Whether it’s inspiration–or love–that we seek, we often feel the need to look far and wide, oftentimes missing what’s right next to us. Ito’s and my first real visit to the National Museum in Manila showed us just how much we had missed so close to home, and how much we gained in appreciation for our sometimes-checkered history, our culturally diverse crafts and our creatively rich art heritage.
Other than the exhibits, the building itself (along with the surrounding areas of Manila like Intramuros and Rizal Park) are beautiful, but often overlooked, ‘living museums’ of our colonial past with a tapestry of design and architectural details that is truly inspiring 🙂 My only wish is that we could properly preserve (and clean up!) these invaluable sites for more people to appreciate.
Photos by Ito Ocampo
