London, United Kingdom

Well, I realize it has been quite a while since I have written. I am currently sitting in Cafe Nerro, enjoying their free wifi while I write to you. Why, you ask? Because the former roommate took the router, and we are waiting for the new one to come. Inconvenient! I have a lot to write about, but it will come in several editions, this being the first, on Museums. As I visit more museums, I will add them here!

So, as the title suggests, it IS possible to be in London and experience it without spending a fortune. One wonderful thing here, is that several of the museums are free (donation based). I will donate in the future when I have a little more disposable income. But for now, they are providing me with a source of entertainment/keeping me from boredom.

As many of you already know, I love the Victoria and Albert Museum. I have now been back a second time. The jewellery section is fantastic, so much bling, it makes me wish I lived in a time (or had enough money) to own them! The emerald necklace and earrings are my favourite. I have also seen the cast courts, the Japan and Korea (see the picture of the red oragami dress, so pretty!!) sections, metal works and sculptures, and the theatre section (so cool!). For any of you overgrown kids, the theatre section even has a dress up spot, with costumes from musicals on display, and some that you can put on. There were not really many for women to play dress up, so I became an English soldier, in my red coat. It is very heavy, and reminds me of when I was 5, in kindergarten, and got to wear the fireman’s coat. They do not skimp on costumes, as the fabrics are heavy and very nice. The actors must get very hot in them on stage though!

The Natural history museum, located right across from the V&A, is also really cool, with dinosaur fossils and exhibits, along with mammals. There are many other sections, but the museums are so large here, that to try and do it all in one day is just too overwhelming. Once again, I am so glad they are free!! This way, I can go back and enjoy them time and time again, and really absorb what I am seeing. As I wrote in my review, we (Tonia and I) also got to experience a “behind the scenes” look into the archives. An archivist and librarian explained some of their efforts to acknowledge Alfred Wallace, a scientist and colleague of Charles Darwin, who, although not really known now, had a big part in the theory of evolution. As it is the 100th anniversary of his Death, they are showing the Wallace collection, and promoting his contribution to science. (Laura, I will send you the website, I think you would like it).

The museum of London: such a disappointment! Katherine and I went on a gray Monday, but this museum is too full of things that require way too much reading. Perhaps it was just my mood, but I found this museum very childish, yet not easily understandable. I think it would be great as a fieldtrip for students, as it seems to be designed to relate things from London past, into the present, however, it did not suit my mood.

Tate Modern: Not my thing. First, I am not a huge modern art fan, but this really was ****. And some of it looked like giant pieces of sh*t. There was very little to see outside of the paid exhibitions. Having been to the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid, the Tate Modern was a major disappointment. Now, that being said, I like order, and meaning, and a fluorescent light exhibit is not my idea of art.

Imperial War museum: Really interesting. We went through the Spy section (which had quite a bit of reading, but some nice interactive sections) and then the Holocaust exhibit. If you come to London, you MUST go to the holocaust exhibit here. Tonia and I spent an hour and a half, without even realizing it, and the only reason we left, was because I was freezing (and the museum was starting to close…) The stories that the survivors share are heart wrenching, and it helped me to get an idea as to how someone like Hitler could have done such things. Turns out, the Jews had only just started to experience some equality, as there was a large history of people having anti-Semetic ideas. Really, it was not hard for Hitler to turn people, and other countries, such as England and France, waited too long to stop his advances into other countries. Very interesting.