*Found this old draft I wrote back when visiting London with my mom in December 2009 and thought I'd post it*
Seeing that this is my second trip to London I thought I would write about my favourite things to do and see while here. I know I just posted about my favourite webcomics but honestly this is my blog and if I want to write about my favourite things and only my favourite things well...deal with it : P Although most of the museums are just completely awesome, I thought I would focus on a few of my favourite objects or exhibits I think should not be be missed. I have also left out some of the more obvious things to see (like the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum) as they are on every list. I did not keep track of where exactly they are in each place so you can pretend this is a treasure hunt and you need to find each item yourself to win*. If there is not anything in particular I liked about a particular place I have just listed it at the end. As always there is little logic as to why I like what I do.
The British Museum
- I love the Blue Egyptian hippos. Super cute! Period.
- The Gayer-Anderson Cat. I love its earring, nose piercing, and the beautiful scarabs on it's head and chest.
- The Warren Cup. I love controversial objects. This small silver cup caused quite the scandal when it was acquired. You'll have to see it to find out why.
Westminster Abbey
As there are so many interesting memorials to look for I just recommend you get a free audio tour which does a great job of pointing out and explaining interesting parts of the Abbey. I also recommend purchasing the book about all the people memorialized there as it contains pictures of all the plaques (you cannot take pictures inside of the Abbey yourself so this is a nice way to get some) and also explains a bit about who is all included and why.
The Tower of London
- Go early when it first opens so you will not be waiting in line to see the crown jewels or packed in with a million other people struggling to listen on the Yeoman Warder's Tour.
The National Portrait Gallery
- It is very cool and will not take you long to go through it. The Gallery itself is free but the special exhibitions I saw were worth paying for.
The National Gallery
- Too many amazing things to see. Just go but give yourself four or more hours. It is another great place to buy a book at as you cannot take pictures but can purchase a book that contains photos of all of the works on display (and they are professional photos with no random head or elbow blocking the art in them).
The Victoria and Albert
- Margaret Laton's jacket. So beautiful and memorable as it is displayed with an oil portrait of the owner wearing it.
The Natural History Museum
- The rock room! So many rocks! Rocks are awesome!
- Do not miss the new Darwin Centre (or the Cocoon). It's an amazing state-of-the-art interactive experience.
Hunterian Museum
- Kinda gross but really fascinating. Not for the weak of stomach. I must admit I appreciated it much more after reading about the life of John Hunter who "collected" or "prepared" all of the anatomical specimens shown and was a pioneer of modern anatomy and surgery back in the day when one had to rob graves to get cadavers to study and work on.
Seeing that this is my second trip to London I thought I would write about my favourite things to do and see while here. I know I just posted about my favourite webcomics but honestly this is my blog and if I want to write about my favourite things and only my favourite things well...deal with it : P Although most of the museums are just completely awesome, I thought I would focus on a few of my favourite objects or exhibits I think should not be be missed. I have also left out some of the more obvious things to see (like the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum) as they are on every list. I did not keep track of where exactly they are in each place so you can pretend this is a treasure hunt and you need to find each item yourself to win*. If there is not anything in particular I liked about a particular place I have just listed it at the end. As always there is little logic as to why I like what I do.
The British Museum
- I love the Blue Egyptian hippos. Super cute! Period.
- The Gayer-Anderson Cat. I love its earring, nose piercing, and the beautiful scarabs on it's head and chest.
- The Warren Cup. I love controversial objects. This small silver cup caused quite the scandal when it was acquired. You'll have to see it to find out why.
Westminster Abbey
As there are so many interesting memorials to look for I just recommend you get a free audio tour which does a great job of pointing out and explaining interesting parts of the Abbey. I also recommend purchasing the book about all the people memorialized there as it contains pictures of all the plaques (you cannot take pictures inside of the Abbey yourself so this is a nice way to get some) and also explains a bit about who is all included and why.
The Tower of London
- Go early when it first opens so you will not be waiting in line to see the crown jewels or packed in with a million other people struggling to listen on the Yeoman Warder's Tour.
The National Portrait Gallery
- It is very cool and will not take you long to go through it. The Gallery itself is free but the special exhibitions I saw were worth paying for.
The National Gallery
- Too many amazing things to see. Just go but give yourself four or more hours. It is another great place to buy a book at as you cannot take pictures but can purchase a book that contains photos of all of the works on display (and they are professional photos with no random head or elbow blocking the art in them).
The Victoria and Albert
- Margaret Laton's jacket. So beautiful and memorable as it is displayed with an oil portrait of the owner wearing it.
The Natural History Museum
- The rock room! So many rocks! Rocks are awesome!
- Do not miss the new Darwin Centre (or the Cocoon). It's an amazing state-of-the-art interactive experience.
Hunterian Museum
- Kinda gross but really fascinating. Not for the weak of stomach. I must admit I appreciated it much more after reading about the life of John Hunter who "collected" or "prepared" all of the anatomical specimens shown and was a pioneer of modern anatomy and surgery back in the day when one had to rob graves to get cadavers to study and work on.
I've always wanted to see Westminster Abbey. The Hunterian Museum sounds bizarre... I don't know if I would enjoy that tourist spot.
ReplyDelete