"Seriously, " thought Ginny, "Isn't there anywhere else this woman should be right now? Considering just how much she hates us tourists, she's making no effort in avoiding us like the plague!"
When they walked inside, the first exhibits they came across were those of the French Provinces, one of them being a single, beautifully carved (and obviously aged) urn . Pride of place in the entrance to the French Room.
Ambrose gaped at a gorgeously carved and ornate Rococo chair.
"Fascinating," he said, obviously in awe.
"Oh it is," Jolene replied, obviously forgetting herself, "a work of art, n'est ce pas?"
"It certainly is."
"It is from the same century as the bed opposite."
It was plainly obvious where Jolene's heart lay as she continued a long lecture on French history, to a rather enthralled audience.
"See this bed?" she paused for effect, "it is reputed to be the one that Marie Antoinette lay upon, before the Revolution that changed this country's history."
There were 'ooohs' and 'aahs' as the other tourists hung upon her very words.
Ginny however, wanted to see a lot more of the exhibits, so she snuck away to join a rather bewildered looking Egyptian tourist, gazing at a large dragon sculpture that took up almost the entire room.
"Makes you wonder huh?" Ginny asked, "how they got it in here in the first place."
The woman turned around, a smile beamed across her face.
"Oh thank goodness," she exclaimed as they greeted one another, "someone who speaks my language!"
Ginny looked confused, but the woman just laughed.
"Sorry," she said smiling, "what I meant was .... oh bum, I'm not very good at making myself clear. I don't mind looking, but that's as far as it goes. I'd much rather see something else... you know???"
Still confused, Ginny just went along with it anyways.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Honeymoon. Plus there's a great Egyptian exhibit around here somewhere."
The woman rolled her eyes.
"Pah!" she scoffed, "I see those on a daily basis, they're nothing to me. But I guess you'll be wanting to see them anyways."
There was a pause before she grinned mischievously.
"I'll tell you what IS worth a look see though," she said pointing upwards to the next level, "the 'Magic Gnome' collection."
"Um, what?"
"Oh go see for yourself, they're just too cute for words. Legend has it that they move around the place, that's why they've been put upstairs, as apparently, they've been messing with the exhibits!"
Magic.... Gnomes. Whatever next?
"They don't move if you look at them, only when there's nobody around. But go check it out, it's worth a smile at least."
"Um, thanks, I'll do that if I've got time."
By the time Ginny had gotten upstairs, Ambrose had moved onto the Egyptian exhibition and was checking out one of the sarcophagi.
The Egyptian woman had been wrong, there were a lot of interesting artifacts to look at here.
But there again, she did live in a country that was steeped in ancient history, probably right outside her back door. So she'd probably look upon it with scorn.
They toured around the other exhibits, from the 'Greek Muse' room, (which was sparsely arranged - there was a sign up saying that due to natural corrosion, a lot of artifacts had to be stored in a controlled atmosphere to preserve them even longer)
Ginny wished she could have visited the vaults to have a look at them, but it was cordoned off to the public and was strictly by appointment only.
To, what had to be the 'piece de la resistance', the mother of all exhibits. This one completely and totally overshadowed the Egyptian exhibit once and for all.
The Terracotta Army, pride of place, here in the museum. Each figure strategically placed to stand guard over the imposing life-sized chariot. It was truly stunning.
After the long trek around the museum/art gallery, Ginny was desperate for the loo.
But, because of the labyrinthine corridors and halls, (and the fact that the bathrooms were centrally placed in the building) The only way to reach them, was to venture outside first.
That's when Ginny's phone rang, she stopped and checked the number.....
*number withheld*
Frowning, she decided to answer it anyways.
"I have been watching you, " the strange woman's voice said, "and from what I've seen, you're exactly what I need. I have a task for you, do you think you'll be up to it?"
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