Since we are finishing out The Metropolitan Museum of Art I should tell you that unless you are going to spend your whole vacation here; there are two recommended ways to see the museum, either take advantage of the museum’s highlights tour which is several times throughout the day or pick up a map in the entry hall and concentrate on the areas of interest to you. Today we begin with an era in which opulence reigned supreme. This bed in particular reminds me of the movie Dangerous Liaisons, I personally would be thrilled to wake up in something like this every morning.

While this day room is absolutely gorgeous; what struck me as most amusing is the dog house, if you look in the corner between the two pairs of chairs you will see a small pet palace for the spoiled dogs of the time.

“I love gooooold!”, yes, the memorable words of Austin Power’s Gold Member were what popped into my head when I peered into this room. I couldn’t help but giggle at the thought and wonder if anyone else had ever had the same thought while looking into this exhibit.

You have to adore the eloquence of this table setting, from the gold silverware and maid and cherub salt and pepper shakers to the small purple dragon staring back at you from the center. Although it is said to be a rumor and that she never really uttered the words, I could not help but think, “Let them eat cake.”.

As I crossed through the Greek and Roman halls I passed this statue of Perseus with the head of Medusa. This has always been one of my favorite pieces of mythological literature, seeing it through the eyes of the people whom the story belonged to made the imagery that much more vivid.

Salvador Dali is one of my favorite artists, I came across this painting crossing from one area to the next and had never seen one of his most renowned works but rather had only seen prints; to suddenly be standing in front of it and realize that the piece is actually huge and even the woman in the corner was bigger than me, was simply breath-taking.

Now we have arrived at the Rooftop Gardens, it is a peaceful place above the hustle and bustle of the city where there are several views of the skyline above the grandeur of Central Park.

The sight of all the tree tops between you and the skyline truly gives you a sense of how big the park is.

It was a wonderful place to stand and enjoy the peace of a city that is known for its constant movement.

I hope that you have enjoyed our foray into the museum and that someday you get to experience all of its wonders and treasures for yourself.

We are still roaming around The Metropolitan Museum of Art this week, it is a museum that attracts more than five million visitors a year which is actually more than any other place in New York City. With as fond of Ancient Egyptian culture as I am I spent quite a bit of time in that area. While I knew beforehand that mummies were in sarcophagus upon sarcophagus it intrigued me to see them displayed like this, it reminded me of Russian Matryoshka Dolls.

In ancient Egypt blue was symbolic of the sky, water and also the Nile, Amon was often shown with a blue face to symbolize his creation of the world; by extension the Pharaohs were often shown with blue faces as well.

On a different level were these two magnificent statues with the arched entries behind them, it is completely awe-inspiring to stand next to something that has been around for thousands of years.

This is a closer view of the ancient archways and in the second one you can see the tops are carved like lotus blossoms; both blue and white blossoms were sacred and were associated with beliefs concerning death and the afterlife.

As you entered the archways you can see the many hieroglyphs carved onto them and you are very appreciative both the time and effort that went into these beautiful designs.

Who doesn’t love a Sphinx? In ancient Egypt Sphinx’s were benevolent mythical creatures that were thought of as a guardians and often flanked the entrances to temples and tombs.

As we move out of Egypt I had to get a picture of this mosaic fountain, the vibrancy of its colors and the depth they created were simply astounding.

When I was a teenager my mother bought me a poster that was of this Tiffany Stained-glass, as I was walking by it I was so taken by how amazing it looked when lit up from behind and while I love all things Tiffany; this will forever hold a special place in my heart.

This gate was magnificent in both size and structure but what came to mind immediately for me was, “Boy, I bet my parents wish they’d had something like this to keep me from sneaking out when I was in high school!” … heeheehee!

Next time we will continue with a different era in time, when powdered faces and fake beauty marks were all the rage.

Since I have dedicated the posts this month to New York City, this week we are going to the museum and not just any museum but the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere. With nearly all the world’s cultures on display it is impossible to see all of the museum in one day.

Upon entering we start with the Tomb of Perneb because Egypt holds a special place in my heart. He lived during the 5th dynasty under the reigns of Isesi and Unis. Perneb means “My Lord has come forth to me”, he was a court official whose function was to robe and crown the king.

From Saqqara, north of Pharaoh Djoser’s step pyramid; this exhibition a gift from Edward S. Harkness, serves to convey to visitor’s the intimacy of Perneb’s court, which was both a private and sacred space.

Sekhmet, do you know why you always have to have two statues of Sekhmet? She is so temperamental you never know whether she is in a good or bad mood; so you keep two in hopes that if one is in a bad mood the other is in a good mood.

On papyrus this depiction of a subject bearing gifts for the queen was incredibly well-preserved, the colors have probably not changed much since it was first created.

Ah Bast, one of my very favorite goddesses, I joke that she favors me because for the longest time kitties kept showing up on my door and I would have to foster them and find them homes.

This display made me laugh because it reminded me because it made me think of Sesame Street’s song “One of these kids is doing their own thing, one of these kids is not the same…”.

Canopic Jars were used to store the lungs, liver, stomach and intestines of Egyptian mummies; the heart was considered to be the seat of the soul so it was left inside the body.

Ra, the Egyptian sun-god, identified primarily with the mid-day sun. It was believed that Ra created all life forms, calling them into existence by whispering their secret names; however, humans were created from his sweat and tears. This is only one representation of his variety of forms.

Since the sun set here long ago, I am going to sleep but we will soon continue our journey.