Guess What We Did Today

Did you guess that we went to a museum today?  You're right!  In fact, we went to two of them.  Both were close to where we were staying.  The first one was the Albert and Victoria Museum where everything in the world that might have been buried, burned, or blessed has been donated, given, or purchased.  What an eclectic mix of objects; everything you could imagine and beyond:  Bernini's Neptune and Triton, a plaster cast of Michelangelo's David, Vivienne Westwood dresses, Ming Dynasty vases, Rodin sculptures, church altars, Raphael paintings, aprons, teapots, Dale Chihuly glass pieces, architectural models, you name it.  One exhibit scattered throughout included seven small structures designed and built by seven architects around the world.  They reminded us of interactive Burning Man projects in which we could climb or stand inside.  You could spend months in these buildings and still not see everything.

The second museum was right across the street, The Natural History Museum.  It was packed with kids and their families, most of which were in line for the Dinosaur Hall.  It is the only portion in which you had to stand in line...about 15-45 minutes.  I enjoyed it, but my favorite was the Mineral Hall and Vault.  They have so many rocks and minerals, including four great samples of benitoite from San Benito, California.  We  have only seen broken, tiny eighth inch pieces at the Panoche Inn, but these were beautiful dark blue, one inch pyramidal pieces.  The Vault held gorgeous gemstones that have earned places in history through thievery, political unrest, or gifting.  There are two dodo birds in the Bird Hall....