Finally headed into town at the weekend to make the most of some of London's fine cultural institions. Mosh wanted to see an exhibition of London maps through the ages at the British Library but when we got there the queue was an hour and a half long and even he thought that was a too long a wait to see some old stuff.
After a quick mooch around the book shop we decided to walk over to the British Museum. It is actually only 10 minutes walk from my office but in the two and a half years I've been based there I'm ashamed to admit I've never made a lunch time or after work visit.
It is the first time I've seen the Great Court, which was all the more stunning
We had a wander through the Egypt room. There is something very regal and timeless about the statues. We couldn't get very near to the Rosetta Stone to have a proper look as it was mobbed, so Mosh, who has an amazing memory for historical information, acted as curator.
Then we headed to the Persia halls to see some of the exhibits from Turkey, inspired by our visit to the country last year. There was nothing on the grand scale of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin but still worth a look.
We finished our brief tour at the exhibition of the controversy-shrouded Elgin Marbles. I can understand why Greece would want them back but then I'm sure that there are one or two artifacts held in Greece which don't really belong. In a similar vein, the Turkish want the Pergamon Alter back from Berlin but we couldn't help but notice on our holiday, the Egyptian and Middle Eastern artifacts that are on display.
We finished up with a browse around the excellent book shop and a quick look in the reading room. Most of the books have now been moved into British Library but there is still something very impressive and learned, and Harry Potter-esque about this huge round room.
Our afternoon was finished we a cuppa and some chocolate and the walk across Covent Garden to catch the bus home.
Really must do more of this.