Museum Visits

The last few weeks have been filled with essays, presentations, and projects; I’m surprised I’ve kept my head on. But despite this, I’ve tried to look for places in London that I’d like to visit and make the time to do so.

Since my time in London, I’ve taken a look at some very interesting places, but specifically, two amazing museums: the Imperial War Museum and the British Museum.

The Imperial War Museum is an excellent location for diving into specific histories, and each exhibit has its own atmosphere. Stepping into one of the exhibits, such as the WWI and Holocaust exhibits, felt like stepping into the past. It went past feeding me information, and rather, made me feel deeply about what I was looking at. There were recordings of the events being played on various screens, which could be quite graphic and saddening, but also highly impactful. Then, there were also interviews of victims that played in the overhead speakers and dedicated sections where you could sit to listen to someone’s personal story and the impact it had on them and their family.

Next, I visited the British Museum, which is one of the most prestigious and iconic cultural institutions in the world. Anyone visiting London most likely already has it on their to-do list. It houses an extensive collection of artifacts from around the world, making it an extremely fascinating place to explore. The Egyptian Collection was most likely my favorite to see. Between the mummies and the hieroglyphics, it was incredible to see the culture of the ancient Egyptians in person. Also, the Rosetta Stone is on display here which was amazing!

Entry into most museums is also free in the United Kingdom! This was a significant change considering in the United States, it’s hard to find free entry anywhere. But in the UK, anyone can explore the museum, regardless of their budget. I will say, it was very busy when I visited. This is something I noticed with the Imperial War Museum as well. It can get quite crowded but most people are respectful and won’t be too loud. I would recommend visiting earlier in the day or making enough room in your schedule to fully immerse yourself in what the museum has to offer.