Architecture and history

Monday 23rd May

Today was British Museum day. We walked past 30

St Mary Axe (aka the Gerkin) and Lloyds of London.

British Museum was amazing, the building itself was beautiful and full of thousands of years of history. We braved the crowds to see

• Rosetta Stone (the key to translating Egyptian hieroglyphs);
• frescos of the Parthenon;
• Medieval British armour, weapons and coins;
• Statue from Easter Island;
• Wax death mask of Oliver Cromwell;
• and so much more.

Mixed feelings about some of the collections - is it right that the British Museum has half the Parthenon? Should the Egyptian mummies be so far from their burial sites?

We saw a hands on exhibit where we were allowed to handle various forms of money, including an ancient Greek drachma that was 2500 years old. There was also a plastic Australian note that the locals thought was amazing - funny the things you take for granted.