PaperYarnGirl

Had a fun day in Philly with Chris and the girls. A few weeks ago, a friend alerted us to a great deal on a family membership to the Franklin Institute, along with two free tickets to the Cleopatra exhibit. We took the deal, added the extra tickets needed, and today was the day. Unfortunately, Emilee was busy with skate practice and a birthday party, so she wasn’t able to come along.

We hit the road by 8 AM, and we arrived at the museum around 11:30. We grabbed a quick bite to eat, and visited a few of the exhibit halls. The girls had been here before, so mostly they looked at the stuff that interested them, and we skimmed a whole lot of it. They were glad to have their dad with us… many of the times we’ve traveled, he’s had to stay at home, so this was a nice treat!

The girls and I went through the Cleopatra exhibit while Chris went off on his own. I loved the displays. There was a individual audio tour for each person, narrated by Cleopatra telling her story in her own words. I didn’t know much at all about her life, so I learned a lot. The items we saw were so beautiful. One of the primary archaeologists is the same man who worked on Tut’s tomb and family origins. We had watched a mini-series about that research a few months ago, and we all decided that if they produce a series about Cleopatra and the discovery of her tomb (along with Marc Antony, and which they feel they are close to finding), we will definitely watch!

In one large hallway, Rachel spotted clocks that were set with times from around the world. Of course, we had to grab a shot of the New Zealand clock! We immediately uploaded it to Facebook, and Lynette was quick to respond that the time was an hour ahead… maybe Daylight Saving Time as it messed up?

Our family membership gives us free access to the sky bike, which is this weird weighted contraption of a bike that runs across the open atrium area. I am afraid of heights, but figured that being strapped in, having the nets under me… how bad could it be? Oh. Mah. Gawsh. I thought I was dying. I got only 1/3 of the way out before I was really freaking out. It rocks a bit, and I was certain that I was going to tip over and fall out. I tried to close my eyes and gain my senses, but I just got dizzier with my eyes closed! I came back in, and was a total wreck with adrenalin and sweat and mild panic!!! Now that I know what the sensation feels like, I might try it again next time we go, but not today!

We visited with Ben… Becky got a great photo of them together, and at one point, we watched a colorful light display in this large hall while a short movie about Ben Franklin’s contribution an inventions played in various places on the surrounding walls.

Once we were done with the Institute, we drove around Philly a little while, including a drive by Independence Hall. We grabbed some dinner on the way out of town, and the girls crashed into bed when we finally arrived home. All in all, a fun day!