Around the World In: Awesome Museums

Everyone loves a good museum, right? These are some of my favourites from around the world.

1. The Natural History Museum, London

The British Museum might be the most visited museum in London, but the Natural History Museum is my favourite. It helped to foster my childhood love of the natural world and remains a brilliant place to this day.

Best visited later in the afternoon and during the week when there are less people around, especially if you want to see the famous Dinosaur Gallery.

2. National Museum of Ireland, Dublin

There's a few branches of this wonderful museum and I'd recommend the archaeology building and the slightly creepy Dead Zoo for a start. The archaeology section has some amazingly well preserved bog bodies that are worth checking out so long as you're not squeamish.

And if you can cope with vast cabinets of stuffed animals staring down at you, the Dead Zoo is amazing. Creepy, but amazing.

3. Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau

Situated just across the river from Canada's lovely capital city, Ottawa, this sprawling museum is an amazing introduction to the history of Canada, from the people of the First Nations all the way through to the present. Hoping to revisit this when I head back to Canada in the summer.

4. Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington

New Zealand's national museum is a deceptively huge place and it's easy to lose a day in here without really scratching the surface of the collection. Highlights include a gallery charting the changes in the wildlife of the islands and a small collection of musical instruments, both traditional Maori and Pacific Island and some more familiar to Europeans.

 

5. The Louvre, Paris

Probably the most famous museum in France and to date the only one I've visited. Home of the Mona Lisa among numerous other amazing artworks. And if you're into the faux-conspiracy of Dan Brown's books, the Louvre is big in that too.

What are your favourite museums? Got any unusual collections to share? Why not let us know in the comments below.

Destination Daydreams: Quebec

Destination Daydreams has returned from the haze of Christmas and New Year and this time I'm looking at the beautiful Canadian province of Quebec. Enormous, as is much of Canada, with the population concentrated in the south and the wilds stretching away to the north. Oh, and predominantly French-speaking. Better get brushing up on the French I learned at school...

So, where to go?

Cities

I've got a week or so currently set aside to explore a little of the province so where should I go? Well, Montreal is certainly an obvious option. One of the biggest cities in Canada, packed full of culture - what's not to like? Well, apart from the fact that I'm not over-fond of big cities. I'm willing to forget about that though because SO.MANY.MUSEUMS. So, let's say I spend 3 or 4 days in Montreal overdosing on culture.

Where next? Quebec City. By bus or train - prices seem to be relatively similar at this point. Perhaps I should take the train and make the most of a little comfort while I can. After all, later on in the Canada stretch of my trip I'll be taking buses across the vast emptiness in the centre of the country. More on that in a later post.

Anyway, Quebec City. Looks like a quaint little place, full of beautiful old architecture. Maybe a nice place to unwind for a couple of days? I'd like to see if I can get out into the countryside around it as well, perhaps find a more outdoorsy activity. Canoeing would be lovely. I like a nice paddle - somewhere nice and calm where I can float along in peace. Ahh.

More museums... in another city

From there, I'd like to revisit Gatineau. I took a trip to what was then called the Canadian Museum of Civilization while on holiday with my parents. Now the Canadian Museum of History, it was the only time we got into Quebec and I'd love to go back to the Museum and explore the city some more. It's just the other side of the river from Ottawa and would provide an excellent gateway for the Ontario leg of the trip.

I mean, look, this museum is amazing. Even my dodgy photography of my even dodgier 2007 photography can show that...

I'm still researching other places to visit in Quebec, but I have to admit that I'm a bit limited by my lack of transport. Buses and trains can only get me so far, after all. That said, I'm also going to have to keep a close eye on how much time I spend in Canada, since I've got a fixed date for meeting up with my mother and sister in Vancouver. Oh, decisions, decisions!

If you could go anywhere in Quebec, where would you go? Do you think a week or so is enough time to really appreciate the province or should I stay longer? Let me know in the comments below.