The British Museum
On Saturday we spent a majority of the day at the British Museum. It is the oldest public museum in the world, having been established in 1753 to house the collections of Sir Hans Sloane. Sloane's artifacts have been added to by gifts and purchases from all over the world and includes innumerable items from prehistory to present day.
The Museum includes collections from Asia, America, Egypt, Africa, Greece and Rome. The collection from Asia was interesting and very similar to those I saw in a museum in Shanghai and spent an entire day viewing. The American collection included lots of items from Native American tribes and it really felt like home seeing the canoes, snow shoes, etc. There was an entire case about some items found in Ohio which gave us a laugh...The Museum boasts the largest and most comprehensive collection of ancient Egyptian material outside Cairo. The sculptures were amazing! A popular piece of this exhibit was the Rosetta Stone a valuable key in the decipherment of hieroglyphs. The mummies and coffins are also worth noting. Africa exhibits always interest me, especially since my sister lived for two years. Finally, the collections from Greece and Rome were the highlights of the Museum for us. The sculptures were really incredible, ranging from enormous to extremely detailed, capturing the essence of the Roman empire at its greatest.
We had a relaxing and delicious lunch at Wagamama a noodle bar chain in the UK while Sophie took a little nap. Jeremy and I spent some time browsing in a charity book store. Then we enjoyed a beverage at a small cafe while people watching during Sophia's late lunch. Last but not least the rain started in and we headed home via bus to finish the day off at our flat.
posted by Chris @ 9:40 PM
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