Twilight at the Museums

One nice thing about England~all the school children have the same breaks! Much is organized around and for these holidays, and we are trying to take advantage of a few. This week is mid-term break, and so we have been keeping busy!

Tonight was "Twilight at the Museums" an event where the museums of Cambridge stayed open late, with their lights OFF, and everyone could come with their torches (flash lights) and explore on a Torchlight Tour. There were activities for the children, and several museums we hadn't seen yet, and so we went~ (Another nice thing about England, the museums are free!)

Our friends the Harris' came with (bringing many extra torches with them, fortunately), and off we went at half-four (4:30) to the Scott Polar Museum first.

Notice the heavy fog~somehow this seemed appropriate, making for a slightly spooky and mysterious late afternoon walk to a 'torch-light' event.


Having read Shackelton, I was eager to see this museum, having been amazed with what he endured on his excursion to the South Pole. The Institute was founded in 1920 in memory of Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his companions who perished while returning from the South Pole. A center for research and information on both polar regions, its library and archives have become one of the most important repositories for Arctic and Antarctic data.


Scott's Antarctic clothes, made out of fox and other animal fur.

This is what you would wear now if you were traversing the Arctic or Antarctic~


Andrew showing us an old-school snowmobile~

Scrimshaw~

I think I want to go back with the lights ON in this museum next time. It was interesting!

At the Museum of Archeaology and Anthropology the children made deer masks (these masks were a copy of the Star Carr Antler masks. A red deer head was found with eye holes in the skull, an early mask from the Mesolithic period)


My "deer" Andrew couldn't resist sucking his thumb!

Jim took this beautiful picture of a restaurant on the Cam River on our walk home~


After a great meal, and Andrew is showing us all the success of another one of Fiona's desserts!