11.09.2010 National Museum of Scotland

We went to the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh today, which is right in the centre of town near George IV bridge. The building is a very interesting piece of modern architecture attached to an older Georgian building and also houses the popular Tower restaurant. We were hugely impressed with the collection and could not believe how large it is and also, like many museums in Scotland, it is entirely free!
The museum's scope is very broad, it starts with Scotland's geographical history (including lots of rocks, yay!), there are whole floors dedicated to Roman history, early people and  industrial revolution, and there are interactive displays for kids, and let's not forget Dolly the sheep and even a Formula 1 car! Clearly too much to see in one visit.

The highlight for us, and the main reason for going before we knew how great the rest of the museum is, was the exhibition of the Lewis chessmen. The chessmen are amazingly beautiful fist-sized figures carved out of walrus ivory that were discovered in the 1830s on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. They were probably made in Viking Norway around the year 1200 AD, but no one knows for sure and they are unique in the world. The detailed carvings and their expressions are very enchanting, we just couldn't stop looking at them!

Another unique set of items in the museum are the little coffins which were discovered on in a cave on Arthur's Seat around the same time as the Lewis chessmen. Each coffin contains a little carved wooden figure dressed in clothes. How they got there and why is still a mystery, a popular idea is that they represent the victims of Burk and Hare - the two chaps who killed innocent visitors of their inn in order to sell the bodies for use in anatomy classes in the medical science department!

On top of all that (literally!) is the roof terrace with great views of Edinburgh's skyline, and because it is in the centre you feel really close to all the peaks and spires. If not for the contents the museum is worth a visit just for the views!