V&A Is More Than Venerable and Antique

With public transportation mostly back on line today and the temperature rising, we decided to brave the snow--now turned to ice--and foray to the venerable Victoria and Albert Museum. One of the star attractions of London, it is hard to describe. Arrayed across six floors, it has a large collection of interesting artifacts in many categories, none of which are of worldwide signficance. Yet it may have been the most enjoyable museum we've visited yet. The exhibits hold your interest but there is no rush to see the "show stopper." The attitude of the patrons and the museum staff alike is more laid back about everything from cameras to noise to pace. We barely covered one floor, having spent a lot of time in the sculpture gallery learning the difference between working in marble versus terra-cotta and learning about bronze casting. Scott and Cecily then wandered off to see the special exhibit, "The Magnificence of the Tsars" about the the astonishly rich wardrobe of the Russian Imperial Court, most of which it turns out, was imported from Europe. Laura, Olivia and Meredith toured the Middle Eastern gallery, where they learned about the intricacies of making oriental rugs. Afterwards, we rejoined each other and toured a fascinating gallery of musical instruments, some of which were 400 years old and a metal-working gallery with "to die for" ironwork. I can't really explain the appeal of the place even now; just take our word for it, and bookmark the V&A for a future trip to London.