Mali Losinj

Another hot day, on the island of Losinj.

Today's cultural highlight was a visit to the almost new Museum of Apoxyomenos, which tells the story of the recovery from the sea in 1996 of a bronze Greek statue, from the second century BC.  The statue shows an athlete, looking glum (presumably having lost whatever competition) cleaning his strigil.

The museum had an odd control-freaky approach to admitting visitors. Despite the very plush, spacious reception, tickets had to be purchased from the tourist office nearby, requiring us to show our passports and fork out the price of a decent lunch.  We were then issued with no fewer than 4 pieces of paper, only one of which seemed of any interest to the receptionist at the actual museum.  There, we were issued with overshoes, asked to put bags in a locker but told we could carry a camera. Promising, I thought. That was useful for some shots of the impressive interior of the building but when we had passed though the static display and audio-visual presentation and climbed to the room containing the actual restored statue, I was told by the fierce attendant that no photography was allowed. Leaving the inner sanctum, I did manage a shot of our hero, through an awkward porthole, presumably the architect's grudging acknowledgement of the pointless ban earlier.

An interesting detail: when the statue was being restored, archaeologists found the remains of a nest of mice, who occupied the statue between 25BC and 100AD.  Long-lived mice eh?

Back in the 21st Century, I found a more recent "statue," some classy modes of transport and evidence of a conspiracy in the fish market.