Ancient East and West

Over the last couple weeks I've slowly been working my way through the entire British Museum. The last two exhibits I went to were the sections on Egypt and Asia.

Although the Egypt exhibit is world renowned, I wasn't expecting a whole lot since it's usually swamped with tourists; I was pleasantly surprised though! The whole place had a feel of classic archaeological adventure -- you could totally imagine Indiana Jones or some pith-helmeted English explorer excavating the incredible artifacts now on display.

As with the rest of the museum, the sheer mass and quantity of items on display in the Egyptian collection was completely overwhelming. Everywhere you look, huge statues, tombs, replicas, and display cases tower overhead with artifacts so ancient it is completely mindblowing that they've survived this long.

One such object is the beard of the Great Sphinx of Giza, above. This hunk of rock is about half as tall as I am, and is still only a fraction of the entire piece.

Another highlight of the exhibit is the famous Rosetta Stone. I was really excited to see this, but unfortunately so were about 3 dozen other people all crowding around to take pictures. It was still absolutely amazing to realize I was standing in front of one of the most important archeological finds in history.

These are some actual hieroglyphs.

A statue of Rameses

A stone coffin

Close-up of the hieroglyphs on the coffin.

I hadn't realized this before, but apparently Cleopatra is on display in the British Museum. Kind of fun to see!

One of the most interesting sections was on the animal mummifications. I had always heard about the Egyptians mummifying their cats and dogs, but at the museum they also had mummified bulls, crocodiles, an ibis, and even a falcon.

A few days later, I went back to visit the Far East exhibit. This one is less popular than the Egypt section, but I also didn't find it quite as engaging. Although it definitely had some worldclass artifacts, I think I enjoyed the Asian exhibit at the British Library a few months ago a little more enjoyable.

Nonetheless, it was certainly a lot of fun. This was one of three statues of Buddha in different forms. There were mostly just a lot of display cases with small items telling pretty much the entire history of all the dynasties of China, across the room from similar displays on the history of India and Hinduism.

I thought this little statuette was particularly interesting, as I am very fond of the Ramayana story. It is a sculpture of Ravana, the evil 10-headed, 10-armed dude from the legend. I remember laughing when I first read the story and trying to imagine what he would look like... well, that's what he looks like!

This little cat also made me laugh for some reason. It looks terrified!

I have a lot more pictures from the galleries, but I also have a lot more to do today so I think I'll stop there. At this point I've seen most of the exhibits I was interested in seeing at the British Museum, although I may go back one more time to look at the Enlightenment gallery and a couple others. Right now though, I just need to focus on getting through this last week before I come home next Saturday. Can't wait!

Ireland, day 3

Central Park in NYC is 843 acres. Phoenix Park in Dublin is 1,752 acres, almost twice as large and currently stands as one of the largest city parks in all of Europe. This made it an ideal case to study for my research project.

Several other girls from my class also happened to be in Dublin, so we met up with them there and spent the morning explorin the extensive park.

The monument pictured above (and upon the steps we were sitting) is the Wellington Testimonial, built in1861 and currently the tallest obelisk in Europe. Apparently it was built as a testimonial to Arthur of Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, and has plaques on the side depicting scenes from the Battle of Waterloo.

The park itself has every sort of recreation you can imagine. From running tracks, to rugby and cricket fields, to polo fields, there really is something for everyone. While we were sitting on the steps of the obelisk, three people walked by with ponies following them. This one kid (above) randomly jumped on his pony and galloped off across the green (must be nice!).

The park was so large we wanted to find the visitor's center so we could find information on its history and possibly talk to some curators about it. We walked for a good 30-40 minutes, but never found anything that remotely resembled a visitor's center. Finally we stopped and asked a friendly looking couple who were very amused by our question, but told us they didn't even know the park had such a facility.

So much for that! We headed back and checked at the zoo (yes, the park had a full-sized zoo!) but to no avail. Not to be deterred, we contented ourselves with walking through the gorgeous park and enjoying the rolling greens, distant snow-covered mountains, and amusing dog-walkers.

Once we got back into Dublin via bus, I took a short trip in the afternoon to the Archaeology exhibit in the National Museum. It didn't have much to do with my research project, but I love archaeology and it was free.

The museum was mostly full of the usual artifacts I've seen in the British Museum -- lots of hoards, pieces of jewelry, some iron age tools, etc. I took lots of pictures, but later found out that photographing was prohibited in the museum. So, I'm not going to post any of the pictures on here (just to be safe!) but I'll be sure to show everyone at home my pictures when I return. ;-)

One of the most interesting exhibits was the Bog Bodies, a phenomenon I've mentioned before of the strange occurence of mummified bodies found in the peat bogs of Ireland. I had seen one such specimen in London, but I was really interested to see them in Ireland right from where they came.

Although rather gruesome, I found it freakishly fascinating. The bodies were housed in small dark chambers in the exhibit room, so as to protect them from deterioration. Although not all the bodies were complete, it was amazing to see the actual hair, skin textures, and even clothing and jewelry they were wearing at the time of their death.

Also at the Archaeology Museum was an interesting section on the vikings and medieval Ireland, both of which were full of incredible artifacts that were in surprisingly good condition for their age.

It was definitely a full and enlightening day on many levels. They next day we would be taking a trip to the fishing village of Howth, which I would soon find to offer new experiences and stunning vistas of the Irish coast. Stay tuned!

Tales from zero degrees longitude

Be forewarned -- this post may be very long. It'll be heavily made up of photos though, so hopefully it won't be too boring.

Yesterday my class took a field trip to Greenwich, led part of the way by the British Politics professor who insisted we get there by boat. I have never had this professor for any of my classes, but he is apparently very popular and has connections all over England. It sounded like a great opportunity.

As it turned out, our boat got stuck under a bridge and arrived over 40 minutes late to take us to Greenwich. Noneheless, everyone was very good natured about everything. I mean, really, how can you complain while you're waiting for a tour boat under the watchful London Eye on one bank and the regal Big Ben tower on the other, with a bagpipest is playing Scottish tunes somewhere in the distance?

Eventually we got off the dock and the tour boat began its slow progression own the Thames. It was freezing cold and windy, but I sat on top anyway to take in the views.

Shakespeare Globe Theatre

We crossed under many of the landmarks I've seen from the shore -- it's really interesting to see them from the water, as it gives you a new perspective on where things are in relation to one another.

Picture courtesy of Christy Wright

Tower Bridge was one of the main highlights of the boat ride. I've sort of come to feel that, like the London Eye, Tower Bridge is just a little overdone; that said, it's still a beautiful and recognizable icon of London.  

Tower of London is another major attraction -- again, an impeccable piece of architecture and feat of ancient engineering, but overpriced and a bit overdone. Definitely a cool feature of the skyline though.

Prof. Mortin talking about the Hall

We arrived in Greenwich about an hour after we'd left London. The professor took us up to the Old Royal Naval College and into one of the most remarkable buildings I have ever seen. Appropriately named "Painted Hall," every square inch of the interior was adorned with massive murals. Unfortunately, we didn't get to stay very long at all, so I wasn't able to learn much about the building or its history.

Next we were swept off to the Chapel, which resembled some of the other churches I've been in recently. Again, it was gorgeous and very peaceful, but we didn't stay long.

We had lunch in Greenwich Street Market, which sold lots of antiques, silks, and vintage items. I took a picture of this booth for Ellie -- it had quite a few very old mounted animals! They didn't look nearly as good as hers, but I thought she'd get a kick out of it. :-)

For some reason, I thought of Dad when we found this place. Think of the movie Chocolat, only with every kind of candy you could imagine! Ironically called "Mr. Humbugs," the store was like stepping back in time to some Willy Wonka scene. The guy could tell you everything about every kind of candy he sold, the history of candy, and even what kinds of candy you would like.

All too quickly we were swept off again, up a tall hill, and to the Royal Observatory wherethe Prime Meridian can be found.

The famous line, above, indicating the Western (left) and Eastern (right) hemispheres!

Had to get the classic picture standing in both at once...

My whole class at the Prime Meridian (Photo by Christy Wright)

By the time we made it to the meridian, we had very little time left before we had to catch the ferry back to London. I went through the little museum at the observatory which had information about the first telescopes, clocks, and navigation systems. I didn't have time to check out the planetarium or the maritime museums though, so I think I'm going to take the Tube back sometime to check those out.

Greenwich was totally a worthwhile trip -- I just wish we could have had more time there. Great experience though!

The British Library

The name doesn't sound all that exciting. It's British. And it’s a library. 'Nuff said, right? Wrong. A name such as "The British Library" does little justice to the great treasures displayed within this incredible museum that I visited today with my British Seminar class.

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed in the Ritblat Gallery we were visiting, so I'll have to do my best to describe it.

When you first walk in, you find yourself in a quiet, dim room with dark floors, walls, and ceiling, seemingly illuminated only by the lighted display cases along the walls. I didn’t know where to turn first, but eventually I found myself looking at original works by Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. A handwritten manuscript for Jane Eyre (not one of my favorite books, but one I remember studying in high school) and short stories written in Bronte’s journal for the enjoyment of her family were included in the collection.

There was also the original Alice in Wonderland written in Lewis Carroll’s own hand and complete with a funny looking sketch of Alice herself on the page margins. To actually see these writings in their authors’ own ink just makes everything burst into reality. These are no longer just childhood stories with which you grew up – you now have a new kind of connection with it, almost as if the writer is telling you their story in person.

I thought the music was interesting too – original works from Mozart, Haydn, and other classical composers were carefully propped open in Plexiglas cases, as well as a few pieces from the Beatles. Little doodles in the corners of the pages, scribbled notes, and scratched out words make you realize that all of these things were written by very real (albeit famous) people.

One of my favorite exhibits was the Buddhist texts. Having just studied Asian Religions last semester, I was ecstatic to see real Mahayana sutras from the 3rd century AD sitting right before me. The Sanskrit and Chinese scrolls were in impeccable condition, vivid in color. There were also Hindu texts with images depicting stories like the Ramayana and legends of Shiva and Vishnu.

Among the religious works were also texts from Islam, Judaism, Jainism, Christianity, and Daoism.

The highlights of the gallery are the Magna Carta and the Gutenberg Bible. The Magna Carta was one of only 4 known left in existence. As something we all learn about in grade school, it was almost unreal to find myself standing in the small room that held the world renowned document. The Gutenberg Bible was interesting as well, mostly because it was one of the first works printed by the Gutenberg printing press.

Other texts represented in the Ritblat Gallery included the Bestiary, a book published around 1230 about mythological creatures; the Splendor Solis, an alchemical treatise published in 1582 concerning the origin of the philosopher’s stone; and early star charts, including one mapped by Galileo himself.

Need I say it? I LOVE the British Library. It was a great afternoon there, and my only regret is that I didn’t have any friends or family from back home with whom to share it, because I know you all would have really appreciated it. For what it’s worth though, I had a lot of fun and I definitely plan on returning to the museum in the near future to see what other treasures it holds in store.

Catch-up

I have quite a bit of catch-up to write about so bear with me. On Friday we took a class field trip to the Roman-London exhibit in the British Museum after our exam. As always, the museum was stunning and the exhibit offered a plethora of artifacts and specimens from about 5,000 BC - around 500 AD or thereabouts. Below are some of the pictures I took of the displays. 

This was the Lindow Man, a mummified dude who had been preserved in a peat bog. I had learned about bodies preserved this way in Intro to Anthropology freshman year, so I was really excited to see one in real life.

More funny faces on jugs!

The museum was fun, but it was, well, a museum, and there's not really much to say about it at the moment (you really have to be there and see it).

On Friday my British Media class took a field trip to BBC, about a 40-minute tube ride away but completely worth it. After passing through a mandatory security check, we were taken to the front of the main facility which housed none other than the Tardis from the infamous Dr. Who TV show.

I've only recently discovered Dr. Who, but I was nonetheless tickled to see the movie prop in real life.

This is just part of the building -- We were only allowed to take pictures in certain areas for "security and copyright reasons." They took us into a conference room that overlooked an extensive room of monitors where television shows were written, edited, and aired.

Our 2 tour guides were extremely enthusiastic, with shiny, happy TV personalities, but it was clear the *really* enjoyed their jobs. They showed us the celebrity entrance to the building that had hosted such stars as Jennifer Lopez, Paul McCartney, and Mariah Carey.

Just outside this entrance was a huge statue of Helios the sun god. Further into the bowels of the 13-acre facility we were shown various studios (all of which are extremely small, contrary to what I expected), the Green Room, the BBC Weather studio, etc.

In one of the studios, we got to watch them filming an episode of Dancing with the Stars. In the Green Room, they told us stories about some of the crazy celebrity's requests (such as J.Lo insisting the room be completely done over in white for her 40 minute stay, and Mariah Carey wanting puppies to play with before her show). In the weather area, we got to play with a blue screen, and finally we were taken into a mock-up studio where they had a demonstration of a TV show production.

A lot of it seemed very staged (after all, it was a tour, and it was a production company) but it was still a unique experience nonetheless and I had a lot of fun.

Today was spent trying to plan my excursion week trip, which is currently not going well. I'm trying to coordinate with 3 other people to go to Ireland, but with each person working on a separate research project it is turning out to be quite the challenge.

My original plan was to go visit Giant's Causeway, an impressive geological phenomenon in Northern Ireland with one of my roommates, while my other roommate did a project on photography, and our friend studied local fairytales and folklore. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, now it turns out we have a dozen places we need to hit in about 8 days which quickly becomes very expensive and time consuming.

So, we're all pretty frustrated and kind of back to square one again. In case you've never tried it before, take my word that it's *really* hard to make travel plans with 3 people you've only known for a couple weeks and all have varying needs.

I guess we'll see what happens. In the meantime, I still have lots of reading, homework and exploring of London to do.

So, cheers to that!

A plunge into history and culture

Today was the start of British Seminar, our comprehensive everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-Britain-and-then-some class, by taking a field trip to the Museum of London. Although it's not nearly as large and lavish as the British Museum that I visited yesterday, the Museum of London is a little gem nestled in yet another corner of this fascinating city.

Since we're currently learning about the history of London, it provided a really cool look at actual artifacts that were excavated in the area, starting from prehistoric times and going up through the medieval period.

The great thing about going to museums over here is that there are SO many artifacts and specimens! I never really thought about it before, but because of the climate, the types of materials that were used, and I suppose just the sheer age of this place, everything was preserved really well.

The two pictures above are of the Shepperton Woman, dating back somewhere between 3640-3100BC. The first picture is the actual bones that were found, and the second is the facial reconstruction made from the pieces that were found. I thought it was pretty interesting, especially from an anthropological perspective.

There were also tons of spearheads, swords, skulls and tools on display.

Beyond the prehistory gallery were the Roman artifacts. The 2 black fabric-type things on the sides of the display are actully ancient Roman bikinis, in case you were curious (which you probably weren't before, but you are now).

Believe it or not, this wall outside the museum is actually an original Roman wall from the 1st century AD. It's been rebuilt a lot, but the pieces at the bottom are mostly original. I am just astounded to be surrounded by all this history.

I thought these were really funny. The ancient peoples seemed to like putting funny faces on their water jars...

This is a hundred year old model of the original St. Paul's Cathedral. I hadn't realized it looked so different at one time!

This is some chainmail armor from the medieval period.

Another medieval artifact - and old fish trap!

And yet another old piece -- this is a carving from a wooden chest depicting a scene from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I'm still amazed by the great condition these are in.

After finishing up at the museum, we decided to go have lunch in Chinatown, just a short Tube ride away. I guess it was lot like Chinatown in San Francisco, but less hilly of course. There were tons of Chinese restaurants, markets, and random little shops crammed along the wet street decorated with lanterns.

I'm definitely coming back here more often -- and especially for the Chinese New Year next week.

Well, this post has become waaaay longer than I wanted it to be, so I guess I'll have to write more about classes and daily life next time.

Until then,

Cheers!