The British Museum has not lost its charm

Took the Tube today to the British Museum, home of the Rosetta stone! May be that I am just ignorant, but I did not realize how big it is! It is no pebble or small tablet... it is huge! Like about 3 1/2 or 4 feet tall and maybe a man's hand or so thickness.


It has the same text (a decree given in 196 BC--yes I verified that on Wikipedia...) on it in three languages: Hieroglyphics, a common Egyptian text, and Greek. In this way, researchers could decipher what the hieroglyph symbols mean. Also... after seeing this, it made A LOT more sense why Rosetta Stone is the name of that computer software that claims of teaching a foreign language in 6 weeks or whatever. Had never made that little connection before...

The inside of the British Museum is a treat. Its got some modern architecture with a stunner glass ceiling. Take a peek...

Fabulous, right? Though I'm not sure how often they get around
to cleaning the ceiling windows... there was rather a lotta
pigeon presents on the outside :)  Photo from here

The rosetta stone itself. Big right? Not like a 10 commandments
tablet I was thinking of. The writing was teeny though... and
in perfectly straight lines! Nice penmanship, Egyptians, nice.
Photo via here 

You know, the British Museum wasn't very British! Everything was about ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Rome. But lets be honest, the exhibits were absolutely cool.. especially the Mummy part. There was a MUMMIFIED LUNG on display. That's right.

On the way home from the museum, we also passed by this beauty. The Hotel Russell. It is just a fancy hotel... but breathtaking, no?

Photo from here

For a cherry on top, we went as a group to As You Like It, a Shakespeare play (done by an 8-person cast!) at the Globe Theatre (which we are touring tomorrow.. I'm pumped). I've gotta say... maybe I'm uncultured.. but it was just a teensy bit boring. But I just may have been in a sour mood because of my Tube experience on the way there.

The rest of my group was convinced that the fastest way to get to the Globe would be to get off at the St. Paul's tube station, walk over the Thames on a bridge, and then walk another few blocks to the theatre. I was lookin at a map and that just looked ridiculous. So, a bit stubbornly, I took a different way. I stayed on the tube (on my own as the others were not convinced that I was right and smartly got off at St. Paul's), transferred trains, and got off at a stop on the other side of the Thames that was deceivingly close to the Globe on  a map. Thought I knew what I was doing, but as I ran into a few locked gates and had to zig zag along some weirdy streets, I ended up getting to the show 10 min late and thoroughly embarrassed :) Sure cut down my smugness a needed notch or two. Haha but here is a photo of the globe (which does NOT have a roof).

Inside of globe. photo from this site

Outside of the Globe. From what I hear, it is the ONLY thatched roof
in London (since the huge fire in 1666, Londy town has not been
a real fan of these rather combustible roofs) and had to get special
permission to continue to be thatched! photo from here