[Recap] Good things come to those who visit Museum

As a person who loves learning, especially learning about things of the past, it is easy to understand why I am naturally attracted to museums. Most of the time they are at the top of my list of destinations to explore in a city. Also, by visiting museums on my own, I was able to make friends with some amazing people, which makes the whole visiting experience even more magical.

With all that said, I would like to dedicate this post to review some of the most impressive museums that I had a chance to visit. It would be nice to walk down memory lane and relive all the fond memories I shared with those places.

England Museums

You would be surprised to know that almost all of the best pieces of artwork and ancient artifacts are being kept in England, not in their country of origin. Also, most of the major museums in London are open to the public for free, which is a major bonus as you can frequent them as much as you wish.

1. British Museum: This is the first museum that I had a chance to visit in London, and I was completely mesmerized by its grandeur. Looking at the vast collection of artifacts that span thousands of years makes me feel like I was traveling back in time. Some of my favorite collections in the museum include the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon at Athens, the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian monuments, Assyrian relics, and other Greek sculptures from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus and from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Besides those, there is another feature of the museum that is extremely enchanting, and that is the giant glass roof that covers the Great Court. The roof gives the whole space a sense of ethereal lightness, which also helps to elevate your entire visiting experience.

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2. The National Gallery, London: For an art enthusiast like me, this place is literally heaven. With free admission, you can enjoy the most representative sampling of European paintings ranging from the 13th to the 19th century. It holds an extensive collection of Renaissance and Baroque paintings, including works of Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rubens, Rembrandt to name a few. A small collection of notable French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings is also there for display. I literally can spend my whole day in this place, just to admire the beauty of these magnificent works. Besides, the building is a work of art in itself. I was impressed right from the entrance by the exquisite mosaic floor and beautiful decorative details on the pediment. This is also the place where I got to meet the scientist who later became my friend and local tour guide. It was such a lucky encounter as I didn’t expect anyone to initiate a conversation with me while I was just browsing through the museum bookstore. Thus, this museum always holds a special place in my heart.

3. Victoria & Albert Museum: Do you know any museum where you can find a pool inside? Yes, you didn’t hear it wrong, an actual pool, not just a water fountain. I was literally shocked to find out behind the grim façade of the building is an enclosed garden courtyard with a pool in the center, filled with light and green scenery. And that detail alone can tell you how huge this place is. Covering 5.1ha (12.5 acres) with 145 galleries, this museum houses the largest collection of decorative arts in the work, with more than 2.3 million objects that span 5000 years of human activity. Its permanent collection covers more than 10,000 paintings and 22,000 sculptures, as well as a range of furniture, fashion, textiles, ceramics, glassware, metalwork, books, and photographs. The museum also has galleries devoted to temporary exhibitions covering all sorts of contemporary art. You can spend days inside this museum and still not able to see everything. Unfortunately, I could only visit this place once, which means I probably missed many interesting things here. However, among the collections I got to see, I was particularly impressed by the Renaissance and Baroque sculptures, and the Cast Courts which house hundreds of plaster casts of sculptures, friezes, and tombs. Some of the most memorable artworks to me include Bernini’s Neptune and Triton sculpture, and the full-scale replica of Trajan’s Column, cut in half to fit the ceiling. I guess the only downside of visiting this museum is that it makes all the other museums I visited after seem a little bit small in comparison.

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4. Courtauld Gallery: Compared to the three museums mentioned above, this one is quite modest in size, but spectacular nonetheless. With a person who has a little obsession with Impressionism paintings like me, this place is truly a gem as it houses all my top favorite paintings, including Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergere, Renoir’s La Loge, and Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear. Word is not enough to describe how much joy I felt seeing those pieces in person.

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5. The Wallace Collection: What lovely about this museum is that it is a family collection in origin. Sir Richard Wallace inherited all the artworks and the house from his father, the Marquesses of Hertford, and his widow, in turn, left the entire collection to the nation – which is such an admirable bequest of art to the public. If you are a fan of 18th-century art, you would love this place as it has some of the most well-known artworks from the period, such as Fragonard’s The Swing, Boucher’s Madame de Pompadour, and Watteau’s A Lady at her Toilet. It also holds an impressive collection of French furniture with distinctive style from the 18th and 19th centuries, along with collections of arms and amours, miniatures, and ceramics. Besides, with all the interiors of the house heavily influenced by Rococo style, this place is definitely a feast for the eyes.

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6. Natural History Museum: Like the British Museum, what extraordinary about this place is how it help us be more aware of our humble existence in the grand scheme of life. Looking at all those fossils of plants and giant animals that once occupied the earth, which date back to hundreds of million years ago, you can’t help but marvel at the diversity of life on the planet as well as the evolution of our natural world. The museum is divided into 4 main zones, which my favorite one is the Red Zone, featuring the changing history of the Earth. Right from the entrance of the zone, I was stunned by the sight of a grand escalator passing through a giant metallic globe, along with a beautiful celestial map on the gallery wall. The trail then led me to a gallery of rocks, minerals, and gemstones, where you can touch possibly the oldest object found on Earth, which is a 4,568-million-years-old iron meteorite, even older than our solar system. With almost 70 million specimens from all over the world, this place will not disappoint anyone who has an inquisitive mind, as one will never run out of things to learn here.

7. National Maritime Museum: If you are a fan of stories about sea explorations and naval battles, then this place is for you. The museum allows you to have a better understanding of how maritime history has shaped British economics, culture, and politics. It also showcases the excellent craft of shipbuilding accompanied by exquisite artistry. My favorite sections of the museum include the collection of figureheads, JMW Turner’s The Battle of Trafalgar painting, the story of European’s exploration and colonization of the “New Worlds’, and the Baltic Exchange Glass. The stained glass windows of the Baltic Exchange, in particular, are simply stunning and not something you should miss when visiting this museum.

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France Museums

8. Louvre Museum: Talking about museum as a major tourist attraction, one cannot fail to mention the Louvre Museum. This is the world’s largest and most-visited art museum, housing some of the most famous masterpieces in history. It was such a thrilling experience seeing some of my favorite paintings up close, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, Gericault’s Raft of Medusa, and Jacques-Louis David’s The Coronation of Napoleon. The museum also has a spectacular collection of Greek and Roman sculptures, with the most notable ones being Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. Besides the main gem of the museum which is its collection, another well-known exhibit of the Louvre is the modern glass pyramid structure in the courtyard, together with the inverted pyramid structure in the underground lobby. If you are a fan of Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code”, you cannot miss this place.

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Canada Museums

9. Royal Ontario Museum: This is the largest museum in Canada dedicated to art, world culture, and natural history. My favorite sections of the museum include the collection of dinosaur fossils, minerals, and meteorites; as well as Canadian historical artifacts and art. At the time I visited the museum, there was a temporary exhibition featuring Ming Dynasty which I found highly informative and interesting. Another thing worth mentioning about this museum is its splendid exterior design. Comprising of glass and aluminum, the building facade was constructed to resemble a crystal, which gives the museum a captivating futuristic look.

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And that’s a wrap! So far these are the best ones I have been to. In the future, I would love to visit them again, as well as to explore more museums from other parts of the world.