An English Girl in London

Before I came back to England this time I decided that I would treat the country as a new one for me. Usually I come home and feel all weird about not knowing what is going on, forgetting how things work and not knowing where anything is, since it has all moved. So I came to London with the intention of being a tourist. And so far it is working out really well. I am doing lots of things that I haven't done before, been to places I have never been to and not getting annoyed at the tourists since I am one myself.

And I think that I do look like a tourist here, with my A-Z firmly clutched in my hand, my green sunglasses, camera firmly lodged in the other hand and smiling (always a dead giveaway).

Yesterday I went to the British Museum, home to lots and lots of stuff variously plundered, pillaged and nicked from a mulitude of countries. I have never been there before. I got out of the tube at Tottenham Court Road and walked round to Russell Square. I could see the museum ahead of me but spotted something out of the corner of my eye..... the bibimbab cafe!

Wow, real Korean food. They even had kimbap. But I had just had my lunch so I just checked out the menu. And was disgusted to find that they charge extra for kimchi! And extra again if you want soup... not like home at all. I turned my nose up at their choice and headed into the museum.

I decided not to get a map or a guidebook and just set off into the museum. Wandered through galleries full of statues and bits of pyramids. I saw the Rosetta Stone, the stone that finally cracked the code of the hieroglyphics, well I saw the side of the stone as I couldn't get to the front of it for all the Japanese tourists crowded around.

I went up some stairs and realised that I would never find what I was looking for at this rate.

I was looking for the marble statues from the Parthenon in Athens, sometimes known as the Elgin Marbles, named after the guy that brought them to England. The fact that they are in the British Museum is a source of controversy that rears its head from time to time, most notably during the 2004 Athens Olympics. The Museum has helpfully produced a free leaflet explaining the problem. So I am able to give you some real history for once.

The Parthenon was built nearly 2500 years ago and has been a temple, a church and a mosque. During a siege of the city in 1687, the building was used to store gunpowder, which exploded and scuppered it altogether. Lord Elgin to the rescue, between 1801 and 1805 he removed the remaining statues, with the knowledge of the Ottoman authorities, to London to better protect them. They were acquired by the Museum in 1816 and have been on permanent display ever since. Athens still has some statues and more of them are in the Louvre and the Vatican.

The Greek Government sees the Parthenon as the most important symbol of Greek culture and wants all the statues back. But they refuse to recognise the Museum as the legal trustees of them which makes any kind of talks tricky. Obviously the Museum wants to keep them and says that they are in the best place for their preservation, study and for people to see them. And there you go.

By now I was totally lost in the Americas galleries. It took me quite a while to get back to the beginning, where I bought a map, finally, only to realise that if I had just turned to my left when walking past the statues I had seen before I would have found them. Huh.

The Parthenon Gallery was built especially to house the sculptures and they are pretty impressive, if you can see past the Japanese tour groups that is. I have been to Athen twice, missed the Parthenon once as it was past closing time, made it the second time.

After reliving old holiday memories it was time to head off to something a bit closer to home... the Korea Gallery. Sure enough, coming down some stairs I spotted this door

Could it be? If I just went through that door would all my mates and a welcome tequila be waiting for me, I held my breath and edged closer and sure enough...

nah not really. There was a lot of Korean people in there though. It was so good to hear Korean being spoken. I loved not being able to understand all but getting the odd word. I really wanted to talk to them, with quite a large passion, my heart was thumping at the thought. Then I tried to assemble a coherent sentence in my head and decided that 'I am from England, my name is Helen, I am an English teacher, where is the toilet?' was hardly going to win my any friends. So I looked at the exhibits and basked in not understanding those arouund me, mentally bid them goodbye and went off to look at the mummies.

I had got quite emotional just by being with Korean people so going to see the mummies was not the best plan. I went out to the Great Court, a recent addition to the Museum, a great glass dome.

It was my favourite bit. There was a display there from Mozambique, scupltures made from guns used during the war there.

The Government had been able to get guns back off the people by swapping them for essential items. One village swapped all of their guns for a tractor.

By then I was all Museumed out so I went and met my sister for a couple of pints and some lasagne and chips. Happy days.