Museums of Dubai - Wander with Nada

My previous post included photos from the souks I visited with Nada from Wander with Nada.  Not only did we visit several markets, but we also visited two museums and took a little boat ride.  Dubai isn't really known for its museums.  I definitely recommend a stop at The Women's Museum at Bait Al Banat and The Dubai Museum and Al Fahidi Fort.  Both of these are small but important.  Throw in a boat ride on a traditional abra across the Dubai Canal and you see why this walking tour was the highlight of my time in Dubai. 

Victoria & Albert Museum

When I first got my new Nikon I decided to take it to the V& A Museum for a little practice run.  The V&A is one of the first museums that I visited in London and one of my favorites.  I also love that you can take photographs.

Three Museums in Dunkirk, France

We've covered the Beaches and Cuisine of the ABC's of Dunkirk.

Today it's time to cover the Art.  We visited three very different museums in Dunkirk.

Memorial du Souvenir - Dunkerque War Museum

Obviously after playing such an important role in WWII, there has to be a War Museum in Dunkirk.  It's a small museum but definitely worth a visit for just a few euros.  It focuses on the Battle of Dunkerque and Operation Dynamo.  It's run by very knowledgeable volunteers who are eager to tell the stories of the collection.  There is a film in both French and English that tells the story of the massive evacuation from the French perspective which was really interesting.

FRAC Nord-Pas de Calais

Dunkirk was once a busy shipbuilding port but until recently many of the docks and industrial buildings sat empty and derelict.  This massive structure built in the 1940's became known as "the cathedral" and was selected to become the new home of this contemporary art museum.  The cavernous building has been cleaned up but still sits open and empty.  Alongside of it they've built a new lightweight structure made of concrete, steel beams, corrugated sheeting and air filled layers of plastic that mirrors the old warehouse perfectly.  The contemporary art collection was interesting but the new building was truly amazing.  It's open and airy, massive and stark with wonderful views into the beautiful older structure that was its inspiration and the sea on the other side.

The Port Museum

This was my favorite.  It's one of the most well-presented museums I've visited.  It's located in a 19th century industrial building in the historic Citadel area and encompasses the extensive maritime history of Dunkirk. The museum is also home to three amazing ships that you can explore.  We went aboard the Duchesse Anne which was once a naval training vessel that was given to the French as part of the war reparations in 1946.  She's been entirely refurbished and is beautiful.   There were men climbing up the ropes to make some repairs.  I could just imagine the ship in her heyday with sailors clamoring about.  It's between 3 and 10 euros depending on what you visit.  We also had a few more Jean Bart sightings. Can you spot him?

Dunkirk is also home to the LAAC Contemporary Art Museum surrounding by a sculpture garden overlooking the beach and the MBA Museum of Fine Arts with an extensive and eclectic collection.  We didn't have time to visit during this trip but hope to get back soon.

We had a great evening and day exploring Dunkirk.

It was nice to experience more than just the war history of the area.

There is certainly more to offer.

On Sunday we were off to visit the neighboring town of Gravelines where we 

joined a Giant's Parade.   More on that to come.

What is your favorite type of museum?

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We were the guests of Dunkirk's Office of Tourism for our stay in Dunkirk.
  All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Walk through London's History

When I went on the #MSCBlogCruise one of the biggest perks,

was meeting some really great bloggers.

I was a bit nervous about being alone for this trip.

I got on the plane and sat next to two ladies that seemed to know each other.

I got up the nerve to ask them if they were also bloggers joining the cruise.

Much to my relief they were and I didn't feel alone for the rest of the trip.

And now I have two great new friends.  See, I'm telling you.  Blogging is all about connections.

Emma and Keri run a Travel, Food & Lifestyle blog called Ladies What... 

which they've just relaunched with a brand new look.  It's lovely and I'm very jealous impressed.

A few weeks after the cruise, Emma spent the day with me in London showing me a few new places.

And all of them were free and all within walking distance from each other.

London is covered in Roman ruins.  Many a basement is home to ancient artifacts.

The Guildhall Art Gallery is one such building and is the site of the only Roman Amphitheatre in London.

Two thousand years ago the theatre would have been filled with throngs of noisy spectators

watching gladiators and animals fight to the death.  It will just take a moment to pop in and take a look.

Opening Hours are Monday through Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 12 noon to 4pm.

Our next stop was the Bank of England Museum which was very interesting.

All about money.  We spent about 45  minutes exploring but no photos are allowed.

Currently they are closed for maintenance but will be reopening on March 31st.

Next stop was the Museum of London.

The museum brings the history of London alive from prehistoric days to modern times.

It's located on the ancient London wall.  They have permanent exhibits and also special exhibitions.

It's very kid-friendly.  I was really interested in the area covering the Great Fire. 

The Museum of London is open each day from 10am to 6pm.

All of these places are located in the Financial District and close to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Perfect for a fun, educational and free day out in London.

Have you been to the Museum of London?  What did you think?

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 You can find this review and many others in my
London Attraction Guide.

How not to behave at the British Museum

Since we had several weekends ahead of us with no travel plans,

we wanted to make an effort to visit some London sites that are on our To Do List.

And since I just started a new series with Amy about London and Paris (Cheers, Madame!)

I thought it was the perfect time to add a few more stops to my London Attraction Guide.

London is full of wonderful (and free) museums.

I've often heard people tell me that the British Museum was their favorite and now I know why.

I have a slight confession.  You know when you have an idea in your head about something,

and then you realize that you were completely wrong.  Well, for some reason, I thought the "British" Museum,

was about all things British.  I expected to see bulldogs, the union jack, Beatles memorabilia and red phone booths.  Uhm, yeah.  That's not it.

One Sunday, we spent several hours exploring the halls of this museum that was founded in 1753.

The entire collection contains 8 million objects pillaged collected from all over the world.

But only about 800,000 or 1% are on display to the public.

It's a fascinating place and you could spend many hours exploring.

It was quite impressive to see the Rosetta Stone. 

 In spite of my husband leaning over to whisper,

"That's why that call that language software Rosetta Stone."

Well, thank you, Captain Obvious.  Does he think I don't know this?

(Although, I did inquire where the British teapot collection was.)

It was an extremely crowded day and the Princess Bubble may have been deployed.  Just a bit.

But, seriously.  Do people just not know how to act in a museum?  It was madness.

So while I share some photos of the wonderful sites in this museum,

I'm also going to share some rules about how not to behave in a museum.

Some of them may seem very basic, but you'd be surprised.

#1 - You do not have to take a ridiculous duck-faced selfie with your iphone in front of every single Roman statue.

#2 - Please don't hit me in the back of the legs with your scooter.   I'm trying to get out of your way, just give me a minute.

#3 - Do not go up to the Easter Island statue and yell "Dum Dum want Gum Gum!"

(I may or may not be guilty of this one.)

#4 - Do not giggle and talk in your Beevis & Butthead voice when visiting the Japanese Erotic Art exhibit.

 
#5 - Don't walk around backwards.  Or with your eyes closed.  Or while texting. 

#6 - Please don't race through the museum taking an up close photo of every single object with your iPad complete with a massive cover hanging off of it.

#7 - Please don't touch.  And don't lick the glass cases.  Certainly, don't breathe on them and draw a heart in the condensation.

#8 - Lastly, I realize that you are part of a fifty strong tour group aimlessly following the pink umbrella, but there are other people that are also trying to move through this space.

Let's commiserate.   What museum behavior drives you mad?

The British Museum is free to visit,although they do suggest a £5 donation.

It's open daily from 10am to 5:30pm (late on Fridays.)

Visit the British Museum Website for more information.

 

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You can find this review and many others in my
London Attraction Guide.