The ROM

We finally made it down to the ROM to check out the terracotta warriors.  It was an interesting exhibit that I probably saw 1/8 of.  I took Kate on a speed walk so that Ken could take his time and absorb and discover.  If you are unfamiliar with the terracotta warriors, it's a really interesting story, one that Ken could tell better than I but hey, here goes.  The emporers of China were not only concerned with power and prestige in this life, but also in the world to come.  The planned their buriel tombs - somewhat like the pharoahs of Egypt.  The terracotta warriors were discovered by a farmer in 1974.  The First Emperor of Qin in 210-209 BC had over 8000 warriors sculpted out of terracotta and then had them buried with him - the replicas, not the real dudes.

I always find it such an incredible experience to be in the presence of history, whether it's visiting an actual site or seeing an artifact.  In this case it's even more amazing because of how far they came - through time and geography, for me to see.

Kate enjoyed the replicas of the horses in the exhibit but the real fun lay upstairs.  After seeing the condensed version, Kate and I made our way to the dinosaurs.  Enjoyable yes, but they couldn't hold a candle to all of the different "stuffed" animals.  The kids discovery zone is awesome, and Kate had lots of fun.