Walking around an exhibition showcasing the inner bits of dead humans? No thanks. Or at least this was my initial thought when I heard about Body Worlds Vital at the Life Centre in Newcastle. But thinking back to my GCSE biology lessons, I remembered how fascinating it can be learning about the body and what weird stuff is going on inside us right now. So I broached the subject of a potential visit with my Mam. She was not convinced. My various arguments of "it'll be interesting!" and "you'll learn something" was met with apprehensive comments such as "but what if they smell?" After a few weeks of procrastination, we finally made it to the Life Centre today, slightly shitting ourselves (figuratively).
After the initial wariness of the first model we encountered, we soon became accustomed to the fact that these bodies had once belonged to real people. We even found ourselves forgetting at some points! The bodies had been provided through a donation project, with the owners willingly signing themselves up to our science education in their living years. There is even an example of a form a future donor filled out in 2002. The bodies are preserved through a process called plastination created by Gunther von Hagens, preventing them from decaying and smelling. This was a serious relief for us! We got to see the ins-and-outs of the muscular, skeletal, digestive, nervous and reproductive systems. One particular part I found interesting was a section relating to our diet, and how the food consumed varies around the world. But by far the most fascinating bit of the exhibition for me was the prenatal area, showing our development from 5 weeks-36 weeks. I really couldn't believe that I was seeing something so tiny that eventually develops into something as big as us. Crazy! I had always known that embryos were pretty small, but to see one there in front of you with the makings of a face and limbs was mind-blowing. Unfortunately photography is prohibited in the exhibition, so you'll have to go and see it for yourself!
After we had been fully educated, we left the exhibition and headed for a bit of fun in the form of the 4-D motion ride- a permanent fixture in the Life Centre. The story of the ride for the festive season was a toy store adventure, and was thoroughly enjoyable!
By this time, of course, we were starving, so went against all of the things we had just read about healthy eating and darted straight for a 3-course meal and a cocktail at Las Iguanas. This place is a firm favourite of mine, offering delicious Latin-American food and mouth-watering cocktails, all in a vibrant yet cool setting. I knew what I was having for my main course before I even looked at the menu- 'Albondigas' which are spicy lamb meatballs served with rice. They are to die for! I opted for the 'Cha-Cha chorizo' for starter which was lovely, and washed it all down with a refreshing 'Brazilian Bellini'. We hadn't planned on having a dessert, but one look at the menu swayed us to do so. Neither of us could decide between the macadamia cheesecake or the 'Capirotada' (think sticky toffee pudding with a twist), so made the winning decision to share both. The cheesecake was perfectly light, and balanced out the slight stodginess of the Capirotada.
On our way back to the Metro station, we took a detour to see the infamous Fenwicks window. The theme this year is Alice in Wonderland, and although it totally outshines the Roker Park version, I didn't understand how it was related to Christmas! I even heard one kid ask his Mam "where's Santa?" I feel your pain, mate. It's still impressive, though.
