A millennium-old embroidery is causing a very modern headache. When the British Museum opened online booking on Wednesday for its blockbuster Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, would-be visitors were hit with virtual queues stretching up to nine hours, reports the Guardian. By midmorning, some 40,000 people were reportedly in line; that number swelled to nearly 80,000 by midafternoon, with the museum urging people to wait online rather than call or email.
The tapestry will be brought from France to the UK via the Eurotunnel, transported on its own train car in a receptacle that's designed to reduce vibrations, and with its own police escort, report the Telegraph and BBC. Once at its new home, the piece will be displayed in a special protective glass case. "It will be laid flat, which is the best way to show it in terms of conservation," says Nicholas Cullinan, the British Museum's director.
The show, running from September through July of next year, marks the first time the 230-foot-long work, which shows William the Conqueror's win at Hastings in 1066, has been seen in England since the 11th century, per the Guardian. In return for the loan, several British treasures will head to Normandy. Peak tickets to see the tapestry are around $44—nearly triple the price charged when it was on display in France's Normandy—though most slots are cheaper, and under-16s go free, says Cullinan.
Some who've been hanging out in those online queues say their patience has paid off and that they've acquired tickets, while others complain that, after hours in line, they were timed out before they were able to secure entry. Additional tickets are set to go on sale in October and January. Can't get tickets for the Bayeux for when you're in town? The Guardian has more medieval art you can see for free in the UK. Meanwhile, more here on how some experts think transporting the Bayeux artifact is "madness."
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