SCIENCE!!!
Ok, so the only thing I did off my list was mail the postcards and go to the Science museum. But man was it cool. Once again, in the interests of not hating my life, all the photos will be linked to at the end.
So right off I must say that London is pretty serious about parking enforcement since they will actually hoist your car onto a truck and take it away. Either that or the thieves here are really really organized and all make their payments...whichever. Anyway the Science museum was also very cool. If there is one advantage to having all the money gathered in the hands of the royalty it's that they will sometimes throw a bunch of money at things that they think will make them popular in history.
The highlights: Some cool old machinery like the first weaving machines (for the knitting freaks) and one of the first two machines that Babbage built. As well as the coolest clock ever, an odd poster (for Alan) and then into the displays themelves. The first display I went to I call the 18th century = mad science exhibit. Would that I had any pictures of it, but the security guard shushed me again. I also got to learn a whole ton about the Spitfire, which is pretty cool, a materials thing (they made a coat out of coke cans...Amy would have gone "eeeee", I was kind of bored) and the best thing. A room about how steel is made. Stay with me this gets weird.
You enter a small room, it's very dark inside. On three of the walls play a bunch of small screens with different "all about steel" videos from the cartoony, to the real. On the fourth they have a sort of light play like sparks going constantly. When they got to the cooling portion of the smelting process it actually puffed some cold air at me. I normally don't have much time for bizarre performance art pieces, but this was really cool.
Almost as cool as the gift shop. I have decided not to bring any presents back since that would break me. They had http://www.brainydays.co.uk/brand/livingandlearning/horriblesciencekits.htm and http://www.brainydays.co.uk/brand/livingandlearning/bagsofsciencekits.htm .
I know entirely too many people that would like those. Anyway then I met up with Sophia and we headed about to run some errands. I finally found Season 1 of "Third Watch" (a promise is a promise) as well as "Band of Brothers" (for only twenty quid) and was so happy until Sophia explained that, being in publishing zone 2, they wouldn't work back home. Le sigh...then we went to Trafalgar square and the http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/.
I'm not going to talk about the gallery. See everything else I've done so far bordered on something I've done before. I've either studied, or been to, Natural history museums. I've done artifact studies in Anthropology, and Science...let's just say that the "History of Heat" exhibit wasn't news. But this...this was something new. We were only in there for about an hour before they closed you see, so I'm going back. For like a week. I really can't tell you how amazing it was to stand in front of Rembrandt's "The Woman taken in Adultery", which is officially the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Argh, must stop talking about it. Honestly though, outside of seeing Sophia and Stephen, that one hour justified the entire trip. Like I said though, I will be spending at least another day on it, so I'll go into it more then.
Then off to some other exhibit that was about the "BP awards" I don't know what they are, but the entries were all paintings that were so perfect I still can't beleive some of them weren't photos. Then Sophia suggested a beer on a boat, which was the perfect way to end the day and then home.
Everyone needs to go to the gallery. Although Sophia says that when I hit Italy I'll be blown away by the art they have.
Feeling lazy, will link in photos later.
It's later...http://www.flickr.com/photos/13516511@N00/sets/72157594206496412/
So right off I must say that London is pretty serious about parking enforcement since they will actually hoist your car onto a truck and take it away. Either that or the thieves here are really really organized and all make their payments...whichever. Anyway the Science museum was also very cool. If there is one advantage to having all the money gathered in the hands of the royalty it's that they will sometimes throw a bunch of money at things that they think will make them popular in history.
The highlights: Some cool old machinery like the first weaving machines (for the knitting freaks) and one of the first two machines that Babbage built. As well as the coolest clock ever, an odd poster (for Alan) and then into the displays themelves. The first display I went to I call the 18th century = mad science exhibit. Would that I had any pictures of it, but the security guard shushed me again. I also got to learn a whole ton about the Spitfire, which is pretty cool, a materials thing (they made a coat out of coke cans...Amy would have gone "eeeee", I was kind of bored) and the best thing. A room about how steel is made. Stay with me this gets weird.
You enter a small room, it's very dark inside. On three of the walls play a bunch of small screens with different "all about steel" videos from the cartoony, to the real. On the fourth they have a sort of light play like sparks going constantly. When they got to the cooling portion of the smelting process it actually puffed some cold air at me. I normally don't have much time for bizarre performance art pieces, but this was really cool.
Almost as cool as the gift shop. I have decided not to bring any presents back since that would break me. They had http://www.brainydays.co.uk/brand/livingandlearning/horriblesciencekits.htm and http://www.brainydays.co.uk/brand/livingandlearning/bagsofsciencekits.htm .
I know entirely too many people that would like those. Anyway then I met up with Sophia and we headed about to run some errands. I finally found Season 1 of "Third Watch" (a promise is a promise) as well as "Band of Brothers" (for only twenty quid) and was so happy until Sophia explained that, being in publishing zone 2, they wouldn't work back home. Le sigh...then we went to Trafalgar square and the http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/.
I'm not going to talk about the gallery. See everything else I've done so far bordered on something I've done before. I've either studied, or been to, Natural history museums. I've done artifact studies in Anthropology, and Science...let's just say that the "History of Heat" exhibit wasn't news. But this...this was something new. We were only in there for about an hour before they closed you see, so I'm going back. For like a week. I really can't tell you how amazing it was to stand in front of Rembrandt's "The Woman taken in Adultery", which is officially the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Argh, must stop talking about it. Honestly though, outside of seeing Sophia and Stephen, that one hour justified the entire trip. Like I said though, I will be spending at least another day on it, so I'll go into it more then.
Then off to some other exhibit that was about the "BP awards" I don't know what they are, but the entries were all paintings that were so perfect I still can't beleive some of them weren't photos. Then Sophia suggested a beer on a boat, which was the perfect way to end the day and then home.
Everyone needs to go to the gallery. Although Sophia says that when I hit Italy I'll be blown away by the art they have.
Feeling lazy, will link in photos later.
It's later...http://www.flickr.com/photos/13516511@N00/sets/72157594206496412/
posted by Bne | 2:00 PM
2 Comments:
Wake up and post those photos!
Where is John Paul? Your hosts look soooo good.
Unless something terrible happens, you've done the right thing.
John Paul arrives on Monday, and I'll post the photos now before I head out for the day.
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