LONDON: Stepping Back in Time at the British Museum

The first place we visited after landing in London Heathrow Airport was the British Museum. But before that though, we had to go to our hostel first to drop off our luggages. We stayed within the area of the St. Pancras and King's Cross stations.

Mini segueway!

Sir John Betjeman called this Gothic treasure “too beautiful and too romantic to survive” in a world of tower blocks and concrete. Its survival against the odds will cause wonder; the building itself will take your breath away. - website

This was the first thing that greeted us when we came out from the tube station from King's Cross Underground station. Since it was my first time to be in England, or in Europe for that matter, I was so impressed by this structure. It's called the St. Pancras International, wherein you can catch multiple train lines going to many different places. One of which is the Eurostar train going to France and which leads to other European cities. The other train lines would take you to other places within England, such as the Southeastern, East Midlands, and Thameslink.

This station opened up back in 1868, and so this year at 2018, they're celebrating 150 years! There'll surely be a lot of festivities, around October or so. But it's truly amazing to see such a beautiful structure that has gone through a lot of changes throughout all these years, and to still see it standing and operating. Certainly a classic masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture.

Within this train station is also a five star hotel, and many other shops, restaurants, and establishments. Definitely lucky to have woken up this sight right outside our window.

After going to our hostel to leave our luggages, we then headed to the British Museum. We took the Underground. It was all very confusing for me, but my sister was used to it. I don't think I would have been able to handle it on my own, I'd surely be asking for directions, as there were many places to pass through. Trains aren't common where I live; it's always either bus, van, jeep, or tricycle. So I'm not at all used to trains with multiple lines. :')

The British Museum is the first national public museum in the world. It was established back in 1753. I personally think it's a must see when you're in London, because there's so much to see and it covers a multitude of knowledge on ancient civilizations. If you love history or would simply fancy history, this would be the best place to spend your day in.

There is no entrance fee here, unless you want to book tickets for special exhibitions. During this week, they had (until July 29) an exhibit on Rodin's sculptures.

I liked the ceiling design most of all, which made the whole place brighter. This museum houses an impressive collection of artifacts from ancient civilizations from all over the world. I was definitely seeing all the things I used to see in my grade school textbooks.

Sharing with you a few memorable pieces for me!

The Rosetta stone is a definite must see. It was used to understand the Egyptian hieroglyphics. Once part of an Egyptian temple, it was then found buried by French soldiers. It contains three languages, namely Hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Ancient Greek. 

A number of collections of ceramics, plates, pots, sculptures, and basically everything, all in different shapes and with different designs

Another highlight here would probably be the Egyptian mummies. But then as soon as we entered the Egyptian gallery, I started sneezing so much. I guess it's because of all the ancient artifacts around, or that my nose is highly sensitive. I felt iffy about taking photos of mummies.. so I'm just going to share one coffin..

Took this photo right outside the museum! It seems that everywhere I turn the architecture is something to marvel at, whether it's a row of houses or shops. So probably expect some houses to be featured on my next entries. Haha!

Thank you for reading, dear reader!

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