Vikings and a little Japanese culture

It was cool and overcast this weekend, so Heather and I didn't get to the beach. Instead, we took part in a little culture around town, something we haven't done for a while. Our first stop of the day was the Maritime Museum, hosting a
special exhibit on the Vikings. Overall, we felt there was too many replicated pieces and not enough original work in the exhibit, but I guess original Viking artifacts are in short supply. One interesting item was this chess piece, a berserker. We learned that he doesn't have buck teeth, but is chewing on his
shield. The berserkers did this as part of their routine to drive themselves into a frenzy before going into battle. One of the few hands-on pieces was this helmet that I am considering aquiring for all future CityRail bus rides. The exhibit made a big deal about real Vikings not having horns on their helmets, but I bet you can guess which
style they were selling in the gift shop.
After the museum, we happened upon a Japanese festival. That's the great thing about this city: there is always something going on. We heard music and watched traditional dances. We even had the chance to participate, but we both chickened out, each
claiming we wanted the other to dance and pose for pictures. The highlight of the show was a large group from a local school. We were specifically focused on these two little kids who were very entertaining. The girl was very excited about dancing for an audience, even if she wasn't always on cue. The boy seemed pretty uninterested in most of the dancing, other than the jumping parts. All in all, it was another entertaining day in the city.