Oxford | A day in the Jurassic

It was a clear but a crisp Thursday morning in January. What a better day for my partner to take baby and I to our near by, and one of our favourite city: Oxford, and discover what this beautiful and full of history this city had to offer.  We made our choice to spend a day mostly in the Jurassic, while scrolling a little bit through Victorian curiosities to giant African animal skeleton and many other wonders. This place was the Oxford University Museum Natural History and this was our main place of choice for that chilly but beautiful sunny day.

This was our first visit. We only been living in the Oxfordshire for about 11 months and the only Natural History Museum, that I know and love, is the extraordinary one based in London, my previous city home.
 I did not know what to expect with the Oxford version but one thing I did not expect its to hear myself say: 'Wow!' as soon as I step into this fabulous museum. What strike me the most its the neo-gothic architectural from the 19th century. Just seeing this beautiful Victorian masterpiece high ceiling was a preview of wonderful things to come.

The museum itself is not huge, comparing to her big sister in London, but their collection is wide, beautiful and take you in a world of wonder that it make all worth it. Each rooms has this ancient Victorian vibe and, I 'll be honest with you, I was almost expecting, at every corners, to see a top hat gentleman with a beautifully Victorian dressed lady at his arm, scrolling up and down the different alleys. 

The museum is divide in many parts offering visitors to experience zoology, entomology & geology. 

Divide in many alleys you'll first be draw to join the African skeletons offering to imagine the scale and beauty of wild animals. This room particularly inspired me to go back to sketch drawing, come back with a pad and few pencils and recreate the beauty of millions of years of evolution right under our eyes. Following the serious and impressive Darwin's statue that invite you to come closer to a world beyond your imagination meeting a tyrannosaurus which have a age of approximately 65 millions years. This ancient animal also invite you to get a closer look at his giant teeth, facial skeleton and before you know it you'll be also discovering his others, and has impressive, friends from the cretaceous to Jurassic time. 

One thing that I would like to mention its the ability for kids to actually touch some of the artefact. My daughter, that is only 1 year old, did enjoy touching different type of fossils and stones. If my daughter already enjoy getting involve at such a very young age then I am very looking forward to take her back in few years time and see her eye wide open with hundred of questions, which her dad and myself, are extremely looking forward to already.

The museum also offer an impressive geology collection which is mainly based on the 1st floor. I always been intrigued and interested in geology from the cause of formation to the atoms mixity etc. 

Also not far away from molecular crystal, monoclinic and triclinic an other world is waiting for you and its the insect world. Especially love by kids (and adults too) looking through the evolution of insect and their strange beauty is mesmerising.

Hours later we left this beautiful building and head for some well deserve FOOD ! Overall this museum is a wonder for all eyes from little ones to big ones. Highly recommended! Partner and I are planning to go back in few months time as it is how much we loved it. Yours...