London

I'm going to London tomorrow for my fiances Birthday (ironwolf). I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement! We want to go to that imax cinema on the first day to see a 3D film (then I shall drag him kicking and screaming to the natural history museum), then on Friday we're going to the British Musem and have tickets booked to see the terracotta army! Has anyone been the British Museum before? It's excellent, there's so much stuff to see you can't see it all in one day. The last time we went we looked at John Dee's wax tablet and his obsidian scrying mirror! Hope they're still on display!

OOOOOOoooo your engaged FABULOUS! hehe a married couple on Merry Moot! That is just cool! hehe! terracotta army???? As in good ole jewish gollum's?!??!?!?!?! Or am I completely off the mark???? hehe. xxx

How exciting for you! I hope you have a wonderful time, this is the sort of thing that memories are made of and makes life so wonderful.

Gina and myself moved to central London just to be close to the British Museum many, many years ago. We literally lived a few minutes away from it. We have been fortunate to have had a tour of the basement areas where manyof the treasures are stored and restored. We share your passion for the wonderful place and hope you have the time of your life.

The Terracota Army! Awesome, we should scoot along to see that too. Brilliant!!

The Natural History Museum sounds like a fab venue and it's not far from the V&A too, so if you get time you should pop in there if you get the chance.

Have a lovely time both.

Aurora wrote:

As in good ole jewish gollum's?!??!?!?!?!

Huh? They're from China, the first emperor had them commissioned to be burried with them. I think the idea was they'd protect him in the afterlife? Guess I'll learn more on Friday. The site they came from is huge, they're trying to buy out everyone in the area so they can excavate further, there's a whole village there. It sounds like there's still tons to find. He seems to have had his own 'pyramid', it looks like a big hill but it really is hill shaped and lots of the archaeology is in there. They think he might have had a map of the world in there with rivers made of mercury.

I saw a fascinating documentary about him and a recreation of how they think the world with mercury rivers would have looked like. It was fascinating. A genius and unfortunately a bit of a fruitloop too, partly due to his pysche but it has been attributed to him being poisoned over many years by the medicine he was taking which they sincerely thought was good for him but sent him bonkers instead. Regardless, he was a great man that shaped China and history. Amazing. There are many films that depict parts of his life as well which are mostly gripping stuff to watch.

Oh I know the ones, not gollums at all! Similar concept without the scroll though. Ive just had a snoop and read it was because he had conquered and united china and wanted to conquer another empire in the afterlife! Cool huh? Go out with all guns blazing! x

Ook! wrote:

The Natural History Museum sounds like a fab venue and it's not far from the V&A too, so if you get time you should pop in there if you get the chance.

Oh yes, we went there too last time. I want to go on a guided tour behind the scenes in the Darwin Centre this time.

Ook! wrote:

Have a lovely time both.

Thanks, I'm sure we will. If we're allowed to take photos I'll try to get them up.

I love the british museum. Can't wait. I studied archaeology in uni and learnt tpo translate Akkadian, (babylonian), All those wonderful things I found fascinating, like the original flood myth, and the Assyrian king Sennacherib's seige of Jerusalem, (a different account than in the bible by the way). Written in cunieform on clay tablets, those tablets are in the British museum, they are absolutely priceless!! I'm getting excited now!

Me and Mel (Solvo) saw some Wushu Monks from the Chinese State Circus doing a rendition based on the terracota army. They say that on a quiet night in the Empire, you wouldn't be too surprised to see a soldier statue moving (ever so slightly)...
Nomada and ironwolf, hope you had a great day! Did you see any movement yourselves?

Unfortuneately we could'nt take any photo's of the terracota warriors, it was'nt allowed. Its a great exhibition though, the warriors are all life size. But the emporer did'nt just take sodiers with him to the afterlife, he had chariots, horses, acrobats, musicians and even stable boys to look after the horses! His burial complex covers 56 sq kilometres. No wonder he thought he ruled the universe!