SEE: NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

The Natural History Museum is located on Exhibition Road only a few minutes walk from the South Kensington tube station. The Natural History Museum is composed of four zones (red, orange, blue and green) and one Central Hall. The museum focuses on all aspects of natural history from natural forces, evolution, animals, fossils, biology and more... 

For more information about the Natural History Museum, check out their website at: 

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/

I have now visited The Natural History Museum twice, and both times it was absolute chaos. The museum itself is absolutely stunning, (it's one of the largest, most beautiful buildings I have entered into in London) but the museum draws a very young crowd due to it's interactive, animated and colorful nature.

James and I went to the Natural History Museum on a Saturday afternoon back in Week Seventeen, but we left about 3/4th of the way through because we were so overwhelmed. It was Just. So. Crowded!  Kids were running rampant and screaming, strollers were blocking every entrance and exit-- it was a circus; it just wasn't what we had in mind. I just want to see the dinosaurs dammit!  Granted, we were silly to think that going to a popular museum on a Saturday was a good idea, but it was James' first weekend available and we wanted to do something touristy. Eh, you live you learn.

Guys! That is a Giant Sloth! Can you believe it?!

*I only edited pictures from the more mature and relaxing portion of the museum.

I was committed to finishing the museum. Like I've said before, I am particular about seeing every room before closing the book on a museum; I felt that I left in some type of limbo. I wanted to finish viewing the NHM in its entirety before writing this post, but I confess, it took me six whole weeks to get up the balls to go back and tackle that thing.

I decided to go back on a Thursday; surely it would be a more relaxing experience...

NOPE! 

Thursday's are for school field trips with ADHD elementary students, grandparents babysitting children with separation anxiety and non-English-speaking tourists that don't understand the sign that says "NO STROLLERS PAST THIS POINT." Lucky me!

You know that scene from Independence Day  with Will Smith where the scientist gets attacked by the alien and has him pressed up against the glass window?? Well, the president asks, "Can there be a peace between us?" And the alien says, "Peace... No Peace." 

Yeah, that's what should come to mind when thinking about visiting the Natural History Museum. If you don't know what I'm talking about you and Click Here: For the Independence Day Clip. 

Anywayzzzz-- I made my way through the Dinosaur and the Darwin exhibit and quickly fled the scene.

 Overall Experience: Be prepared for chaos! I wouldn't suggest this museum to people or couples without children. It wasn't anything like the peaceful experiences I had at the British Museum, V&A Museum, the Wallace Collection or Saatchi Gallery. Maybe one day I will return with children of my own, but until then, I will probably never step foot in that building again.

Click Here: For more pictures from the Natural History Museum!

SEE: SAATCHI GALLERY

The Saatchi Gallery is located in Chelsea, just a few minutes walk from Sloane Station. The gallery is known for it's selection of contemporary artwork and it's reputation for launching new careers. 

The minimalistic layout is easy to navigate and the nice thing is, you really only need one-two hours to leisurely walk through the entire gallery. 

If you're interested in abstract, contemporary or modern art, this place is for you!

For more information about the Saatchi Gallery go to:

http://www.saatchigallery.com/

These next two pieces were my favorite... Can you guess why??

I am a HUGE Tom Hanks fan! I can recognize those eyes anywhere!

This last picture is of an installation that is the only permanent installation at the Saatchi Gallery. I won't explain it or tell you what it is... You will just have to go and find out for yourself!

Afterwards, I treated myself at the Gallery Mess bar and absorbed all of what I had seen.

Overall, it was a very relaxing experience and I would go back again.

For more pictures from the Saatchi Gallery, CLICK HERE!

SEE: V&A MUSEUM

The Victoria & Albert Museum is one of the largest museums in the world. It holds 4.5 million permanent objects of decorative art and design. Thanks, Wikipedia! 

The museum is located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in a heavy museum-populated area, so it is really easy to find. Other museums that are in the area are the Natural History Museum, Royal Albert Hall, and Science Museum.

It's a really nice area in general so I would suggest going on a nice day, start early (the museum is going to take a while to walk through) and then go out and explore the area.

I like to give myself plenty of time at these museums. I have yet to go with a friend because I like to walk at my own pace and I enjoy the peacefulness of being in my head for a while!

I am very methodical when walking these museums. I refuse to leave before I walk into/through every, single room. I want to make sure that I don't miss anything. I use a map and put an 'X' on every room I enter and then I KNOW that I am finished with that level and can move on to the next.

The V&A has seven different levels; six of which I completely walked (the fifth level is board rooms and such). The museum is split up into five sections: Exhibitions, Asia, Materials & Techniques (Ceramics, Fashion, Ironwork, Jewellery, Silver, Paintings, etc...), Europe and Modern (20th Century). 

I was not as interested in the Ceramics, Glass, Ironwork. I think I sped through the sixth floor, which was all ceramics and furniture. I really enjoyed the seeing fashion and clothes through the ages, sculptures, paintings and jewelry the most.

One thing I found unique, yet did not partake in, were the interactive/hands-on exhibits. There were tons of these stations where you could try on clothes, draw, research online, etc. There were a lot of students and organized groups going through the museum; it makes learning much more enjoyable!

I watched THIS VIDEO! to get an idea of what I needed to keep a look out for. I didn't want to skim over a famous piece of art in the museum since they don't advertise that such pieces are more special than others.

Even though I tried my best, I probably only saw/took pictures of half of the pieces listed on that video. There is just so much to look at, it's nearly impossible to see it all in one trip. 

This is random, but I was surprised at the extent of the large collection of religious artifacts this museum had. Maybe it's my fault for not doing research before hand, religious artifacts aren't really my thing, but my mom would love it. 

Anywayzzzz... 

Something that is "special" or famous to someone else might not catch your eye or inspire you in the same way. That's why I just take pictures of things that move me in some way, shape or form. 

To each their own!

I read somewhere that travelers or sightseers should insert themselves in their pictures, otherwise you can just find the same picture online. So that's what I'm doing! #selfiecentral

For more pictures of the V&A Museum, CLICK HERE!