The British Library is huge, so I stayed within the Treasures of the British Library exhibit, and there was plenty to see! Some of the particularly noteworthy items for me were one of Oscar Wilde's original manuscripts, various versions of Shakespeare's works (including a Romeo and Juliet that was re-written so that Romeo takes the poison, Juliet finds him, he explains to her what he has done, he dies, and she faints atop him...then somehow is revived so that she can still stab herself), and original Beatles compositions (with revisions). You can see my interests...
Sir John Sloane's Museum is a cool little place...it's kind-of tucked away, and of course I became slightly lost while looking for it, but it was interesting once I found it. :) Sloane was an architect (sorry Doug, not landscape, but this was the closest I could find!) who designed his house, arranged his collected arts and antiquities within it, and requested that it be left as a museum after he died (particularly that it remain in the same condition). The house is beautiful, and the highlight was definitely the ancient Egyptian sarcophagus in the lower level.
I arrived at the British Museum an hour earlier than requested (after eating a picnic lunch in the park near Leicester Square, next to a memorial statue of Charlie Chaplin), since I knew that I would not be able to see nearly everything I wanted to see in just an hour. I managed to walk through the exhibits on Ancient Egypt, Japan, General Europe, Rome, Greece, Britain (Roman-Victorian), and the Enlightenment exhibit (some of which was part of King George IV's private collection). Not too shabby for just two and a half hours!
Needless to say, my feet are hurting...:)
Corrina! The one reason I had to go to London (besides seeing you...but you'll be up north by then) was to see Sloane's home! You beat me, you rascal!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're diving right into everything and are being so brave exploring the city. I'm pretty jealous. :)
Love you,
Amelia