Nuremberg: Germanisches National Museum: Amazing

Before I put my holiday away entirely I recommend this museum. It is a fabulous glass and steel building which shows off all the exhibits - some priceless - in good light, and inside there is a Carthusian church and cloister, and a cloister courtyard, all part of the museum and a fantastic setting to show off the Christian art and statutory.

One of the amazing exhibits is a tall gold "hat" dating from 10th-9th century BCE.

To me, this is clearly part of sun worship - it indicates a very sophisticated level of craftmanship.

You are allowed to take photos in the museum without a flash. This is one of the statues in the church that I particularly liked for its grace.

St Christopher with the weight of the world on his shoulders

There are many beautiful carvings, statues and paintings, also toys, musical instruments, scientific instruments, household goods and even whole rooms. We went to see all the starred items as a quick way of going around the museum.

One of our fellow tourists, from the far East, conscientiously took photos of absolutely everything. He focused, he shot, he moved on to the next item. He took photos of everything and he looked at nothing.

The National Gallery has now allowed photography so I suppose this sort of experience will be commonplace soon. Sarah Crompton in the Telegraph of Aug. 16th deplored this.

By allowing photography, galleries are betraying those who want to reflect rather than glance. Surrounded by the snappers, they may come to think that this is the acceptable way to consume art: constantly grazing, without any real meal.

For centuries art has been a way of making us slow down and take a moment to examine something in detail. This is not a plea for silent of empty galleries, but for more thoughtful ones. 

I do agree - it's so sad that people don't give themselves time to look and consider - even imagine the lives of those who made or used the object.