To continue with my thoughts on the Museum of World War Two.
Almost every part of the museum was of great interest to me, particularly to see the many things I had only ever seen in pictures or on film. After the Holocaust section - which was much as I had expected even though I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't looking at replicas but at authentic artifacts that had really been used, I found myself in wartime Britain. Churchill's overalls, letters between him and Roosevelt, the D-Day plans. Yes. The real D-Day plans. There were German air-raid maps of London with potential (and actual) bomb sites marked out in red, including places very close to where my mother and her family lived at that time.
Another fascinating section concerned Special Operations and the French Resistance. Tiny tools and gadgets for sabotage. Secret radios hidden in attache cases and biscuit tins. garottes, guns, cyanide capsules, secret maps, parachutes, explosives, blades hidden in shoe heels and knives hidden in sleeves. Then we saw Enigma machines - those complicated coding devices used with enormous success by Germany until one fell into British hands and provided the key to seemingly unbreakable codes. There were also devices provided to airmen to aid them in escape attempts in the event of them being captured. There were miniature compasses hidden in uniform buttons, blades hidden inside pencils sent in Red Cross parcels and maps printed on silk and sewn into uniform linings. The ingenuity was astounding.
I'm less interested in weaponry and warfare per se, so I didn't spend long looking at the Sherman tank or guns or bits of cockpits from shot-down aircraft. There was not as much from the North-African theatre or Italy, but they did have Monty's uniform, which was much as expected. I was surprised to see what to me looked like the uniform of a soldier from a Welsh regiment (because of the Welsh dragons on the collar) marked as a Ghurka uniform. I wasn't so sure of myself as to say anything to the curator, but now I've had a chance to look it up and have found that it was mislabelled, I'll probably drop him a line.
There is so much I haven't written about here and I'm afraid I haven't done justice to any of it. The web site has some pictures which give a taste of what there is to see so I suggest you take a look yourself if you are intrigued. I am so glad we went there. It was a riveting, fascinating visit. We took over four hours to look around and didn't sit down, take a break or have any food or drink in all that time.
Near the end, and rather unexpectedly, there were more of Hitler's belongings. We'd already seen his uniform and reading glasses, but now there was an entire table-setting of monogrammed linens, hand-painted china and Hitler's favourite tea cup.
There was even china, including a broken plate, and a chair which were found in his Bunker. Then there was a strip of blue and white fabric which had been cut from the sofa on which Hitler and Eva Braun are supposed to have committed suicide. It had been brought home by General Patton. The oddest and most unexpected things.
Go and see for yourself: Museum of World War II
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
The best museum that no-one knows about
Last weekend, DH and I spent a fascinating four-and-a-half-hours at a museum unlike any that I have ever visited before.
The story begins with an air of mystery and intrigue. The museum itself has existed for ten years but it's only in the past year that it has begun to advertise itself just a little. I found it purely by chance last November when Googling for museums in the area. I have yet to find anyone else who has heard of it, so it was quite exciting. It's the Museum of World War Two and it's located here:
I'm deliberately being obtuse because the exact location isn't disclosed on the web site and we only received the address because we were granted permission to visit with a date and time, on which to do so. We were asked to state our interest in the museum - that is, we had to explain our reasons for wanting to see the War artifacts on display. After a series of e-mail exchanges it was agreed that we could visit on 8th May, 2010, which coincidentally was the 65th anniversary of V.E. Day.
We already knew roughly what to expect, having studied the web site at some length, but I still wasn't quite prepared for the impact of coming face to face with the genuine (and extraordinarily well-preserved) posters, flags and uniforms from Nazi Germany which were found in the first section of the museum. Signed and handwritten papers and documents and countless small personal items belonging to Hitler, Goebbels and other top-ranking Nazi officials were in display cases, but you could actually reach out and touch the sleeve of Hitler's uniform (I didn't) or an SS officer's hat. I spent long enough in that small section of the museum to begin to see why the German people, after the 1920s depression welcomed what appeared to be better times. At the same time, you could see the darker side. So many things were banned or forbidden. There were enamel signs proclaiming that Jews were not welcome, or that "we greet with Heil Hitler". Such things made me shudder and I imagine that they made some Germans shudder too.
This is an interactive hands-on museum in the sense that many of the artifacts - not replicas - are on open display and the visitor is allowed to pick them up to look more closely. Interestingly, few people did, and very little was touched. It all looked too fragile to me. In the Holocaust section there were two inmate uniforms and some guard uniforms. I was almost afraid to do so, but I picked up and examined the crude wooden soled shoes of a concentration camp inmate and wondered who their owner had been. There were rusty nails in the soles, presumably for reinforcement. The uppers were of stiff, rough leather. Another pair looked like a pair of sandals, and yet another appeared to have been woven from straw and were more like slippers than shoes. In stark contrast the SS guards had handsome black uniforms and weapons which were designed to impress and instill fear. In the same section of the museum is the letter sent to Otto Frank after the war, describing how Anne and her sister died.
More to come...
The story begins with an air of mystery and intrigue. The museum itself has existed for ten years but it's only in the past year that it has begun to advertise itself just a little. I found it purely by chance last November when Googling for museums in the area. I have yet to find anyone else who has heard of it, so it was quite exciting. It's the Museum of World War Two and it's located here:
I'm deliberately being obtuse because the exact location isn't disclosed on the web site and we only received the address because we were granted permission to visit with a date and time, on which to do so. We were asked to state our interest in the museum - that is, we had to explain our reasons for wanting to see the War artifacts on display. After a series of e-mail exchanges it was agreed that we could visit on 8th May, 2010, which coincidentally was the 65th anniversary of V.E. Day.
We already knew roughly what to expect, having studied the web site at some length, but I still wasn't quite prepared for the impact of coming face to face with the genuine (and extraordinarily well-preserved) posters, flags and uniforms from Nazi Germany which were found in the first section of the museum. Signed and handwritten papers and documents and countless small personal items belonging to Hitler, Goebbels and other top-ranking Nazi officials were in display cases, but you could actually reach out and touch the sleeve of Hitler's uniform (I didn't) or an SS officer's hat. I spent long enough in that small section of the museum to begin to see why the German people, after the 1920s depression welcomed what appeared to be better times. At the same time, you could see the darker side. So many things were banned or forbidden. There were enamel signs proclaiming that Jews were not welcome, or that "we greet with Heil Hitler". Such things made me shudder and I imagine that they made some Germans shudder too.
This is an interactive hands-on museum in the sense that many of the artifacts - not replicas - are on open display and the visitor is allowed to pick them up to look more closely. Interestingly, few people did, and very little was touched. It all looked too fragile to me. In the Holocaust section there were two inmate uniforms and some guard uniforms. I was almost afraid to do so, but I picked up and examined the crude wooden soled shoes of a concentration camp inmate and wondered who their owner had been. There were rusty nails in the soles, presumably for reinforcement. The uppers were of stiff, rough leather. Another pair looked like a pair of sandals, and yet another appeared to have been woven from straw and were more like slippers than shoes. In stark contrast the SS guards had handsome black uniforms and weapons which were designed to impress and instill fear. In the same section of the museum is the letter sent to Otto Frank after the war, describing how Anne and her sister died.
More to come...
Counter action!
Just a brief word to let the world know that the counter is back and the sink is where it ought to be! I'm sure you've all heard enough about it so that's all I'm going to say!
Monday, May 10, 2010
The cat and the sink
Our one-year-old cat is very fussy about the source of his drinking water. He will never come when he's called and will hide for hours if even one non-resident person enters the house, but if we turn on the kitchen tap he'll come running for a drink.
The kitchen sink is one of his favourite sitting spots. Not beside it or near it, but in it. He licks at the end of the faucet and waits for someone to fill the kettle or a saucepan, hoping for a drip. Sometimes we let the water trickle for a few minutes and then watch him perform contortions as he tries to get a drink without getting wet. When he's had enough he reclines on the draining board as if it were a velvet pillow.
Recently he was confused when we had a new sink installed because at first there was no tap. He jumped in the sink, quizzically sniffing for the water supply and finding none. Now, because of an error in manufacture, the counter and sink are going to be removed next week, and returned to us two days later as good as new, but with everything moved two inches to the right. There will be a minimum of 48 hours that we will be without sink, counter or tap. I wonder what the cat will make of that.
The kitchen sink is one of his favourite sitting spots. Not beside it or near it, but in it. He licks at the end of the faucet and waits for someone to fill the kettle or a saucepan, hoping for a drip. Sometimes we let the water trickle for a few minutes and then watch him perform contortions as he tries to get a drink without getting wet. When he's had enough he reclines on the draining board as if it were a velvet pillow.
Recently he was confused when we had a new sink installed because at first there was no tap. He jumped in the sink, quizzically sniffing for the water supply and finding none. Now, because of an error in manufacture, the counter and sink are going to be removed next week, and returned to us two days later as good as new, but with everything moved two inches to the right. There will be a minimum of 48 hours that we will be without sink, counter or tap. I wonder what the cat will make of that.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Old sink, new sink
Old sink, with no draining board and manky old tap.
New sink with draining board and new tap...
New sink with draining board and new tap...
...but sink is not in the middle of the cabinet.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Washing-up bowls
If you're lucky you can find a red one and occasionally, if you know where to look, you'll find a round enamel one. However, if you go into your local store to buy a dishpan, this is what you will find. Not very inspiring, is it.
DH dislikes washing-up bowls so from Day One of our marriage I have managed without one - which isn't hard when you have a dishwasher, but can be inconvenient at times. Such as now. Now I have a Corian sink that can't take boiling water directly into it and it's been recommended that I pour such boiling water into a pan in the sink to cool before pouring down the sink. Inconvenient? I should say so, but I can adapt to this new situation with the purchase of a simple, but attractive washing-up bowl. So having been to two or three local stores and found that white one, I thought I'd look online. Guess what? More white rectangles. So, on a whim, I looked for washing-up bowls. I found these.
They are mostly found on British web sites but I found this set on likecool.com, an American site. But they are designer bowls. They can be unfolded, squashed, will change shape and withstand boiling water but they cost $50 each. I like the colours but $50 for a washing-up bowl is a bit extravagant. So I looked for some more.... Well, this is nice. From DrinkStuff.com it's rubber and stainless steel, and £44.99. (That's $68.73 at today's exchange rate!) It's not getting any better is it. Back to Google.
Ahh! Good old IKEA. For $14.99 (£8.99 on IKEA UK)) this handsome BOHOLMEN 'rinsing tub' (US) washing up bowl (UK) can be purchased. Not sure I really want black but it's a bit better-looking than the white rectangle. I think.Monday, May 3, 2010
Fire and water
All this talk of kitchen counters and sink installations has led me to a problem I didn't anticipate (besides the off-centre sink). Apparently, Corian isn't as resistant to heat as I had thought it was. I presumed that Corian and Formica (laminate) were equally heat resistant. For years now, I've taken pots and pans straight off the flame or out of the oven and put them on the counter or in the sink when space and trivets aren't available. It's not that I do it all the time, by any means, but it must be said that I have done it. Now I'm told that I can't do that at all with Corian because it will burn or melt. Not only that, but for the first time in my life I don't have a stainless steel sink so I can't put hot/burning/smoking red hot pans in the sink either! I can't even pour boiling water directly into the sink because there is a risk that it might crack!
This brings me to two unexpected problems. Firstly, I need a heavy-duty trivet (with rubber feet) that is big enough to hold at least two saucepans or one large casserole. Secondly I need a washing-up bowl. Hmm....
This brings me to two unexpected problems. Firstly, I need a heavy-duty trivet (with rubber feet) that is big enough to hold at least two saucepans or one large casserole. Secondly I need a washing-up bowl. Hmm....
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Diminished disgruntlement
Having had a beautiful new Corian counter and sink installed in my kitchen two days ago, then realising the sink was off-centre, I decided that for once I wasn't going to let it go. As my friend pointed out, it's a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, it was custom-made and there is no reason to settle for second-best. So I called the store to explain the problem and they promised to call me the next day
Well, it looks as though Customer Service is going to come through for me. The store manager called me as promised, yesterday afternoon and said I should expect a phone call from the manufacturers / installers. That phone call came half an hour later. The representative said that a difference of two inches is unacceptable and that they would put things right for us. I have asked for them to send someone to look at the problem, and to explain how it can be resolved before they cart off our counter, and I should hear something on Monday.
The interesting thing is that since it is a solid surface counter, I'm told they can cut it and make seamless alterations. Imagine if this had been granite? The upside is that they are willing to put it right and the downside is that they will have to take it away so we will be without a counter or a sink for a couple of days sometime soon.
Further details as they develop....
Well, it looks as though Customer Service is going to come through for me. The store manager called me as promised, yesterday afternoon and said I should expect a phone call from the manufacturers / installers. That phone call came half an hour later. The representative said that a difference of two inches is unacceptable and that they would put things right for us. I have asked for them to send someone to look at the problem, and to explain how it can be resolved before they cart off our counter, and I should hear something on Monday.
The interesting thing is that since it is a solid surface counter, I'm told they can cut it and make seamless alterations. Imagine if this had been granite? The upside is that they are willing to put it right and the downside is that they will have to take it away so we will be without a counter or a sink for a couple of days sometime soon.
Further details as they develop....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
