post them. Paris and Nice just didn’t have internet cafes that stayed open after 8 or 9 p.m. and I was always out touring until after that time so couldn’t get anything done. This one in Barcelona actually stays open 24 hours a day so I should be a bit faster with the next postings. However, don’t hold your breath just in case I tire of typing and can’t get any further.
Cheers!
Jayne
PS - My apologies for any errors in this. It's now after midnight and I've been sitting here on a stool typing for a long time. I ran a spell check but I didn't reread this to see if it was okay. Sorry!
posted by Jayne Brooks @ 3:12 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home