we lived to tell the tale

So today Mike and I headed off to the Titanic exhibit on display at the Toronto Science Centre. We had both really been looking forward to it since we heard about it last month. So this morning we ditched the kids with my Mom and headed off to the t-dot.

Now I have to say I was disappointed when I got there... no pictures! Which I do understand, but that doesn't mean it didn't piss me off. So this will have to suffice.



Upon entering the exhibit we were given a replica ticket with passenger information printed on the other side.



Mike was a 21 year old tennis player, Richard Norris Williams II, from Switzerland who was traveling with his father. I was 22 year old, Maria Penasco y Castellana from Spain, traveling with my extremely wealthy husband Victor and our servant Dona Fermina Oliva Ocana on our adventurous two year honeymoon. We would find out the fate of our passengers at the end of the exhibit.

The first ante room we entered had loads of information about the building of the ship. There were also actual artifacts like a set of whistles from one of the funnels, a refrigerated cabinet handle and a light fixture. Also on display was a model of the ship. As I looked over the model which was complete with tiny people on the decks I heard a young boy asking his Mom which one was Jack. It was after this that the magic truly started.

To enter the next exhibit room you first had to walk down a corridor that replicated one found in first class. As you approached the next room there was soft music playing, muted noise in the background, what you would the first class dining room to sound like. That room housed a replica first class state room and display boxes filled with china (different styles for different classes), jewelry, spittoon, toilet, sink and soap dish among other things.

Another corridor replicated the steerage area, complete with the same iron gates Rose and Jack found themselves trapped behind in the movie. The soundtrack for the section was the sound of the engines working, just like you would have heard in that area of the ship. The artifacts were truly amazing, more jewelry, glasses, a leather bag, Canadian $20 bill (that was pristine despite being on the ocean floor for near a millennium), perfume samples, glasses, cups and plates of all descriptions. Vases, chamber pot, a huge wrench for use in the boiler room that was incredibly thin by the time they raised it. So so much more, it's hard to remember it all.

The attention to detail was truly remarkable. The soundtrack and lighting perfectly set up each area. As we approached the end of the exhibit the lighting got darker, the soundtrack more mournful. When we arrived in the section dedicated to the collision with the iceberg they had a large chunk of ice on display meant to simulate the temperature of the water when the ship sank. It was less than a minute before it started to feel painful to keep my hand there. It was a surreal experience and it was hard to really comprehend what you were really looking at, that these items had actually sunk with the Titanic. I think the last room was my favourite, it was where you found out the fate of your passenger. The room was full of stories of different passengers and any items they found on the Titanic belonging to them. A quick check of the passenger list informed us that Mike's passenger made it, but not his father and as for me, well my passenger and her servant survived while her husband did not.

As we rounded the last corner of the exhibit Mike remarked, "hey, good news, they found Titanic's lost gift shop too". I will admit, we did browse for a bit and I purchased a book about one of the Titanic survivors. Our tickets let us in to the rest of the Science Centre and we took a quick tour through, but to be honest, we aren't real "science people" so we cut that trip short. I have to say I highly recommend the exhibit for anybody who's even a little bit interested in Titanic's story.