I have to give snaps to the employees and/or patrons of London’s Natural History Museum. Not only is the museum an extraordinary experience (we’re talking giant redwood slabs, an unbelievable collection of animal and plant specimens, and about a million other things I didn’t have time to see), but it also managed to save me from a potential disaster.
After a long day of walking around every exhibit in the museum and a quick visit to the Victoria and Albert Museum, I decided to head down to Hyde Park for a little break. I thought I’d sit down under a tree and let the world go by while my feet healed up a bit. While lying on the ground, I thought the view of the tree and the sky would make a nice picture (for this blog, actually!). I dug into my purse and found there was no camera – it was missing! A wave of panic hit me as several thoughts rolled through my mind: Oh, my God a pick pocket got to me! It’s only the third day – What am I going to do for the rest of the month without a camera? Did I leave it in one of the museums? The only cute picture I have of one of my dogs is on the memory card inside the camera, (long story on this one, but in short, one of my dogs takes absolutely horrid pictures).
After dumping my purse three times, one must be sure after all, I pretty much decided it was gone and there was no getting it back. But there is always that need to do something when bad luck strikes. Instead of throwing in the towel, I got up and headed back to the Natural History Museum with the hope that someone turned it in to lost and found. It was a long shot at best, but worth a try.
The museum was 3 minutes away from closing when I arrived. They weren’t letting anyone in the doors, but I explained my situation and the doorman kindly let me in and showed me to the guest services desk. The man behind the desk asked me what my camera looked like and how many megapixels it had. As it happens, I had all the right answers for the camera he had in his hand! By some miracle, someone picked it up and turned it in, just as a I had hoped. Seriously, what are the odds of that occurring?? Everything was certainly stacked against me, yet there I was happily reunited with my camera. My sincere thanks to the anonymous individual who not only found it, but was thoughtful enough to turn it in. So many others would have kept it for themselves.
In honor of the Natural History Museum, here’s a picture of the main lobby. It’s an impressive building that is as much a sight as everything it holds, (Click on picture for a full size view).
Now, lets just hope I didn’t use up all my luck in one shot! More pics and posts to come. My muse is singing loudly and I’m writing as much as I can.
C.B. Wentworth 