He'll mean the natural history museum. Its very nice, the Victorians knew how to build nice buildings, mostly. (except for the slum built junk that was thrown up so they could rent rooms out to entire families, and the specualtive housing that despoiled some areas of countryside.)
It is very like a cathedral in design, but aside from that has some interesting stuff. Same with the science museum, its a shame they have gotten stuck trying to make science FUN. Which it is anyway, jsut dressing it up in funny colours and simplifying it makes things much much worse.
guthrie
Hi guthrie!
I figured as much, but just wanted to be a smart ass and point out that I've been to both museums, and plan to return to both.
Those are all my pictures.
Kisses,
JanieBelle
:)
Humph. INdeed, smart ass. So what did you learn when you were there? How to avoid traffic that gos in the oppsite direction from normal?
;)
And what did you think of the british Library covering?
guthrie
First I learned just how cool the Rosetta stone really is, and how much it means to today's Egyptologists.
I finally got the hang of traffic going the other way, after nearly being run down a few times. Of course, then I needed a few days to readjust when I got back...and almost got run down a few more times...
:p
The British Museum's spiffy covering was ok. Very pretty. Seems like they could use all that round open area for more stuff, though.
The library with all the Greek statues was very cool, and the canopic jars on the shelves were very neat.
There is just so much to absorb in that place, to tell the truth I mostly just walked around and admired. It's very overwhelming. I could easily have spent a year just inside that building.
The Natural History Museum was truly awe-inspiring. Not just what was inside, but the building itself. The architecture was enough to take my breath away. We just don't have such things here, to the best of my knowlege. Seems like a country has to have a royal family and a couple thousand years of history to build such an intricate marvel.
Westminster Abbey was another such place. I've mentioned that I'm a Christian more out of tradition than doctrine, but Geez O Man. That place has a presence of its own. Just walking in the door gives one pause.
Then to walk around and see the final resting places of kings and queens dead hundreds and hundreds of years... Just wow. These are people who for all intents and purposes will live forever, really.
There are some things you just can't achieve with a president, and it is our loss.
Windsor Castle was that way, too. To walk through the throne room and the inner chambers (what is open to the public, anyway) inspires a humility that the White House is doomed never to achieve.
I suppose it would be fair to say that my first trip to England (of many, I hope) was mostly spent gawking, more than learning.
I'll tell you something I did notice, however. Americans are the rudest bunch of peckerheads in the world. Wherever we went, everybody, and I really mean everybody, was polite to a fault. Tourists and Locals alike. Except a small number of Americans. Whenever there was someone being an ass, it was a Yank. Whenever there was a problem, it was a Yank. If someone was loud and drunk and obnoxious, it was a Yank.
I was embarrassed for and by my countrymen.
Another thing I noticed about London was that English was just one language amongst many. Walking down the street, passing ten groups of people talking, maybe two were conversing in English. London is a world city, for sure.
Oh, and Val Kilmer was playing in a play while we were there. That was kind of funny.
As you can see by the dates on the pictures (the ones that aren't video captures), we were there the week of the second round of bombings last July. I was amazed at how quickly things got right back to normal. That was the first time all week I saw a police officer carrying a gun, and it looked rather out of place, oddly enough.
I spent a little time each day in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. What a beautiful oasis that is. So quiet and peaceful, so calming. And the big memorial to Prince Albert is simply gorgeous. It towers so high, and it's so powerful.
London is a magnificent city. It is beautiful, compelling, busy, quiet, noisy, fast, slow... it's like a great big tootsie roll. I've been to Philadelphia and I've been to Washington DC, but neither of those can hold a candle to London.
Anyways, I loved London. I plan to return many many times in the future. If I never see Paris or Milan or Rome, I've seen London, and that's enough.
What was your question again?
:)
What was your question?
When are you coming back over here?
(obviously I can see things have fallen through, but you know, theres always next year. You dont have to stay with a family.)
guthrie
Oh, we're coming over in a couple weeks for a week. We're going to do the actual booking today.
