My feet were pretty worn out after the Reina Sofia, but I only have this one day for museums. So first there was a short break for a lunch.
Sardines on toast with tomato
On the corner across the street from the new wing, there’s Cafeteria Pando with outdoor seating. It seemed to be about half locals and half tourists. The dark sardines are oil preserved and the white ones are pickled in a vinegar brine. Very yummy!
But I still have two and a half more hours until the Museo Arqueológico Nacional closed, so I decided to squeeze in another museum visit.
And then even though I was on a roundabout with several buses, I wasn’t sure, even if I found one going to the Archaeological museum, how to pick ones heading in the right direction – because roundabout. And it was a short distance, but would require two transfers to get there by subway. So I took a taxi.
Middle section of a clever timeline visualization for cultures represented in this museumEnd section of a clever timeline visualization for cultures represented in this museum
I was looking with a particular interest in a few research projects:
Front view of earrings and pendants Side view of earrings and pendants, trying to see if there’s anything on the backMuseum label that doesn’t give a lot of detail about these earrings and pendants Oooo look at these earrings with back fasteners!In which someone told me it was impossible for Romans to have had stud-type earrings with a pin and back fastenerMuseum label about bronze plaques of law installed on buildingsLook how thick that is!Oooo writing!So much bronze that was saved and not melted down for reuse!Standardized measurement template!Museum label for the 4th century modius standard measurementOh wow! It’s a whole water pump that not only hasn’t been melted down, but also looks barely corroded.Museum label for the water pumpSo much bronze just lying around the placeOMG it’s a preserved basketMuseum label for the basketsExtant baskets!Twisty rope/cord on this statue of Livia from PaestumMuseum label for Livia from PaestumCloseup of a flat belt that’s twisted and then tied in a nifty knot on a Livia as FortunaCloseup of a flat belt that’s twisted and then tied in a nifty knot on a Livia as FortunaContext of the statue of Livia as FortunaMuseum text for Livia as FortunaFancy Iberian belt on a relief from OsunaMuseum text about the reliefs from OsunaTwo actual beltsMuseum text about the actual beltsA friend is researching beltsMy coworkers will enjoy this display on pigments and dyes Narrow necklace of big chunky glass beadsMuseum label for the chunky beadsString of glass beads and labelBeads!Boxes and their constructionStraps?Tabbed straps?Narrow but straight connectionLooks more like the fabric is rolled than hemmed or taped Pretty typical appearance of sleeves with intermittent buttonsShoulder and sleeve construction
Look at this bronze sculpture! Do these look like sleeves to you? Not from draping rectangles and no evidence of as assist from cords tying into place. I think they might be sleeves.
And then after all that culture, I needed another snack!
A small salad, a sesame bagel with cream cheese, a Lebanese flatbread with honey and zaatar, and a juice concoction.
Magasand Cafe was one of the only reasonably priced restaurants in the neighborhood of the archaeological museum – a neighborhood also full of designer boutiques like the Loeve store, all of them way out of my tax bracket.
This cafe is mostly sandwiches and art magazines. So I ordered a salad! It was an excellent salad, filling and well balanced. I also took a chance and ordered a bagel since they dared to put it on the menu. It was not the platonic ideal of bagel, but way better than I was expecting. Better than most bagels I’ve tried to eat in Boston.
But the most intriguing thing was the Lebanese flatbread with honey and zaatar.
The menu very clearly saying it is honey and zaatarLook at this zaatar! It’s got caraway seeds in it! And maybe five leaves of thyme.
It did not taste traditional to me, but it did complement the salad very well.
