Last day in London, British Museum

April 16, 2011

We had one full day in London before we flew home, so I agonized on how to spend it, since there was so much left to see.  I decided that I really wanted to go to the British Museum.  Just a couple of tube stops past the stop for the British Museum is King's Cross Station.  Greg decided we should go see it, since I enjoyed the Harry Potter books and wanted to see Platform 9 3/4.

King's Cross is undergoing a massive restoration, including Platforms 9 and 10:

Try as I might, I couldn't make it to the Hogwart's Express:

I just loved this giant Underground sign at King's Cross.

After all our fooling around, we made it to the British Museum. The first thing I wanted to see was the Rosetta Stone.

After that, I wanted to see the Elgin Marbles.  The Elgin Marbles, the controversy surrounding them, and my reaction to the both the beauty of the sculptures and the context of their display could fill pages, so I think I will post my thoughts on them in another post.  

I was fascinated by the fact that even the marble steps in the museum are filled with fossils. Most people don't even notice they are there, and were no doubt wondering why I kept exclaiming in delight and pointing at the floor.

The Gayer-Anderson Cat:

Fly fishing in ancient times:

Mummified fish and other animals:

There was so much to see here. I wish we would have had days rather than hours.

If I ever become a millionaire, I am going to have a library that looks like this:

I wanted to pick up some more tea from Harrod's, but visiting Harrod's on a Saturday is like visiting a Walmart on the day after Thanksgiving.  Instead, we enjoyed this view of Harrod's from an outdoor cafe where we had dinner.

It was time to go back to the hotel and pack. Our flight was the next day and the trip was at an end. I was ready to go home, but there is so much more that I want to see and do.