A Fun Day at the V&A (…And Natural History Museum)

December 10, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 3 Comments

Today was a massive museum day!

I started with the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is such a vast, amazing space filled with countless treasures. I explored various rooms for a few hours, marveling at all of the incredible handiwork. It always astounds me to realize how much incredible stuff was made before the advent of modern technologies like computers or even electricity. I just see so much potential in the human race by looking at our past and seeing the marvels we could make in the old past, and dreaming of the incredible, unimaginably awesome things the future will hold.

After the V&A, I traveled to the nearby Natural History Museum. Its imposing exterior is matched by the majestic interior, filled to the brim with scientific treasures. I went through a special exhibit on the museum's most valuable acquisitions (including a Neanderthal skull and a first edition of On The Origin of the Species), an exhibit on evolution, and the museum's giant collection of minerals. The collection was housed in a massive hall lined with rows on rows of display cases. It was a geology enthusiast's dream, and totally ROCKED! (Okay… awful pun, I apologize.)

After all of the museum walking, I was hungry, so I swung into Chinatown to grab a cheap Baozi (steam bun), then headed off to the gym. After the gym, I made a supper that used up almost the last of our food stocks! The end is near! All in all, a good day!

Buddha From the V&A

Another Buddha

…And Yet Another Buddha.

Exquisite Arabian Carpet

Bronze Statue

Ivory Framed in Wood

V&A Courtyard

Entrance to the Natural History Museum

Darwin

FIRST EDITION!!!

Gibbon

The Rock Hall

Malachite

Topaz (Mom's Favorite)

Agate

Magnificent Opals!

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Successful Saturday!

December 8, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 1 Comment

Today was quite a busy day! The big highlights? I went to the Design Museum and also saw a play today.

I began my day by traveling to the Design Museum. It is a really cool building based in a converted warehouse. The main exhibitions of the day were an awesome jewelry design exhibit, and another level that contained a plethora of installations involving crystal and lights. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the descriptions and just examining the beautiful and well-designed objects.

After the museum, I ventured via tube to the Tricycle Theatre to see an adaptation of The Arabian Nights. It was a very interesting and creative adaptation of the classic tale of Scheherazade and the 1001 nights of stories. It was beautiful to watch, and ran the gamut of emotions, from funny to sad to nostalgic. All in all, a wonderful play.

The rest of my day involved an extremely long workout at the gym and then enjoying an evening of hanging out with my fellow Grinnellians. In the end, it was a superb way to spend my last Saturday in London! Pictures below!

Jewelry!

Awesome Projector Lamp/Kaleidoscope

Thousands of Crystals

Detail

Creative Crystals

Awesome Embroidered Poster

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Big Ben Strikes Again!

December 3, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 1 Comment

Today was a very photo-tastic day!

I ventured over to Trafalgar Square today, hoping for some pictures of the square and of Nelson's column before I visited the National Gallery to see the paintings. However, as soon as I got to Trafalgar Square, I could see the beautiful light illuminating Big Ben and Parliament and knew I had to get some pictures. I hurried down Whitehall towards them and got to the area near Westminster as the clock struck three.

The light was absolutely perfect and I managed to snag some phenomenal shots. Check them out below. After the photoshoot, I headed back to the National Gallery and got to see some amazing paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, and more! Post-art-viewing, I headed to Leicester Square to check out the discount tickets for shows. I lucked out and managed to snag a seat for Wicked at an awesome price. After that, I hit the gym for a massive workout and then went to the grocery. All in all, a good day!

Nelson's Column

Down Whitehall

Big Ben

Parliament

Ben and Skies

Sepia-Toned

London Icons

I See the Eye

Perfect Light

The National Gallery

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Big Ben Strikes Again!

December 3, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 3 Comments

Today was a very photo-tastic day!

Nelson's Column

Down Whitehall

Big Ben

Parliament

Ben and Skies

Sepia-Toned

London Icons

I See the Eye

Perfect Light

The National Gallery

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British Museum, Yet Again

November 26, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 1 Comment

After a morning spent organizing and sorting out details, I made my way over to the British Museum for a quick visit before class. I ended up spending my time on only two artifacts, but it was time well spent. Today, I looked at the Rosetta Stone and an Easter Island Head.

I first examined the Easter Island statue. It was immense. Even though I have previously seen pictures of such statues, and even passed by this particular one to get to the Asian exhibits, it wasn't until I stopped and really looked at this statue at its feet that I realized how impressive and beautiful it is. It is so simple, yet elegant, without superfluous carvings or details. Just a timeless, simple stone face, watching for eternity. It also amazes me how little we know about these statues. They are famous around the world, yet no one has much, if any, information on their origin or meaning. It's so incredible knowing that this mystery just sits in front of us, a forgotten people with a forgotten culture.

The Rosetta Stone is another amazing relic, one that unlocked what could have been a mystery for ages, the secret of the Egyptian Hieroglyphics. This single slab of stone, marked in three languages and discovered by chance, was the key to understanding the Egyptians. In a world of “what ifs” where the Rosetta Stone remained buried and hidden, one can only imagine the frustration of the historians and archaeologists who could see and record the hieroglyphs, but could never understand their meaning. Another whole civilization would have been lost in the sea of time, leaving only the monuments and tombs as a beacon of their existence.

It's always interesting to reflect on our own time after seeing these incredible relics. What will survive of us? Thousands of years from now, what will the relics be? Will the generations that follow us be amazed by the primitive communication devices we carry? Will the iPhone sit in a glass case for viewing? Or will it be something else? Perhaps a Twinkie, still wrapped in its plastic? (…or perhaps not anymore, in light of Hostess closing down.) No matter what the object is, it would be interesting to see what little pieces of our modern world survive.

Easter Island Statue

The Rosetta Stone

Detail of the Rosetta Stone

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Visiting the British Museum

November 21, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Today, I decided to pay a visit to an old friend, one we haven't seen in awhile, The British Museum.

I made the Southeast Asia collections my focus for this visit. The British Museum has some phenomenal religious artifacts, especially in regards to their collection of Buddhist works. I roamed the exhibits, trying to capture the beauty and grandeur of these ancient pieces. They were all so incredible and interesting. It was an absolute treat to explore this section of the museum and to rediscover the grandness of the British Museum. Pictures below…

Ivory Buddha

Ravana, a demon from Hindu mythology

Shiva

Stone Buddha Image

Large Stone Buddha

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Visiting the Sherlock Holmes Museum

November 6, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Well, dear readers, I managed to cross an item off of the London Bucket List… I visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum, conveniently located at 221b Baker Street. For a Holmes aficionado like myself, this was an absolute must!

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I rode the tube to the Baker Street station and followed the maps until I found the museum. After waiting in a short queue, I was finally let into the museum. It was a very well-done experience. Although relatively small, the museum packs in tons of memorabilia, from Sherlock's pipes and tools to Watson's medical supplies, to “trophies” from some of Holmes' famous solved cases.

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I toured the house rather extensively, seeing each of the rooms twice and drinking in the experience. It was incredible to see such an amazing literary character brought to life by the artifacts of the museum. The creators managed to craft a believable home from the time period and stock it as Sherlock and Watson would have.

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Enjoy the pictures below!

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The Station

221b Baker Street

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The Front Parlor

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The Tools of the Trade

Pipe Collection

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Sherlock!

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Moriarty!

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I am a Winner

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Viewing the Vatican and the Train to Naples

October 31, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 1 Comment

As I write this post, I am sitting in an Italian train carriage. The countryside is whipping by outside as the train speeds along towards Naples. I can see the endless vineyards, dotted with little villas, a splash of golden orange against the greens and grays. We are en route to our final city of the voyage, Sorrento, just south of Naples. It promises to be quite fun, especially if the weather cooperates. We have a four person apartment with a terrace overlooking the sea.

This morning, we awoke, got ready, ate the hotel breakfast of coffee and pastries, and headed for the train station. We then deposited our bags in a holding area, caught a subway train to near Vatican City, and walked to St. Peter's Square. We had expected to not encounter much of a wait, (this being a Wednesday morning in late October…) but there was a pretty long line to get in. We waited to enter the square and upon our entry, we immediately realized why the crowd was so massive today; the Pope was giving a speech!

We explored the square, took some photos, and marveled at the massive crowds and immense structures. Though we only had a short time, it was well worth seeing and we were pleasantly surprised to get to see the Pope speak. (This did, however, mean that the Basilica was closed to us, but that just means I will have to visit again someday soon.)

Rome wasn't built in a day, nor can it be seen in just two, but we really enjoyed seeing the parts we did. We saw the Coliseum, we saw the Pope, and we managed to see countless other ancient buildings. All in all, a pretty amazing city. Onwards to relaxation! Pictures below, per usual.

St. Peter's Square

Pope on the big screen

A Mass for the masses.

Cropped and zoomed from above photo.

Amid the sea of umbrellas

Bernini's Fountain

The Maderno Obelisk

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“Rome-ing” Around Rome

October 31, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 1 Comment

Today was an sightseeing-packed day!

After a small breakfast at the hotel, we ventured into central Rome. Our first visit was the Severan Complex of Roman ruins. (These are a massive complex of ruins, gardens, paths, and more.) After a few hours of hiking around, taking pictures of the various ruins and the nearby Coliseum, and listening in on tours, we were pretty famished.

We had a nice, relaxed dinner at a small restaurant a few blocks away from the ruins. After the ravioli-recharge, I felt great and ready to see some more of Rome. We continued our adventure around the city. We saw tons of amazing sites, from the Pantheon, to the Piazza Navona, to the Piazza del Popolo.

Finally exhausted, we returned home to rest and rise again tomorrow. We plan to see the Vatican and then venture onward to our final city of the trip, Sorrento.

Stay tuned, and enjoy the pictures!

Waiting in line, ready to go.

The Coliseum

Ruined Roman Arch

Part of the Severan Complex

Caitlin and I enjoying the Severan Complex

Totally Obeying the Rules

View From the Severan Complex

Ruins

Column I

Column II

Coliseum

View within the Ruins

Climbing the Coliseum

Group Shot!

Church Bells!

Ruins

Statue

Piazza di San Marcello

Monumento a Vittorio Emmanuel II

Pantheon

Oculus Within Pantheon

Pantheon Interior

Gelato Break! (Mango, Dark Chocolate, & Strawberry)

Fountain from Piazza Navona

Statue from Piazza del Popolo

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Florentine Days!

October 28, 2012August 31, 2013 by ericmistry ♥ 1 Comment

Today was another day of fun, slightly rainy still, but so much fun!

We adventured all around Florence, eating good food and seeing amazing art, including Michelangelo's David in the Academia and Donatello's David in the city squares. Another great find was the Medici palace. It was a fantastic lens into the past, and we recognized many of the artworks inside from our art history course on 14th Century Art From Florence to Flanders. Professor Nuttall, if you are reading this, be proud; we felt so knowledgable thanks to your course! We also saw the Duomo and tons of other fantastic buildings!

Tomorrow is another awesome day, with a visit to the Plaza Michelangelo (per the recommendation of the best dad ever, Bomi Mistry) and some leather markets in Florence. Also, as always, good food and plenty of photography.

In the evening, we will head to Rome! Stay tuned!

As usual, some pictures below…