02/05: The British Museum and More Walking
Category: General
Posted by: The Agnew Family
Ed and I have travelled in several countries (most recently Egypt) where guides have told us --- this is a replica of the artifact that is in the British Museum. Since we are here in London we though let's see if we can find some of these "original artifacts". We did.
The front entrance of the British Museum. The museum is several floors in height and takes up a few city blocks --- it is huge. We spent 4 hours in the museum and could have probably spent 4 days in it.
The head and arm of the statue of Amenhotep III is in the British Museum while the torso remains at Karnak where Ed and I saw it. The Rosetta Stone (pictured on the right) doesn't look like much but it has a lot of historical importance (the Rosetta Stone has the same message written in three different languages, Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Greek script; this helped scholars to translate hieroglyphs). This is the original Rosetta Stone, Ed and I saw a replica in the Cairo Museum. When British forces defeated the French in Egypt, the stone and over a dozen other antiquities were handed over to the British under the terms of an 1801 surrender deal between the generals of the two sides. It has remained in the British Museum since.
These carved chessmen were found on the Isle of Lewis, one of the places Ed and I are going to visit. The Lewis Chessmen were carved in the 12th century but found in a horde in 1831. These are among the earliest examples in which both bishops and queens are found.
I guess we hadn't spent enough time on our feet after spending 4 hours wandering around the British Museum as we decide to walk to the Tower of London --- about 4 km away if you take a direct route --- we didn't. It was a fabulous walk with lots of surprises.
On the walk was the banking district with some amazing old buildings mixed with modern new structures.
The 'Wild Table Of Love' Animal Sculpture In Paternoster Square. This statue is a temporary and will be leaving May 2023 .... got here just in the nick of time.
The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral's most distinguishing feature is its lead-covered dome, one of the world's largest and tallest domes.
Across from the Lloyd building, which is an amazing structure and worth googling, are several very tall glass buildings that seem to go on forever. You get some interesting imagery with reflections of other buildings. While we were standing and staring at this building, a security guard came outside and told us to go a couple of buildings down where you could take an elevator to the 16th floor and wander a roof top garden get some great views of the city.
The roof top garden --- it even has a water feature. Trimming the hedge must be a chore.
The Gherkin is the round, spiral like building on the right (the left is a reflection). Another building worth googling. From a quick read, it is energy efficient (the shape and all the glass supplies passive solar heating in winter), the shape makes it stable in the wind, and all the glass makes it bright with large open spaces. This building was opened in 2004.
The Tower of London (on the left side about half way up in the photo) and the Tower of London Bridge from the roof top garden.
By time we got to the Tower of London it was closed but we walked across the bridge and started walking back towards the hotel along river. From this side of the river you get a great view of the Tower of London --- we even got a bit of sun.
The Tower of London bridge.
A view of the financial district.
Another photo of St. Paul's dome. I wonder how long it'll be before you can't see the dome from the far side of the river.
The front entrance of the British Museum. The museum is several floors in height and takes up a few city blocks --- it is huge. We spent 4 hours in the museum and could have probably spent 4 days in it.
The head and arm of the statue of Amenhotep III is in the British Museum while the torso remains at Karnak where Ed and I saw it. The Rosetta Stone (pictured on the right) doesn't look like much but it has a lot of historical importance (the Rosetta Stone has the same message written in three different languages, Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script, and Greek script; this helped scholars to translate hieroglyphs). This is the original Rosetta Stone, Ed and I saw a replica in the Cairo Museum. When British forces defeated the French in Egypt, the stone and over a dozen other antiquities were handed over to the British under the terms of an 1801 surrender deal between the generals of the two sides. It has remained in the British Museum since.
These carved chessmen were found on the Isle of Lewis, one of the places Ed and I are going to visit. The Lewis Chessmen were carved in the 12th century but found in a horde in 1831. These are among the earliest examples in which both bishops and queens are found.
I guess we hadn't spent enough time on our feet after spending 4 hours wandering around the British Museum as we decide to walk to the Tower of London --- about 4 km away if you take a direct route --- we didn't. It was a fabulous walk with lots of surprises.
On the walk was the banking district with some amazing old buildings mixed with modern new structures.
The 'Wild Table Of Love' Animal Sculpture In Paternoster Square. This statue is a temporary and will be leaving May 2023 .... got here just in the nick of time.
The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral's most distinguishing feature is its lead-covered dome, one of the world's largest and tallest domes.
Across from the Lloyd building, which is an amazing structure and worth googling, are several very tall glass buildings that seem to go on forever. You get some interesting imagery with reflections of other buildings. While we were standing and staring at this building, a security guard came outside and told us to go a couple of buildings down where you could take an elevator to the 16th floor and wander a roof top garden get some great views of the city.
The roof top garden --- it even has a water feature. Trimming the hedge must be a chore.
The Gherkin is the round, spiral like building on the right (the left is a reflection). Another building worth googling. From a quick read, it is energy efficient (the shape and all the glass supplies passive solar heating in winter), the shape makes it stable in the wind, and all the glass makes it bright with large open spaces. This building was opened in 2004.
The Tower of London (on the left side about half way up in the photo) and the Tower of London Bridge from the roof top garden.
By time we got to the Tower of London it was closed but we walked across the bridge and started walking back towards the hotel along river. From this side of the river you get a great view of the Tower of London --- we even got a bit of sun.
The Tower of London bridge.
A view of the financial district.
Another photo of St. Paul's dome. I wonder how long it'll be before you can't see the dome from the far side of the river.