While I was busy getting lost in London, I stumbled upon a unique thing that was omitted from my Lonely Planet book; a Salvador Dali Museum. I was walking towards the London Eye, when I saw a great statue of Dali that wasn’t a statue at all; it was a street performer acting and dressed like Dali in front of this small, offset museum. So, obviously, I went in to explore because Dali is like a god in the world of art. The price of admission was £12, but I only paid £10 because of my handy dandy student ID. I swear, I will be a student for the rest of my life if I can, it gets me the greatest deals around.

When I entered in the first room, I was immediately transferred into a mindset that only one man has ever had with out the help of mind-expanding drugs. Hell, Dali even once said that "I don’t need drugs, I am drugs!" And that couldn’t have been more evident then when I walked through those doors. On display here, there are his paintings, sculptures, and even his videos. I had no idea that Dali had experimented with videos and these things were crazy. I don’t want to give away too much because that would take away from your experience, but there was one sculpture that had the Dali signature egg with two surrounding dragons. It was so cool and different and totally worth the view. So enjoy the Dali Museum and don’t be like me; bring a camera.

This gallery is for Dali or surrealism lovers only. Be prepared for an art gallery experience like none other. This is not for children. Dali was a very complex and interesting man, and only those with wild imaginations can fully appreciate this artist.

I was able to go for free, but from what I understand, it cost a couple pounds to get in. It is not a very big gallery, but it has a wide range of his works. The only other gallery that I know of that has his work is in Florida, so a trip, if you are in London, is worth it if you are fan.

To get to Dali Universe take the tube to the Wesminster tube station. Follow the signs to the Westminster Bridge exit. If for some chance you don't make it straight to the Thames and Westminster Bridge, (which is easy to do being that this is one of the biggest tube stations!), find Big Ben and walk towards the clock tower. The bridge you are facing is Westminster Bridge. Cross the bridge on the opposite side of Big Ben. Walk down the first set of steps you come to. You will walk past the Saatchi Gallery and you will see the London Eye (the big ferris wheel). Dali Universe is located between the London Eye and the Saatchi Gallery.

This was a great exhibit and free if you have the London Pass. I am a very big Salvadore Dali fan, and I was pleased to see a wide variety of his work showcased here. My friends were not fans of Dali, but they also enjoyed this collection.

Dali Universe. Convenient location (next to the London Eye) but majority of the works here are drawings from the many illustrated books, which he published, and little-known sculptures. Dali’s Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida is much better. Admission £7.00

Not only is the size of this collection massive--over 500 works, it is also very well-presented. From the beginning it brings you right into the proper state of mind for viewing Salvador Dali's works. Dali was clearly one messed up individual. He appears to me to have been obsessed with doing whatever he could to be different, just for difference's own sake. But this doesn't change the fact that he created some amazing pieces, displaying fascinating concepts.

The exhibition has three main thematic areas: Sensuality and Femininity, Religion and Mythology, and Dreams and Fantasy, the last of which is the largest. You can see the relation in the works in these collections, and this setup does facilitate viewing the pieces. Some of the most notable items in the collection include the painting "Spellbound", Dali's "Tarot Cards", many of his graphical interpretations of various literature, and several bronze works.

Somehow, I never knew Dali worked with anything but 2-dimensional media, but the gallery has many of his bronze sculptures, and I believe it was these that I most enjoyed looking at. There are over 40 of his sculptures displayed, both large and small. The famous Horse Saddled with Time, Snail and the Angel, and Space Elephant are all there, for instance. And, although I don't know if I'd really count it as 'sculpture', but they also have the Mae West Lips Sofa on display.

Finally, if you have thousands of pounds to burn, you can buy a real Dali work. Prices range from £500-4000 for graphics and £2000-16,000 for sculptures.

The gallery is open 10am-5:30pm. For more information about the museum, see http://www.daliuniverse.com/, or call +44 (0)20 7620 2720. The nearest tube stations are Waterloo and Westminster.

The gallery is wheelchair accessible from the entrance on Queens Walk (in front of the London Eye).

The museum admission fee is covered by the London Pass.