the British (Museum)

over the past few days I've done a lot of walking, a decent amount of sight-seeing, and a whole lot of museum-going.    Most amazing is that despite all the time I've spent at the musuem, i've spent most of it at just one museum,  the British Museum.  As its reputation ranges from awe to infamy, I must say that it delivers on all points.  In its size, variety, quality and prestige it is a crown jewel.  I spent more than 8 hour wandering these massive halls, and especially enjoyed the Greek, Abyssinian, Egytian and Islamic galleries.    What a treasure of goodies, and what i find most interesting  is how they deal  with the modern controversy of what amounts to the holesale plunder of the cultural riches of other nations.   I mean lets face it, just because it's your empire doesn't necessarily give you the moral authority to remove enormous artifacts and monuments that have survived millenia of change.  now, to be fair, they probably did  have legal authority, according to the British law of the time, but that raises a whole new question about the legality of empire,etc.

Anyhoo, it's obviously a wonderful museum, but watching it try to deal with its own inherent conflict is fascinating, and the case of Lord Elgin's marbles are a good example.      The modern museum admits that it may have been questionable in its procurement, but at the same time it defends the actions as the best way to preserve the treasures.

Pretty tough situation to be in, but that's the cost of being an empire, not everyone likes you all the time.

my other activities all elaborated on this point, the National Portrait Gallery traces the full monarcy line, while the briefer  National Gallery just showed all the magnificent artwork collected since the middle ages. 

so yes, two full days of museum-going, tube riding, and just a few pints at the pub.  Ah London.

more reports as I get better rested and more active.