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The Tour
The guide we had at the British Museum (in London) was great at covering the most interesting things, sometimes not even the most popular (we were led to and learned about many hidden gems throughout the museum), out of the 8,000,000 artifacts in the museum. The guide we had was amazing. His name was Lawrence S.Owens.
Lawrence S. Owens, PH.D.International Man of History
His style of guiding was very unique. The way he weaved us throughout many cultures and time periods felt like a non-stop adventure. On top of simply interesting facts, he added on hilarious jokes (some of which David found funnier than me). Lawrence Owens’ style of touring us around was extremely effective. Before we got there, he had already found hundreds of pictures relevant to the information and stories he was telling us, adding to the experience in a way similar to a PowerPoint on the iPad he brought. He also brought in his bag a bunch of artifacts from his own archaeological expeditions and others received as a professor. Lawrence made it his mission to leave us with at least five memorable pieces of information (a task he at least completed five times over). We maneuvered through the museum at a fast pace stopping and learning about different artifacts and the stories behind them, including the history of the Nazca people (the reason for their lines in the ground), the history of the Maori people (now the modern people of New Zealand who show their ancestry through their rugby team, the All-Blacks), the story of the tomb of the Pharaoh’s royal nose-hair plucker, and the history of the people of Easter Island (the reasons behind the enormous remaining statues).
One of the two pictures we took inside the museum
(Easter Island statue)
Many of the artifacts we learned about weren’t even considered popular attractions;however Lawrence Owens managed to make them seem as wow-inspiring as the Rosetta stone (the only “mainstream” artifact we looked at). Quoted from David, “I probably learned more in that three or four hour tour than in a year’s worth of world history.” With Lawrence Owens as our tour guide, we all felt as if all the exhibits were brought there for a private class; His storytelling made us oblivious to the existence of anyone else inside the museum besides us. At the end of the tour, we realized we didn’t even have any pictures of the inside of the museum because we were all so engrossed in his telling of the world’s history.. The Tips
1. An enjoyable tour is everything, so don't hesitate to ask questions, make comments, and to speak up if there is something you want to say or do that the tour guide hasn't gotten to yet.
2. Don’t be preoccupied with taking pictures of every single cool-looking thing around you, not only does it ruin the experience (completely throwing off the flow of the tour), but it truly adds nothing.
3. Make sure to look out for “diamonds in the rough”. There are eight million artifacts in the museum, besides the Rosetta stone; there are plenty of other interesting exhibits and objects you might never have seen if you followed the “mainstream path” through the museum.
4. Be prepared for a fast pace: a huge museum requires a lot of walking.
5. A personal tip, be sure to find a tour guide, be it Lawrence S. Owens or someone else, who can truly unlock and relay the interesting stories behind each artifact. Staring at a vase is pointless without a fascinating story behind it.
The After
After a visit to the British Museum, a great tourist location relatively nearby, would be St. Paul’s cathedral. This cathedral has the, personally, greatest view of London, of course, after climbing 528 steps (but don’t worry, there’s still an elevator). The pictures speak for themselves.
The Views
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