Since we had several weekends ahead of us with no travel plans,
we wanted to make an effort to visit some London sites that are on our To Do List.
And since I just started a new series with Amy about London and Paris (Cheers, Madame!)
I thought it was the perfect time to add a few more stops to my London Attraction Guide.
London is full of wonderful (and free) museums.
I've often heard people tell me that the British Museum was their favorite and now I know why.
I have a slight confession. You know when you have an idea in your head about something,
and then you realize that you were completely wrong. Well, for some reason, I thought the "British" Museum,
was about all things British. I expected to see bulldogs, the union jack, Beatles memorabilia and red phone booths. Uhm, yeah. That's not it.
One Sunday, we spent several hours exploring the halls of this museum that was founded in 1753.
The entire collection contains 8 million objects pillaged collected from all over the world.
But only about 800,000 or 1% are on display to the public.
It's a fascinating place and you could spend many hours exploring.
It was quite impressive to see the Rosetta Stone.
In spite of my husband leaning over to whisper,
"That's why that call that language software Rosetta Stone."
Well, thank you, Captain Obvious. Does he think I don't know this?
(Although, I did inquire where the British teapot collection was.)
It was an extremely crowded day and the Princess Bubble may have been deployed. Just a bit.
But, seriously. Do people just not know how to act in a museum? It was madness.
So while I share some photos of the wonderful sites in this museum,
I'm also going to share some rules about how not to behave in a museum.
Some of them may seem very basic, but you'd be surprised.
#1 - You do not have to take a ridiculous duck-faced selfie with your iphone in front of every single Roman statue.
#2 - Please don't hit me in the back of the legs with your scooter. I'm trying to get out of your way, just give me a minute.
#3 - Do not go up to the Easter Island statue and yell "Dum Dum want Gum Gum!"
(I may or may not be guilty of this one.)
#4 - Do not giggle and talk in your Beevis & Butthead voice when visiting the Japanese Erotic Art exhibit.
#5 - Don't walk around backwards. Or with your eyes closed. Or while texting.
#6 - Please don't race through the museum taking an up close photo of every single object with your iPad complete with a massive cover hanging off of it.
#7 - Please don't touch. And don't lick the glass cases. Certainly, don't breathe on them and draw a heart in the condensation.
#8 - Lastly, I realize that you are part of a fifty strong tour group aimlessly following the pink umbrella, but there are other people that are also trying to move through this space.
Let's commiserate. What museum behavior drives you mad?
The British Museum is free to visit,although they do suggest a £5 donation.
It's open daily from 10am to 5:30pm (late on Fridays.)
Visit the British Museum Website for more information.
I am also guilty of the Easter Island statue rule. It was a highlight of our visit..ha! And I totally agree about the iPad photos. I just don't get it, and it drives me nuts to see a sea of iPads (with covers) snapping grainy photos. It's definitely a pet peeve of mine.
ReplyDeleteI would have put up my Princess Bubble too!
ReplyDeletePeople who 'see' exhibitions through their camera completely baffle me. By all means, take some shots of things you think are interesting/beautiful/whatever but observing life, any kind, through a camera means you are missing out big time.
ReplyDelete#1!!! That was my favorite! :o)
ReplyDeleteI take a healthy amount of photos everywhere I go, but the people racing through only taking photos, they're missing the point.
All of the above. I tend (surprisingly as I blog so much) to walk through an exhibition or whatever and are so busy admiring it that I forget to take photos... talk about a fail!
ReplyDeleteOnce when I was in Spain I saw a child roll a toy car across a painting in a museum and just about had a heart attack, my friend and I made such a dramatic inhaling of breath that the museum guard noticed us and thankfully stopped the child.
ReplyDelete"Dum Dum want gum gum" about made me fall over in laughter!! Probably because I'd be the one doing that!! I wouldn't do it too loud, only to my companions, is that ok??? =P I just about hate museums because of the crowds and the behavior and lack of respect for, well, ME!!! Ha!! Seriously, do people have no common sense about this stuff?!
ReplyDeletePeople actually act like this!?!
ReplyDeleteHahah, all of these are spot on! One that drives me crazy is when you are looking at a piece, wanting to read the little plaque to find out more and there is one person who is hogging it. I feel like more than one person can be reading at the same time if everyone was just more aware of others around them. End rant.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful building! I worked a few steps away from this place for a few years and loved it! I think your tips are great too, what is it with some people? Last week we were in Vienna and witnessed similar. My fave was perhaps the young mother instructing her hefty child to sit on the "do not step on the grass" sign and then laughing and walking off when the sign fell over and gouged out a big lump of grass! Odd!! :D
ReplyDeleteHaha, great post! I visited a couple of weeks ago and also had to laugh at the amount of ipad photographers (are you going to look at allllll those?!) and texters. Reading these tips should be required before entry!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! The British Museum is a madhouse in my opinion. Loads of great stuff, no doubt! But it is so overwhelming. After a few hours, we couldn't take it any longer and rushed through (and I still don't think we went into every room). I couldn't even see the Rosetta Stone because there were too many people crowded around it. How did you manage that picture? Man, this post brought back some memories!
ReplyDeleteOR when you are standing back a bit on the larger signs to allow many people to read as well and because you don't need to be that close, and then someone comes and stands directly in front of you. Hello!!!!? Why right in front of me?? This happened I don't even know how many times in Berlin this past week.
ReplyDeleteMe too!!!!!
ReplyDelete:D I had to get a bit obnoxious myself and elbow my way in. I'm sure there are times to go when it's not nearly that crowded. I would love to go back. Like most museums it takes several trips to see it all.
ReplyDeleteOne guy was like a humming bird. click click click He wasn't even paying attention to what he was photographing! Madness.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hate when parents encourage bad behavior. I once saw a little girl go up to pay for an ice cream cone but didn't have the right change. She went back over to her dad with the cone to get the right money. Her dad just said. "Don't pay for it, just eat it. Eat it." She looked like a deer in headlights. Bless her heart. I was stunned.
ReplyDeleteOr they just stand in front of it and text on there phone. I'm afraid I might have started something :p I obviously hit a museum nerve.
ReplyDeleteIt's outrageous!
ReplyDeleteThis is my space and this is your space. Get the hell out of my space!
ReplyDeleteJust once I want to scream that. :D One guy just plowed into me and stabbed my foot with his umbrella. What? Am I suddenly invisible?
We love the British Museum and actually, it's one of the things Nick really wants to do again when we're in London in a couple weeks! So much to see there! But I agree with you, with how people acted, it was the same when we were there last too!
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful. I'd love to go back on a Friday evening when it's open late. Aren't you getting so excited about your trip?!?!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow! I would have freaked out, too.
ReplyDeleteI love it when museums allow you to take photographs. It's one way to get in the zone and try not to think to much about the craziness around you. But, it's so important to stop and admire.
ReplyDeleteI just wonder what they do with them all?
ReplyDeleteVery true! I often have to remind myself of that. It's easy to miss out.
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bubble is getting stronger. I've been feeding her too much wine.
ReplyDeleteI have seen each of these behaviors and it drives me nuts! I love going to the Smithsonian Museums in DC. I have been to them countless times but I still like to see everything and don't enjoy obnoxious tourists! I find that it is less annoying to go in the late fall and winter. Ugh, duck face pictures make me mad ... and Ipads! Also, when you are in a silent exhibit and people are talking (ahem, Sistine Chapel), so disrespectful!
ReplyDeleteI have to giggle when I think of it. :D
ReplyDeleteOH! and freakin strollers!! If your kids are not old enough to walk, don't go somewhere crowded, wait til they are older - no one wants to hear them screaming either. End rant ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much a rule follower. When someone uses their flash even when instructed not to... that makes me crazy. I usually mumble something passive aggressively.
ReplyDeleteHa! Looks like I really hit a nerve here, didn't I? But sometimes we just need to have a rant and get it out of our system.
ReplyDeleteSo beyond excited! I'm so ready for a vacation :) and trekking through the UK is my kind of vacation :)
ReplyDeleteProbably end up deleting 2/3 of them after they get home. :o)
ReplyDeleteI totally dig this post. I knew I had been there before, but definitely didn't take it all in. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. And the laughs!
ReplyDeleteI went spare in the Ashmolean in Oxford a few weeks ago. It was a combination of all of the above plus a small child who clearly had no interest in ancient Egyptian artifacts, screeching at the top of his lungs with that small child ear piercing scream & I just lost it at the Mother. Probably a bit rude but seriously, who brings a two year old to a museum and expects them to pay attention & be quiet?!
ReplyDeleteOh man these are so true! I think I've seen every one of these. Multiple times. All over the world. I don't know what happens to common courtesy when people walk into a museum!! I think my biggest pet peeve is those people that take 20 different photos of one another making stupid faces (or inappropriate hand gestures) then proceed to stand there and look through all of them to make sure they "got the shot." Really?! I can respect the photographers, but take your shots then move to the side to make sure your lips are just ducky enough! (Or don't complain if you receive a strategically placed elbow and "the look" - just sayin') :-)
ReplyDeleteI love the British Museum, but my favorite in London is actually th Victoria & Albert - have you been there before? #3 made me laugh - I think I thought the exact same thing while standing in front of the statue! Wait... I think I actually said it to my boyfriend! ;)
ReplyDeleteYour momma gave you some great advice! I know exactly what you mean. I love to go to a museum where everyone is engaged with the artwork. The Museum Boijmans in Rotterdam was like that. Everyone was really enjoying and appreciating the artwork and taking their time.
ReplyDeleteI really want to get back to the V&A. When I was there I didn't have my camera and I'm dying to get back with my camera. The Natural History Museum is also fantastic! You have the most beautiful day today to explore London! Have fun :D
ReplyDeleteGiggle! I would have loved to have seen that :D What did you say??
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jessica :-) It is a great museum. I would love to just have it to myself for a few hours.
ReplyDelete