Cultural Experiences: British Museum

The British Museum

Date: 1st August 2017
(with Jess N!)

With theatre tickets under our belts for the evening (we saw Matilda that same night), but the day to kill, and on foot in the city, I pulled out my 'Summer in London' spreadsheet, and looked at the museums. Was there one in central London that we could walk to? Turns out, yes!

The British Museum is super central - we had walked to Tottenham Court Road, and it was only a few blocks east. At first, we were confused by the entry line and talk of tickets, but when we got in, it made more sense. The line was just security, and tickets were only for 1 specific exhibition (and it was completely sold out). It was a busy day, with families and holiday groups and many others around, especially around the busier exhibits like the Rosetta Stone.

We did most of the museum today, starting on Level -1 with Africa. Then we grabbed some lunch from a cafe, and headed for the main levels! We skipped much of the Asia section (we both agreed that we are the most familiar with that part of the world, and would prefer to focus on other parts of the world), so on the Ground floor, we did the Ancient Greece and Rome section, Ancient Egypt and some of the Middle East section. Then we were able to so a full loop of Level 3, through more Middle East, Europe, more Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece and Rome.

Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome were my favourites - I love seeing the details in sculpture and imagining what it must have been like back in those days. One of my favourite pieces was a clay pot with ancient writing on it - but the translation of the writing literally meant 'This belongs to ...' and their name! So weird to see that, but we put our names on things all the time, so I guess it makes sense.

I also loved the Parthenon sculptures and reconstruction sections, that's where all the good photos I took came from.

I would definitely come back another day to finish the Museum (on this day, we spent over 4 hours there!), and also bring some money for the excellent looking gift shop! Maybe in the lead up to Christmas for my family... If they're good.