It amazed Minh and me that of all the time we’ve spent going around the UK visiting random historical sites, and of all the weekends we’ve been down to London, we had yet to visit the British Museum. We still didn’t have tons of time to spend the last time we were down in London, but we had an hour or so to spare.. so we decided to fast-track the British Museum.
The museum map has a suggested itinerary if you only have an-hour to spare, and we stuck to it pretty closely. We only missed out on the Portland vase, which was the inspiration for Wedgwood’s famous jasperware. In hindsight, maybe we should have made a walk-by.
Rosetta Stone / Elgin Marbles (and controversy) / Sutton Hoo Ship Burial Helmet / Lewis Chessmen / Younger Memnon (bust of Ramses II) / Set of Samurai Armor / Mummies / Hoa Hakananai’a / Moai / Assyrian Lion Hunt Reliefs / Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
I will say this, it can definitely be “done” in a little over an hour, but you will feel rushed and you will feel like you missed out. better to spend at least a few hours here, or even better a whole day. There’s a ton to see here and it spans an entire world’s worth of artifacts and antiques. And even if you don’t see everything, you could definitely spend more than just a few minutes looking at a handful of these exhibits.
Think Tran 