A Day at the Hopp. I am not a huge fan of museums. The lines, the crowds, the lack of places to sit and water fountains, everything boringly presented in glass cases. There are of course exceptions, such as the Burrell Collection in Glasgow. Located on 360 green acres, the Burrell Collection is a gem of a museum. Burrell collected whole rooms and shipped over the contents. There are benches and water fountains everywhere, and you can play frisbee on the lawn. But most importantly, you have to look for the displays. He collected stained glass windows, and instead of being locked in glass cases, they are actually installed in the museums many windows. He collected persian rugs, and instead of being hung on the wall, they are on the floor where they should be. His collection of Chinese kites hang from the ceilings. Walking through archways, one will find bits and bobs like ancient Iranian signet rings. But not all museums are so well thought out.
     I have been curious about the Hopp Ference Museum of East Asian Art at Andrassy Ut 103. The present temporary exhibition "When the Gates of Asia Opened" document 3 of Hopp's major trips through Asia. There are only 3-4 small rooms full of beutiful items, but it is plenty to keep you occupied for an hour or more. For us, the most amazing item was a small carved ivory piece called "The Eyedoctor." The extraordinary detail, from the carefully folded kimono, the way the woman's hands are held in her lap, the expression on the doctor's face, and the way the doctor holds one of her eye's open with his fingers, was astounding. We kept on going back to the little statue and finding new interesting details. I am looking forward to going back in the spring because it is supposed to have a superb garden. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-18
     Besides the large National Museums, Museum of Applied Arts, etc., there are tons of small ones like the Telephone Museum, Pharmacy Museum, and the Pipe Museum in Ibafa (just ask any Hungarian about tongue-twisters and you will get an earful about the Ibafa fapipa...).