Victoria and Albert Museum

As a Londoner presently wintering in Arizona wanted to share a real oasis we discovered in the V&A just before leaving for the States. A recently re-opened and restored area which were the original dining rooms when the Museum first opened. Three beautifully restored rooms which form part of the Level 1 Cafe area available for dining. The selection of food was quite extensive, well prepared and quite inexpensive by English standards! Pick out what you want at the different stations, pay for it, help yourself to chilled water and then pick which of the 3 rooms to enjoy it in.

Also, take the opportunity to visit the also newly opened Jewellery Gallery - its upscale, like walking into Tiffany's in New York!

Many years ago, when these London museums had admission charges I used to rush in after 4:00 pm for quick peek when they were free for an hour before closing. Ah those penny pinching days!!!

Now there is no excuse not to visit a museum that seems to have the largest collection of diverse exhibits in the world. From the earliest Dyson vacuum cleaners to Posh & Becks wedding dress, it has been displayed here.

The V&A is eclectic and expansive but you get a sense of direction at level 1 which has art and design from India, China, Japan, Islamic arts that then takes you into European art.

On level 4 you will find the British galleries section that features the famous The Three Graces.

You will need a map to help you navigate around the museum and they have free frequent guided tours. As with many of these big museums you will not be able to see it all, but do take time to appreciate what you can see.

To see Leonardo da Vinci's original drawings close up (and actually amazingly close up!!) fabulous.

To trudge down one wall then another, jostling for position (there is really only room for two people at each page, even if they squish together), frequently held up by people listening to the audio guide, not so fabulous. The layout could definitely use a rethink.

The biggest disappointment was the works on display - don't get me wrong, to see some of the inner workings of the great man's mind was incredible but we all went there to see the drawings of the parachute, helicopter and flying machines or the Vitruvian man.

None of these were there, despite being recreated in models throughout the lobby or in the computer graphic displays on the walls of the exhibition (and copiously represented in the goods for sale in the exhibition shop).

The text associated with the works was at best dull, at worst incomprehensible. I have a science degree and even so found deciphering the captions for the non-scientists I was with difficult.

Very few of the texts contained examples of the original script (which as da Vinci wrote in mirror script you cannot really read by yourself) and NO attempt was made to relate anything to real life or to place it in context 'this was the first time that anyone had discovered x,y,z...'

All in all we were very disappointed, slightly in awe of the works themselves, but also in awe of how badly the exhibition was put together!