The British Museum and Windsor Castle

January 21-27, 2011

Dear loyal fans, I'm back with a long-awaited post concerning my adventures over the past week. To start things off, I've got some fun photo comparisons for your enjoyment.

 

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On the left, Planet Organic. My new favorite place for all my health food aspirations. They've got kombucha, and the best tomato soup: lactose, vegan, and allergen free, and of course-- organic. On the right, witness "Bangers and mash," a traditional British meal. And, if you guessed that this was not actually my meal, you guessed correctly. This photo was taken of my friend's meal at a pub outside Windsor Castle. Her verdict: not very good, the sauce had a bad flavor. 

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Here are two artifacts from the British museum. On the left, an unidentified sculpture (and by that I mean I, personally, have no idea what it is) that might be a Bhuddist sculpture. However, one can infer a certain level of vanity in the gold color of the statue, her pronounced womanly features, and monumental pose. Witness the artifact on the right: you may not recognize what this is-- this is because it's an ancient crushed skull of a woman. She was found with her gold jewelry still on, or around, her, plus a small powder cosmetic case.    Bonfire of the vanities? 

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This isn't really a comparison. Just a small sculpture I admired in the ancient Egypt section. It's a ram, caught in a thicket and although it's small, it's incredibly striking in person. 

As I was taking this picture, I heard a man telling the woman he was with that this is his favorite piece in the whole museum. It might be mine too. 

(Also note that the above entry is written in the style and tone of Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart, and is also thematically relevant-- remember this when reviewing bullet pt. 5 at the end of the blog entry.)

 

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The Rosetta Stone-- "Amazing. I thought this thing only existed in legends." --Jordan. 

...And as software for learning Spanish, Italian, or French from the comfort of your own home... But no, this is in fact the real deal, a sizable chunk of the original Rosetta Stone. I stole this useful description from Wikipedia: 

"The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts:the upper one is in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle one in Egyptian demotic script, and the lower text in Ancient Greek. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three scripts (with some differences between them), it provided the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs."

On the right, a poster made from Zimbabwe currency, which as the text proclaims, is actually so worthless that it became cheaper to print on the money than on paper. From messages carved in stone to statements emblazoned on dollar bills.. oh how far humankind has come. 

 
    Dionysus, Greek god of wine, stolen from the Parthenon in the 19th century
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   T.K. Maxx, discount clothing store, name stolen from T.J. Maxx in 1994

On the train to Windsor Castle! Had to change trains at Slough, home of the British version of The Office.

Oh the Brits and their witty establishment titles.

Just outside the castle walls, one of the homes of Britain's monarchy for centuries.. 

Her Majesty appears on horseback! 

 

Morning, mid-day. Entering the castle.  

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   Late afternoon, leaving the castle.

The dogs were having their day...

This one reminds me of my friend Jamie's dog.

People..

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On my way into the castle, I was distracted by a vision.. a woman from the past! Jordan and I quickly followed the apparition, only to find ourselves in a shop, where I bought a "William & Kate" t-shirt. 

"Let's take a picture." "Ok." "You stand here. I'll stand there." "Ok, sounds good." 

Entering the castle walls..

We did actually get to go inside some of the rooms, which were incredible, but photography was not allowed. I was particularly struck by the incredible collection of artwork, which included some fantastic paintings by Rembrandt, and Bruegel's "Massacre of the Innocents."

A Short Series,

Lampost and Lovers in recession

From behind the castle walls, high above the town..

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Other highlights from the past week:

• I rode on a rickshaw around town with some new friends. I was very pleased with my bartering skills, as I managed to take the rate from 10 pounds down to 9. After all, you can't very well split the cost of 10 pounds among 3 people..
• I learned that in Saudi Arabia, it's considered impolite to refuse a gift, offering, or invitation of any kind, no matter what it is. Apparently you don't have to actually eat it if it's food, or go to the party if it's an invitation. You just have to take it. Hmm. 
• I met with my tutor to work out my first paper topic.. Shakespeare and food. My project for tomorrow, when I will walk the two blocks to the British Library, where they have every book known to man, and state my case for needing to look at their books (the books I need aren't available anywhere else, and the British Library staff is notorious for denying access to the books without providing specific and adequate reasoning for why you need to do so).
• I lament the amount of butter and mayonnaise in all the food here, yet paradoxically love the delicious unpasteurized butter available for spreading on bread yourself..
• My new British friend Jack lent me 3 books from his impressive collection after our Chinatown excursion last Tuesday (unbelievable peking duck from a place called "The Four Seasons"), and I've spent almost the entire day today, and most of yesterday finishing one of the books, called Sputnik Sweetheart, by a Japanese author named Haruki Murakami. Seriously, just one of those amazing books that had me in a grip I couldn't get out of (not that I wanted to). I sat in various coffee shops around town almost all day reading, knowing that I had to make it to the very last page. As my friend Hillary noted when I told her about this experience, it's good to know it can still happen-- that just as you start to think you'll never be grabbed by a book in that way ever again, it happens, catching you completely by surprise. Like falling in love.. but with a book.