Near the end of our trip, on the same day we went to see the Reduced Shakespeare Co. and toured Westminster Abbey, we made our way to The British Museum. No trip to London would be complete without visiting two places, Adam’s Rib House and The British Museum (Trust me on the ribs: we went three times). The British Museum has received its share of jokes for the extensive collection it boasts of. To put it politely, the museum contains many of the finest things from around the world which were acquired during the time before anyone was able to object to them being taken. That said, there is no reason not to walk amongst the treasures it contains while they are still there. Some of the more famous objects in the museum include the Rosetta Stone, the Portland Vase, Ramses’ head, and the head of the chariot horse of Selene, taken from the east pediment of the Parthenon.
The area I liked the most was the Sutton Hoo ship burial area. In 1939 an entire warship was excavated that contained gold and jewelry, weapons, and musical instruments. The armor and weaponry were what attracted my attention. They were in excellent shape for being 1300 years old and really made me think about the past. Funny thing about England that does that: everything is so old and rooted in tradition that you are forced to think about the past all the time. This was a bit different. To see how it is different you will just have to make the trip to London and see for yourself because there are just some things that cannot be put in words; that and it’s a good excuse to go to London.
One word of advice for the British Museum: plan to spend some time there. If at all possible try to arrange an entire day to see everything. If time is a problem then simply buy a guidebook (5 pounds) and pick out some things that interest you.