Melancholy Musings

We've all experienced those moments where your flesh tingles with goose bumps as all of your senses are heightened and alert ... I had one of those split second encounters whilst attending the Titanic Artefacts Exhibition in Melbourne (Australia) recently.  The exhibition features items recovered from the oceans depths, and its incredible to believe that some of the items had been laying dormat for 73 years until being re-discovered.  The more delicate items were hosted in temperature controlled glass cases however some items were displayed within the actual cooled environment of the Melbourne Museum.

The moment that reality struck, wasn't whilst viewing the first class rooms or even the third class quarters, the boiler room certainly gave you an appreciation for the working conditions of the men who laboured the massive engines however, it was the ice wall ... it was a replica of the environs that those who had survived all else, would have tolerated - I placed my hand on the wall for a total of 40 seconds - in that short space of time - I started to lose feeling in my hand - it was difficult to even begin to fathom how those survivors could endured such conditions.

So did I survive?

Each "passenger" is given a boarding pass upon entering the exhibit and at the journeys end, you can view the wall of survivors as well as those who sadly perished and see what happened to your passenger - its an unusual way to finish an exhibition ...


... my passenger was one of the survivors.