Wed, 9 March 2016, 4:57 pm: I didn’t see every floor of London’s Science Museum, but a lot of what I did see was travel-related. And I wasn’t even trying!
The layout of this place seems a bit random. Walk around enough and you’ll also see:
To me the best part of the museum is the temporary exhibitions, for which you pay admission but generally get your money’s worth and more. You’d only pay to see one of these collections if it was devoted to a particular interest of yours, so it’s money well spent.
There were two limited time displays during my visit. I lingered in the “Cosmonauts” collection long enough to eliminate the possibility of also seeing the Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition. I wasn’t tempted to rush the Soviet space stuff and do both. I’d have had to pay twice then; plus, I’ll be in Florence this summer and can have my fill of Da Vinci museums there. See, every day of every Europe trip comes down to choices.
Those are a couple of stills of the Wonder Wheel featured in this video posted on the actual day of my visit. Man, I was on the ball (on the wheel?) to be actively scanning and posting videos in the midst of my big adventure. The wheel dominates the center of the building, so from where I stood to take these pictures you can see the main entrance, the border of the temporary exhibition space, and the edge of every floor of the museum.
The museum is free, though some staff as you enter reportedly pressure you for donations. If you want to fork over the “suggested” five pounds, make sure you’ve got enough leftover for any short-term specialty exhibitions catching your eye, which DO carry an official admission charge.