Visiting Cosmonauts At The London Science Museum

This is something I meant to post weeks and weeks ago so I apologise for talking about Christmas when it’s the last thing anyone want’s to think about right now. 

I apologise for writing about this post so close to the Cosmonaut exhibition closing. You still have 6 weeks if you want to see it (and you should). I know later on I’m going to complain quite a lot about it. If you have any interest in the space race Cosmonauts is something you have to see.

COSMONAUTS AT THE LONDON SCIENCE MUSEUM

My dad is currently working down in England so at the start of December I took the train down to visit him and to go to the Cosmonauts exhibition at the London Science Museum.

So my weekend started off with me heading to Birmingham where I was supposed to meet my dad, however there is something you need to know about my dad. He’s always late. So I got to Birmingham to find out he wasn’t actually in Birmingham yet. Obviously I did the thing all good book nerds do, I went looking for a book shop.

BOOK SHOPPING IN BIRMINGHAM

So can we just talk about how confusing Birmingham city center is, and it was so busy, like I know it was running up to Christmas but I didn’t realise how busy it would be on a Friday afternoon. Maybe I’m just used to Glasgow where it’s never that busy even around Christmas time.

Anyway I found Waterstones which I think had just been opened. Even that was busy (something I’m definitely not used to).

Of course I ended up buying two books and while I was paying I was talking to the book seller about pretty covers and he convinced me to buy The Fox and The Star as well.

I should mention I was planning on buying it anyway but he offered to give me it for half price so obviously I took the deal. Eventually my dad turned up and we went to Handmade Burger Co for dinner (omg it was so good).

COSMONAUTS: BIRTH OF THE SPACE AGE

On the Saturday we headed down to London and the Science Museum. It’s been a long time since I was last at the Science Museum, my family used to really enjoy spending a day there. But it felt like it has become a little run down.

Some of the exhibits haven’t changed at all since I was last there. Others didn’t have much to look at and large parts of the museum were under construction. It was a little disappointing to be honest, but it may have just been the wrong time of year.

The Cosmonauts exhibition was good but it didn’t amaze me. I had read a review somewhere which basically said that the exhibit would change how you saw the planet and your place on it. So it was good but not that good. To be honest I would go just for the Russian space propaganda because some of that was really beautiful.

Okay I’ll stop complaining now, the Cosmonauts exhibit really was very interesting. They had an actual Soyuz capsule that had been in space, you could see all the scratches and scuff marks from it coming back to Earth.

One thing that really surprised me was the size of the thing. It’s tiny. And they managed to fit three grown men inside. Along with all the other stuff you need to stay alive in space.

SPACE DOGS

Another thing I need to talk about was the story of the Russian space dogs: Laika, Belka and Strelka. Now I know what the dogs did was really important in the space race. But the animal lover inside me was totally not okay with the scientists basically using the dogs as lab rats. Especially since they sent Laika up there knowing she was going to die.

After spending way too much money in the gift shop we headed to the Waterstones at Piccadilly Circus. I literally can’t stay away from this shop.  

A little tip, if you’re ever in London and want to find somewhere quiet for a break. Go to the cafe/ bar in the basement of the Waterstones in Piccadilly. It’s one of the nicest cafes I’ve been in. And the slice of cake I got was like the size of my face. Seriously, that photo doesn’t do it justice, it was huge.

WATERSTONES, PICADILLY CIRCUS

And after that we headed home and I went back up to Scotland. I won’t even get into my dad trying to convince me to skip college so I could spend more time with him. Oh and I nearly forgot about the book haul because obviously I went and bought more books.

BOOK HAUL

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.
Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A Heinlein.
The Bone Dragon by Alexia Casale.
The Sand Men by Christopher Fowler.
Mort by Terry Pratchett.
The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien.
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson.