Monday, November 17, 2008



cK Goes To The ROM!


CK CHECKS OUT DINOSAURS, ANCIENT ART AND MORE AT THE ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM !


It was a day just like any other ordinary day, and I thought, "Why don't I go and see what's new at the ROM?". So, that exactly what I did -- and spent an afternoon discovering one of Toronto's crown jewels for culture.

After walking by groups of teens on a field trip to the ROM, I entered the Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery. There are lots of nice and comfortable couches that invited me to sit and take in the room's ambiance. However, I was not ready to sit, I was ready to explore! So my first venture was into the Chinese gallery, where I saw some very old Chinese statues and entrances to temples. I was amazed at how well they were kept regarding how old they really were.

From there I went up to the second level and investigated an exhibit called "Unbuilt Toronto". Now, I'm a total nerd for this stuff, and I was probably in this room the longest. It showcased all sorts of plans by city developers from the past of proposals for different parts of Toronto that never happened, or still waiting for approval. Lots of fascinating stuff.

After that, I ventured to the Dinosaur gallery and saw some scary creatures that I'm glad I never had to bump into while they were alive! In that same room, I learned that Toronto, was buried under a glacier as recently as 20,000 years ago.

I walked through the bio-diversity areas, looked at some snake skins and the always creepy bat cave. Outside the bat cave and bio-diversity area, there was this area called the "Discovery Gallery" that was targeted mainly for children, but I found it very informative. There was a display that had 3 different Buddha statues and explained that each of them had a different meaning according to their hand positions. These are called MUDRAS. The Mudras represented with the 3 statues on display were: Teaching, Meditation and Prayer. Each Mudra represents an event or teaching from Buddha's life. I found that very educational.

From there, I ventured into the European Galleries where I discovered classic furniture, body armour and art from centuries back.

Always a favourite, I ventured to the Egyptian gallery. I love anything Egyptian, with all the tombs and wall paintings. Of course, it did not disappoint. However, while I was in there, I was running low on time before the meter where my car was parked was going to run out. So I had to hustle and see things faster.

There was one more exhibit remaining that I was not allowed to take any pictures in -- it was "The Nature of Diamonds". An exhibit showcasing one of the most amazing collections of diamonds in the world. There was even a walk-in vault with police and security present where there was some really extra sensitive stuff on display. It really was dazzling and I wish I had more time to spend there.

Alas, I had to go and my day at the ROM was over. It was a blast and on my way out, I managed to get a free poster of a Buddha statue from the ROM's collection just for completing a survey!

posted at on Monday, November 17, 2008 by cK - Category: CrazyKelvin Adventures - 1969 views

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