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shinysilvergrl came to visit these fair isles, and we met up, and it was fun! It was so lovely to meet an LJ person in, ah, person, for the first time. It turned out neither of us was an axe murderer, presumably to the relief of our respective partners (who, bless them, were worrying). We had a wander around Covent Garden, and some food in a noisy pub, and a wander around one of my favourite shops (Forbidden Planet, oh the geeky goodies). It was... well, liberating, quite frankly, to be able to drop names like Jack O'Neill into the conversation without getting blank looks. *g* And we talked about writing fic, and how we respond to feedback, and all that sort of stuff. Whee! Look, I can claim LJ as a legitimate friend-making thingy, now, and not just a tool for sucking up all my time!I was reminded by the return to London of the Terracotta Army, that I once went to see it, many years ago. I remember it made a big impression on me (and I'm definitely going to see it again, whilst it's here - one day, I'd love to go see the whole thing in situ). I looked up past exhibitions - and apparently they haven't been to London since 1981. I'm amazed I can remember it - I would have been three or four years old. I remember there were red and black walls, and the weather was cold, and the statues were very tall and scary. Years later, I could still remember some of the stuff I was told about how it was discovered by accident, when local farmers drilling for a well broke through into a vast, underground tomb, full of an entire army of life-size terracotta figures - every one individual. The figures are eerie and imposing, and when I was little I thought they looked like they were ready to move, any moment. If an exhibition of it ever comes around your way, I highly recommend going.
We've also got Tutankhamun's treasure coming to London soon - I plan to go see that, too. I'll be having a very Daniel-esque Autumn. *g*
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Comments
Ha! My husband was the same way when I first met up with an lj fannish friend for the first time.
Where and when is that exhibition going to be in London? Because that would be definitely worth making a trip up to see...
People old enough to remember still talk about the last time Tutankhamun's treasures came to London - in 1972. Apparently it's worth seeing...
It's a larger collection than the original tut exhibit, but it's not necessarily got the same stuff (like the famous "tut mask" that's actually ON all the exhibit ads, LOL). But there's a lot of really cool unique stuff, like the only trumpets found in Ancient Egyptian excavations and a ceremonial box often depicted in pictures but rarely seen in reality.
http://www.kingtut.org is where there's a lot of info about the exhibit.
The cool thing about it is there's teeny tiny hieroglyphs written throughout the interior of it!
There is a sarcophagus that is amazingly detailed. It's not a royal, but some friend or distant cousin of one of Tut's predecessors that he liked enough to give him a royal-ish burial.
Oh, and by the way, I checked. No goa'uld markings on the canopic jars, so you should be safe. Hee. ;-) I did see an eye of Ra at one point though!
I love seeing the painted hieroglyphs, it's amazing how the colours have lasted, for so long.
**sigh, I am such a geek**
Oh, cool - I like the shiny treasure, of course, but I am a bit of an Egyptology geek, too. Only slightly, I hasten to add - purely amateur, compared to some of the amazingly knowledgeable people I've spoken to in Stargate fandom. I've always found Egyptian history fascinating (why do I prefer Jack, then? Who knows). And I've been to the Valley of the Kings and seen Tut's tomb, so I'd like to see what should be in it, too, now. :)
Shiny treasure aside, it was the every day household objects that drew me in. The coptic jars were incredibly beautiful as well. I did get weird looks though when I yelled, "Holy Crap - Lewis Hamilton looks like Nefertiti."
F1 fans were clearly lacking there....
Hah! I shall have to look out for that. I can kind of picture it... Hee.
What I found so amazing is how much of it is wood! 3300 year old carved and painted wood, still perfectly preserved! Absolutely amazing!
My favorite thing was that gold box with the missing figurine. The detailed pictures of Tut and Nefertiti's daughter/his wife/half-sister doing various activities.
I knew the mask was too fragile to do the road tour, but I was surprised at what did come that was found ON his mummy, and notes on stuff that were used in his life (like they had sentimental value rather than just ceremonial...it brought a sense of "he's a real person, not just a historical figure" to the exhibit, IMO).
Just amazing.
**shares geekitude with you**...and jealousy that pepper's been to Egypt and SEEN the real place. :-)
Egypt was... well, for someone who grew up in a pretty old city, the history there was mind-blowing - and just lying around, all over the place. I didn't see the pyramids, though! Or Cairo. But every time I catch documentaries about The Curse Of Tutaankhamun, or whatever, I bore people by going, "Ooh, that's Luxor / the Valley of the Kings / etc., I went there!" *g*
I love that Stargate has intelligent geek fans.
Did you also catch the Planetarium show on the Stars of the Ancients (pretty sure that was the title - regardless, I giggled)? Very cool discussing how they used the stars for religion, architecture, etc. I of course couldn't help but think - and over the course of the years, the star positions have changed which was why computer needed to adjust the addresses. **Facepalm**
Long live geekitude!
So...I'd calmly explain that I was a little nervous, too, that I had known people for almost a year, that other people I'd knew vouched for my roommates, that if worse came to worst, I could always cry on someone's shoulder and they'd take me in out of pity, and that I would have my cell phone in case of emergencies. :-)
I want to meet up with you someday, too. Maybe next year, on my way to Spain? If that happens? Which...Spain! *feels pang of longing for Seville*
I'd love to take a look at the Terracotta Army or the treasure--I have a bad habit of missing the cool exibits when they come through town, and I don't know why. I always plan to see them...
Yeah! If you're passing through, I'd love to meet up! Let me know if you are.
I tend to miss exhibitions, too. It's very annoying, because I remember months later, and realise that I might not get another chance to see whatever-it-is. I'm a big fan of going to see things - theatre, art exhibitions, etc. There's something magic about things that are a one-off opportunity.
Oooh, lucky you with two amazing-looking exhibits in town! Have fun at both. If I remember right, you've got some nice (permanent) Egyptian pieces at the British Museum too.
And yes - the Egyptian mummies section in the British museum is familiar to all UK schoolkids. I've been there many times. It's awesome. I work just around the corner from it, too - I should go more often than I do, seeing as it's free and all. *vows to get a bit more kulchure at lunchtime*
I hope I get to meet you when I come for AT3!
Hee, I'm starting to feel like I have a social life. *g*
I'm hoping to see people - maybe get out of London this time. At the first one, I went to GABIT, saw a bit of London, visited
Hee!
Aren't fannish meet-ups fantastic? I love that freedom. (though it's awkward sitting with someone in a restaurant, discussing how you're going to make two characters have sex, and have a group of little old ladies walk past to sit near you).
Glad it was awesome and there was no axe murdering!
I'll be having a very Daniel-esque Autumn.
Oh, hey - if you're in or near London, have you found the Petrie Museum yet? Daniel Jackson heaven.
(And heaven for anyone who loves tiny hidden museums that no-one knows about and that are crammed full of some of the most astonishing ancient Egyptian artifacts I've seen).
Whee! Museums by torchlight. Excellent.
And if you go there, you have to make sure you also check out the exhibits stashed down the side of the fire escape stairs.
Thinking of such, have you ever been to the John Soanes museum? It's a lovely house, designed and inhabited by Soanes, full of beautiful and random bits and pieces that he collected from all over the world. It has a gallery room where the walls can be turned like pages in a book, so he could hang more paintings. You can go see it by candlelight (well, partially lit by candlelight, and partially by electric light, presumably because candlelight is a bit dangerous), first Tues evening of every month. I went to one of those, and there was a queue out the door and down the road.
http://www.soane.org/
Have you found the Hunterian Museum? It's in the Royal College Of Surgeons, just on the other side of the square from the Soane museum.
http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums/information
Fascinating, although not recommended if you're easily squicked by ... things in jars.
I'm also planning to go see the Wellcome Collection sometime - http://www.wellcomecollection.org/ - that looks along similar lines, although less squicky. :)
The army was one thing I found out about while I was there, and kindasorta wanted to see (although, as you say, I'd really like to see the whole set up in situ, but there just really wan't enough time, with as much as we were bouncing around from place to place. Alas.
But yeah, I had a great time, too. :) Thanks for taking the time to meet up with me. I actually have met online friends irl on numerous occasions, and it's always worked out well. Paul, I should note, was less worried that you'd chop my head off than he was that I'd find myself helplessly lost using the big, bad Tube all by myself.
*eyeroll*
I asked him if he remembered that thing where I'd traveled all of Europe (and the UK) by myself for three weeks in 2002, and nothing happened, and can therefore probably figure out a tube map. He was forced to say that he did. *g*
Hee. Well, it's nice that they care. Even if, at times, they need to be nudged to remember their place. *g*
It was really great to see you - I'm sorry you had such a horrible journey home! Pity you couldn't see the Terracotta Army - maybe they'll do a tour of it, like they did of the Tutankhamun collection, and it'll come to you.